Yesterday, after I took a dreamy ride in a 2008 Prius, I called on Prius owners to talk about the pros and cons of their purchases. Here’s a look at their responses. Two of the three respondents suggested a visit to www.priuschat.com for the skinny on Prius options.
Before we bought our Prius, the best source of information (pro and con) I found was www.priuschat.com. Hope you will find it useful, too. Everything you could ever want to know about the Prius.
We have a 2-year-old 2006 Prius with 45,000 miles on it. It’s a great road-trip car for two people, although luggage space is a little limited for long trips with more than two people. Even without a highly adjustable driver’s seat, I have driven over 800 miles a day at least twice in relative comfort and with no back problems. Pros: Overall ingenious use of technology, as in the transmission and the storing of hot antifreeze when the engine is turned off, to be used at the next startup to speed engine (and heater) warm-up. Also, the navigation system and the hatchback design that allows easy carrying of an 8-foot ladder and other long objects. Very reliable, with low maintenance costs.
Cons: Relatively poor visibility to the rear, although not as bad when the rear seats are folded down.
In summary, the best car we’ve ever owned. — Jerry Blackburn, Little Rock, Ark.
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This guy, James Philippi of Houston, Texas, converted his Prius to a plug-in-style, super-efficient hybrid to save even more energy. Check out his Web site at HybridPlugs.com
Well, you asked for it so he it goes. The first major problem with the Prius is that there is no Plug. The only electric you can get from you motor comes from the engine running. Yes you get power from the regenerative breaking too but you have to run the motor to get up to speed.
Second, if you want really good mileage you have to learn some tricks and facts about the Prius. I recommend Priuschat.com. Did you know when you’re driving you can take your foot off the accelerator and then press it ever so slightly and you will start coasting? You see, coasting is a far better use of the car’s momentum than having the batteries recharged.
Next did you know they left out the EV, or Electric Vehicle button in the U.S. model? You can buy them online (may void warranty), but you can move the car without having to start the engine.
Next, if you can modify the car, just any American Shade Tree mechanic would do. I can play DVD movies on my main screen and pump the sound through the speakers. I have a navigation override switch, and telephone switch that allow my passenger to get full access while the car is moving. I also added a second bigger battery pack and a charger so that I get over 100 mpg in my car. I have duel microphones in my car now so people can hear my wife in the car too.
Don’t forget to find the secret glove box. There are five storage areas accessible from the front seat. Also some people never find out to weeks later: You can flip your trunk area around so that you can transport messy items more easily. — James Philippi, Houston, Texas
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Finally, here’s an epic — yet delightfully detailed — post from Al Merris of Vancouver, Wash.
Bought my Prius new on Aug. 24, 2005. Option package 4 which included the “Smartkey System” but not the navigation package. (I spent several years as a professional pilot and have little difficulty reading maps) At the time I paid an additional $1,200 dealer markup, but got the tax deduction. I waited three weeks for delivery on the color and package I wanted.
I had followed with interest the development of the car as I have always thought the concept made sense. I was having dinner with friends when the wife commented that she had taken delivery of her new Prius and her son commented, “Congratulation, Mom. You’ve finally bought a car that can electrocute you.” I defended her decision and she invited me to take it for a drive that weekend. After a brief drive I stopped by Toyota on the way home and ordered one! This is the first new car I’ve bought in 30 years, and the first non-Detroit vehicle ever.
My workday commute was perfect for the car, 25 miles each way, approximately four miles city and the balance freeway. The drive was against the main flow, so traffic was generally light. When I retired a year and a half later, I had 26,000 miles on the car and my overall average at that point was 54.5 mpg. I routinely went over 600 miles on a tank and on one tank, just for grins I went 702 miles and still had gas in the tank!
Getting good mileage is simple. Leave early enough so you don’t have to be in a hurry. Accelerate modestly, obey the speed limits and if a stop is inevitable, get off the power and roll to the stop. These techniques work with any car, but they are especially effective in the Prius. If you are going to drive like the typical American, go like hell away from stoplights, always travel at least 10 mph over the limits and wait until you have to slam on the brakes to get stopped in time, you will get better mileage in a Prius, but you won’t get the mileage I get.
I keep tabs on what is written about the Prius on the Internet and am appalled at the misinformation floating around out there. One writer who couldn’t find any real fault with the car decided to base his derision on how “ugly” the car is. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the design of the Prius is based on giving it the lowest “coefficient of drag” (wind resistance) possible. Fact: Prius has a lower cd than a new $110,000 Porsche or a $250,000 Ferrari.
Now that I’ve retired, my overall mileage at 45,500 has dropped to 51.8, in part due to the fact that my 80-pound dog goes everywhere with me and I don’t think the cd is that good with her head constantly out the window!
Another wrote an article stating that a Hummer is actually “greener” than a Prius, using the pollution created in mining and processing the nickel for the batteries as his main argument. Of course, he assumed that every ounce of nickel mined and processed in the world was used only for Prius batteries.
He also based his calculations on a 300,000 life for the Hummer and only 100,000 for the Prius. In reality, the powertrain in the Prius is elegantly simple — only 21 moving parts between the end of the crankshaft and the front wheels versus over 300 in the typical car with an automatic transmission. The engine is limited to just 5000 rpm, quite low by today’s standards, and thus not unduly stressed. The engine holds the same oil quantity as engines twice its size, giving it uncommon reserves. The coolant capacity is also robust. The regenerative braking will likely give me over 400,000 before brake replacement. It is written that the special “low rolling resistance tires” don’t last very long. Well, they aren’t special, they’re common Goodyears and I’ve now got 45,500 miles on mine and they’ll make it to 50,000 no problem.
The only valid criticism I’ve read about the car is the steering. It’s not bad, but I don’t think it’s anything to rave about either. I do notice a slight bit of wandering in strong, gusty crosswinds. Not enough to be of concern, but noticeable.
We don’t get much snow and ice here (southwest Washington), but in the few instances it has happened I have found the car to be very surefooted. Since it always starts out electrically, the power flow is very smooth and controllable. It has traction control, but I have found you have to be fairly aggressive for that system to even find the need to invoke itself.
Another winter advantage is the heater. Whenever the car is shut off a small pump stores 2 liters of hot coolant in a thermos tank. When the car is again started (even two days later) this hot coolant is pumped back into the cylinder heads to pre-warm things before the engine is started. The purpose of this is to shorten the warm-up time and decrease pollution, but the side benefit is warm air coming from the heater within blocks of the house.
The “Smartkey System” also deserves words of praise. As long as the keyfob is in your pocket, you just walk up to the car, get in (the doors unlock as you touch the handle) buckle up, push the power button and go. When you arrive, push the power button to shut down (the car automatically goes into park). As you get out and walk away, press the black button on the door handle and everything locks and the alarm is set. You don’t even have to fumble for the keyfob in your pocket. If you approach the car at night, the interior lights automatically come on.
This version of the car has been on the road now for five years and there isn’t another car made that can equal its efficiency today. The car is repeatedly at the top of the charts in buyer satisfaction, resale value, fuel economy and environmental impact, so what’s not to like!
It’s a great car, constantly at the top of owner satisfaction surveys, always near the top in resale value, highest fuel economy for any car sold in America and lowest pollution. What’s not to like? — Al Merris, Vancouver, Wash.
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