Prius worst car in history in winter

Agreed w/the 1st point. There's NO way your Tiburon weighs 1300 lbs. Even mid-early 90s Geo Metros and the Smart ForTwo weigh more than 1300 lbs.

 

2010+Prius does NOT have the same traction control as earlier gens. We have spent now all winter in NY driving on all seasons in our Prius and both find it very competent in the snow.

The 3rd gen is very competent when compared to other FWD vehciles. It can hold its own IMO. If I lived in an area with little snow plowing activity then I might have at least one AWD vehicle with higher clearance. Like the guy who said he drove his Prius in 8" snow. I don't think we ever get that because the snow plows are on snow like flies on dung around here, the build up just never happens around the city/suburbs for that height of snow.

 

No offense, but I think you are reading a lot into what folks have said.

Generally, the first cars off the road in a snowstorm up here (I'm a lifelong VT & NH'er-ite) are SUV's, Audi's and other fancy AWD's because the Conn. & Mass. drivers on their way to go skiing think their fancy AWD can defy physics. AWD can only get you going, it doesn't help you turn and stop. They think that because their $50k Audi Q7 can get up to 65mph in a blizzard that that is a safe speed. Problem comes when they hit a sharp curve or try to stop and go skittering off the road... all 4 wheels spinning uselessly.

I've seen it 100 times with my own eyes. Majority are going along at around 50mph, keeping safe distances, just trying to get from A to B safely. Along comes a shiny SUV in the passing lane, doing 15 or 20 mph faster then everyone else, irregardless of conditions. 5 miles later you pass that same SUV, crammed into a snow drift in the median. It's as predictable as the tides.

In bad weather, it's

1. your tires
2. the driver's experience and choices
3. then you get to how many wheels you have driving the car.

My Prius on snow tires handles winter as well as all my other front-wheel drive cars on snow tires did (2 Civics, 2 Accord, 626, Passat, Protege5, Mazda6 Wagon)

AWD would help with the hills and deep snow for sure, but for most folks, including me, it's not a true "necessity." Roads get plowed and it's a matter of tires and traction.

 

Excellent post, Sporin. You summed up my thoughts exactly. I'd actually go so far as to say that driver experience & choice is more important than tires -- because an experienced driver who makes good choices will be able to determine whether or not it is safe to drive regardless of (or based on) what tires s/he has.

Incidentally, I was driving my Prius all around in the snow this morning and it handled everything like a champ. The low clearance makes things a bit iffy when driving through the icy slush buildup on the side of the roads, but in terms of traction/power, it handled things beautifully -- and my last car was an Outback H6 3.0. Long story short, the thread title and OP is bunk (although I guess that was established long ago ).

 

We had no problems during the winter. We had a cold winter ranging around 0 to 16f. Of course the mileage wasn't as good as it will be in the summer. But were still getting 45 to 52 mpg. Which is still good imo. And the car drove pretty solid in the snow.

 

This is my second Maine winter with Serenity. 47 mile commute, each way, from Eastport to Machias. With the Blizzaks, she does OK in the snow. And we've had a bunch of that this winter, eh!
The worst vehicle I ever drove in the snow was a Toyota pick-up with an empty bed. No traction there!

 

I live in north jersey and have a 2010 prius. no problems at all in winter driving. No need to warm the car up. Push start and go.

 

Agree. Came in late to this thread, but my candidate -- and surely it has already been named -- for the worst car in history in winter, must be the BMW 300 series. If you doubt me, try one in snow.
As for the Prius, I found my 2004 more than adequate on trips to New England in winter. Now with a 2010 - bought with solar for the North Carolina sun two years ago, but moved 3 months ago to Michigan - I find it a safe, reassuring drive in snow and icy conditions. Just 2 provisos: short trip mpg stinks in very cold conditions and light interior carpet requires heavy dose of Teflon.

 

How can the best car in the world be the "worst winter car in history"? With FWD, traction control and vehicle stability control?

Whoever started this thread has obviously never driven a BMW 300 series in the winter with worn all-season tires and no cinder blocks in the trunk. Or any rear wheel drive/front engine car, for that matter.

