Mountain driving

[The Ericsons]

Thank you all for taking the time to help us on this topic. Your comments are invaluable in many ways. Isn't this a wonderful car? We've only had it for a month and are still awed. The Ericsons

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

I would actually characterize driving a Prius in the mountains as FUN!

Last week we did a 300 mile fun drive up in the Sierra. Doing the speed limits, the car had plenty of reserve power going up the passes. One of our stops was the Kirkwood ski resort on Highway 88. Base elevation 7800 feet.

Going downhill was interesting in watching the ICE shut down, the battery recharge, and the consumption screen light up like a Christmas tree.
At one point, driving West down I-80 from Donner Summit (7,085 feet) to Sacramento, the Consumption Screen was completely maxed-out except for two of the 5 minute bars which were around 75 . . . indicating where the short uphill spans were.

We had left Sacramento in the morning with a 3/4 tank of gas. When we returned we still had two squares left. So, fuel consumption wise, I’d say the Prius is a champ in the mountains too!

Your friend is just spouting GM FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt).

[tuck14]

We live in a community with steep mountain roads. Many with a 15% grade. My driveway is the 2nd steepest in our community with a 28% grade. The Prius does great on the steep hills. Today I returned from a hike with 4 large adults in the car and they could not believe that we were able to accelerate up the steep hills.

I would say that the Prius is an excellent car for the mountains.

[hdrygas]

I get to go back to Helena in May to watch my son graduate! Wooo Hoo. The sad news is I am transporting an old 27" TV and a base to him so I am driving the Explorer. I would rather be in the Prius but it will not fit with all the other stuff my wife will be taking to him to "get him started". I just hope he get a job! :mrgreen:
BTW he is an Environmental Studies major. Got to be proud. I guess walking the walk makes a deference. For his part someone will pay him to hike, camp, and be outside. I hope he can make a difference.

[tmm]

I live in the central Washington Cascades and routinely drive over Snoqualmie Pass and have never had a lack of power. This past winter was not a rough test for winter driving, but I was one of a half dozen folks that made it to the office during one of the worst freezing rain events I've experienced with no trouble at all once I got the ice chiseled of the windows. I had fun ribbing the majority of my co-workers who mostly drive big, bad 4 wheel drive SUV's and trucks and still couldn't get anywhere.

[Ray Moore]

Just did Raton pass with a full load. This pass climbs about 3000 feet. Eventually the battery was down to one bar. At that point, my speed fell from 80 to 65 mph on the steepest part of the climb. I was still passing everyone except the BMW. The beemer slowly pulled away from me until the grade reduced to below 7%. I drove probably 50 miles before the battery had a chance to recover to more than 3 bars. I loved driving the Prius in the mountains.

[The Ericsons]

We are 66 & 68 year-old Illinois retirees and love the west and the mountains! We are so inspired by all the good reports of mountain driving, we are planning a quick trip out to Colorado next month to make our own test! We've enjoyed many years of tent camping, and are sad to say we are too old now for the cold ground, but we can still enjoy the views and the awesome mountains in the daytime! (Get out in those tents every chance you have while you are young, fellas and gals! Life spins on too fast.) The Ericsons

[Stocky]

I have just traversed the Southern Alps in New Zealand which are pretty rugged, believe me. If you saw Lord of the Rings - that’s where I went, up over and down, an 800km round trip.

I just want to say that my Prius handled the mountains beautifully and hardly skipped a beat - best car I have EVER driven under these terrain conditions, bar none, period!!!

One part in particular, has an extremely steep gorge that is a real trial for most "dinosaurs". With road gradients ranging from 1 in 30 to 1 in 8 and travelling from a little above sea level to the summit of the Pass at 922m over a distance of about 13km, a cliff face on one side and a sheer drop on the other, it is not for the faint hearted. I was totally amazed how the Prius purred up the steep and winding road like it was hardly there. My son was following in a reasonably powerful car and commented that he had to make extensive use of the gear shift (and full throttle) just to stay anywhere near me; even then he had dropped well behind by the time I reached the top. Awesome!

Over the whole trip, I paid particular attention to the battery and, while it ran down to the “pink” on a number of the steeper climbs, it made little or no difference to performance. The engine never raced as some say, although it did rev higher than normal driving. I was even able to set the cruise control and climb appropriate parts of the road with ease.

I did not use the “B” gear except once, when I did it to see the effect on performance. It slowed the car, sure, but nothing that couldn’t be done in “D” and gentle braking.

Fuel economy on the whole 800km trip was 5.77 l/100km – more than I get in city driving, but certainly a lot better than 99% of other vehicles.

We are only just heading into winter, so, although it was wet, there was no snow or ice on the roads, so I am unable to comment on some of the other postings about this.

Bottom line – the Prius flattens mountain roads to gentle rolling foothills and still gets tremendous fuel economy – MOST IMPRESSED!!!!!

[Steve Goldenberg]

My 2004 goes up the very steep and winding Independence Pass fine but that's because you just can't go go faster than 45mph.
It also does great on steep, short climbs where the electric assist really shines.
However, steep, long, straight climbs like Vail Pass, where everyone is going 70+mph are only OK for the first few minutes until the battery depletes and you have just the engine to power your acent. The Prius slows down and the engine revs up, not a pleasant combination. I can maintain 60mph but not much more. Deep snow, headwinds, and low temperatures all make it even worse than just the high altitude and steep grade.
Toyota mechanics have driven my Prius up Vail Pass side by side with their Prius. Both were performing to specs and performed the same (poorly).
I usually take my 6 cyl. 4WD Subaru when driving from Aspen to Denver in the winter (not often).
This is just the price you pay for good performance the rest of the time. I wouldn't want a bigger engine or a bigger battery for most of my normal Prius driving.
A turbo or super charger would be a very good solution, especially at such high altitudes or you could buy a Lexus or a Highlander.

[narf]

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However, steep, long, straight climbs like Vail Pass, where everyone is going 70+mph are only OK for the first few minutes until the battery depletes and you have just the engine to power your acent.  
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Steve has it exactly right. I have a 2005 Prius, live in the Denver area and travel in the mountains a lot. With a light load and a full battery I am able to make it up the steeper passes on I70 without slowing below 70, but if traffic causes me to slow down once I can't get past about 60MPH. However, on average hills such as the trip from Denver to Colorado Springs there is no problem at all. In fact I just towed my 400 lb trailer to Colorado Springs over Monument pass with no problems at all, maintining 75 mph the whole way. Like others have said, it's the long uphill climbs that deplete batteries. As long as you have the occasional downhill things work well.