Should I Switch to Prius?

Sounds like you have a great car for your situation. I'd keep driving it and wait for the next generation hybrid or electirc. I think we will see some great new technology in the next 3-5 years. Happy motoring.

Rotorhead

 

Knowing where you live can make a difference. If your commute is only 8 miles I would suggest a bicycle. You can also use the bicycle to run short errands if they are close to your workplace. Insurance and gas costs for a bicycle might make you happy. If you are in a hot area the bicycle isn't practical because you get too sweaty for work. Availability of sidewalks and traffic on the road where you might have to ride is another consideration. Also, there are a few motorized options for bikes to include electric assist. There was a post from a guy in Canada where he discusses his bicycle ride to work with the help of a commercially available electric bike motor.

You might think about a scooter or a Xebra (sp?) like Daniel has. The Xebra seems a little goofy but that shouldn't detract from its obvious usefulness for your commuting situation. I'm sure Daniel would tell you whatever you'd like to know about his experience with the Xebra.

On the Prius MPG, the 36 MPG sounds really low but not impossible. The Prius needs to warm up no matter what the ambient temperature is outside so the MPG is lower on short trips. The worst gas mileage I've had was a week where I only drove a few miles to the commuter parking lot and back home every day and it was a disappointing 39 MPG in the Virginia winter. Having said that, I could drive to the commuter lot for a few months or more on the same tank of gas.

Good luck.

 

36 MPG is unlikely. That's what I get at 70 MPH with 2 kayaks on the roof. With bikes on back instead, the MPG climbs into the low 40's. Nothing but errand running (short trips with a cold engine) result in low 40's for me too.

Also, don't forget that Prius also delivers a much cleaner emission rating.

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I usually drive about 350 miles each week. My old car broke down (which got 32 MPG) Ironically both my old car and my Prius have about the same total range about 500 miles. So a full tank usually lasts me 10 days. Anyway the difference was usually about 16 gallons at fill up in the 32 MPG car vs. the usual 9 gallons at Fillup in the Prius. At the current national average of $3.299 gallon that is about a $52 fillup vs a $30. And for those weeks where I drive more or go on vacation it makes a big difference that only seems to multiply. I hope this helps.

 

I drive almost exclusively in the metropolitan and city traffic and I am getting 55 to 56 MPG and I'm a rev head. The Prius is a far more comfortable car than a Corolla, which is pretty good because Corollas are a great car. There is far more room and a much quieter drive in a Prius.

I liken driving a Prius to driving a video game that takes you places, it is that much fun.

Whether you buy a Prius on not is up to you.

 

My commute is 8 miles, with the middle 6 being interstate with no stops and about a mile on either side with traffic lights. I consistently get 48 mpg.

Still, if the Corolla is in good shape, I'd stick with it for a couple more years and hope for some exciting new cars to become available.

 

Hello Proteus,

36 MPG seems too low, the source of your information maybe biased. I have had my Prius for a little over two weeks and I average 48 MPG, I would probably get better if I was the only driver. My wife drove the car for 4 days, she has a lead foot so she only got 43 MPG, she also gets 18 MPG on her Honda Oddysey, when I got the car back I was able to bring it back up to 48 MPG average before my next fill up.

The reason I said that your source may be biased is because of the comments I get, some people tell me that you only get 48 MPG if you stay below 35 MPH (Wrong) My daily commute is 26 miles roundtrip, about 65% highway. Actually, I have been able to get on numerous occasions 60 MPG at 60 MPH.

You should probably check to see if either Toyota or another car rental company rents the Prius and try it for a week on your commute. You may also want to check the milage logs from people in this forum to see what they average, next you may even ask someone that actually drives a Prius in your community how they feel about the car, then you can make an educated decision about buying a Prius or not.

 

Maybe you could rent a Prius for a few days to get an idea of the MPG you may see on your commute? They only drawback to this is that it takes some time to learn how to drive the car for maximum efficiency.

