Anyone own a Toyota Prius?

[Luv2Camp]

DH & I are tossing around the idea of getting a Prius. I have a 25 mile one-way commute to work every day, so the savings on gas is one reason we're considering the Prius over something else. If you own one, do you like it? Anything you don't like? Does it do well on ice & snow? Does it have good acceleration? I currently have an Impala with a V6 engine that does really good in the snow, so I want to see what everyone else thinks about their Prius before we make our final decision. Thanks!

 

[PollyannaMom]

DH has a Prius and loves it! We got for the same reason you are considering - his long commute. He's very impressed with it's handling in snow - better than he had expected for the size, and it also has more room on the inside than it looks like from the outside. It doesn't have quite the acceleration of my larger wagon, but nothing I hear him complain about either. I drive it occasionally, and generally find it easy to get used to. The one thing I don't like is the split rear window, but DH doesn't mind that at all.

 

[KristaTX]

We have a 2007 Prius, and we love it. It's my husband's favorite car that he's ever owned. He has a commute about as far as yours and averages about 47 mpg. I've always liked hatchbacks. The Prius is quite spacious for a small car. It is smaller, but it doesn't really feel that much smaller than our Saturn Vue does inside.

I can't help you much with the snow question, though.

 

[DisneyScraps]

I don't own a Prius but I rented one. I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. I was read ended and when I got the rental car I made them give me a Hybrid.I was excited to try the Prius. All in all the gas mileage was awesome just like my car. I didn't like the dash.When I got into it I thought it looked cool but after a week of driving it, there was no place to put things and I just didn't like it.

Enterprise rents them. It might be worht to see if you can rent one for a few days and try it.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE driving a Hybrid. Mine isn't sexy at all but at the gas pump. I pay around 30.00-35.00 and I get 450 miles. LOVE it!

Lisa

 

[S. C.]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011007119.html

Chevy Volt takes Car of the Year honors, Explorer named top truck

Monday, January 10, 2011; 10:29 PM

DETROIT - The fuel-efficient Chevrolet Volt won the 2011 North American Car of the Year, and the Ford Explorer won the Truck of the Year prize, it was announced at the Detroit auto show Monday.

The Car of the Year award highlights what some enthusiasts say they hope will be an industry-wide turn to alternative fuels, which so far has proved to be more promise than reality.

The Volt, which can run in electric and gas modes, beat out the all-electric Nissan Leaf as well as the Hyundai Sonata, the competition's other finalists.

In the truck contest, the Explorer won over the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Forty-nine auto writers from the United States and Canada made the picks, and the award, aside from bragging rights, confers a distinction that is often featured in advertising. Vehicles are judged on innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value.


The picture is from this article.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/10/autos/car_of_the_year/index.htm

 

[OhdahLolly]

We own a Pruis, and we love it. We are from IL.. and have been getting hit with snow and ice all winter. It's generally not a problem, but it still doesn't handle like a 4x4. : )

It's the only way that we drive down to disney because the amount of gas it takes to get down to FL is very small!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Have you considered a Honda Insight? It is very much like the Prius, but a bit cheaper. This is what DH got for his first real new car last year. It's working pretty good for us now. Get's about 43 mpg, which is no 60 mpg, but nothing to sneeze at.Haven't had a problem with ice and snow yet, although it does take a while for the windsheild to fully defrost in the mornings.

 

[tiggger1]

I don't own a Prius but I rented one. I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. I was read ended and when I got the rental car I made them give me a Hybrid.I was excited to try the Prius. All in all the gas mileage was awesome just like my car. I didn't like the dash.When I got into it I thought it looked cool but after a week of driving it, there was no place to put things and I just didn't like it.

Enterprise rents them. It might be worht to see if you can rent one for a few days and try it.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE driving a Hybrid. Mine isn't sexy at all but at the gas pump. I pay around 30.00-35.00 and I get 450 miles. LOVE it!

Lisa

my husband didnt like the dash either. HE also didnt like the postion of the front side windows. he said they gave him too much of blind spot.

 

[golfgal]

You might want to do a cost analysis about owning the Prius vs say a Corolla. The initial cost of a Prius is much higher and replacing the batteries, from what I hear, is pretty expensive. Depending on how long you own the car, the $10,000 price difference from that to something like a Corolla might actually cost you more in the long run.

