Wife doesn't like pri on the interstste

sonny · 10-19-2006, 10:32 AM

Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????

Beryl Octet · 10-19-2006, 11:00 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sonny @ Oct 19 2006, 10:32 AM) [snapback]335019[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????
[/b]

I've driven mine through the hills & mountains of NC, WV and KY, and had no problems maintaining 70 or more. For example, there are some long continuous uphills on 77 near the VA/NC border, no problems. It does tend to stay on gas for that period, so there isn't a lot of extra acceleration to be had, but I'm usually passing more cars than are passing me.

You car is probably not broken in yet, so you may want to give it a chance to do that before you take it in, but I get the feeling it should have a bit more oomph than what you are describing. If you are used to a car with a lot more power, then driving something like a Prius or any other economy type car takes some adjustment. If you hit a steep hill with no momentum, you may not be able to crest it at 70 mph.

The "blown all over the road feeling" will probably depend on what you are used to. When I pass a semi or something, I'm definitely feeling the turbulence more, but have no trouble keeping it in my lane. Usually when I think things feel sloppy or loose, then I find a slow leak in a tire, so you might want to check your tire pressures.

Michgal007 · 10-19-2006, 11:03 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sonny @ Oct 19 2006, 10:32 AM) [snapback]335019[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????
[/b]

I don't know about steep hills, so cannot comment on that. I felt that the car was "blown all over the road" when I first purchased it, but it was probably my inexperienced driving. Now I have 3300 miles on it, and at 70mph, it is not uncontrollable at all.

donee · 10-19-2006, 11:20 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sonny @ Oct 19 2006, 11:32 AM) [snapback]335019[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????
[/b]

Hi Sonny,

Probably you should have the wheel alignment check/reset. Its been mentioned on here, that the trip over from Japan can result in the allignment being effected.

If that does not fix it, I recommend the BT chasis stiffening plate that is for sale on Prius Chat here. That had a big effect on my car in windy highway driving.

The car is not supposed to be difficult on the highway, but its common for people to comment that a new Prius is. The three solutions typically found are wheel alighment (toe-in), better tires and the BT chasis stiffening plate. Do a search on here for those things.

Marlin · 10-19-2006, 11:22 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sonny @ Oct 19 2006, 10:32 AM) [snapback]335019[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????
[/b]

Let me guess... Your wife did not agree with your choice of a Prius did she? What car did she really want?

eagle33199 · 10-19-2006, 11:29 AM

As others said, there's probably nothing to worry about here. If you have a long steep hill, You're going to be using the battery to help you up, and when the battery is done, you'll just have the gas engine, which can't provide quite as much power. In other words, do hills a little bit easier and you'll be fine.

As for blowing all over the road, the car does take a little getting used to. coming from my old car, i thought it was terrible at first (but then again, my old car weighed more and was lower to the ground). It really isn't all that difficult to control. It's much easier than some vans or minivans i've been in, which just get hid broadsided by the wind and there's very little you can do.

Give the car some time - it'll do a little better as it gets broken in, as will you.

Beryl Octet · 10-19-2006, 11:30 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Oct 19 2006, 11:22 AM) [snapback]335045[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Let me guess... Your wife did not agree with your choice of a Prius did she? What car did she really want?
[/b]

I was thinking that, but didn't want to ask.

etyler88 · 10-19-2006, 11:50 AM

Car is fine. If she is too timid to step on the gas pedal tell her to use cruise control. The Prius CC never wavers more than 1 mph.

qbee42 · 10-19-2006, 12:08 PM

The ICE on the Prius really revs when you go up hills. If you are not used to it, there is a tendency to back off on the gas pedal, so you might think it is under-powered. I've driven in the mountains in KY without any trouble.

As for stability and control on the highway, the Prius is a small mid-sized car, so it does get blown around a bit, but not worse than other cars that size. One of the big factors is the tight steering with little feedback. Even a very small turn of the steering wheel will cause the Prius to move. Until you get used to it, there is a tendency to white knuckle the steering and over control. Just relax and use very gentle pressure on the wheel and it will steer just fine.

Tom

auricchio · 10-19-2006, 12:16 PM

As Tom suggested, you have to ignore the engine noise. It sounds like it's winding up way more than you think it should. But the car knows that's a more efficient engine RPM.

10-19-2006, 11:29 AM	#6
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,054 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	As others said, there's probably nothing to worry about here. If you have a long steep hill, You're going to be using the battery to help you up, and when the battery is done, you'll just have the gas engine, which can't provide quite as much power. In other words, do hills a little bit easier and you'll be fine. As for blowing all over the road, the car does take a little getting used to. coming from my old car, i thought it was terrible at first (but then again, my old car weighed more and was lower to the ground). It really isn't all that difficult to control. It's much easier than some vans or minivans i've been in, which just get hid broadsided by the wind and there's very little you can do. Give the car some time - it'll do a little better as it gets broken in, as will you. __________________

10-19-2006, 12:08 PM	#9
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 4,875 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 5	The ICE on the Prius really revs when you go up hills. If you are not used to it, there is a tendency to back off on the gas pedal, so you might think it is under-powered. I've driven in the mountains in KY without any trouble. As for stability and control on the highway, the Prius is a small mid-sized car, so it does get blown around a bit, but not worse than other cars that size. One of the big factors is the tight steering with little feedback. Even a very small turn of the steering wheel will cause the Prius to move. Until you get used to it, there is a tendency to white knuckle the steering and over control. Just relax and use very gentle pressure on the wheel and it will steer just fine. Tom __________________ *Black* 2006 package #7 Northern Michigan

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10-19-2006, 10:32 AM	#1
sonny Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 30 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Took delivery of our 2007 Prius Touring Edition last week and I love the car. My wife just returned from a trip from Lincoln NE to Desmoines Iowa and believe it or not Iowa has some very long and steep hills. My wife says yhe pri will not maintain 70 mph going up the long hills, also ststes the the car was literally being blown all over the road. Do I have a problem here? Should I return the car to the dealer and have it checked out or is this normal?????

10-19-2006, 11:50 AM	#8
etyler88 etyler88 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dover, DE Posts: 443 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Car is fine. If she is too timid to step on the gas pedal tell her to use cruise control. The Prius CC never wavers more than 1 mph.

10-19-2006, 12:16 PM	#10
auricchio Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cambria, CA, USA Posts: 814 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	As Tom suggested, you have to ignore the engine noise. It sounds like it's winding up way more than you think it should. But the car knows that's a more efficient engine RPM.