LA to San Francisco Prius Road Trip

JBJAG · 06-29-2006, 03:24 PM

Well I'm off to San Francisco tomorow with the wife (who's 8 1/2 mths pregnant !) and our 3 children.
Rather than take our 7 passenger full size SUV we've decide to take the Prius .....

Hopefully the road trip will not tax the Prius to much - I've managed to get 3 car seats all in a line in the back row all strapped in - and a portable DVD strapped between the front seats to entertain the kids on the drive ...

I know it's not more than a 6 hr drive but with all that weight (passengers + luggage) for our 5 day trip it's gonna be an interesting drive !

Hopefully the gas savings and HOV lane will justify the cramped quarters....

I'll take some picture along the way to post later on this site !

I'm getting a steady 51 mpg at the moment so it'll be interesting what a long drive will reward me with re. mpg

Any family road trip advice will be greatly appreciated !

BTW - yesterday we had the 2nd minor service done @ 9500 miles and the steering shaft recall was also done at that time - so the car is ready to go !

regards to all

James

uclabruins · 06-29-2006, 03:31 PM

Please let me know how the Prius does up the Grapevine as you approach Los Angeles. Does it have enough power? Thanks in advance.

Rancid13 · 06-29-2006, 03:56 PM

Have fun! I made that drive (OC to San Jose/San Fran) in March, after I'd had my Prius for about a month. Took the 5 almost all the way up (the Prius did fantastically up the Grapevine~definitely enough power!) and took the coastal route (Hwy 1 and 101) home from the Santa Cruz area. The picture in my avatar was taken somewhere between Carmel and San Simeon on our way home. I averaged 45mpg doing 70-75 up the 5 fwy (speed limit thru the flatland was usually 70) and 48mpg on the way home on the coast.

For those who might not think the Prius has enough power to make it up steep/long grades, it for sure as heck does a fine job of making it up! Handled the Grapevine (Tejon Pass) like it was no problem, we were passing people the whole way up. Also handled the Cajon (15 fwy north of the 15/215 split), Cahuenga (101 fwy btwn LA and Santa Barbara) and Sepulveda (405 fwy south of the 101) Passes without so much as a moment's hesitation. Also made it up the 20-25 mile 6% grade on hwy 395 just north of Bishop and south of Mammoth Lakes, CA spectacularly (while achieving an all-time low of 34mpg for that portion of the trip). We also made it through all the smaller mountain passes in between San Jose and Santa Cruz with no issues. Conclusion: no worries about the Prius making it up any steep grade or pass.

eagle33199 · 06-29-2006, 04:01 PM

The weight shouldn't be an issue, and i would image taht your milage wouldn't drop too much. just a month ago i moved from ohio to minnesota, with a kayak on top of the prius, and a recliner and a bunch of other stuff filling the rest of the car up completely, and i had no problems, except poor gas milage from the big kayak on top (and by poor i mean upper 30's, so still better than my previous car WITHOUT a kayak)

tumbleweed · 06-29-2006, 04:17 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 12:24 PM) [snapback]278724[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Hopefully the road trip will not tax the Prius to much
[/b]

Not to worry James, the Prius is very tough and it will protect it's self. Use all it has to give you if you need to. I've had mine to 12,000 feet and I've had the battery down to one pink bar several times and it just continued up the mountain on the engine, it will charge back up to all green coming down.

I bet you will have a lot of fun and your mileage will be in the mid 40s or better.

Salsawonder · 06-29-2006, 05:31 PM

I do the hills all the time. If you are fully loaded look for some increased engine noise and to see your energy bars drop some but it will definitely make it up the hills and you may even pass other slow pokes!

seasidetraveler · 06-29-2006, 05:41 PM

Best wishes on your adventure! I drive over the grapevine all the time (at least once a month) and the Prius does great. I have had it bogged down before and it still was locked in at 75-80 on the cruise control.

Hwy 1 or 101 is a much nicer drive, our central valley is hot and ugly- I would avoid it if possible!

Safe travels

IsrAmeriPrius · 06-29-2006, 05:48 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 12:24 PM) [snapback]278724[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Hopefully the gas savings and HOV lane will justify the cramped quarters....
[/b]

With five occupants any car is permitted to travel in the HOV lanes.

P.S. Did you consider the possibility that there may be six of you on the trip back?

JBJAG · 06-29-2006, 06:07 PM

Now that's a scary thought !

That's why we are driving rather than flying - and my wife went full term with our first 3 ...... so I'm not too concerned...... much !

sadly this will be our last family road trip with us all in the car as there ain't no way I'm fitting 4 car seats in the Prius :-) Unless I put the baby in the boot - sorry trunk as you Yanks say....

I'm still looking into our next family wagon - that's a diesel, has 4x4 for regular camping trips, big enough to haul the family, 4 kids, the wife and the dog, and most importantly has rear side cutain airbags for all 3 rows -

The only vehicle that fits the bill is either a mini van which is AWD - or a Nissan Armada - and both are gas...

I'm leaning towards the Armada - but at 16 / 19 mpg I am seriously thinking about buying a high milage / used one and pulling the engine and doing a diesel engine conversion - It'll probably be the only diesel Armada on the planet and might cost me $15k to have the work done but it might give me what I want -

more to follow on that subject as my research preogress'

cheers

James

PS. if I take the 101 up the coast to San Fran instead of the 5 North how much extra driving can I expect ?

IsrAmeriPrius · 06-29-2006, 06:30 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JBJAG @ Jun 29 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]278820[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

PS. if I take the 101 up the coast to San Fran instead of the 5 North how much extra driving can I expect ?
[/b]

In free flowing traffic, the difference should not be more than an hour or two.

