LA to San Francisco Prius Road Trip

Please let me know how the Prius does up the Grapevine as you approach Los Angeles. Does it have enough power? Thanks in advance.

 

Have fun! I made that drive (OC to San Jose/San Fran) in March, after I'd had my Prius for about a month. Took the 5 almost all the way up (the Prius did fantastically up the Grapevine~definitely enough power!) and took the coastal route (Hwy 1 and 101) home from the Santa Cruz area. The picture in my avatar was taken somewhere between Carmel and San Simeon on our way home. I averaged 45mpg doing 70-75 up the 5 fwy (speed limit thru the flatland was usually 70) and 48mpg on the way home on the coast.

For those who might not think the Prius has enough power to make it up steep/long grades, it for sure as heck does a fine job of making it up! Handled the Grapevine (Tejon Pass) like it was no problem, we were passing people the whole way up. Also handled the Cajon (15 fwy north of the 15/215 split), Cahuenga (101 fwy btwn LA and Santa Barbara) and Sepulveda (405 fwy south of the 101) Passes without so much as a moment's hesitation. Also made it up the 20-25 mile 6% grade on hwy 395 just north of Bishop and south of Mammoth Lakes, CA spectacularly (while achieving an all-time low of 34mpg for that portion of the trip). We also made it through all the smaller mountain passes in between San Jose and Santa Cruz with no issues. Conclusion: no worries about the Prius making it up any steep grade or pass.

 

The weight shouldn't be an issue, and i would image taht your milage wouldn't drop too much. just a month ago i moved from ohio to minnesota, with a kayak on top of the prius, and a recliner and a bunch of other stuff filling the rest of the car up completely, and i had no problems, except poor gas milage from the big kayak on top (and by poor i mean upper 30's, so still better than my previous car WITHOUT a kayak)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 12:24 PM) [snapback]278724[/snapback]</div>

Not to worry James, the Prius is very tough and it will protect it's self. Use all it has to give you if you need to. I've had mine to 12,000 feet and I've had the battery down to one pink bar several times and it just continued up the mountain on the engine, it will charge back up to all green coming down.

I bet you will have a lot of fun and your mileage will be in the mid 40s or better.

 

I do the hills all the time. If you are fully loaded look for some increased engine noise and to see your energy bars drop some but it will definitely make it up the hills and you may even pass other slow pokes!

 

Best wishes on your adventure! I drive over the grapevine all the time (at least once a month) and the Prius does great. I have had it bogged down before and it still was locked in at 75-80 on the cruise control.

Hwy 1 or 101 is a much nicer drive, our central valley is hot and ugly- I would avoid it if possible!

Safe travels

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 12:24 PM) [snapback]278724[/snapback]</div>

With five occupants any car is permitted to travel in the HOV lanes.

P.S. Did you consider the possibility that there may be six of you on the trip back?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]278820[/snapback]</div>

In free flowing traffic, the difference should not be more than an hour or two.

Unfortunately, the stretch of the 101 between the west San Fernando Valley and Santa Barbara is prone to congestion, even on the weekends. A few weeks ago, on Memorial Day weekend Sunday, we were stuck in (mostly) stop and (not too much) go traffic between Ventura and Carpinteria for almost an hour.

 

I just returned this week from a trip driving from Olympia, WA to Great Falls, MT with 3 adults, complete luggage and large bat bat/gear (fastpitch tournament).

The route took us over 2 mountain ranges (Cascades and Rockies) with at least 4 passes. The Prius handled remarkably. We went 75 - 80 the whole way and got 47/48mpg for the trip (not as good as the normal 52 at home). I was surprised at the mpg.

Some of the grades going up the passes in the Rockies were extremely steep and I got worried about the mattery and its 'pink' bars. It made alot of noise and you could hear the engine working very hard but it never seemed to be a concern. Kept it on cruise most of the way except when climbing those passes. The car tries really hard to maintain its speed (75/80) uphill and the engine noise had me pulling back abit.

While I love the Prius at home and commuting, it turned out to be a better road car than I thought it would be. It had plenty of power, was very comfortable and held all our gear plus some.

After this trip, I won't be concerned with any road trip I may take in the Prius.

OlyBob

 

If going up the coastal route, I would add about 3 hours to your trip time vs going up the I-5. Because the road is so twisty and winding, the speed limit therefore is a lot lower than on the interstate (45-55mph vs 65-70mph). Also, much of the road north of Santa Barbara is a 2-laner. And it's such a beautiful drive that you might find yourself stopping at the vista points and turnouts to enjoy the view and/or take pictures (as we did) which will add time to the drive.