 

For eight miles I would consider a bicycle or electric. That is such a short distance that any improvement in mileage is insufficient for justifying the purchase of a new gas or diesel powered car. If you are replacing your car anyway, by all means consider a Prius. The Prius will get better mileage than your existing car, and will be cheaper to own over the life of the vehicle.

Tom

 

City fuel economy can vary widely depending on driving conditions. Results as low as 36 MPG are possible but uncommon. I could see it with short trips (say, a mile or two), especially in cold weather, that don't allow the engine to reach full operating temperature. On the other hand, if your 8 mile commute can be done at <40 MPH, it would seem almost ideal for exploiting the Prius' fuel economy capabilities in the city. I would love to have a 5 mile stretch of sub-40 MPH driving with only one stop on my commute. Even your 3-mile segment should be favorable -- an average of one light every half mile is better than many of us face, and some of us routinely squeeze 60+ MPG out of our city trips. The only thing that could work against you there is an abundance of stop and crawl traffic in temperature extremes while running climate control.

By "exploiting the Prius' fuel economy capabilities," I mean, at a minimum, conservative use of the pedals. As with any vehicle, jackrabbit starts and hard braking at the last minute waste lots of gas. Basic techniques include modest acceleration and timing the lights and your slowdowns to minimize braking. For a more advanced tactic, search around here to learn about "pulse and glide."

 

What is the climate like where you live?

My commute is 4 miles each way with many stop lights and stop signs. In summer (hot and humid here in the DC area) I average 47-48 mpg for these trips. In winter (high temps mostly in the 30s-40s) I average about 37 mpg.

I average at least 50 mpg for highway trips.

I don't do anything special to my car like blocking the grill or using an engine block heater to warm it up faster. If you tried mods like these it most likely would help you, should you choose to get a Prius.

 

I would think you could count on a minimum of 40mpg for your commute. However, as noted a Prius is a nicer car than a Carolla. It might be worth it to wait for a PHEV though. What are your electricity prices where you live?

 

Just because that is his normal commute doesn't mean it will be his only commute. In order for him to buy an electric vehicle he would still have to buy a gas powered vehicle for when he drives out of town. As far as a bicycle maybe its safe to ride in your area on main roads, but if he lives in an area like mine riding a bicycle on the roads would be like asking to get ran over. People around here have a hard enough time not running over the mailboxes on the side of the road.

 

That was me... Check out Bionx

I commute almost 40 km a day, average speed about 30 km/hr. Love it.

 

i wouldnt because i dont have money at my disposal like that. saving the enviroment is great. you can drive in ev mode and not have to use any gas! that will cost you about a dollar to fill up, of course you have to do an conversion which will cost some cheddar. i want to build a phev out of a prius. im waiting for a deal on a prius and battery technology to come down in price.

 

That's another reason to go with a small electric vehicle. You don't buy one of those for long distance driving, but only for trips like the OP's. His application is perfect for that, and a small vehicle is affordable for just that use. For long distance driving he can own something else, or rent if it's only an occasional need. Keeping his existing car is an option.

As to bicycles in your area, I'm sorry to hear about your traffic problems and lousy drivers. Have you considered finding a more hospitable place to live?

Tom

 

Thanks, Fibb, you've got a great setup and a great view on your commute.

 

Its not the area so much as there aren't any bike lanes.

 

In our case, I figured replacing one of our Corollas with a Prius just to get better mileage really wasn't worth it (my commute ~10 miles each way, half city, half highway), unless gas got REALLY expensive ($7-$8 on up). But since our 94 Corolla had become terminally ill, and since we wanted something a little bigger and nicer, not to mention wanting extra hauling capacity, it turned out the Prius fit our needs perfectly. Getting 50 MPG was icing on the cake!

My point is, spending almost $10k more to get a Prius instead of a Corolla isn't worth it purely to save $$$, and it probably isn't worth trading in a Corolla in good condition just to save on gas. But if you like the Prius because it fits your needs, or because you want a nicer car, then by all means, go for it!