Lurker - First Question - Undecied on Prius.

17 mpg?! Blue! Stay on the list for the Prius. You will not be disappointed.
At 75mph the Prius is just fine. I'm not sure what you're looking for, but the Prius handles very well on long trips. I make frequent 6 hour trips in my Prius at HWY speeds and haven't had any problems.

 

ANY car will get lower mileage at 75 MPH compared to 60 MPH, or even 70 MPH. I've found I slow down and am much happier and calmer, plus the MPG goes up. Don't expect 55 MPG if you are driving 75-80 MPH. Do expect around 45-48 at those speeds. So many factors affect MPG. You'll NEVER see 17 MPG in the Prius, that's for sure! And the traction control and VSC (vehicle stability control) are tops in my book. I don't miss my 4WD Pathfinder one bit. I think you'll also find the Prius is MUCH more versatile in the roominess/hatchback vs. a WRX. The fun factor is still way up there, even after one year with my Prius. It's such a cool car and is soooo much fun to drive. Not 0-60 in 6 seconds fun but overall performance. Amazing acceleration from 30-to-60 MPH. Plus the low emissions. Stay on the list, you'll be glad you did.

 

Hey Blue,
I have a Evo 8 and I'm gonna get my Prius soon.

 

I drive my Prius ~75 mph.

I currently average 45-47mpg after 4K miles with a range of 500+ miles (driving it 70 miles past the low-fuel beep) on the 11.9gal tank on mostly highway with mixed cruise & stop/go traffic.

MPG will be higher if you drive slower, break in the car more, and get in more city driving.

 

The NAV system runs off a dvd for the mapping software.

However, with Coastal's added Viewtech controller ($300 or so), you'll be able to hookup a dvd player or other video/audio inputs to the screen. Many of us have been literally waiting for years for this product and if you go to www.coastaletech.com you'll see the owner, Dave, has finally got it for sale (it's a part time business for him, and he works hard to make sure everything he sells is an easy plug-and-play sort of device, no soldering, etc.).

-m.

 

Yep, Costal Dave's thing has made me want my Prius that much more. That thing's a little box of genius!

That remind's me, I need to go harass my dealer some more about my delivery time!

 

Best place your order now for the NavTech at Dave's! If you thought the wait was bad for the car, there's *certainly* a very long line waiting patiently for his production run.

-m.

 

I gave up a F250 King Ranch pick up. Do I miss it? Sometimes, but filling up every 3 weeks for $15 versus every 2 weeks for $50 I do not miss. Especially, when the gas has been going up $0.01/gal a day for the last 3 weeks ($1.70 -> $1.92). Also the SKS has made me very lazy.

 

Blue,
I was probably in a similar situation. I just went from and Audi A4 to a Prius. I think you need to decide if you are willing to give up a bit of performance for a bit more comfort, very cool stuff inside the car, and great mileage (plus the knowledge that you are stepping very lightly on the environment).
I've noticed that I am getting used to being a bit more relaxed in the Prius, and I'm not nearly as upset by the other idiots on the road anymore! I am still cruising at 75 MPH on the highway and am still usually the first off the line at the lights, but I am also getting 47 mpg doing it.

The car is pretty easy to get used to, but you should rent or test drive one first if you can. I'm in Denver, and snow and ice hasn't been a problem as long as you have good snow tires (I use blizzaks). You should also shop around a bit. I had to wait a whole 3 weeks for my fully loaded 2005 and got it for $200 under sticker. You shouldn't have to wait very long in most markets any more, and dealers will be dealing soon.

 

For me, I don't care about gas mileage. My commute has been 8 miles round trip for years. I am a technical person, but a car lover first. The Prius is quite interesting, but I'm glad it isn't my daily.
I went from a highly modified 3000gt twin turbo, to a 3 series with auto. I kept the 3 for a couple of years, but it is just too darn slow (and quite a bit faster than a Prius). I sold it and bought a mustang gt. Horribly built car, but way more fun to drive. I'm planning on ditching it ASAP as well (had it 3 yrs I think).
The Prius is taking the place of a 4runner. I'd like to augment the Prius with something else hatchback to help out with carrying things. I'm planning on a WRX wagon. With some work, I can get it up to 300hp at the crank and be quite happy.

The Prius just doesn't fit me, but I don't mind driving it. Fun, however, isn't a term I'd use.
YMMV

And FWIW, I'm older than you, and have a kid.

 

This is confusing. 2004 Subaru bought before 2 kids and when insurance was cheap? OK, so either your wife had twins, or was pregnant when you bought the car or you married into children. I can take those, but why would insurance be cheap only 2 years (max) ago?

All that aside (and we are NOT biased in this group ;-) ) if you don't think you will feel the 'need' for ripping around town, then you will probably like the Prius. Evaluate "how long did it take for me to get 'here' and how long did it take the person who wasn't slamming on the accelerator and brakes". In the Prius, you will possibly appreciate the person (you once were) driving the car that trips all the signals for you as you smooth the acceleration/braking curve.

The techy stuff is really cool, I can't imagine why we should need to stick a key into the outside of a car and twist it to get into a car (or house for that matter) and then do it again once in the car. I find my car comfortable, steady on the snow (Goodyear TripleTred) has more than enough power (and I don't generally use it all). You really do get calmed by it. You are getting 30, 40, 50+ MPG when most eveyone else is getting 10 to 30 but you still want to bump it up a little if possible.

My transition was different than yours, I went from a '86 Mazda 626 GT Turbo to a '95 Honda Odyssey when kid #2 showed up. Stated 0-60 was about 13 seconds. I never tested it to see if it was right since it wasn't necessary and you aren't really tempted like you are when you can do 0-60 in 6 or 7 seconds. Mileage generally 20 winter, 22 summer. Like the Prius it had a very sloped windshield with long A pillars and was fairly flat sided so the transition was easy. I haven't tested the 0-60 in 10 seconds on the Prius either. What I gave up was the 6th seat and cargo room which I do miss occasionally. But the Prius interior is really flexible so if you need to carry long stuff and no more than 1 other person, you can get a lot in there more easily than most cars its size, even wagons, since the front seat back folds flat to the rear seat cushion.

 

Keep both!

I have an ITR and I'm keeping it as a weekend car. Going to drive Prius for daily chores & long range trips. I would not be able to do one or the other. It'll be keeping both for fun. (well, as soon as I find a darn Prius with #4 package.)

-Sean

 

Amen! That's the way I like it. Prius is a great around town car, but I want something to blast around in as well!
And Bruce, you *know* it isn't about if you get to the end point faster, its if you're quicker point to point!

The need for speed......