Toyota Prius owners

[JOHNNIE36]

My wife has been pressuring me for over a year to get a Toyota Prius and join the ranks of those wanting better gas mileage. Yesterday, we took the plunge. Don't have the car yet but will pick it up later next week. The dealer didn't have the one we wanted.

We are getting a 2013 Prius V. I have taken demo rides a number of times and I am impressed with how quiet it is and the way the car is bult and equipped. I can't wait to see how well it performes in fuel economy. I'm a pretty cautious driver with a soft foot as opposed to my wife who has a tendency to be a lead foot. The PriusV is rated at 41 mpg compared to the standard Prius at 44 mpg as the V series is heavier.

I searched the file but didn't see any recent threads about owners of a Prius but know I have seen postings in the past. I know that Nords drives a Prius and have seen some postings of his. I would just appreciate some driving tips and aids on getting the most out of our new Prius V.

[Meadbh]

Congratulations! I almost bought a Prius V last year and the only reason I didn't was that I wanted 4-wheel drive. But it was close!

There are Prius forums, including Prius chat, which should have lots of hints on getting the most out of your new vehicle.

Enjoy the ride!

[devans0]

DW has a Prius. It was the joke around the house that I wasn't allowed to drive it. ( or any of her cars..hmm). When I finally needed to use it, I could not get it to turn on. Electrics are different. Later, I had trouble getting used to it 'dying' at stoplights. It was so quiet!
Hope you love it as much as my wife loves hers. It is a great car!

[Rambler]

I had a Lexus HS, pretty much a Prius on steroids. And I drove a Prius as a rental for a few days. If you drive them easy, you will get more mileage than the EPA estimate. But, they don't have a load of passing power. My Lexus did have a power mode, which changed the transmission shifting parameters and something in the engine to get you going quicker if needed. If I needed to move out of the way quickly, I used the power mode. Otherwise I was in Eco mode and it was fine. Also, you need to know that because of the regenerative braking, they brake differently than you are used to. Hard to describe, but when you apply gentle braking on the pedal, it isn't really using the brakes...it is reversing the motor polarity and recharging the batteries. The brakes don't apply unless you stand on them pretty hard.

My only real suggestion is that you take it out on a quiet morning and put it thru the paces to learn what it can and cannot (will not) do, or does not do like your old car. Then drive it accordingly.

R

[rbmrtn]

I don't have a prius, but I would recommend a forum devoted to your vehicle. I frequent one for my ride, lots tips and DIY there and some certified mechanics drop in and answer questions.

This one for prius

PriusChat

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 We are getting a 2013 Prius V. I can't wait to see how well it performes in fuel economy. I'm a pretty cautious driver with a soft foot as opposed to my wife who has a tendency to be a lead foot. I would just appreciate some driving tips and aids on getting the most out of our new Prius V.

I have a 2012 Prius 3, DW has a Camry Hybrid. There really aren't any special tips beyond what you've already said. If you avoid rapid acceleration and drive the speed limit (vs above), you'll get good mileage. You'll get better mpg than your wife, but she will still get better mpg than she would with any other production ICE car. I am a little more 'soft footed' than my wife, and I get about 2-3 mpg more than she does, no biggie. I drive in Eco mode at all times, but there's a normal and sport mode too.

There are all sorts of dashboard aids to show you when you're being efficient/inefficient (though they vary somewhat my model) - just don't let them distract you.

Like others have said, you can find out anything you'd ever want to know at PriusChat, even learn about 'hypermiling' if you're really extreme.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh Congratulations! I almost bought a Prius V last year and the only reason I didn't was that I wanted 4-wheel drive. But it was close! There are Prius forums, including Prius chat, which should have lots of hints on getting the most out of your new vehicle. Enjoy the ride!

Same here, I am interested in the Prius but want AWD. Rumor has it that the next generation will have electric motors on the rear wheels as well and will be AWD up to 37 mph.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 We are getting a 2013 Prius V. I have taken demo rides a number of times and I am impressed with how quiet it is and the way the car is bult and equipped. I can't wait to see how well it performes in fuel economy. I'm a pretty cautious driver with a soft foot as opposed to my wife who has a tendency to be a lead foot. The PriusV is rated at 41 mpg compared to the standard Prius at 44 mpg as the V series is heavier.

We've had a Prius since 2007 and love it. Just like a regular car you get worse mpg if you use the accelerator and bakes as if they were on/off switches. Best mpg comes with braking well in advance of stopping and normal acceleration.

While at home our average journey is ~6 miles (~15 minutes) and we get ~44 mpg. When I used to commute 25 miles each way to work I nearly always exceeded 50 mpg per tank of gas. Cruising at motorway speeds (70 mph) usually gets between 45 and 50 mpg but can be lower when loaded or driving into headwinds, but the best mpg is driving in mountains and on a number of occasions we have had ~60 mpg on a tank of gas.

Have fun.

[fisherman]

Very interested in getting one of these for daily use when the truck is not needed. I was interested in a used one but I do not know enough about the batteries and how long they last or how much they cost to replace. Anyone have experience with the battery life and cost?

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisherman Very interested in getting one of these for daily use when the truck is not needed. I was interested in a used one but I do not know enough about the batteries and how long they last or how much they cost to replace. Anyone have experience with the battery life and cost?

See discussion here on battery life


http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post1268037

[braumeister]

DW is on her second Prius (went from I to III) and loves it. With two years on the current model, she says the gas mileage is less than her first Prius, but still excellent. Some of her friends also have them, and she says they all have the same comment; they find themselves modifying their driving habits to get the greatest fuel efficiency.

I would probably consider one myself, but I have to haul things often enough that I'll stick with my CR-V (which still gets better mileage than most SUVs).

