First Time Road Trip Reactions

[PaulMCK]

Just returned from driving to south-central Pennsylvania (from south-west Michigan). The return trip was done in a single day (11 hours) of driving.

My overall driving impressions on this long trip were quite positive. The 50.2 mpg was wonderful, of course, but what most impressed me was the quality of the ride and handling as well as the excellent pickup merging onto the various Interstates. And, the area around Shippensburg, PA includes many winding, narrow mountain roads. Fortunately, these roads are well maintained and largely pothole-free (unlike most in Michigan) so I had a chance to see how well the Prius handled in mountain driving. Steep uphill climbs were a bit noisy with the small ICE struggling a bit, but that distraction was more than offset by the excellent handling.

The cruise-control funtioned very well on Turnpike driving; no problem at all keeping up with traffic. Of course, I did not test the Prius at the 20+ mph overlimit like most PA and OH drivers with whom I was sharing the road, so I'm not sure how the Prius does at Warp 8 speed! Lots of contruction zones (with very little actual work being done) to keep things mixed up a bit.

This 2010 Prius V is our first hybrid and we have driven German cars the past decade, but this is the 8th Toyota we have owned. All of them were purchased at Metro Toyota (Kalamazoo, MI) and the folks there were taken aback somewhat when I traded in my 1985 Mercedes 500SEL on the CFC program on the Prius.

The bottom-line? This is an outstanding car! Nearly as much interior space as the 24-year-old S-class Benz, noisier on ICE to be sure, but a fun car to drive. It's nice to be driving a Toyota once again, and helping the planet too.

The PC forums have been very helpful in learning about hybrids in general and the Prius specifically. The owners manuals do not seem to be very well written, so I am glad to have priuschat.com as a supplemental source.

Kudos all around are in order - Toyota, priuschat, and the dedicated senior members who keep all us newbies informed. Thank you!

[Felt]

[quote=PaulMCK;944623] The bottom-line? This is an outstanding car! Nearly as much interior space as the 24-year-old S-class Benz, noisier on ICE to be sure, but a fun car to drive. It's nice to be driving a Toyota once again, and helping the planet too. quote]

Nice report ... I certainly agree with your assessment. I now have 3000 miles on my IV, and my average mileage is gradually getting better and better (started at 52.2 mpg). I find mine quiet, comfortable, excellent fit and finish ... and most economical. I do not know that we can ask for more.

[angelrob]

Originally Posted by PaulMCK

The bottom-line? This is an outstanding car! Nearly as much interior space as the 24-year-old S-class Benz, noisier on ICE to be sure, but a fun car to drive. It's nice to be driving a Toyota once again, and helping the planet too.

The Prius is my first Toyota, but it was the brand recommended by my mechanic.

My first road trip was ~300 miles RT, mostly thruway. It was to the edge of the Adirondacks so the end was a bit hilly. I was also caravaning with someone who speeds, so we settled on 70mph as the compromise. Mileage was just over 49 calculated for the whole trip - it dropped by 2-3 reported MPG in the hills.

I was "camping" (cabin) so I had packed: 2 36" ex-pens and 2 soft sided crates for the dogs, towels and bedding for the cabin, my clothes and toiletries, collapsible shower, dogs' food and supplies, a medium sized cooler and two large (60#) dogs. One dog rides in the passenger floor, the other on a Kurgo Wander Hammock on the back seat (shared with the cooler).

The return trip was partially through a torrential rainstorm. The traffic was mostly slowed to ~25MPH with flashers on and even the high wipers was not enough to keep the rain well at bay. The car handled well, although it felt much more affected by the water on the road than my Jeep did in rain. Perhaps it is the vehicle weight or the distance to the ground... Or maybe it was just more water than I've been through before

Overall, I am exceedingly happy with my new wheels. I felt only slightly more full than when road-tripping with my Jeep GC. I got 2.5x the mpg. And the ride and seat are far more comfortable!

Robbin

[jburns]

Originally Posted by PaulMCK

The owners manuals do not seem to be very well written, so I am glad to have priuschat.com as a supplemental source.

Agree not I do. In manual English is made to perfect standard of requirement to understand.

[nparker13]

While I love my Prius, I am a bit set off by the build quality. I feel like there is a lot of vibration and noises in the Prius.

[Bobsprius]

Originally Posted by nparker13

While I love my Prius, I am a bit set off by the build quality. I feel like there is a lot of vibration and noises in the Prius.

Little concerned by the commentary, what in particular are you noticing? I also have a V and other than the typical harder ride with the vehicle, I don't have the "noises" you point out. I have not done a search on this thread but it may be a wise idea to check since I don't find that the case at all...Just a little surprised.

[nparker13]

Originally Posted by Bobsprius

Little concerned by the commentary, what in particular are you noticing? I also have a V and other than the typical harder ride with the vehicle, I don't have the "noises" you point out. I have not done a search on this thread but it may be a wise idea to check since I don't find that the case at all...Just a little surprised.

it's really the cargo cover that rattles when used on the highway. Other than that whenever I have my coffee cup in the cup holder, it rattles.

Don't mean to hijack the thread though.

[GSW]

Originally Posted by nparker13

it's really the cargo cover that rattles when used on the highway. Other than that whenever I have my coffee cup in the cup holder, it rattles.

Don't mean to hijack the thread though.

Me neither, but adding a little padding to the cup holders works wonders. I think you can even buy a $30 padding kit now.