 

Wow, I live in Syracuse, New York. We have had 160 inches of snow this year so far, and it isn't even March yet. For me, the 2010 Prius has been one of the best cars I have ever driven in winter. If you don't already have them you may want to try a set of snow tires next year. Good luck, Rick

 

I just bought my Prius III but I'm sure that next winter when I have a set of winter tires for it she will be as good as my 09 Corolla which also has VSC/TC & even better than my 07 Matrix & 94 Corolla that don't have VSC/TC, & they get around in the snow just fine.

If you want the car to warm up faster in the winter months get a block heater & use the grill block to limit the amount of cold air coming into the radiator & engine bay.

 

Am I? I would point out the use of the "I passed SUVs and Subarus off the road" defense is ALWAYS used in defense of the Prius' prowess in the snow, not the driver's. At best it's intentionally misleading and overly dramatic.

I see you share their flair for the dramatic! Although your point is accurate, your use of terminology is clearly either out of jealousy, or an attempt to inflame. Your use of "fancy AWD" and "all 4 wheels spinning uselessly" tell a lot.

Agreed! And since I use the same quality winter tires on any car I purchase, and I'm the same driver, your #3 is really #1, isn't it? Since the other two things are equal? Yeah, I know you're trying to compare person A with Car B against Person C with Car D, but that's really not possible anyway. Too many variables.

That tells me you do not challenge your cars much. There are two situations any of those cars would handle better than the Prius: Gravel, and a very challenging, low speed, slippery hill with a loaded car. The first one I will guarantee, the second? Eh, it's more of an opinion. I've only seen that problem once, and I can't guarantee any of the other cars would have made it either, though my opinion is they would have. Since I've lived in Upstate, NY all my life and driven in this crap for 30 years, I'd say I'm qualified to have an opinion. And I've NEVER (knock on wood) had a winter accident in ANY car. I've driven everything from RWD Pickups to an AWD sports car.

I will grant you that in normal driving the Prius is great in snow. But I will also tell you that the TC can stop the car when it should not. Literally stop the car. At least on the 2009's and prior. Can't speak at all for the 2010. It appears they have improved it (indirectly indicating there was a problem. And as an aside, I find it funny when the same Prius chatter points out the TC is improved in the 2010, then turns around and claims the prior years have no problem,) but I've never driven one in challenging conditions. There are fewer complaints, but there are complaints about the 2010 TC as well, and since there are fewer of them out there, it's too early (for me) to tell.

And that's what I've said many times. If you don't challenge the car in snow with serious hills when unplowed, nor do you ever go on a gravel hill, you'll be fine with a Prius and you'll never see the TC problem. But shouldn't those people who do drive in such conditions be aware of the problem? Good tires help, a good driver helps, but neither can overcome the Prius' TC issues completely.

Zhe Wiz

 

1. I think the Prius is a fine winter car with proper snow tires. 20 years of NH & VT driving and I'm allowed my opinion as well.
2. I've driven Front wheel drive cars with snow tires for decades and the Prius is no better or worse. If you feel otherwise, that is your opinion and you are allowed it.
3. I've felt no reason to "challenge" my cars in winter, why would I? I just want to drive from A to B as safely as possible with my family. If you do otherwise then that is your choice, enjoy.
4. I don't need to traverse gravel roads to get to where I need to go and if I did so regularly I'll happily agree that a Prius wouldn't be my #1 choice (ground clearance would be a real issue).
5. I do drive up a number of good size hills every day, including to get into my neighborhood. The TC on my Prius gets activated many times a week and has always managed. It's no replacement for AWD, but it's adequate... which is all most of us have said about the Prius... it does the job, for most.
6. I'm a fatty, so my car is always carrying a "full load."

You are doing the same thing with my post you seem to be doing with everyone else's (drawing inferences and implications that aren't there) ie.

• My "terminology is clearly either out of jealousy, or an attempt to inflame."
  (It's not, and I'm not, it's an observation that others have 2nd)
• "The "I passed SUVs and Subarus off the road" defense is ALWAYS used in defense of the Prius' prowess in the snow"
  ("Always?" Nope, and you are taking that out of context.)

