110k Trip Upstate Any Tips ?

I would have no qualms doing the drive with your car. Check road conditions before you take off. I've made the trip before and along Highway 5 in the Mt Shasta region can get snow and require chains. The rest of the route is at low enough elevation that you will have no issues.

 

Yeah imagine my shock a few years ago as all lanes reduced to one and it was white out conditions and elevation continued to climb. Luckily we made it through before chains were required. Now that you have me on memory lane, I've recalled a few other things.

Time your gas station stops at the Oregon border. California gas is significantly more expensive.

Oregon is like New Jersey as in the gas station attendant will angrily yell at you not to touch the fuel pump. They pump for you and tipping is unnecessary. Watch out, since tipping is not the norm, they really don't care. I drove out with half a tank once. Make sure you are full before you drive out.

From LA, you should stop at the Lost Hills exit for your first gas stop and the next gas stop is Santa Nella Village. These two gas stops are signicantly cheaper than other stops. I go to San Diego often and those are the two places I fuel up at.

 

I'm starting to like Oregon less and less. Sounds like Coquitlam, BC, the home of full service. Think I've filled up in our charming community twice, in the +25 years we've been here. There was some rumblings lately about rejoining the rest of the world, hopefully it goes through.

 

They give as much problem as any 4 cylinder climbing a mountain. As in it will be loud and you'll feel unfortable. That's the nature of the beast. You'll get a taste of it climbing the Grapevine on highway 5 an hour or two out of LA.

My take on it? I'm contrary to all car magazine reviewers. I absolutely love CVT transmissions and the transaxle in the Prius. With automatics, the gears are constantly shifting to maximize power for you and to use the lowest gear possible when climb grades. It's very unwieldy when at the moment you need the power, the transmission violently bucks the car to a lower gear, the engine screams mercy, and I feel like the horse I am riding is about to throw me off its back. So despite less horsepower, I vastly prefer the Prius over a conventional automatic because the transaxle seemlessly gives you the power you need. Engine power is more or less gradual so you don't get a surge of power suddenly. I'm specifically referring to 4 cylinder engines as V6's have plenty of power without the gear hunt. Power is not everything when climbing a mountain

 

Don't hesitate to make the drive. This summer we drove our Prius from here to Colorado Springs and Denver with a side trip to Estes Park without a problem. The car performed well on the biggest climbs at high altitude, easing off a bit on the gas to maintain 50-55 mph. We never really had a sense of the engine "screaming" but we could hear and feel that it was working harder.

For cheaper top tier fuel I just made a quick list of Pilot/Flying J and T/A truck stops along our intended route and picked the closest to the 350 mile mark to fill up at regardless of what the gas gauge said. With my wife and two teenage daughters in the car someone was always going to be needing the rest room and want snacks anyway. And yes, if you can, fill up just outside of the California state line to save a few dollars.

I'm with you, mmmodem. My experience with CVTs (rentals, a 2007 Nissan Versa driven coast to coast multiple times, and two Prii) and we really don't want to go back to jerky automatic shifts on hills or a manual transmission.

I'll be interested to hear about your drive, Trayvon. We are heading up the 5 to Seattle next summer after we return from a drive to North Carolina and Georgia.