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Long Road Trip in Prius v

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by Kraze8, Mar 16, 2015.

  1. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    The Prius is our first Hybrid vehicle in the family, so I'm wondering if I need to do anything different during our long road trips.

    To give some explanation, we live in San Diego. We have family in the Bay Area and we make frequent road trips from SD to SF and back to visit family. We use to do all the long distance driving with our Honda Odyssey, but now that we have the Prius it seems that it will be inevitable that we will be taking the Prius on that same road trip pretty soon. We have young kids. We would generally start the road trip very early in the morning (3~4am hit the road!). We usually only stop once, and that's for gas and let the kids stretch out for a bit. In total, I'm looking at about 8hrs of driving with the one stop mentioned for gas.

    My question is... do I, or should I make more stops with the Prius to let the Hybrid system cool down more often? Should it even be a concern of mine? or should I just treat it the same as driving any of our other cars?


    .. first hybrid vehicle anxiety. LOL
     
  2. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Drive as you would any other vehicle, figuring you will see 450-480 mile tank duration / range.
     
  3. rspeaker

    rspeaker Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Three
    Took our 2010 Prius from Maryland to Florida two years ago, the car was a champ. We had to stop for bathroom breaks more than gas!

    Will be taking our 2012 Prius v from Maryland to Colorado in late May. Really looking forward to the extra space compared to the Prius!
     
  4. Rich Baril

    Rich Baril Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Drove from CT to Naples, Florida back in late November. Car did as well as expected and even being packed to the last bit of space and wearing snow tires averaged 42 mpg. Probably the only car In Naples with snow tires on it for awhile.
     
  5. Stevevee

    Stevevee Active Member

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    I've taken mine on many trips in the 100 - 350-mile range. Although mostly interstate, my mileage on these trips have all been records. Obviously, I never stop for gas at all in those ranges. Interestingly enough, it didn't seem to matter whether I had just two people, or four people with cargo, about the same mileage. 45 plus mpg on a 650 mile round trip with bowling balls and assorted luggage. I was astounded at the results, given that I rarely went under 70 mph on the journey.
     
  6. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    There's nothing special you need to do, but you'll probably be taking a lot more stops to stretch since the v ( lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) is nowhere near as comfortable as an Odyssey.


    iPhone ?
     
  7. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Two
    Thanks for the responses everyone.

    We make this 500mile (1000miles round trip) every other month. I would agree that I would probably be making more frequent stops to stretch out because as mentioned, the Prius is not nearly as comfortable as the Odyssey.
     
  8. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Really? I find it to be the most comfortable road car I've ever driven, including the prior leader, the Grand Caravan.
     
  9. umichioe

    umichioe Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    I drove my v couple times from SF to LA.

    1) Don't expect more than 40 mpg if you drive faster than 75 mph with 3 passengers and luggage. I got about 37 mpg driving between 75 and 80 mph. But I can't tolerate slow (65 mph) driving on I-5.

    2) The ride is decent front and back. No complaint from kids and they can also adjust the seat back.

    3) If you need extra cargo room, push the back seat forward if your kids are not big.

    4) Not much wind noise at high speed. Road noise depends on the road condition but not too bad.

    5) Uphill 'roar' of the engine is very annoying.
     
  10. bestmapman

    bestmapman 04, 07 ,08, 09, 10, 16, 21 Prime

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    I have driven from Cincinnati OH straight through to Denver CO several times. It is about 1100 miles and takes about 16 hours with two stops. No problems whatsoever averaging 75-80 MPH. That speed gives about 40-45 MPG depending on the winds.

    You should have no problem on that short SD to SF 500 mile trip.

    The V will probably not get that MPG though.
     
    #10 bestmapman, Mar 17, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2015
  11. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Two

    Thanks for your response.

    Our kids are 2, 5, and 7 yrs old. they are all still in boosters or car seats so pulling them forward for more cargo space won't be an issue. I am concerned about the uphill around the grapevine / Tejon Pass / Magin Mtn area... what's your opinion, besides the 'roar' of the engine. Should I be prepared to share the lane with the semi trucks? haha.

    I engine roar does give me anxiety. I wished there was a tachometer and an engine temperature gauge built into the car.

    Yup.. I find our Odyssey much more comfortable than the Prius for sure. The Prius isn't bad, I'm not complaining about it tho.
     
    #11 Kraze8, Mar 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2015
  12. Stevevee

    Stevevee Active Member

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    I had a Camry SE in Florida as a rental, felt like I was in a limo :)
     
  13. DidIJustBuyAPrius?!?

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    Thanks for the question! I specifically bought the prius v for this commute. I live in the Bay Area but regularly drive to San diego and often need to pull over for a nap in the back (why I got the wagon). I'm excited for my first long trip! Good luck. Post back and let us know how it went!
    B
     
  14. Offline

    Offline Active Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Five
    After taking our Prius v on a 400 mile road trip up I-35 from Kansas City, I doubt that we will doing anything like that again as long as we have larger vehicles. I can deal with the Prius seats for trips around town but they wear me out when sitting in them for hours. The engine noise on hills is down right unpleasant. We'll stick to our Sienna for road trips.
     
  15. RAM v

    RAM v Junior Member

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    The best accessory you could buy for your Prius is a Scangauge II (ScanGauge - Trip Computer + Digitial Gauges + ScanTools). You can set up 4 car parameters to monitor. My favorites are RPMs, engine temp, instantaneous MPG and SOC (state of charge of the battery).
     
  16. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Two
    can I ask where you mounted your ScanGauge in the car? I just placed an order for one (FYI.. if anyone is looking to buy one, Autozone online has a 20% off promo code going on that ends today...I just got the guage for $127.99 + tax. Free shipping)
     
  17. schmuly

    schmuly Member

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    We have taken our Prius on many long trips 1200+ miles from Canada to Vegas area, you have to remember it is a Prius not a cushy minivan. We only did the speed limit during the day and 5 miles per hour less than posted speed during the night, when there was no traffic on the road. We can usually do the trip in less than 26 hours from start to finish. That includes walking our two golden retrievers ever 2-3 hrs. We have never had any issues driving it like a Prius.
     
  18. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Two
    Our Oddy is getting pretty old and has been giving up problems lately. I don't feel comfortable taking it on long road trips with 3 young kids when it likes to throw CEL codes for the same issues over and over. I need to get to the bottom of the issue and feel comfortable that it is reliable again for those road trips.

    I agree, I would rather take the minivan for our road trips, however I would also like to know that the Prius can handle a long drive without having more frequent cool down / rest stops. As mentioned.... First Hybrid car anxiety. haha
     
  19. Kraze8

    Kraze8 New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
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    Two

    I have no expectations of our Prius to ride like a cushy minivan. :) I was more worried about an overheating hybrid electric motor due to long continuous 8hr driving with only one 15~20min stop in between.
     
  20. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    I've only done 250 mile trips and the only stops are bladder controlled. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I did absolutely nothing special, never felt any lack of speed/power. I was cautious on getting up to speed on the get-on ramps. I passed lots of 18 wheelers when appropriate/wanted/needed.

    I've done 1,100 miles in a day in a Grand Caravan. And 1,000 the next day. I shudder to think of its mileage. Comfortable it was. I was younger then.

    There must be people in Colorado who can speak to high altitude driving and over the pass driving.