1st Road Trip in the Prius

**Tideland Prius** · 05-22-2005, 07:40 PM

Okie dokie, thought I'd share my experiences on the first road trip that I've taken with the Prius

Fri, May 20. We're supposed to set off at 5:30 but a friend forgot his swimming trunks so we went to his house to pick it up. Upon arrival, he realised he didn't have his keys and his mum just left the house so we had to 'break in' to the house. Anyway, we ended up leaving at 6. The border wait was relatively short and it drained the battery to 2 bars. We headed straight down I-5 to Red Lobster at Lynnwood, WA for dinner. On the way, we had a weather buffet. At one point, it was raining overhead, sun poking through the clouds to the right, some sun (though less than the scene to the right) ahead, and a dark, almost black cloud to the left with lightning.

We (finally) made it to Red Lobster at 8:30ish pm and had a great dinner. Shrimp was on my menu that night.

Left for Bellevue and got to the hotel at 10:45-11pm. Checked-in and watched Pimp My Ride at 11:30 on MTV. The trip from Red Lobster to the hotel wasn't uneventful. It rained heavily and speeds dropped from 70 to 50mph. I've now experienced what some of you have been complaining. The car is a bit susceptible to crosswinds and I've noticed that the Prius tends to wander more often on this trip on US highways than on trips in Canadian highways. It's probably due to the more open areas that allow wind to blow without anything to block its path. Also, the car was skittish in the heavy rains at 50mph. Apparently, my friend's car was experiencing the same so I won't knock the tyres yet.

Sat, May 21. Woke up at 9am. Some of my friends went swimming in the morning but I didn't join them. I preferred to snuggle in bed though I think swimming would've helped me keep awake. We head to Bellevue Square to shop and have brunch. The Cheesecake Factory's food was pretty good and of course, we had to buy cheesecake to bring home.

After that, it was time to head back north and check out the new Premium Outlets at Tulalip. We arrived at 2pm and took about 15 mins to park. It was full to the brim. We stayed there til 5:30. Most of the shops had a sale going on and things were pretty cheap.

The best part was loading up the Prius. The cargo area was already full from our baggage and coolers so I folded down the rear seats, shoved all that stuff towards the interior so that I could open the floor. Miraculously, EVERYTHING fitted underneath. It was mostly clothing so that could be compressed (sorta). There was a shoebox too. I even stuffed a bag into the small side compartment on the left (since that was the only shopping bag that can really be compressed, the others are well... not so compressable). That box may seem small but it can hold a lot :mrgreen: I'm impressed and so were my friends.

Anyway, after that we grabbed dinner and headed home. We refuelled at Blaine and well, sadly, I had 4 bars and refuelled 7.4 gals (which doesn't make sense) for a mileage of 39mpg. My friend topped up with 7.8 gals so I was a little surprised that we were almost using the same amount of fuel. Either my fillup before the trip wasn't a full one (I pumped 30 litres or ~8 gals on one bar) or this pump wasn't pumping gas.

The good news is, I'm back to 55mpg on this tank and at 123kms into it.

In short, the drive was good and the Prius is an awesome road trip car but the tendency to wander is a little disturbing.

jimrebekah · 05-23-2005, 09:50 AM

We also took our first road trip in our new/used 2002 Prius this weekend. We traveled from Philadelphia through a lot of the Midwest as we visited family and my mother's Ph.D. graduation. We drove a little over 1500 miles with an average of 49.2 mpg, our best ever! Thanks to the Tideland Prius who didn't just wave, but actually beeped at us on the Turnpike on the way home. No one ever waves at us, and I was so excited that my husband laughed at me! Once we got home and stretched out, we had to alert the family about how beautifully our car handled the trip--I'm hoping my father's next car will be a hybrid. We love our car.

RMunroe · 05-23-2005, 07:06 PM

Does anyone have experience with a road trip in VERY hot weather. I am considering a trip from San Diego to Salt Lake City at the end of July. That will require going through Las Vegas and the desert where the summer temps are well into 3 digits.
Questions:
1 Is there any way to tell if the ICE is getting overheated before it's too late?
2 Will the air conditioning handle extremely hot temperatures?
3 Are there any special precautions I should take?

RMunroe · 05-23-2005, 07:08 PM

PS. re previous message about trip from San Diego to Salt Lake. The car is a 2005 with less than 5000 miles.

IsrAmeriPrius · 05-23-2005, 07:23 PM

Quote:

2 Will the air conditioning handle extremely hot temperatures?

It's been in triple digits in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend and the air conditioner in my Prius produced plenty of cold air.

MichaelP · 05-23-2005, 07:37 PM

I have had my Prius over a year and drive it daily in traffic in South Texas and it's over 100 for at least two months.

I had my AC on all the time but the car was able to control everything in highway traffic and stop and go with zero problems. Not even a high temp warning light.