One thing to watch for: The Prius is so quiet that more than once DW has pulled into the garage and come into the house without turning the car off!
Since you don't have an ignition key to take out of a lock, you have to remember to push the button to turn the car off.

[someguy]

Priuses (Prii?) are used in taxis in some cities and reports of 200K miles plus on the original battery pack are common. If/when the time comes, figure $3-$4K.

Not to hijack the thread, but IMO the Prius, Camry Hybrid, etc., are old hat now. DW and I are interested in the all-electric vehicles like the Leaf. We drove one and, in terms of noise, the Prius seems like a leaf blower compared to it. Sometimes I could notice a little bit of a high-pitched whine, although I hear a similar noise in the more traditional hybrids under braking. Whether real or imagined, the around-town pickup seemed noticably better in the Leaf. How amazing would it be to never have to sit through rain/high heat/freezing cold to gas up, or to waste the time doing that? Also, maintenance is essentially only tires and brakes--no oil changes, timing belts, etc.

There are a lot of reports of folks leasing Leafs for $200-$220/mo with zero down. Pretty hard to beat having a car that is never more than two or three years old and has fuel costs of $600/year (this is at 15K miles/year) for around $2500/year. I normally hate leasing, but this is pretty hard to beat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisherman Very interested in getting one of these for daily use when the truck is not needed. I was interested in a used one but I do not know enough about the batteries and how long they last or how much they cost to replace. Anyone have experience with the battery life and cost?

[Lsbcal]

We don't yet need to replace our cars, but I'd be interested in the Prius if we did. The fuel economy is impressive. If you "just drive and forget" can you still get a good mpg figure?

What do people like about the Prius besides just the great mpg number?

[someguy]

Yes, our Prius got around the EPA numbers under drive and forget, and into the 50's if you paid more attention.

Its reliability is outstanding according to Consumer Reports. This was mirrored by our Prius experience -- not a single problem except routine maintenance. It's also surprisingly large on the inside while still being a smallish car on the outside and well-suited to areas where smaller cars are easier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal We don't yet need to replace our cars, but I'd be interested in the Prius if we did. The fuel economy is impressive. If you "just drive and forget" can you still get a good mpg figure? What do people like about the Prius besides just the great mpg number?

[JOHNNIE36]

Thanks for the interest in this thread and the responses posted so far. I logged onto the Prius Chat website and was impressed with the information contained on that site. Read for about 10 minutes and actually just got started. I'll have to get back on it. Tons of good stuff and thanks for pointing out the site.

[Hermit]

Just gave my daughter her mother's 2005 Prius. It has 100,000 miles on it. Had a leaking water pump replaced on it at about 60,000 miles and all the required maintenance. It runs great. After taking my old pickup (12-15mpg) on a trip up in the mountains where the Prius could not go, she likes the Prius and its gas mileage a whole lot more!

[easysurfer]

I've been eyeing a Prius C as my possible next car.

But I don't know when, and I'll probably get it used.

A neighbor has a white Prius V.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal What do people like about the Prius besides just the great mpg number?

Back in 2007 we were actually looking for a hatch back large enough to hold our bikes. (This before the run up in gas prices and Toyota still had sales of them to move the stock).


We just pop off the front wheels of our bikes, stand them behind the front seats and the bikes fit nicely in the back. We first thought of this when visiting the UK and DW's sister did something similar (not with a Prius) and we thought, "wow, lots of room in these hatch backs".

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by someguy Not to hijack the thread, but IMO the Prius, Camry Hybrid, etc., are old hat now. DW and I are interested in the all-electric vehicles like the Leaf. We drove one and, in terms of noise, the Prius seems like a leaf blower compared to it. Sometimes I could notice a little bit of a high-pitched whine, although I hear a similar noise in the more traditional hybrids under braking. Whether real or imagined, the around-town pickup seemed noticably better in the Leaf. How amazing would it be to never have to sit through rain/high heat/freezing cold to gas up, or to waste the time doing that? Also, maintenance is essentially only tires and brakes--no oil changes, timing belts, etc. There are a lot of reports of folks leasing Leafs for $200-$220/mo with zero down. Pretty hard to beat having a car that is never more than two or three years old and has fuel costs of $600/year (this is at 15K miles/year) for around $2500/year. I normally hate leasing, but this is pretty hard to beat.

As long as you don't care about NOT being able to drive more than 38 miles from home in your Leaf, or 80-132 miles in your relatively expensive Tesla ($52K-$72K without options, there are many! http://www.teslamotors.com/models/options). And most likely shelling out $1200-$2000 for 240V charger at home if you want to drive near it's range often/daily. I can live with 'gassing up' every 2-3 weeks and being able to drive as far as I want anytime...YMMV

As a second vehicle, EVs have a lot of appeal, at a price.

[Katsmeow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal We don't yet need to replace our cars, but I'd be interested in the Prius if we did. The fuel economy is impressive. If you "just drive and forget" can you still get a good mpg figure? What do people like about the Prius besides just the great mpg number?

Yes you can just drive and forget and get a good mpg number. We bought our Prius 5 years ago (2008) and it was my daily car for about 3 1/2 years. I mostly just drove and forgot about. My mileage averaged about 48. The Prius is now being driven by our 18 year old. When I first got the car he made fun of it being a Prius. The difference between 13 years old and 18 is that he is enthusiastic about it now due to the gas mileage.

Truthfully, the main thing to like about the Prius is the gas mileage. I mean it is a functional automobile. We got a fairly basic one at the time with not a lot of bells and whistles. The hatchback is nice for when you need carry stuff around since the back folds down so you can carry more than you might expect. But basically you buy a Prius for the gas mileage. At the time I bought it the Prius gas mileage was better than that of other hybrids, but I don't know how others compare now.