Hi Everyone! I've been lurking for a while but am relatively new to Prius Chat. I'm picking up my 2010 Prius tomorrow and have a quick question. I'm planning on taking a week-long road trip in my Prius in mid-August. I plan to have my car fully loaded with 5 people and a lot of luggage, camping gear, etc. (We're five women, so you can imagine how much cargo space just our shoes are going to take up.) My first question is whether I should be concerned about the "break-in" period, since I plan on doing this long road trip while my car is relatively new. My second question is whether I should be concerned about my car being able to make it. We will be fully loading the car, and driving around the Olympic Peninsula for 3 days before driving up a very large mountain (Whistler in British Columbia) in the middle of summer. That's pretty much two hours going straight up a large mountain. Will my car overheat? Will I need to lighten my load and leave my less-favored friends on the side of the road to hitch rides the rest of the way? Thanks so much!
highly unlikely you will have issues. the Pri runs significantly cooler than a regular car because its design reduces the amount of waste heat a normal car experiences. i also did the 101 loop with less than 400 miles on my Pri and i had no worries. the drive itself is near perfect break in for your Pri anyway. they recommend gentle driving, varying speeds, etc...all of which is what the 101 is all about. granted, i was not loaded, only three of us, but you are taking 3 days around the peninsula (we did ours in one!) that really only boils down to about 2 hours at a time. not a long trip at all really. the only thing i question is camping gear for 5 fitting. we camped in the SPM which is only slightly smaller, had to use half the back seat for the food and the back was packed full.
Five women and their luggage and camping gear? I don't see it, unless you have a top carrier. And even so, I hope you're REALLY good friends!
Congrats and :welcome: to PriusChat! Well if you're gonna do 1,000 miles between now and August, it's not gonna be a problem. Even if you didn't, it's about 200-300 miles to Whistler right?? Something like that. Also, it won't overheat. Whistler is nothing compared to the mountain passes. Try going up Hwy 97C westbound in the middle of summer when it's 37°C and you have a full car with the A/C going. Now that's a test.
I took an overnight with 5 in my '07 once. 2 adults and 3 slim 20ish kids. One will ride the "hump" seat so will need a break to get out and stretch occasionally. No sleeping bags, but just an overnighter and misc. junk and pillows took up most of the cargo space. We went from 98' elevation to over 8,000' and 2 passes in the Sierra Nevada mountains with absolutely no lack of power or overheating. During break-in period for the car the freeway constant speed will be the only thing you may need to watch. Vary the speed from 55-70 occasionally on the freeway. Hill or mountain driving will sufficiently vary the engine speed. Braking may be an issue. Plan to be very gentle on your brakes and use the "B" setting for longish down hill runs. Avoid hard stops especially with the full load {sorry ladies, 5 of you with gear will be a full load}. Don't forget to pack things underneath the cargo lid. There is lots of room for stuff that you can put under the lid, but just put things you won't need until the other cargo area is emptied. There is a small hidden compartment on the left hand side in the cargo area under a removable lid and the carpet. Good luck Lee
Thanks for all the responses. It sounds like I should be less concerned about the mountain and more concerned about our luggage! We might have to do some creative packing. We go on a road trip every year, so I think we can survive 6 days in a Prius if we can survive 10 days in a compact car on the back roads of Ireland (which we did last year)! Thanks again!
If you care about load limits, which many Americans do not --- Rated load capacity is 825 pounds. For 5 passengers, that is 165 pounds each.
Pack wisely would be my recommendation ... wouldn't be fun to be the person in the middle in the back either. Definitely don't worry about the car getting up the mountain ... having room for everything might be tough though ... and just general comfort in the back seat. Don't forget about the space under the rear cargo area ... you could at least put all your shoes under there
Check the tire pressure regularly.Climb the mountian when its cooler in the day and uses the Premium Gas.Well, if you can't make it up the hill turn around Did you say 5 girls with lugage and camping gear.YOU NEED A BUS FOR ALL THAT. I got a great Idea. Rent a Toyota SUV for a week. I do not think the prius is rated for that much weight.
I think that we drove part of the way up that mountain in B.C., with Hyo in the car! It's a nice drive. We also did the Loop the first week we had our Prius!! We did the entire loop (Hoquiam, north to Port Angeles, then over and down and back west to Hoquiam) in a day. It took us about 7.5 gallons of gas, I remember! Have fun!
I don't think the load capacity (people + plus cargo) is 825 lbs. Pretty sure it is well over 900 lbs now .... looking ... load capacity = GVWR - Curb weight = 3,980 - 3042 = 938 lbs. So, five ladies at 120 lbs average + 338 lbs for gear. Might need a roof carrier! My 2009 is 810 lbs, so another improvement in the 2010.
2010 Owner's Manual, page 260: Total load capacity: 825 lb. (370 kg) See also page 548, and tire placard on door frame. Subtract 11.9 gallons of fuel (~72 lb), 4.4 quarts of engine oil (~7 lb), 7.6 qts engine coolant (~15 lb), 2.2 qts PCU coolant (~2 lb), 3.5 qts transmission fluid (~4lb), ?qts washer fluid (?lb), ... Is the 3042 lbs a curb weight, or a dry weight?
5 girls camping reminds me of an old joke about a poetry competition. I shant go on. Enjoy the trip, as long as you all fit with all your gear you will be fine. Please post pick of the loaded car and the camp site when you're all set up.
Just do it and have fun! Include some good pictures in your report back so we can live vicariously! It may be more comfortable to rent a bigger car I have to admit! Lee