Carry on arguing with points no one is actually making.

 

Give me a break. I don't "challenge" my cars in winter because I WANT to, I do so because I HAVE to. Some people "challenge" their cars because of the route the need to take, because of their hobbies, etc. I certainly didn't say you SHOULD challenge your cars in winter. I hunt, it's a side-effect of that. I also have to research land up for tax sale, and that land is quite often off the beaten path, which means I must traverse very hilly, gravel roads.

Your # 6 is funny, glad you have a sense of humor!

If your terminology isn't to inflame, then what was the purpose? Your colorful words added no other purpose I can see. Please point me in the right direction. (And good luck, I've been accused of being stubborn once or twice!)

Jump on my "always" if you want to, but then feel free to perform a search on Prius chat. Most of the time (is that better) the "SUVs off the road" point is used to defend the Prius, not the driver.

And yes, I do "resemble that remark" in your cartoon. I can't help it!

Honestly you are MUCH more reasonable than some. I expect you have not run into the dreaded TC issue (you have the "improved" 2010 version.) I've driven the Prius through 3 winters and only hit it twice. Once towing an empty 500lb trailer with hunting equipment in the hatch and a passenger (pretty sure that beats your "full load"!! ), and once on a gravel road with only me in the car. It's not a deal breaker for everyone, but it could be for some. My wife still drives the Prius daily in all sorts of weather w/o issue and she hates winter driving. If the car is not "challenged" (intentionally, or otherwise!) in winter, it does quite well in typical driving.

Zhe Wiz

 

I'm a little late to the conversation but I figure I toss my 2 cents into the conversation since well... as some of you know, the winters around these parts are long and pretty tough too.

Anyway, the Prius is definitely not the worst car for winter driving. I say this not only with enough daily driving experience with the 2G and 3G's, but also with ownership experience with other high FE hybrid vehicles under the exact same conditions.

To keep it simple...

First:
Please, please, please: Get yourself real winter tires especially if you have a white winter where you live. The typical all-season tires let alone the OEM LRR rated tires are the absolute worst setup for any car when operated under even mildly adverse conditions.

Second:
In colder temps all cars lose MPG's. With this said, the Prius remains a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle that depends on an internal combustion engine as its primary power source. So the rules that have always governed the more traditional non-hybrid platforms also apply to a contemporary hybrids to a tee with the extreme consequence of being fitted with smaller displacement engines. On this last part, common sense should help explain things better and also the need to not overlook it.

Third:
The traction control thing has been beaten to a pulp and while there was some reason for some concern with the second generation Prius, in my personal experience the third generation has proven to be nothing short of flawless. Frankly calling the 2010/2011 Prius a bad car in this department is a sure way of losing any credibility, right from the onset.

Fourth and last:
Look around for winter maintenance and operation tips at least from those who not only slug it out through some of the coldest winter operating conditions in North America, but also do so year-after-year with full consideration for ultimate FE, safety and basic personal comfort. With the Prius you can have your cake and eat it too provided that one plays the common sense card objectively. As usual, places like Priuschat are chock-full of good info and therefore a good place to start.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

Driving around in a New England ice storm today. Other cars had problems. I didn't. I for the life of me can't figure out why anyone has problems with a 2010 Prius with stock tires in the snow or ice. I keep reading about it, then I go drive in it and just shake my head.

 

[/end thread]

 

^ man, if I had only known about this tag before.

 

My 2009 is usually pretty good in the winter. I live in the middle of the Adirondack mountains - cold and lots of snow. I also live about 5 miles off the main road. I have great snow tires.

My main complaint is the TC. It engages on hills when the road has been salted and there is slippery mush. The car won't move. If the tires slip a little (and yes, I am very gentle with the gas), you are dead in the water, er slush. In a couple instances I have had to back down the hill, turn around, and back up the hill cause the TC does not come on in reverse.

If I could get rid of the TC or have an over ride, this would be the almost perfect winter car.

In every other regard, I am very happy with this car. Its just that darn TC!!

PS: I lose about 10 MPG in the winter between the heater and snow tires (49 summer; 39 winter).

 

Based on reports here it sounds like a 2011 is in order.