acceleration and air conditioning

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasalsa @ Jul 16 2006, 04:37 PM) [snapback]287221[/snapback]</div>

Actually the answer is yes... My wife is the 'Queen of Green" at the local Toyota dealership. I have driven quite a few Prius, a Highlander hybrid, and a Honda Civic hybrid. I may not own a prius but I have over 4500 passes at the drag strip in a great variety of vehicles, as well as a couple of years circle track back in the early '80's... I am in no way an expert on hybrids but I do know how the existing Prius compares with a lot of different cars.

 

Acceleration is good. More low end torque than you know what to do with. It surprises others and myself every now and then. There aren't too many hills in South Florida, however the Prius is a wonderful hill car. Mountain passes are no problem, she just throttles up and keeps climbing. Very impressive.

AC works great. I do use the auto function. I just set my cabin temp and forget it . That is how it was intended to be used and that is how I do use it. You will not be sorry.

There is no AC lag when AC is running and you accelerate, do to the AC compressor being electrically driven and not belt driven. So, vehicle performance remains consistant regardless of AC status.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(vtie @ Jul 16 2006, 04:16 PM) [snapback]287218[/snapback]</div>

Quick handling is much more important than acceleration when it comes to avoiding accidents. The Prius is fairly nimble for a five seat sedan.

Tom

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roni @ Jul 15 2006, 03:20 PM) [snapback]286842[/snapback]</div>

The acceleration of the Prius is much better than it seams. The HSD system does no shifting, and traction control keeps you from spinning the tires, so the acceleration is very smooth. We tend to equate acceleration with head-snapping shifts and squealing tires, so the smoothness of the Prius fools people into thinking it has poor performance. It's not a sports car, but it has plenty of pep for a "normal" car.

Tom

 

I've only had my 2006 Prius for a few weeks, but have so far been very impressed with the A/C. My previous car was a 2003 Audi A4 and I always thought the A/C was lacking (didn't blow cold enough for me). I live in Atlanta where it is hot and humid this time of year. I do have all the windows tinted (factory option so nothing special).

As for acceleration, obviously the A4 really performed in that area. The Prius has adequate acceleration and was definitely better than I thought it would be. I thought I would miss the power more, but seeing the 43.5 MPG average (so far) makes it all worthwhile.

Chris