 

I just LOVE going up the coast! I drove from Portland to San Diego using the coast road all the way. Gosh it was gorgeous!!! I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had the time... The passenger gets most of the fun, though. Northbound you have the southbound lane obscuring your view somewhat, and southbound the passenger better not be afraid of heights!!!

I agree with the extra 3 hours. I once drove from near Carmel to San Diego in about 10+ hours, so LA to SF would be fairly similar. I went route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) all the way I could, so 101 would probably be shorter (although not as scenic).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Jun 29 2006, 03:51 PM) [snapback]278839[/snapback]</div>

True. But he was thinking about taking 101, not Highway 1. Taking Highway 1 is a beautiful trip, however!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]278820[/snapback]</div>

We're doing the SF to LA tomorrow, and taking 101 down and 5 back, for variety's sake. 101 generally adds less than 2 hours, although, with 2 little kids and a pregnant woman, I expect EVERY trip takes lots longer due to the frequency of the potty breaks.

And YOU could go in the boot of the Prius and the biggest kid's car seat in the front...

As to even CONSIDERING the Armada...well, it is a stupid name! An Armada cannot be a single vehicle--just ask the Spanish! And do NOT get me started about the Murano--why would you want a car from a place associated with GLASS? Then, there was yer Aspire--what did it aspire to? Being a car?

Love and kisses,
Andy Rooney

 

Also made it up the 20-25 mile 6% grade on hwy 395 just north of Bishop and south of Mammoth Lakes, CA spectacularly (while achieving an all-time low of 34mpg for that portion of the trip).

 

Yeah, I was in "B" mode about 75-80% of the way down that grade. Otherwise my speed would have definitely gotten out of control, and I was trying to keep within 10mph of the speed limit. I must say that during that descent, that was the only time I've ever seen my battery indicator at full green bars. Even when it's green and showing "full" nowadays, there's still a bar at the very very top that never manages to get lit, with the exception of that downhill trip.

 

Was this a trip to Mammoth Lakes (8000 ft) or Mammoth mountain (9000 ft)? If so how did the power train perform at those altitudes? The reason for my query is that I usually spend a couple of months in the summer up in that area. I've just had too much on my plate to relocate yet. As a matter of fact I did not trade in or put up for sale my Camry because I have doubts about wether or not I can use the prius for daily trips to South Lake, Lake Sabrina, Pine Creek, Rock Creek (10,000 ft), places like that. I certainly don't want to over tax the prius and if has to stay home and miss the summer activities so be it, the Camry is rarin to go! Just a side note; the Highway Patrol working out of Bishop used to employ an unmarked GM Camero or Trans-Am in that area. The car was really a white phantom, it had a light bar that was unusally thin and the bubble gum machine lights were LEDs imbedded in the front. The light bar looked like a ski rack from even a short viewing distance. It loved to hang out on the descending side at a big sweeping right curve below the Sherwin Grade summit Man what easy pickings. Thanks Al

 

Hey JB, it's probably too late, but if you're in Pacifica off the 1, go to Nicks best seafood on the peninsula. And a stunning view of the ocean too boot, nice sandy beach to walk the kids down as well. The same can be said for Cliffhouse on SF's great highway, but pricey for a large family.

Nrgyzd, not to worry, I'm at about 31,000 miles and we've tackled every pass in this thread and then some three or four times, (LA trip alone we've done three times), one of these days I'll just cruise up the hills instead of keeping it at the speed limit. Don't forget to take "B" off, it really is a different feel then turning overdrive off or putting it in 2nd.

My garage is still spotless, other than the AC condensation/melting thing, and transmission has never smelled burnt, still has good clear color.

 

I recently took my prius up the grapevine. On the way there I got a respectable 49mpg, on the way back I got tired of driving slow so I had the CC locked at 88 the entire way (Even up the steep hills), I was passing up all the slower cars and giving them that (you are pathetic you just got passed up by a hybrid) look.

On the way back I went 88 and got 41mpg. Which isnt bad for 88mph. On the way there I stayed at 72 (speed limit was 70). Even with the battery complely drained the car still goes up all the hills pretty much as fast as you want the engine will just roar like crazy. The lowest I saw the car drop on the steepest hills was down to 85mph before the trans fully got into the powerband, then back up to 88 the rest of the hill.

I even went 104mph to pass a car once. Awsome car...