Ok, gas prices finally got to me. The construction company I own has a fleet of trucks. Friday I bought two Prius's to be used as pickup trucks. Sales calls, errands, small deliveries aren't practical in Yukons and full size pickups at the lousy mileage they get. (Trading in 4 gas hogs which will cut our consumption by 2/3) The question, Does anyone know of something similar to a bed liner for the inside of the Prius that will cover the area from the hatch to the back of the front seats? I've seen the partial cover for behind the back seat but would prefer to have the seats down and protect everything. Any ideas? Thanks in advance, Bill
I read in the Mods forum where someone bought standard mat material at Home Depot cheap and cut to fit using tape to join pieces. It was just for the cargo area, but should work for you. Here's the link: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/40565-inexpensive-option-cargo-area-mat.html
We owned a Ford Taurus Station wagon when we bought our 2005 Prius and kept the liner we bought for the Ford which fits the Prius quite nicely and have now placed it in the back of our new 2008 Prius. It has the split in the forward end to accommodate raising either of the back seats for a third passenger if required. Might still be available from Ford. Since we have a dog which "OWNS" every bit of space aft of the front seats it sure has kept that area pristine. Gary
I've seen a "tray" on ebay before, not sure if that would suffice. But for sure I've seen industrial strength "mats" for the back to replace the carpeting and make it more durable.
Take it in to a Line-X or Rhino Liner place and see what they can do for you. I bet they can work something out... Post pics!
Re: Prius "Pickup" Truck Hey, Thanks for the ideas so far. I'll check those out, the Ford wagon liner seems especially interesting. Bill
Hobbit has an essay on using the Prius to haul big loads, including a homemade liner, and protecting the battery: Stuff yer Prius
That's exactly what I was thinking. Easy to make, clean and replace. LakeDog, welcome to PriusChat! Please keep us posted on how the Prius works out for you. Keep in mind the load limit of the Prius. I want to say 650 pounds but I'm sure someone can provide a more accurate number. If you have fuel records from previous years that you can compare to that of the Prius fleet, that would be a great case study.
Yes, do keep us posted! And here I was expecting a repeat of the "Prius limo" thread. My first thought when seeing the title of this thread was "oh man, not again...".
Re: Prius "Pickup" Truck Thanks for the suggestions, the Home Depot mats on top of a 4x8 sheet of trimmed to fit plywood is looking like a pretty logical way to go. Ideally the manufactured vinyl liner with a couple folding flaps for the back seats would be neater looking and contain any spills, but we'll have to wait for someone to make that. In the meantime, I think we can combo all of the above ideas except the "Prickup" That's just too funny! (Please, poke out my mind's eye) We'll still use the old style Ford and Chevy trucks for the heavy loads, but the PrickUps are replacing 2 Yukon XL's so I think we can triple our gas mileage on a total of approximately 55,000 miles per year. Yukons @ 14 mpg =3928 gallons @ $3. per gal = $11,784. PrickUps @ 45 mpg =1222 gallons @ $3. per gal =$3666. If my math is right we'll save $8118. per year, not to mention the potential time bombs the Yukons are in terms of repairs. (Also bought a stick shift 4-cyl Taco to replace an old Chevy...25 mpg vs 15 mpg) Gotta love saving money but better yet, we're part of the solution, not the problem. Just think if everybody could cut their gas consumption by 66% Thanks for the help, should get the new PrickUps this week. Can't wait to start saving gas! Bill
Hey, lakedog, I'm glad you like the name. I think you could get pretty creative with a stack of coroplast to make your bedliner. A sharp knife and some duct tape can work wonders. I'm not sure if the flat area is better for your needs, or if you just need more space, but you could take the rear seats out completely. The 'trunk' lid also comes out, and you could move the spare tire to gain even more room. Taking things another step, I suppose it might be possible to move the batteries to the floor behind the front seats.
