I'm thinking of driving a new Prius in some very elevated mountain areas during a vacation. Are there any owners out there driving a Prius on freeways in mountainous areas that have any problem having enough power? Thanks in advance for any input! Joe
I drove my 2005 for 115,000 miles in colorado. My office is 3500 feet below my house. It handled it just fine. My 2010 has significantly more power and can accelerate up the steepest hills. It will handle it just fine.
My Gen II did just fine in the mountains, even completely loaded with climbing and camping gear. The Gen III should do even better. Tom
I drive mine the mountains of North-Central WV, and it's fine. Only get about 44 MPG, but I'm still getting used to it.
I've had no power problems with steep highways at low elevation (up to 5400 feet) in the Washington Cascades. The higher elevation tests inland will happen this autumn.
I rented one for the day a few weeks ago and put 260 miles on it. I was really surprised at how well it did in terms of power. The gas pedal is weighted to discourage you from flooring it, but if you mash it, it is pretty peppy. I can't recall a single time where it didn't have power when I wanted it too. Now the Insight is another story. I test drove it and the car felt underpowered on the freeway. Mash the gas and you'll hear the engine noise associated with turbo boost, but the car goes nowhere.
My 2006 has seen some extensive use in the mountains. Most recently, it went on a 3-week 5,000 mile trip through a dozen plus mountain passes. The car was loaded with myself, my wife, 2 bikes on a hitch, and 3 weeks worth of camping, climbing, and outdoor gear. We never had a problem with the car's power and it performed like a champ. The Prius is an extremely capable car and even though I've owned it for 3 years, I'm still amazed at how much gear it can carry. Bryan
We just returned from a 2-week 2700 mile trip that included the Adirondacks in NY and the White Mountains in NH. (We drove from Akron, Oh, to Acadia, Me, then down to DC, and back to Akron.) · Our 2010 Prius didn't race up the mountains, but we could always maintain speed (sometimes over 70 mph) and accelerate, as needed. · The battery charge level did not drop on long up-hill stretches. · Trip cumulative mileage clearly dropped on long up-hill climbs, but returned to baseline on descent. · For the 2700 miles the trip computer reported 53.4 mpg; based on gas used, we actually got 50.9. I hope this helps! Marty
Highest I've gone is 9,420 feet (bottom of ski lifts at Taos Ski Valley). No problems and no overheating, even with aggressive driving uphill.
I have the 2010 level V and Navigation. We just arrived in Northern Utah after a 1500 mile scenic drive from Dallas via southern New Mexico. This car cruises easily at 80+ MPH, the 17' tires are a dream, and it takes to mountains on cruise control like it was flat land. I had one stretch where I only got about 38 MPG ... but for about 150 miles I was running about 85 mph into a headwind. Otherwise 80+ speed gave me about 45 MPG. When we got to Utah, I took it in for its first 5000 mile service ... and afterwards, my MPG immediately went up about 5-10 MPG. Now, I suspect the factory oil was heavier than the 0w-20 they put in ... or else the factory fill was overful. I noticed that after the service, the oil level was a little bit lower than it had been. After the oil change, we went for a 200 mile run to almost the Idaho border ... through some mountains ... and my mileage at 70-80 MPH was now reading about 55 MPG. Next week, we are going across Wyoming to Nebraska and back to Dallas. I will be curious to see how the mileage reads for our 4000 mile trip. The one BIG thing to remember in the mountains is that when you are going down big hills or grades is to use the "B" shift position. "B" is like a Jake Brake on a truck. It slows the car on steep grades with little need for using the brakes ... because after the battery hits its max charge ... you wind up on the brakes if you are in "D".
My dad has no complaints about their 2010 going up to Big Bear Lake, CA on a regular basis from the valley below.
I just bought a 2010 Package 3 in Denver last week. With medium weight, I had no trouble at all going up the inclines to Breckenridge. Kept up whatever speed I wanted. On the way out, fully loaded, I could only get up to 55 mph comfortably without flooring it (was still breaking engine in). I got 50.9 mpg going from Denver, to Breckenridge (up and down in the mts), and back. And driving around in Breckenridge area was no problem. Even took it off road a tiny bit and it did fine at high altitude.