HTH

05-22-2005, 07:40 PM	#1
Tideland Prius Moderator of the North Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 19,633 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: N/A Package: Technology Package (Canada) Thanks: 229 Thanked 346 Times in 245 Posts Friends: 23	1st Road Trip in the Prius Okie dokie, thought I'd share my experiences on the first road trip that I've taken with the Prius Fri, May 20. We're supposed to set off at 5:30 but a friend forgot his swimming trunks so we went to his house to pick it up. Upon arrival, he realised he didn't have his keys and his mum just left the house so we had to 'break in' to the house. Anyway, we ended up leaving at 6. The border wait was relatively short and it drained the battery to 2 bars. We headed straight down I-5 to Red Lobster at Lynnwood, WA for dinner. On the way, we had a weather buffet. At one point, it was raining overhead, sun poking through the clouds to the right, some sun (though less than the scene to the right) ahead, and a dark, almost black cloud to the left with lightning. We (finally) made it to Red Lobster at 8:30ish pm and had a great dinner. Shrimp was on my menu that night. Left for Bellevue and got to the hotel at 10:45-11pm. Checked-in and watched Pimp My Ride at 11:30 on MTV. The trip from Red Lobster to the hotel wasn't uneventful. It rained heavily and speeds dropped from 70 to 50mph. I've now experienced what some of you have been complaining. The car is a bit susceptible to crosswinds and I've noticed that the Prius tends to wander more often on this trip on US highways than on trips in Canadian highways. It's probably due to the more open areas that allow wind to blow without anything to block its path. Also, the car was skittish in the heavy rains at 50mph. Apparently, my friend's car was experiencing the same so I won't knock the tyres yet. Sat, May 21. Woke up at 9am. Some of my friends went swimming in the morning but I didn't join them. I preferred to snuggle in bed though I think swimming would've helped me keep awake. We head to Bellevue Square to shop and have brunch. The Cheesecake Factory's food was pretty good and of course, we had to buy cheesecake to bring home. After that, it was time to head back north and check out the new Premium Outlets at Tulalip. We arrived at 2pm and took about 15 mins to park. It was full to the brim. We stayed there til 5:30. Most of the shops had a sale going on and things were pretty cheap. The best part was loading up the Prius. The cargo area was already full from our baggage and coolers so I folded down the rear seats, shoved all that stuff towards the interior so that I could open the floor. Miraculously, EVERYTHING fitted underneath. It was mostly clothing so that could be compressed (sorta). There was a shoebox too. I even stuffed a bag into the small side compartment on the left (since that was the only shopping bag that can really be compressed, the others are well... not so compressable). That box may seem small but it can hold a lot :mrgreen: I'm impressed and so were my friends. Anyway, after that we grabbed dinner and headed home. We refuelled at Blaine and well, sadly, I had 4 bars and refuelled 7.4 gals (which doesn't make sense) for a mileage of 39mpg. My friend topped up with 7.8 gals so I was a little surprised that we were almost using the same amount of fuel. Either my fillup before the trip wasn't a full one (I pumped 30 litres or ~8 gals on one bar) or this pump wasn't pumping gas. The good news is, I'm back to 55mpg on this tank and at 123kms into it. In short, the drive was good and the Prius is an awesome road trip car but the tendency to wander is a little disturbing. __________________ 2005 Tideland Pearl Premium Package 25/10/04 VVT-i Emblem, Sport Pedals, All-Weather Mats, Cargo Mat, EV Mod, JDM Prius Footwell Lighting, DICE iPod Kit 2008 Deep Black smart fortwo passion coupé - sold (6.1L/100km) 2010 Blue Ribbon Metallic Technology Package 29/08/09 All-Weather Mats, Homemade Console Pads, LED lighting "Ask an Expert" on Facebook I am not employed by Toyota, and the opinions expressed by me as a Prius Expert are not those of Toyota.

05-23-2005, 09:50 AM	#2
jimrebekah Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 11 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: 1st Road Trip in the Prius We also took our first road trip in our new/used 2002 Prius this weekend. We traveled from Philadelphia through a lot of the Midwest as we visited family and my mother's Ph.D. graduation. We drove a little over 1500 miles with an average of 49.2 mpg, our best ever! Thanks to the Tideland Prius who didn't just wave, but actually beeped at us on the Turnpike on the way home. No one ever waves at us, and I was so excited that my husband laughed at me! Once we got home and stretched out, we had to alert the family about how beautifully our car handled the trip--I'm hoping my father's next car will be a hybrid. We love our car.

05-23-2005, 07:37 PM	#6
MichaelP Join Date: May 2005 Location: San Antoinio, Texas Posts: 7 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: 1st Road Trip in the Prius I have had my Prius over a year and drive it daily in traffic in South Texas and it's over 100 for at least two months. I had my AC on all the time but the car was able to control everything in highway traffic and stop and go with zero problems. Not even a high temp warning light. HTH

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05-23-2005, 07:06 PM	#3
RMunroe Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 48 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Does anyone have experience with a road trip in VERY hot weather. I am considering a trip from San Diego to Salt Lake City at the end of July. That will require going through Las Vegas and the desert where the summer temps are well into 3 digits. Questions: 1 Is there any way to tell if the ICE is getting overheated before it's too late? 2 Will the air conditioning handle extremely hot temperatures? 3 Are there any special precautions I should take?

05-23-2005, 07:08 PM	#4
RMunroe Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 48 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	PS. re previous message about trip from San Diego to Salt Lake. The car is a 2005 with less than 5000 miles.