So I've taken my 2010 across the country

I meant 10 minutes extra since the car is a Prius and not a hot rod

 

We also drove our Prius cross country. Last Dec. we went from Sacramento to Jacksonville, FL. Our total average was 34 mpg. It was cold. There were lots of hills. The car had 4 people in it with luggage. And we drove fast (80 mph in the 80 mph speed limits areas of TX).

Handling was fine for us as we have 17" wheels.

I will NEVER drive a Prius that far again . It is just not the right tool for that job.

 

I drove my 2010 Prius cross country from San Diego to Tampa.
The 75 to 80 mph on the highways beats up the gas mileage.
I usually get 51 to 56 in my normal driving, on the long trip I got 38 to 42.
No lack of power though, Especially good for passing 18 wheelers on two lane roads.
A combination of good aerodynamics and the cvt made the 65 to 95mpg acceleration quite good.

BTW Not too many Prius on the road Between Tucson and Tampa.
There are dozens in my neighborhood though.

 

Ive taken several 3000+ mile round trips in my 2013 4. I have never had an issue.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I don't agree with all of them, but I get where they are coming from. Having just completed our own 7.300+ mile trip to Yellowstone, Glacier and the Green Bay area, we were completely satisfied with every aspect of the Prius, when compared to our Montana van. I posted my comments in this thread and I hope you don't mind a couple of questions.

We only had one really long uphill stretch. Did your Prius lose power or was it able to maintain speed going up? We had no problem, though we definitely could hear the engine working hard and the battery did get low.

Would you expand on your comment about the cargo area a bit more? We only had the 2 of us, but we did carry about 600 lbs altogether, we take a lot of stuff with us, like multiple laptops, tablets, cameras and my wife's clothes. I was able to get 4 suitcases (26" laying flat, 16" on top and two 22" on their sides), 2 Queen pillows and some smaller items tucked in behind the seats without blocking the top rear window. I couldn't use the tonneau cover though because the suitcases were higher than 12". I then put the seats down and got in another 22" suitcase, two camera backpacks, C-Pap machine, 2 gallons of water, gym bag of crochet materials, 2 cf snack bag, 1 cf ice cooler and some smaller items. Since two of the suitcases could stand to be replaced, I'm looking for 3 duffle bags with wheels that are about 12"x16"x 32" to better fit the cargo bay. I also want 2 soft-sided bags to fit in the side cavities to keep smaller items from falling out when I take out the suitcases. The hidden bay came in handy to protect a couple of pictures and some smaller fragile stuff we bought. I'm now sure how they could design the cargo area better, though I admit I don't know if there is a difference between the 2010 and 2014 models

I totally found out how much speed, hills and crosswinds affect mileage. The Prius is the first car I've owned where I could watch the impact on the CONS display. Our van displayed instant mpg, but that's not quite the same as watching an average mpg number fluctuate with conditions.

You didn't mention GPS, so can I assume your Prius doesn't have one and you used a standalone device (phone maybe) or paper maps?

We've driven the PCH and many roads with serious switchbacks and I don't completely understand the comments about the pillars blocking the view, at least not any more than other cars. I didn't have any problems seeing the road on the Beartooth or Going-To-The-Sun highways and there was plenty of oncoming traffic through the switchbacks. I know we're all different and what bothers one doesn't always bother another. The design is definitely different though and I'm looking forward to seeing the changes you mentioned are coming to the GenIV.

I also don't understand the handling comments I read here. Admittedly, this is my first smaller car and my best handling cars were a 1970 GTO and 1988 Gran Prix, but the Prius seems to handle just fine for how I drive. For sure, it's no sports car, has little power coming out of turns, etc., but I didn't feel at a loss for control on any of the roads we drove, from 80 mph freeways to 2-lane roads in Northern Wisconsin.

Living in Phoenix, A/C is a must much of the year and we have tinted windows, so I never gave much thought to the "solar effect". I'll have to give that some thought now that the temps will be cooling off around here.

 

wow. cool trip. the farthest we have gone from mn in the prius was to north dakota. it did ok. wasn't the best on gas going 70 on the highway, even with cruise control.

