To Prius or not to Prius?

Zacware,

Welcome Neighbor! Seating comfort varies so much by individual. My commute on 130 is an hour each way and the seat is fine. Several hours cross country can be a different story.

On the Turnpike she likes cruising in the low 70's. The car is quiet. No whistles, no rattles, no engine/tranny sounds (like in the commercial). You do need to be careful with the speed. Without audio cues going 70mph sounds just like 60mph. You will hear the engine at higher speeds or hard acceleration. On asphalt, no road noise. On concrete through OH & IN she wailed like a banshee.

The Prius is full of useable room. Maybe not as much as a minivan but how much do you really need to carry?

I'm happy with it on the highway and happy with it in Philadelphia. Go for it!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zacware @ Feb 5 2007, 07:58 PM) [snapback]385878[/snapback]</div>

Excellent question. I too have a 40 ish mile commute (@75+ MPH). What sort of fuel useage do you people get at 75+ MPH?

Thanks
JohnG

 

I bought my Prius to commute in. So far I have about 500 miles on it and am averaging about 41.5 mpg. I drive about 45 miles each way, most on the highway at speeds of 65-75mph. Also, the temperatures have been averaging about 8degF in the morning and 15degF at night driving home, so I'm happy so far. I wish the seats were more comfortable (compared to my BMW with the sport seats), but it is getting about 13mpg more than the Bimmer and on regular gas. Right now I only use the BMW for commuting on snow days (since it has snow tires and AWD).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JohnG @ Feb 6 2007, 11:09 PM) [snapback]386547[/snapback]</div>

Fuel economy is very dependant on terrain, environment, and speed. For flat terrain and warm temps I would expect mid 40's. Around 32F I would expect 40. This is based on my relatively small amount of "high speed" driving. I prefer slower roads as there is less stress, better mpg, and the commute time is about the same.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LazyBear @ Feb 6 2007, 04:18 PM) [snapback]386276[/snapback]</div>

I took a few trips over 500 miles each way, with a 13 and 11l yr old and a worthless husband lol only kidding he was sleeping most of the trip, so i got stuck doing the driving. I travel interstate 95 got close to 50 mpg, we were kind of crowded with people and lugage, the seats didnt start to bother me untill close to the end of the trip, and then it was probable from just sitting in the same position for so long. I must admit my husband double cab thundra, has fantastic comfort, better then my couch. They both drive fantastic at 75 mph.
Ill tell you what you should do, just get the darn prius, and if u find it uncomfortable, Dont worry you can always give it to me.. haha,
One thing you might want to concider. You already have a van for the sports crew, So the size of the car wont be a issue, the only issue I have is the payment. I owned a 95 toyota camry since 96, paid it off quickly and didnt have payments for years, I got this and I dont have to spend much on gas but have a 638 dollar payment for 4 yrs. We also got the 2006 thundra which replaced a 94 paid for truck put 15,000. down and still pay almost three hundred a month on it. The darn payments hurt. And then to think another couple of years this too will be a relic to the newest technology that will be out there. Had to laugh at the guy that had no brain, got a new travel trailor typed the the destination in the navagation system and put the cruise control on, went to sleep thinking it does it all itself. Needless to say his new camper met a tree real quick and the nav system must of been broken haha..