Prius worst car in history in winter

the Prius is the worst car in history in winter.

ummm oh wait, what is snow again?

on second thought nah, it isn't the Prius it would have to be me. we get the 1/2" - 1" of snow every ten years so I'd be out of practice.

 

I disagree. I have lived in Chicago all my life and driving for over 40 years so have driven many cars. The Prius is different but not worse. I had a rude awakening of the impact of cold on gas mileage, but not sure that it's the "worst" car in history.... (you a drama actor...)


Try taking the car out of eco mode to get the car to warm up faster. Also, when my 2010 prius is turned on, I automatically pull in outside air. I switch it to recycle air (unless window frost up). Try that.

If you have trouble with the traction, try changing tires.

Good luck!

 

I will take my Blizzak WS-60 over the Hankook I-Pikes I got for this year.

 

exactly! and how many people getting 20mpg have it staring at them from the dash?, or keep track on a regular basis?, and where would they post it if they were unhappy about it?

 

I have the lower grill 100% blocked. I will do a little experiment and report its accuracy vs a mercury thermometer.

 

I am unsure if I should be happy or sad that I do not have winter or winter driving conditions to contend with here. I would love to drive a properly equipped Prius in the snow. All though I would not be happy with the cold. I am also a convert from a AWD drive vehicle Saab 9-2x wagon (it is a badge engineered Subaru Impreza WRX wagon). I am not even going to try and drive my Prius like my old car. I have become a more responsible and calmer driver in the last few months without my old car and these last couple of weeks with the new Prius. I don't have that AWD, Turbocharged, Manual Transmission automobile turning me into an angry road raged lunatic. I get in my car now and I am greeted first by my coolant recirculation pump and then after I press power I am welcomed to Prius. Can't get much better than that.

 

Unfortunately "I got stuck in prius" means absolutely jack squat unless others in a multitude of other cars were not stuck. I can find you videos online of a 4wd car with winter tires stuck in the snow. But I've never been stuck in my prius. Is the Prius thus better? No, it's a meaningless comparison I'm afraid.

 

Fist off, do you understand how automotive cabin heat works? Turning off the heat would just cause the engine heat to be lost through the radiator instead of being transferred inside. Granted, turning up the heat to a high setting might cause then ICE to shut off less often (anyone have data on this?), but this in an of itself would only cause a negligible loss of efficiency.

I live in the northeast as well. Yes, it is a heavy car for it's size. This is generally an asset for traction. Any time you're driving on ice or snow, you just have to plan ahead a little better.

As far as taking forever to warm up (I am assuming you are referring to the cabin), any car with a small ICE will take a while. Small engine=less energy lost through heat=take longer to heat up the cabin.

 

I agree with politurbo here - I live in NJ and our winter conditions aren't that terrible (although we did get a crazy blizzard this year ). I actually think the Prius runs well for me when we do have slightly bad weather. I did throw a pair of winter tires on the car though. It's a huge upgrade from my Mitsubishi Eclipse so...I'm surprised by this post...Now if you were in snowy conditions everyday then I'd get it.

 

Hey Ed, would you like to do a house swap for say a month or so?

 

i live in northern NJ and have had 5 Subaru's in a row since 1997.

why did i change?

poor gas mileage and the myth that all wheel drive is vastly superior. it's all hype.

last winter i had 2 days out of 365 where it might have helped. 2 days of ice building up on the road while commuting home through towns. everybody was doing 10 mph max. where was i going to go? nowhere. so awd is useless. after all they do plow roads so there is nothing wrong with front or rear wheel drive. use winter tires, i don't and i get around driving carefully.


so why would i buy a car that gets 18mpg(Subaru outback sport auto) during my slow commute for 2 days, 6 days at the worst? no reason at all. this new crop of snow had me worried. would my car get out of the apartment complex? would i get into and down the street?

simple answer is .....yes. on really bad days my workplace will close, which is very rare. the other "iffy" snow days i just call up and tell them i delayed for 1 hour. just fine with them. i still make it in without any problem. the main roads are clear with little left on the side roads.

i knew the prius gas mileage was less in the winter but getting 42mpg winter beats 17 mpg winter for a Subaru. the gas usage during winter warm up is the going to be higher for any car. the Subaru's would guzzle more during warm up. i recently learned to drain the battery as much as possible because it will be recharge when warming up on my quick "start and drive" the next day. if ice is going to warm up then i might as well use it to recharge the battery also.


the prius only takes a few minutes longer to warm up over the Subaru's. if it's cold don't you wear a coat?

stopping you vehicle has everything to do with tires. buy winter tires. my Subaru's didn't stop any quicker or better. matter of fact awd give people a false sense of what the car can do and this is where drivers get into accidents. Subaru's can't stop any better in the snow.

wait till gas rises to $4-$5 a gal. you won't regret having a prius.


i test drove a corola before driving the prius. the prius is better except it's a little slower. the prius is a bigger car, better gas mileage, little maintenance, and the hatch blows away the sedan.

 

I live in New England and had a 2005 Prius for 5 years, no problems in winter with snow or ice(I switched to Hydroedge tires for the last two years). I now have a 2010 with Hydroedge and have continued to have zero problems in the snow.

 

I'd say it all depends on the driver's capabilities...
Some are shiftless, others aren't.

 

Sounds good to me, if my house was not such a old decrepit P.O.S. I have been wanting to venture up to the 49th state for a while now. Alaska Airlines flies direct from Anchorage to Honolulu.

 

Yeah, ain't that great!

We are hoping to be there later this spring of next fall. Just need to get the funds together. If you happen this way, let me know... be happy to show you around.
Peter

 

It's funny you say that because if I look outside now at the 5" of snow on the un-plowed road...my Prius goes through it just fine. Hmm... also, I think the Prius' braking is specifically better in the snow than a regular car because the electric motor helps slow the Prius down faster and it reacts faster.. and for MPG, I leave my automatic climate control set at 72 degrees with the defroster on, and I STILL manage to get 46mpg driving normally...maybe...maybe I got a FREAK Prius! Am I the only one?!

 

yea, you have a secret prototype snow vehicle that toyota randomly chose for you to drive. btw, did you buy your car from dan hecht?