Must be the 1G HCH. The 1st Gen Prius did the same thing - shut off A/C unless you turn the dial to MAX A/C and the engine will idle. Toyota made to move to an electric A/C compressor in the 2nd Gen so that the A/C still runs when the engine is off.
Considered the Honda, Camry and Focus hybrids - but all sedans and the battery eats trunk space. The Prius Hatchback design gets most of the space back.
Say it isn't so, don't go to the other side. Haha, I was a loyal Honda/Acura owner for the longest early on & think both companies have alot to offer. I just think Toy/Lexus has a slight edge in quality & reliability. FWIW, if I had to do it again, the solar roof is the one thing I regret not getting, but this is my 1st prius & mileage was the reason I thought I was buying the car for so I bought something basic. Now that I know there is so much more to this car, luxury & fun being 2 of them. Who would have thunk it.
When I went in to buy mine, the sunroof was the ONE option that I really insisted on. I figured that if I was going to give up my big diesel truck (which I loved driving) and get a little econo-car, I'd at least get some options that would make it more enjoyable to drive. I love the sunroof, but now admire the car for so many other reasons! The engineering & technology that has gone into making it VERY good at what it does (saving fuel) is truly impressive!
I have to laugh...I have one and would love to post the facts with pictures. Drive an average of 19 MPH get 36 MPG...I HATE this car and the people that sold it to me. Toyota and the dealer claims 0 fault.
Welcome to the forums! Take off the emergency brake before you drive & your results will be much better. Seriously though, something is wrong. Look at my average speed, distance & mpg in the display photo below. That was for one trip, with more than 80% of it at highway speeds. At 19mph, the car would normally be in EV mode (basically 99mpg) until the battery runs out, and city driving almost ALWAYS can yield better mpg than highway. I'm sure you can find someone in Tenn who can show you how to drive it to get better mileage.
This to me says you drive extremely short trips (2-4miles) and most of that time is spent with engine idling trying to warm up. The prius will get on average 2x if not more mileage then any other car in any situation, especially extreme situations like yours. You may not be getting 50 but just imagine what youd get in anything else.
I know someone that has a civic hybrid and the battery died after 5 years. They're trying to get rid of it now, and the dealerships wont touch it.