Newbie ? is a hybrid right for me

lets start with your situation,
95 % freeway at the speeds you describe should net you a MPG average of between 45 and 50 MPG which is 3 times better then what you are getting in the land cruiser.
Her situation would actually probably get more like 40 MPG it will take a MPG hit because 90 % of her commute is short distance since the vehicle will hardly ever get to warmup conditions, Like most cars after about 5 miles of driving is where the Prius really starts to get its best economy.

Your weekly commute 400 - 450 miles in the Prius is about a full tank of gas and would cost you in the neighborhood of $30 to fill up from empty, if that helps.

 

Trade the odyssey in for a prius, have your wife drive the landcruiser. I have a similar situation with a long commute, a wife mostly staying closer to home, and desiring to keep a tow vehicle. A couple weeks ago the engine in my wife's 2001 isuzu rodeo sport blew up when the timing belt wore out. It got around 18-20MPG, and we were already planning to replace it. I bought a 2005 prius and I really like the gas mileage. For a sedan, it's a really great car. I like the fuel consumption display and the radio quite a bit. Mine doesn't have nav or bluetooth.

My wife is not especially happy that she is now driving a 2007 dodge ram 2500 diesel, but it would cost me 3x as much to commute in it. We won't sell the truck because we love our 5th wheel camper too much, and after having this truck, I am going to hate any other tow vehicle (it tows 6000lbs at nearly the same MPG as unloaded!!!). I do get to drive the truck when my wife is also driving to town though.

 

Prius is great on the freeway at 75-80 mph. Expect low-mid 40s mpg at those speeds. Visit your local dealership and go out for a test drive.

Anyone know what the HCH gets at those speeds?

 

My wife had a bunch of appointments today, I got to drive the truck Damnit, she got to drive the prius though hahaha

The prius is comfortable at 80 and 90 mph in my opinion--and it seems to have good acceleration at most speeds. I've been driving 75mph in 35 degree weather and I am getting around 45MPG. The fuel efficiency drops quick above ...maybe 65-70mph? I guess wind makes too much difference to say for sure. My commute has no traffic and a LOT of wind--I drive across the salt flats south of the great salt lake on I80 every day.

One of the dealerships in salt lake city told me they have a couple loaner prius' for people to test drive for the day. They are charging $10 to take one for the day. If you can find a similar setup, it may be worth it so you can feel the ride at different speeds and see what MPG your traditional speed and commute work out to. I haven't driven the TCH so I can't compare unfortunately.

I started trying "hypermiling" techniques yesterday. It amazes me that these cars can really do 80MPG if you're willing to drive below 42mph!!! I'm generally not up for that but I am stretching my mileage where it is convenient. I think it is sorta strange that regen braking is lightly applied when you let off the gas and are not pressing the brake. You won't notice unless you're really paying attention, but you have to pay attention to let the car "glide". None of this stuff is needed to get 45MPG at 75MPH though, and there is less that you can do at higher speeds because the internal combustion engine will be running to fight wind at higher speeds.

 

Get a Prius and use it for your commute and if the missus will put up with driving a truck while you drive the Prius she can do the short runs in that because it wont burn a lot of fuel on a few short journeys a day, as long as she isn't doing lots of them short journeys each day. Then you still have the truck to tow and lug into snow covered mountains.

 

If you're tall, or have long legs, consider the Camry. Your other two vehicles have a good driver position--sitting up, legs extended--and the Prius, while it has a lot of headroom, doesn't have a ton of legroom. Test both vehicles and try to imagine how you'll feel after all that time on the road.

 

Hertz in Kansas City rented me one a month ago. That will answer most of your questions if you can find one to rent for a week or so.

I'm 6'5 - I fit just fine. Setting the cruise on 67mph , 100 mile trip 2 days ago, I was getting 53mpg - about 70 degress F. Flat, there are no hills here

I find the Prius much quieter on the highway than my last car (Jeep). It could have better sound dampening, but compared to the jeep, its amazingly quiet.

My brother has a diesel Volkswagen - he gets about 45mpg - a good option, but the fuel cost is $0.80/gallon higher for diesel.

 

can you afford another vehicle??

the obvious answer is yes especially since the fuel costs for those extended trips would pay for another car easily. then we need to look at need.

lets look at my situation. i have 4 vehicles. a 1991 Ford F150, 89 corolla, 06 Prius and 2007 Zenn EV.

each vehicle fits a need.

F-150: % of need, less than 1%. usage...less than 1% (actually twice in 18 months)

Corolla: % of need, about 10% (there should be times when both of us have things to do that the Zenn will not comfortably handle. in 5 months, it has not happened yet, but im sure it will someday)....usage...less than 1% (father in law now used it for daily commutes instead of his F-150. saves the planet roughly 15 mph)

Zenn EV: % of need about 60%... the Zenn only does a max of 35 mph, has range up to about 30-35 miles and its a two seater for a 3 member family so its very limited. but it has more than enough for both our commuting needs, and its perfect for those very short trips that used to destroy my Pri's mileage. usage... 30-40%. there are plenty of times where two Zenn's would have been the ultimate way to go.. at just over 2 cents per mile (no that has not increased 30% over the past two months like the Pri!!!) it costs a lot to drive the Pri if its not necessary!!

finally, the Pri: % of need. about 30 % (3 times a week, my mother in law watches our son. she lives 20 miles away, so he must be taken in the Pri since the Zenn does not have the range, the rest is family outings etcetera. our work schedules being the way they are, Saturday is our only day off together) usage about 60-70 %. this is based on total miles driven. not trips taken, otherwise the Zenn is used way more.

so after all that, i guess what im trying to say is that YES you should get a Pri. i cant imagine paying what you would pay for gasoline.

for us, our basic fuel costs run about $80 a month. granted we probably dont put on as much mileage as you would. total mileage for us averages 1500 miles a month which is low for a two driver family, but im willing to bet you pay more for EACH vehicle than i do for gas.

i say, cut your losses, figure what your expenses would be with gas at $5 a gallon, it may not be there yet, but i think we all know better than to think it will go down. add to that the estimated 20-40% increase in your grocery bill...then decide what you need to drive.