Observations from first road trip in a Plug-In Prius

We just got back from a 1000 mile round trip from San Jose to San Diego. I do this trip 2 to 3 times a year to visit in-laws. We visited the Del Mar Fair and Disney's California Adventure. Below are my notes:

1. 47 mpg. It was disappointing to see my fuel economy drop in half and also my per tank from 700+ to just barely 400 mile range.
2. I had difficulty reaching freeway cruising speeds in southern California traffic. Average freeway speeds were easily 15-20 mph above where I come from. This was made more apparent while following a friend in a 10 year old Lancer with a 120 hp engine. She literally dusted me as my Prius was at WOT. Once at 80-90 mph, though, I had no problem keeping up with traffic. I think the lighter regular Gen 3 Prius had an edge on me as they blew by with no concern. I feel the extra passengers and batteries in the PiP really hinders performance. I never drove a regular Gen 3 Prius so I can't substantiate these claims.
3. The CVT was remarkable in that the car did not buck and jerk like conventional automatics shifting up and down while climbing mountains. The drone of the engine at higher rpm was unnerving but no more than a conventional automatic in 3rd or 4 gear. A manual trumps both automatics. (For the word police, I know it is not a CVT)
4. I was in HV mode most of the time and saved EV for local roads. The multitude of mesas in San Diego meant I never ran out of EV as I easily regenerated more. The Silicon Valley where I come from is mostly flat. It seems that if left in HV mode, EV miles fluctuate +/- 0.5 miles. it never accumulates more. It gets used up again. If I went into EV mode at the start of the descent, then I managed to save the EV for later use.
5. EV miles continue to accumulate on the EV ratio screen even though kWh remained steady. See Fuelly signature notes. I had no opportunity to charge on my trip as we freeloaded with friends and asking for a plug as well seemed like being ungrateful.
6. Going north on hwy 5 over the grapevine regenerated 4.7 EV miles from empty. I kept my foot on the brakes and was able to maintain a safe speed (70-75 mph) while keeping the regen bar below max.

The Prius is a better road trip car than my 06 Civic but pales in comparison to my 09 Sonata. Just about everything was mid pack. Seat comfort was superior in my base model Sonata but much
better than the tight proportions of the Civic. Trunk space is about equal to the Sonata but my rear view was obstructed. We had two adults, a baby, and a toddler. This was surprising as I thought the hatchback form factor would be superior. But the Sonata trunk is cavernous. I borrowed my dad's Corolla spare tire for emergencies and with the double stroller packed on top of it, rear view was blocked. I finally found a use for the awful Prius rearview camera. The hatchback height does make an excellent baby changing table.

So overall, not as comfortable a cruiser as our Sonata with less interior passenger space, higher noise levels, and nearly equal cargo space. But with nearly half the fuel costs, the PiP will continue as the family car. It blows away the Civic in every category except engine performance.

P.S. Saw a Leaf plugged into a 120V outlet in the Disney parking lot. There was an outlet every 10 spots or so along the walls of the parking structure. I was tempted but was too lazy to move my car. Next time, Mickey will have an opportunity to give me an electricity rebate for that $16 parking fee.

 

I drove either in the HOV or the left lane. Speeds were as I described for those lanes. The right lanes could get away with 65-70 mph, I suppose. I chose the HOV lanes to avoid traffic and get to my destination quicker. In LA and San Diego, HOV lanes are segregated so you cannot move in and out at will to allow others to pass. The choice was to possibly get stuck in right lane traffic or go with the flow. I don't feel the speed is unsafe or that the Prius was difficult to handle. In fact, I was very impressed at how smooth and stable the ride was. I'm shocked I got 47 mpg going as fast as I did.

I went to school in LA so I'm familiar with the higher speeds. 80 mph was my goto freeway speed before my last traffic ticket going 70 mph about 4 years ago in Fremont. That 5 mile over ticket cost me $221 and started me on the journey towards efficiency. In Northern California, I can go 55 mph in the right lane and still have to slow down and not just for vehicles entering or exiting. I haven't used a GPS to check the accuracy of my speedometer but I'm confident it's within 2 mph of error.

 

Speed is relative. What's safe and fuel efficient to some is dangerously slow and rude to others. What's normal speed to some is reckless and risky to others. Drive as you see fit but arguing what speed is best is an exercise in futility. See here:
S-L-O-W Prius law? | PriusChat