I think I want a Prius (if Camry Hybrid came in a wagon it would be an easier decision for me ). However, while shopping and test driving for my wife's vehicle about 18-months ago we drove a Prius and the A/C seemed not near as cold and as effective as the Camry Hybrid we drove at the same time (she ended up buying a new RAV4 at that time). I'm in Reno and I can't test the A/C effectiveness in the middle of winter . For you AZ & NV Prius owners: Do you find the Prius A/C is real effective at quickly and completely keeping the cabin plenty cool on a 90-100 degree day? Thanks in advance! Dan
Hello! I'm in Oregon, but we do get temps 90-100+ in the summer. I have found my a/c to be totally adequate. In my former car I would set the auto a/c at 72 for my comfort. I found that in the Prius I have to set it at 75 if I don't want to freeze. No complaints from backseat passengers either.
I also find the AC in my Prius adequate in our 30-35C summer we're in now. On a hot day it can chow the battery down very quickly though. A friend of mine has a 1994 BMW 540i E34 and its' AC can make your teeth chatter on a hot summers day.
Born and raised in Omaha. Moved to Reno in '96. I certainly don't miss the hot humid summers nor the frigid icy winters; nor the bugs. But there are some great folks there that I do miss . Thanks for your replies!
i'm in dallas. it can be a mite bit warmish here in august. the prius deals with the heat just fine. 90-100? thats cool for summer, no?
yeah the A/C is really good in the prius. Not sure why you had a poor experience with it. Generally setting the temp to 75-78 on auto here in vegas temps it works fine..after 10 minutes of course. And it's hotter here in 90-100 degree weather it won't be a problem at all
Detroit doesn't usually have quite the heat problem you're asking about, but I've had no issues with my vehicle. I did, hpwever, tint all the windows from behind the back seat to the rear of the car, so that surely helps me some. I also have a strip of tint across the top of the winshield, but nothing at all on the front door windows.
I've gone through two summers here in the southwestern corner of Utah and my Prius' AC has kept me comfortably cool.
Works just dandy here in AZ. As a matter of fact, it pulls the car down to temp and I hear the fan speed dropping about 4 miles down the road.
This is a dream topic, as we sit at -30C, TRYING to warm up the car. As a friend said, the Prius uses a gas heater.
In SoCal last summer, we had a pretty hot streak. We were about 110 for about 2 weeks. Car did just fine.
well here in AZ the car does great. here its over 110F for a few month in the summer and it cools down the car in about 5 to 10 min and thats quick considering its close to 200 mark inside the car after sitting in the sun all day.
It will do fine, but a suggestion, with ANY vehicle...use some sort of a sunshade on the windshield when parked in the sun.
Ok...thanks to all for your input! I put trust into your testimonials and went out and bought an '09 Prius today with #4 package. It was a nice drive home from the dealer!
