Prius in the snowy mountain?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius-a-rama @ Nov 19 2006, 02:56 PM) [snapback]351764[/snapback]</div>

For your active outdoor lifestyle, and all terrain needs for your vehicle it is obviously a valid point that you have the right to use/buy your own SUV of whatever kind. I have a 2007 Prius touring, but i also have a 2006 Land Rover LR3 hse... and yes, i dont like gassing it up so much and the effects it has on the world but i cant take a prius on nauset beach,while having 4 dogs and three friends in it. The prius also doesnt suit me when i have to plow my own driveway or driving on roads if needed while we are under 'State of Emergency'. If people are going to dislike you because you need an SUV for your hobbies and what not, then that is ridiculous. It isnt like your commuting to work with it and what not. But are you thinking of getting rid of the prius, or buying a SUV while keeping it...

 

An SUV is entirely justifiable for many situations, such as this. In another year or two i'll probably be buying a boat (and those get even worse mileage!), and an used SUV to tow it with - only used when absolutely needed.

The problem most people here have with the SUV's and trucks are when you see your co-worker pulling into his parking spot every morning, getting out of the SUV solo.

So in short, Prius = every day around town, commuter, and road trip king, SUV = exactly what the name stands for, Sports Utility Vehicle. Used for sports and activities where other modes of transportation aren't practical.

 

The connotation is that a SUV is a gas guzzler. This is not necessarily so! The anti-Prius gets very good mileage, considering its' size. You could get a Highlander hybrid.

I did get a kick out of the scene in "Over the Hedge" where the group of animals come to a SUV (looked like a Escalade/Navigator). "Wow, that vehicle could carry a lot of animals. How many humans can it carry? (Answer given after pause for thought...) One."

As for your Prius, get yourself four good tires, such as Nokian WR. Chains will not be necessary with these except in the most extreme conditions, as they have the "snow tire" symbol on the sidewall - so will be ok when they say "proper snow tires or chains required from here on". They are all season tires so you will not have to change tires with season. As posted above, the only thing you will then have to worry about is ground clearance in deep snow.

 

Pound for pound, my F250 diesel does as well as my hybrid Prius. At just about 3x the curb weight, the f250 gets about 1/3 the mileage.

After that, it comes down to whether or not I need to pack that many pounds back and forth to work every day and spend the fuel $ to do it.

 

We live in ski country here. Snowy mountains every winter. Our Prius has had very few issues with snow and ice, and that's mostly due to the OEM tires not being great. We've switched to HydroEdges now, and we'll see how they handle this winter. But previously, we just threw some chains on when necessary and have had no problems at all from this. As Tideland Prius said, avoid anything with several inches of snow on the road itself, but usually at that point roads start getting closed anyway, so it mostly becomes irrelevant.

Oh, and the OEM tires are technically snow tires (of the all-season variety). They have the appropriate branding and everything, so they're legal when snow tires are required. But just because they're legal doesn't mean they're safe.

 

I think the Prius is Great but at times I NEED MORE POWER. :lol:

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to afford to have each vehicle that you in fact would use. It'd also be nice if the State would let us use one set of plates that we could move from Vehicle to Vehicle much like Dealers plates. And the insurance company would figure their rates by that one set of plates.

It's nice to dream untill then we have the Prius for back and forth to work and long trips. Then with the money I save on gas by not driving my 4x4 Truck all the time like I use to. I was able to keep it and on ocassions use it for the snow, for hauling and towing. Then maybe down the road I can trade in the truck for a Suburban (cheaper License plates than truck) to pull a dump trailer, so I could haul the family too. License plates for trailers are cheap. The only other way is to RENT.

 

Being built low to the ground, the Prius will not be the best choice in deep snow. However, on ice you probably cannot find a safer vehicle. If your snowboarding takes you on snow-covered roads, then I agree you need a higher car with 4WD or AWD. But if you are on plowed roads and just concerned about safety on ice, then your Prius is the best choice, bar none.

 

I've driven mine to Mammoth several times, and it's fine. You will need to put chains on a little sooner than you might with other tires. Just drive carefully and know the car's limitations.

 

If your Prius has VSC, that is a Godsend in snow and ice!!! :wub:
I tried, but failed to get the car to go out of control in an empty snow and ice covered Tahoe Area ski resort parking lot. I feel much more in control in those conditions in my VSC equipped Prius than in any other car I have driven.