Prius in Winter and Total Cost of Ownership

Well, I live near Winnipeg so I know what cold temps are like. Not sure where you live but I do have some general suggestions:

Make a "winter front" to cover the grille. Especially -25 C and colder, it makes a huge difference in heater performance and fuel economy

If you have a garage, great. If not, plug it in to help with warmup.

Some folks - myself included - have commented on early build Prius cars having a VERY sensitive Trac control algorithm. It's my understanding Toyota fixed this by 2006. All I can suggest is a test drive and finding a stretch of ice/snow

Go to Canadian Tire and have a look at their Goodyear Nordic winter tires. THis is the same as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU. Studded, this tire has remarkable traction snow or ice. The tire is very aggressive and will hum on dry pavement, plus a fuel economy hit. I think it's worth it

I've sat in a Versa. No frigging way I'd chose a Versa over a Prius! Remember that every car takes a fuel economy hit in cold temps, not just the Prius

 

Jayman, (or anyone else) -- can you explain more specifically how to make a "winter front" or post the best link. Is there any downside?

Thanks

 

Search for "My first morning with a blocked grill" and you'll find several techniques.

 

I live in WI we have had over 80 inches of snow this year and I have had no problems, even with the stock tires. I would say the Prius is the better choice. The worst MPG I have seen over the winter is 42 mpg, best 51 mpg. Our Lexus SUV is currently at 18 mpg. Guess which vehicle gets driven more.

 

Regarding TCO, the Prius and Versa would probably be quite close. Prius saves a few cents/mi on fuel and also a bit on maintenance (on average). If you use commercial sites to estimate Prius TCO, I think you will find that most or all overestimate depreciation. This may be as large as the fuel saving.

 

Here in Canada, the Prius depreciation is about the same as any other car. It does not hold it's value like they do in the US

 

I've been driving Pearl all winter, including a day when it was -30C, a blizzard day, and on freezing rain covered roads (three separate occasions). It's really no different than any other FWD, though perhaps better than some as it doesn't let you spin the front wheels on takeoff. You still go from the light just as fast as any other vehicle, maybe even faster. You just don't spin up the tires. The car warms up quite fast if you are driving. It won't warm up inside idling if it's -20C or colder outside, it just gets up to 40C coolant temp. Once moving however, in a few blocks it's blowing hot air. I haven't used my block heater, as I don't usually know when I'll be going out three hours beforehand.

I replaced the Goodyear Integrity tires with Nokian WR tires, basically throwing away the "new" Goodyears. I also have blocked both front grills.

I don't think you have anything to worry about re winter capability.

My fuel economy has been averaging 6.5 l/100 km winter (short trips), and 4.4 l/100 km summer/fall, with a best of 4.1 and a worst summer of 4.7 (high speed highway trip). Worst winter was 6.9 l/100 km so far.

As far as -why- you would buy a Prius, check out the room inside, the adaptability of the interior, and the storage. Did you know the "window blind" cargo cover can store under the hatch floor? This gives an empty interior when you fold the seats flat. You can carry a 10' object if you fold the front passenger seat down and seat the passenger (if there is one) behind you.
You will be driving the lowest CO2 emitting car (per distance) of all fuel consuming cars, and one of the lowest emitters of other pollutants. It's also the "most reliable family sedan" according to Consumer Reports.

If you just want cheap, there are other better choices, but personally I don't like to drive in "cheap cars". They are usually a POS!

 

I can't speak to the Prius in winter, but I can to the total cost of ownership. I have kept track of everything I spent on my Prius over the past 4 years and 5 days. Everything. Car washes, oil, wax, tires, tax credit, insurance, registration, tools/supplies purchased for service (I do my own service). Everything.

As of the last fill up, my true total cost is 49.1 cents per mile. Gas costs are 4.54 cents per mile. These costs do NOT reflect the residual value of my Prius; they represent the cost if my Prius had no residual value.

Thanks,
Shawn

 

Hi rafaperez,

I live in the GTA and winter driving has been no problem. I've driven with the stock tires in snow storms; freezing rain with no issues. If you get a good price on your Prius then your TCO should be pretty reasonable. Gas mileage is great and servicing is minimal. My winter MPG has been all above 50 MPG - can't beat that with any other car.

Good luck,
Gabe

 

As an owner of the Prius, I can attest to its cost of ownership. I currently have 108k miles on mine and have had zero unscheduled maintenance performed, other than the steering shaft recall. I still have the original brakes and don't plan to replace them anytime soon.

I doubt that the Versa will have the same track record. Also, the resale on the Versa with 100k miles will be significantly less. Did you know that Peugeot actually makes the motor for the Versa and they are blowing oil gaskets at 5-10k miles. That alone would turn me away from a Versa.

These cars may be about the same size, but the Prius will blow away a Versa...hands down. The Prius is solid feeling while the Versa feels light on its feet. The Prius comes with many more options than the Versa and it also pollutes much less. You may want to test drive both cars and make this choice yourself. While I am a huge fan of Nissan, I am not convinced that the Versa is a well built vehicle.

Good Luck in your search!