I'm going to drive my 2008 Prius to Austin,TX & back to Florida

good on ya!

 

Excellent.

 

Nothing too challenging for the car on that trip. Maybe wait until the weather is a little better. The Prius is a bit of a handful in a stiff cross wind, so a tornado is right out.

 

With all the questions you posted about hybrid battery replacement and you never replaced it? Lol...

 

i hope you're not driving through those bama storms

 

How many miles on the 2008?

 

Have fun! I’ve taken my Prius cross country a few times. It’s a good road trip car.

 

Well, I like the car, but in all fairness, it could stand some improvements for long trips. The MPG is excellent, the seats are comfortable for long periods, and there is adequate cargo space. On the other hand, the ride is pretty stiff, so it shakes a lot on rough road surfaces. (My tires are just a pound or two over the pressure on the car sticker.) The worst part is the noise, which is pretty darn loud at highway speeds - and my hearing isn't that great these days. It bothers my wife, who still has very good hearing, even more. I think that the noise is mostly from the tires and wind, but the engine is definitely there if you listen for it. If I drove a lot of long trips it would probably be worth it to install more sound insulation, but as it is, I don't drive all that much, and so just put up with it.

 

An engineering marvel really for its day but like most cheaper Toyota's the seats are crippling. And it's loud car with its LRR tires so need to move over to softer tires and when it hits a pothole its hits it super freakin hard. Very stiff little car...BANG!.

I will never understand how to save $200 they cheap out on the seats so much. I sold mine and bought a 2010 Corolla to get a break from the hybrid and the seats are terrible on that car too.Why cant they make a nice seat an option for the car:

Stock awful seats: Free
Really nice padded and ergonomic front seats: $400

I bought my car new I would have checked that box!

As far as sound insulation I agree 100%. Lots of sound coming from the trunk area so i did a cheapo stick and peel in the trunk area that's helped a bit but most noise is coming from the doors interiors. Case in point I had new speakers installed in the front doors and they left the plastic visqueen dust cover off the door interior probably would not stick back on. The drivers side door made a loud clang when you closed it lol.

Here's my stick & peel trunk insulation:

 

I have gone cross country in a few different cars, and the Prius was no worse than any, and better than some. But I’ve never owned a new or more expensive car so I don’t have any of the comparisons that perhaps you have had of better or more comfortable vehicles. I find my Prius perfectly comfortable and no louder than other cars I’ve had.

My only real complaint with the car is the overactive antilock brakes, which make it hard to stop in certain circumstances.

 

I find a lumbar pillow does wonders on cheap car seats. I would use no more air in the tires than the sticker requires, just driving on the freeway is enough to raise the tire pressure three pounds. If you want the best ride with reduced noise, invest in some nice Michelin All Season tires, but not low resistance versions. Most cheap tires ride rougher, quickly lose their balance, are noisier and wear out in half the time.

 

I have driven from colorado to florida and back a few times. $140 bucks worth of Kilmat sound deadening peel and stick material on the roof, doors, floorboards and engine wall make a big difference. I covered my wife’s car completely and her car is very much quieter than mine with no Kilmatz. It takes a while to do two full days. But If you keep your car long term I highly recommend it.

 

I have taken my 2009 Prius cross country several times.
Fully loaded without issues.
I am thinking of taking mine to Alaska from Michigan next year. My car has almost 300,000 Miles.
I have AAA and I always have access $$ on any given trip for a car related emergency. Knock on wood - - never have had to use the emergency funds in the last 20 years with any car.
Simba

 

The prius is a cheap Econo-car so it doesn't focus on the interior ergonomics as well as the exterior (it's still but ugly!) If you've driven cars like Mercedes/BMW/Lexus or even a Camry, you could tell the night and day difference between how it feels like inside the cabin and especially on long high speed road trips. There's engine noise, wind noise, doesn't feel like it hugs the road and when you are near a big truck hold on to it. My Camry Hybrid is a step up to the Prius in terms of everything (nice leather interior with nice powered seats and not a goofy looking dash) but the gas mileage. I drove that car to Florida and California with comfort. Slam the door on the Prius and you could fell how the tin-can construction is.

 

Well, I’ve never been in a luxury car, so I can’t comment on that. Don’t think I’ve driven a Camry either. But I can say that in comparison to the cars I have owned (77 Ford LTD, 90 Dodge Shadow, 96 Buick Regal, 03 Chrysler Sebring, 07 Toyota Corolla), I’m quite happy with my Prius.

 

I've wondered why shops that do tint, ceramic coating, etc don't offer sound package deals. Car audio shops sometimes do but not commonly and don't advertise such. I'm beyond doing all that work by myself.