 

[Bilberry]

I do not own a Prius, but was mentioning to a friend how two of them came close to hitting me on the road this morning! It was snowing, with the roads more slick than normal, and the drivers seemed to have difficulties driving straight. To be honest though, I think many people with different cars were having troubles in these conditions.

 

[tvguy]

You might want to do a cost analysis about owning the Prius vs say a Corolla. The initial cost of a Prius is much higher and replacing the batteries, from what I hear, is pretty expensive. Depending on how long you own the car, the $10,000 price difference from that to something like a Corolla might actually cost you more in the long run.

Exactly. Don't ever buy a hybrid, at least at their current prices, and expect to save money. If you love the car, great.
Another thing to remember, a hybrid offers the most value for short commutes on surface streets, not long freeway drives where the electric motor isn't being used.

 

[mrsstats]

We have 2 (1 leased, 1 loan) Gas mileage is fantastic. I recently had an accident on 12/2 with my Prius. Car was totaled. I sustained only minor injuries in a near head on collision. Acceleration is not that of a V6 but it can move. I use mine for short distance, dh uses it for long commute. His gas mileage is much better than mine. With what we save in gas prices, we are able to pay the monthly cost of the lease. I have not driven in the snow but he says it is not a problem.

New models are coming out. One is more like a SUV and doesnt look like it has the split window which is the one thing I dont like.

 

[Genie 410]

My sister owns a Prius - and she loves it!
She has just over 70,000 miles on it and has never had a problem.
She is an accountant - a real bean counter - she has determined (by keeping track of EACH tank of gas and its cost - and mileage) that she made up for the "additional" cost of the hybrid at mile 58,472!
SHe hasn't had an issue with the batteries or any to the recall nonsense.
She gets pretty good mileage in town - like 45 mpg but actually gets more than 50 on the highway. I guess the electric motor works even at highway speeds when cruising. the gas motor comes on when accelerating or coming out of a stop at a stop sign.

I wondered abotu the extra cost - but then I thought - what does extra mean? I don't always buy the cheapest pair of shoes, or the cheapest food, i buy what I like. Plus, there are loads of cars that cost more!

I dunno - I'm going to keep driving my vw bug because I like it, but I wouldn't stay away from a Prius when it's time to shop for a new car.

 

[JuanLagarto]

I prefer full electric cars. Hybrids have more mechanical and electric components than a normal oil car so can have more problems, and are expensive to repair.

 

[DVC-Don]

My neighbor has one and she really likes. She has a 25+ mile (one way) commute to the hospital she works at. But, when it snows, she takes her husbands SUV.

 

[WDWBarb]

I have a 2004 Prius with 120,000 miles and it has never been in the shop except for routine maintenance. Drives as well as the day I brought it home. In November I got a 2010 with the solar sunroof and I live both of those cars. My experience in the snow and ice has been fantastic. Between the skid control and the extra weight of the battery, I have never had a problem. In fact, when it snows a lot, I have to pick up several co-workers who can't get their cars to the office.

I can't say enough about how great these cars are. The 2010 was actually a gift from my boss who once drove my old Prius on an 80 mile trip and fell in love with it. He just thought I needed a new one.

It's a hybrid and that is fantastic, but it's also loaded with options for a reasonable price. If you match options with other cars, you'll find many that match those options at a much higher price.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I have a 2010 Prius and I LOVE it! I will admit that part of the draw is just how "gimicky" it is - we have the Navigation package and I love the extra features like the touch screen in dash and the back-up camera. It's not particularly "fun to drive"; not zippy at all, but I do love how fuel efficient it is. Also, you can fit a fairly large amount of stuff in it, for a car it's size. I have a rear-facing Britax Boulevard car seat (a BEAST) it the back seat and I can still fit in two German Shepherds and a huge jogging stroller.

As far as ice and snow, it doesn't handle as well as our manual transmission Honda Fit, but I've never had too many problems with it, and we keep summer tires on it all year (in Seattle, where it normally only snows once every 2 years).

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I don't own a Prius but I travel often for work and they have given me a prius three times now. I don't really like it. I don't like the way it is so silent when I stop at a light and it's got such little oomph. And while you may save money in gas, definitely check out the carbon footprint that it leaves upon making the car. I don't know for sure, but my sister who works for a car company says the carbon footprint to make the car is worse than a gas guzzler over the course of its life. Just something to keep in mind.

And definitely RENT a car for a week before you want to buy it. It's a GREAT way to figure out if you really like a car!