 

Thanks for the reply. I totally agree for camping. We tried them, but anything without wheels just doesn't work well for us and motels.

 

Resurrecting this thread...

We just acquired a used 2010 Prius and will be taking it on a 2500 mile trip. We are starting in Rochester, MN and will head west through the Bighorns and will end up at Yellowstone ( via Cody - east entrance ). We will tool around Yellowstone for a week and then will head out through the south ( Grand Teton ) entrance and then will head back east from there ( via Hwy 26 ).

I am familiar with this route as we did a similar one last year in our Hyundai Sonata. However, I'm a bit worried about the switchbacks on the east side of the bighorns. Have any of you done this? At any rate, it will be a good test for the car!

By the way, the bighorn mountains really are a 'hidden gem'. I really recommend at least a drive through if you plan on arriving to the Yellowstone area from the East ( via I90 ).

 

Six years ago, I took my first Prius westbound across Hiway 14 (Granite Pass), then eastbound across Hiway 16 (Powder River Pass). While the engine will howl on the descents (learn to use B mode), I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. My Prii have been on many roads like that.

Consider also the very scenic Northeast entrance, via Red Lodge, across Bear Tooth Pass. While my most recent visit there predates our Prii, both Prii have done equal and higher in Colorado.

 

Good tip on the Beartooth highway and the Northwest entrance. We did that two years ago. - amazing route! We have also been through the East entrance twice, and have taken the Hwy 14 'south' route that follows Shell creek. If you ever do this, stop at Dirty Annie's country store. As far as Yellowstone goes, we did do the Boiling river - it was great! However, to beat the crowds, it helps to stay in Mammoth so you can arrive late ( 8PM or so ).

This year we will try the Alt-14 'north' route and will try to visit the medicine wheel. There are also a couple of nice short trails to Porcupine falls and Bucking Mule falls. We will then enter Yellowstone via the East (Cody) entrance.

Here is a first cut at our route. Hopefully I set it up correctly so you can view it.

Yellowstone 2015

Take a look.. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like an unforgettable experience. I would love to make that trip and take my time doing so.

Back a bunch of years ago (over a decade now) after I got out of the Military I did San Diego to Philly in 3.5 days. Mind you this was in a 6" jacked up f-150 rolling on 35's and geared down to 456 gears front and rear, towing an enclosed trailer with all my worldly possessions and with the bed overflowing with a mattress strapped to the top. It was brutal. I drove from sunrise till I got delirious even after pounding Starbucks double shots, and energy drinks the whole way. Nothing enjoyable about the trip. The 8-10 mpg hurt too, ok I'll admit that I did get up to 12 in the very flat panhandle of tx. Lol. I couldn't get a hotel for fear of getting my stuff ripped off so I slept at rest stops in the cab for a few hrs at a shot.


Then



I did it all again a month later with my wife this time (who stayed behind to keep working for that last month) in her Mazda protege. I think we got a hotel for a night or two this time and actually got to somewhat see a few sights but we were still pressed for time..

I did do San Diego to Austin, San Diego to Killeen at least 2-3 times non stop. 24 hrs.

I try to fly and rent a car now if it's over 8-12 hrs..

Although a Prius would still prob trump the price of a plane ticket for a cross country trip. Lol

 

Thanks for all the great tips. I will look to see if any of those routes fit into our schedule ( we only have a little over a week ). Also, this trip is meant to be more of a 'hardcore day hiking' trip than a sightseeing trip. That is why I want to keep it in the Yellowstone area. We are also going to cabin camp this time as I was able to get cabin rentals inside Yellowstone. This will mean we can spend more time hiking and such and not have to deal with setting up and breaking down camp every day. Don't get me wrong though...I do love to camp! However, I usually tend to camp on trips to the BWCA ( boundary waters canoe area ) and when we do extended hiking trips.

That means the Black Hills and Badlands will have to be relegated to a 'drive by' on this trip. In fact, depending on how it is going, we may not even get to stop at Mt Rushmore. We have done trips exclusively to the Black Hills area though...and have done pretty much everything you mentioned. I know that area very well. Other than what you mentioned, some of the other 'non touristy' highlights for me in that area are Harney Peak and Bear Butte state park.