Our dotter [Tracy] and her family of 5 traveled from San Diego to Las Vegas for a 4 day time share. We were curious how did she do it with all the clothing teenagers demand. Take a good look at the platform hitch on the back bumper for all their luggage ! Our dotters family traveled in a black Prius 05 #6 package. My wife and I are in the white 07 Prius, package #2. We convened in Baker, Ca, for Tracy to give us her keys to the Marriott Chateau. She used only 4 days of her time share and gave us 3 days . We got to visit Hoover Dam, Red-Rock Canyon and toured the Strip on public transportation. The Strip is no place to cruise -- no way, if I had to drive !! The last jpg shows our mileage for the trip back home. Not bad, considering our speed -- CC set for 65, with elevations reaching over 4000 ft, at least 3 climbs of that heigth
The platform definitely expands the cargo area. The black prius looks great! (did I mention I have a black one also? ).
I like the hitch - good idea. I also have 2 teens and a younger child... need to get that hitch soon!
The hitch carrier should come with a tough bag to keep the abundance of road grime and water that must lift at the back of the vehicle, off of your posessions. If it wasn't for the full load of passengers I would also be concerned about the hitch platform and its load taking weight off the front wheels.
That hitch is a pretty good idea! I was in that area back in late Oct! Bakersville (bakersfield?) on my way to Las Vegas and Hoover Dam! I was in a rental Cobalt though
Last fall I did a 5 passenger 360 mile round trip to Cedar Point. Combined added weight of ~900lbs. MPG result for the trip was surprisingly 53.4 with an average speed of 73mph (ranged from 65-84mph). One thing that helped was that traffic was heavy so I was always trailing someone. Even trailing a small car helps compared to driving 'alone'. For comparison, my old 43 mile highway commute was always around 55mpg with a steady 70mph speed. The speed is what is effecting my highway mpg the most. The added weight is not noticable, except in city driving.
