10,000 Miles and Lovin' It

First post greetings from southern West Virginia -- the land of many ups and downs. I want to begin by saying thanks to all the Priuschat members who have provided us with such a wealth of information and inspiration!!

We have had "Sandy" since last March, and just went over the 10,000 mile mark. We absolutely love our Prius! We live in a part of the country where flat ground is at a premium, and it is difficult to find a road that has grades of less than 30 percent. Where we live we have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway and 4 1/2 miles of one-lane road (Yes, with two-way traffic!) to reach "civilization." On my daily 13.5 mile commute to work I have an elevation gain of approximately 1,000 feet and a loss of approximately 700 feet.

Given the less than ideal mix of terrain and road conditions in the area, we were somewhat concerned about how the Prius would handle things. However, she has performed flawlessly. Handles the winding roads, steep pitches, and all-too-frequent frequent trips off onto the shoulder of the road with aplomb.

Some Prius Highlights --

1. Great family car. Plenty of room for family of four (+ one dog). Our four-year old loves her (he also got to name her). He keeps an eye on the energy monitor from the back seat, and makes sure I keep those green arrows going!

2. Better mileage than expected (again given our driving and road conditions).

Lifetime Mileage = 51.8 MPG
Current Tank = 58.2 MPG

3. Wonderful conversation starter (allows our environmental side to be solicited by others).

4. Hatchback versatility. I hauled some 2in x 12in x 8 ft pieces of lumber without any difficulty (though it was about as long as would fit).

All in all, it has been a wonderful trip so far and we are looking forward to many happy miles together (and our next hybrid vehicle).

 

Yes. This is a re-run. The post was lost during last weeks server outage (it crashed shortly after my post -- hope I wasn't the proverbial straw). Bill Merchant (thanks for the kind feedback) suggested that I consider reposting it.