Unfortunately, the stretch of the 101 between the west San Fernando Valley and Santa Barbara is prone to congestion, even on the weekends. A few weeks ago, on Memorial Day weekend Sunday, we were stuck in (mostly) stop and (not too much) go traffic between Ventura and Carpinteria for almost an hour.

06-29-2006, 03:24 PM	#1
JBJAG Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Santa Clarita, CA Posts: 35 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Well I'm off to San Francisco tomorow with the wife (who's 8 1/2 mths pregnant !) and our 3 children. Rather than take our 7 passenger full size SUV we've decide to take the Prius ..... Hopefully the road trip will not tax the Prius to much - I've managed to get 3 car seats all in a line in the back row all strapped in - and a portable DVD strapped between the front seats to entertain the kids on the drive ... I know it's not more than a 6 hr drive but with all that weight (passengers + luggage) for our 5 day trip it's gonna be an interesting drive ! Hopefully the gas savings and HOV lane will justify the cramped quarters.... I'll take some picture along the way to post later on this site ! I'm getting a steady 51 mpg at the moment so it'll be interesting what a long drive will reward me with re. mpg Any family road trip advice will be greatly appreciated ! BTW - yesterday we had the 2nd minor service done @ 9500 miles and the steering shaft recall was also done at that time - so the car is ready to go ! regards to all James __________________ 2005 Prius - Pkg 7 - Silver 2004 Mitsubishi Montero Limited - Pewter 1995 Jaguar XJS 6.0L V12 Convertible - Red Mica 1974 Jensen Healey - BRG

06-29-2006, 03:56 PM	#3
Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Alamitos, Orange County, CA Posts: 2,455 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 2	Have fun! I made that drive (OC to San Jose/San Fran) in March, after I'd had my Prius for about a month. Took the 5 almost all the way up (the Prius did fantastically up the Grapevine~definitely enough power!) and took the coastal route (Hwy 1 and 101) home from the Santa Cruz area. The picture in my avatar was taken somewhere between Carmel and San Simeon on our way home. I averaged 45mpg doing 70-75 up the 5 fwy (speed limit thru the flatland was usually 70) and 48mpg on the way home on the coast. For those who might not think the Prius has enough power to make it up steep/long grades, it for sure as heck does a fine job of making it up! Handled the Grapevine (Tejon Pass) like it was no problem, we were passing people the whole way up. Also handled the Cajon (15 fwy north of the 15/215 split), Cahuenga (101 fwy btwn LA and Santa Barbara) and Sepulveda (405 fwy south of the 101) Passes without so much as a moment's hesitation. Also made it up the 20-25 mile 6% grade on hwy 395 just north of Bishop and south of Mammoth Lakes, CA spectacularly (while achieving an all-time low of 34mpg for that portion of the trip). We also made it through all the smaller mountain passes in between San Jose and Santa Cruz with no issues. Conclusion: no worries about the Prius making it up any steep grade or pass. __________________ Jennifer 2006 Black Pkg #8 w/bisque leather "Max" (Prius Maximus)

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06-29-2006, 03:31 PM	#2
uclabruins Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: City of Angels, Baby! Posts: 173 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Please let me know how the Prius does up the Grapevine as you approach Los Angeles. Does it have enough power? Thanks in advance.

06-29-2006, 04:01 PM	#4
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,648 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	The weight shouldn't be an issue, and i would image taht your milage wouldn't drop too much. just a month ago i moved from ohio to minnesota, with a kayak on top of the prius, and a recliner and a bunch of other stuff filling the rest of the car up completely, and i had no problems, except poor gas milage from the big kayak on top (and by poor i mean upper 30's, so still better than my previous car WITHOUT a kayak)

06-29-2006, 05:31 PM	#6
Salsawonder Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: La Mesa California Posts: 1,296 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I do the hills all the time. If you are fully loaded look for some increased engine noise and to see your energy bars drop some but it will definitely make it up the hills and you may even pass other slow pokes!

06-29-2006, 05:41 PM	#7
seasidetraveler Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: So~Cal Posts: 614 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Best wishes on your adventure! I drive over the grapevine all the time (at least once a month) and the Prius does great. I have had it bogged down before and it still was locked in at 75-80 on the cruise control. Hwy 1 or 101 is a much nicer drive, our central valley is hot and ugly- I would avoid it if possible! Safe travels

06-29-2006, 06:07 PM	#9
JBJAG Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Santa Clarita, CA Posts: 35 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Now that's a scary thought ! That's why we are driving rather than flying - and my wife went full term with our first 3 ...... so I'm not too concerned...... much ! sadly this will be our last family road trip with us all in the car as there ain't no way I'm fitting 4 car seats in the Prius :-) Unless I put the baby in the boot - sorry trunk as you Yanks say.... I'm still looking into our next family wagon - that's a diesel, has 4x4 for regular camping trips, big enough to haul the family, 4 kids, the wife and the dog, and most importantly has rear side cutain airbags for all 3 rows - The only vehicle that fits the bill is either a mini van which is AWD - or a Nissan Armada - and both are gas... I'm leaning towards the Armada - but at 16 / 19 mpg I am seriously thinking about buying a high milage / used one and pulling the engine and doing a diesel engine conversion - It'll probably be the only diesel Armada on the planet and might cost me $15k to have the work done but it might give me what I want - more to follow on that subject as my research preogress' cheers James PS. if I take the 101 up the coast to San Fran instead of the 5 North how much extra driving can I expect ?