I Finally Got to Test Drive a Prius Today and........

[New Revelation]

........I am completely SOLD!! Finally got to visit the dealership today, got to look over the car with the salesguy and everything, and here were my observations: What everyone was saying about the interior room was true....lots of legroom in there. Even at the back seat where I sat at with the driver's seat all the way to the back, I still had leg room in the back. And i'm 6'1 with some long legs....definitely a plus for carrying any cargo.

Sitting in the front seat was awesome....everything was like right in place in front of me and easily visible. Seats weren't that bad either, and I was pretty comfortable. I know many here have had issues with the seats, but I find the front-back adjustment and reclining works well for me. Look at it like this: My 84' Olds seats can only adjust forward and back, and you can't adjust the reclining position at all.

Looking under the hood, it looks quite impressive under there. As for the gas engine, with me being mechnically inclined, I will have no problem changing the oil and such. And its nice that there is no transmission fluid or dipstick to deal with. So apparently accessibility under the hood is pretty good.

And I got to see how the smartkey worked....that's pretty awesome! As long as you have it in your pocket when you're ready to drive, the door will open and can easily start the car with a push of a button. No more fiddling with car keys and having to deal with the ignition.

Now as for the shifter.....I read some posts on here that people were having trouble adapting to the shifter, but for me, I caught on right away. You simply select the gear you want to go in and the shifter returns to its original position. Nice.

Once on the road, it accelerated quite smoothly. Course heard the gas engine rev up as I did, as its typical of a 4-cylinder engine. Stopping power excellent as well (as it should). I tried to coast a few times but unfortunately it was still after rush hour in Grand Rapids (and a bad accident that occurred earlier made traffic a mess) but from what the salesguy was pointing out to me I was getting like 48MPG.

I took it on the interstate....once again quick acceleration and got to speed quickly. Tested the cruise function...works well. As some have indicated here it would be nice to see once you set the cruise that it indicates that its set. But I have driven cars with no such indication (especially older cars) and usually I know the cruise works when I let go of the gas pedal and the car still moves at the set speed.

I also found that I can adjust the cruise speed in 1 MPH increments, either up or down while the cruise was active.

Well either way, once back at the dealership, I was sold on the vehicle. We went right up and i placed my order right then for my new Prius! They are doing the orders for 2007 models now so that's what i'll be getting. Ordered with the #5 package with all the options except leather, which I didn't need. I noted that the radio system with the 2007 models has XM and Sirius capability. And since I currently have Sirius service on my current car, all I would have to do is to get another receiver (possibly transfer my current one if I can).

All I can say is, i'm quite psyched!!

[Tideland Prius]

woot! Hope the wait will be short!

[Lola'05]

Hey, you made me smile. Took me back to June of 2005 when I test drove the Prius. I had done the research and had driven the Honda Civic hybrid. Then I set up a test drive of the Prius. Alvin, the salesman was not that well informed about the Prius. He had some answers but not what I had gathered from my research. We started out on the local suburban roads where he directed me. That wasn't what I wanted to know. I needed to know about acceleration. So I deviated from his regular test drive route and headed for the interstate. I headed for I 95 in the Philadelphis area and tested the Prius. I needed to know that I could merge onto a highspeed road without becoming a hazard. At 93 mph, Alvin was white knuckled. I told him to relax. We were going back to sign the paper work. I wanted this car. Six weeks later, I had Lola and I have been very happy.

[Soylent]

Thanks for the great post. Mine is only days away and I'm quite nervous about the whole thing, but your post made me feel more comfortable with my decision.

[narussian]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Aug 24 2006, 09:12 AM) [snapback]308724[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the great post. Mine is only days away and I'm quite nervous about the whole thing, but your post made me feel more comfortable with my decision.
[/b]

Nervous nothing!!!! You are about to own the greatest car available in the market now!!
Congratuations to you both!!!

[Ichabod]

Yeah, nothing to be nervous about other than how to deal with the intense emotional bond you'll form with your car right away that will have you sitting in your driveway at 11:30pm just staring at your car and making your neighbors think you're crazy. ( Does that sound weirdly specific? Well, that's because I was doing that last night )

[Rancid13]

Glad to hear that you and the Prius were a great 'fit' so to speak! I didn't have the chance to test drive a Prius until about after a month after I'd placed my order for one, and the test drive only solidified my decision to purchase a Prius. I love how 'high up' the driver's seat feels, compared to the Saturn I was coming from where I'd felt like I was sitting on the ground while driving. I find the seats quite comfortable as well, but then again I'm about a foot shorter than you.

[bruceha_2000]

Prepare yourself for some odd brain shifts. Just this morning I looked at the MFD, it was showing current MPG of about 51. DANG, screwing my tank mileage! (375 miles at 53.8 MPG at the time). Of course if I see 51 instantaneous in January: WHOO HOOOOO!!!!!

Best car on the planet. I'm still EXTREMELY happy after 2 years. I still talk the ear off anyone who wants to know about it. Wish even more that our government (apologies to any Libertarians here) would point to the Prius and hybrid Civic, then to the Big 3 and say: "You WILL increase your CAFE numbers by 50% MINIMUM, tax breaks if you do better, in 3 years. No more 'it can't be done' crap from YOU!" The TCH comes in about 50% over the lowest EPA non hybrid and its ICE HP per pound of vehicle is almost exactly the same as the Prius NET HP/pound. Given we aren't whining that the Prius is underpowered, it would seem the TCH has MORE than enough. Now, if we can get the marketers to stop telling people they need BIGGER VEHICLES....MORE POWER, we can start serious energy use reduction in this country.

[galaxee]

hooked another one

congrats, hope the car comes soon.

[ralphbongo]

You are going to be one happy camper.The wait will be bad but just look toward the end. I have had red=d=kw 3 months and 9k miles and I love it. BTW welcome to PC