Roadshow: Prius owners drive too slow — or is it too fast?

In January we drove to Southern CA from Eastern WA. Alll the way there I was in the right lane if on a two lane freeway, going slowly, or at least slower than the flow. I would take the middle lane if we were on a multi lane freeway, again, going slower than others.

I saw a lot of Priuses on our trip ... and of the ones I saw on the freeways they were always going fast. Lots passed me. Obviously I wouldn't see any if they were behind me and going my speed or slower so my impression and conclusion may be wrong. But my conclusion is that most Prius drivers don't try to get the best mileage ... they just drive their cars like they did their old ones. Still commenting on the great mileage however.

Like others have mentioned, I also gave up on high horsepower vehicles and switched to the Prius. I now find myself being the one holding up traffic on our single lane 60 mph highway, on my 22 mile commute to work. I do try to be considerate and pull onto the shoulder if I can but sometimes it's hard to do.

 

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I can confirm that the article's description is accurate. Some Prius owners drive fast, some drive slow, some drive with the flow of traffic. This pretty much describes the different driving styles of all the cars you see here. The difference is people notice Priuses and for some reason get irratated by them more - my friend likes to call it "Prius Envy." I tend to think that SUV and large pickup truck drivers are the worst and most aggressive drivers, but then again they are more noticeable than say a BMW 3 series driving fast.

My own personal driving style reflects the article to a degree as I tend to allow the car to speed up on downhills or where momentum allows me to accelrate while still getting good mileage (the old "let it ride" approach of truckers) and then slow down in areas where it takes more gas to maintain speed. So someone may see me pass them at 75 (in a 65 MPH zone) going down the long hill I drive on my commute; and then that same person may cruise by me a few miles later where I am feathering the gas going 60 MPH in slow lane. They probably think I am crazy.

That is the one major difference about the Prius - it teaches you that the old conventional wisdom of picking a speed and maintaining it is the most efficient way to drive, when in fact conservation of momentum is the most efficient way. So we are all out there driving differently that every other car in a car that does still stand out. No wonder people think Prius drivers are a pain.

 

I crossed Eastern WA many times last summer and fall, just as my highest driving year ever coincided with the highest gas prices ever. While controlling the Subaru's fuel bill by learning to hypermile, one of my sports was to count flying Prii who were getting lower FE than myself. When I was getting low-30s figures, probably only one passing Prius was worse. But on the high-30s tanks, probably several Prii per trip were consuming more fuel.

Slow Prii must be lightening rods for the anger of leadfoots, because the derision I heard was not justified by the low number I saw. I was driving below speed limit (65 in 70 zone on Interstate when prices were $3.xx, 60 when prices $4+, but never below the truck limit of 60 unless traveling on side roads). There were always a few other fuel savers going at least 5mph slower than me on the main roads, in a variety of vehicles, but none were Prii.

I guess I'll get first-hand experience later this year, when the planned acquisition of a hybrid finally happens.

 

A funny column; however I think this column is of even greater interest to CA owners with carpool stickers:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mrroadshow/ci_11926721

"Q I have a Civic Hybrid and have the Clean Air Vehicle stickers that allow me to use the carpool lane when driving solo. I believe the program expires at the end of 2010. Will the program be extended? I would hope so, as the qualifying vehicles are still the highest-mileage cars on the road and it is the carpool-lane cheaters that are clogging up those lanes.
Mark Gion
Morgan Hill
A I offer a ray of hope for the 85,000-plus owners of hybrids with carpool stickers, as well as those who drive electric cars or vehicles powered by compressed natural gas. Two bills (AB 1500 and AB 1502) have been introduced in Sacramento to extend this perk until 2016 or 2017, and a hearing is scheduled March 30. While no more stickers are being issued for hybrids, stickers are still available for electric and natural gas-powered vehicles. Go to Clean Air Stickers - High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Usage for more information."

 

NOW, before i make this post, realize that i come from a history of "muscle cars" and i've gone the fastest of 9-teens @ 175+ in the 1/4.

the prius takes a "mature" driving habit. you gotta really just chill out and enjoy the scenery, roses, flowers, whatever you care to call it. so, after that's said that done, i will usually try to get the "most" out of my mpgs when i drive. however, i WILL stay out of the fast lane, i will drive the speed limit, NO MORE< NO LESS, unless it's necessary. on the street, i will stay on the right side when i drive the speed limit. it really takes a well structured, disciplined way of driving, believe me.

to those who dont like it, you can kiss my nickle metal-hydrides.

to those who piss me off, i hope i will meet you on the streets with my 800hp, blown and NOS'ed out Z06. i WILL hurt your feelings....that's a GUARANTEE.

 

LOL but NiMH is not toxic. The lead in the little 12 volts battery can cause brain damage.

 

I think he meant kiss the high voltage leads coming out of the NiMH batteries.

 

In my experience, with judicious use of the cruise control, you can get up to 40mpg at 80mph.....and up to 36mpg at 90mph....beyond that, I don't want to risk ruining the car. In any car.

 

The driving style I see exhibited by most drivers around here is what I call "stomp and go" driving. After any stoplight, they stomp on the gas to get up to speed as quickly as possible even if there's another light going red up ahead.

I just go with the flow and use pulse&glide to make it work out overall.

And I agree there's some envy and fear any everything else out there - many people use hp to make up for penis size...

 

Having driven some fast cars, I can say that my Prius relaxes me, and makes me want to drive more slowly; it's so quiet inside, which takes a lot of the stress out of driving. I was surprised at that, because I hadn't read about it. The other thing I like is the CVT-stepless transmission, so smooth and quiet--a big advance over those choppy automatics. I drove a 5-speed for many years, and this was starting to become a nuisance in local suburban driving.

My first reaction driving a Prius is that it felt like I was driving a spaceship. So quiet and smooth. I read that same reaction from a driver of a modified Porsche 911 hybrid.

Did you know that Harrison Ford drives a Prius? Read that this morning in Parade magazine. Also owns and pilots eight airplanes, including a helicopter. Now I feel better about trading my Porsche for a Prius.

 

Thanks for posting the cached copy - very amusing. I expect the "problem" to get worse with the GenIII, because it can go too faster AND too slower.

The reality is: we're driving like everyone else does. It's just that we're recognizable, and people make assumptions about why we bought a Prius, then extrapolate our expected behavior based on their own personal prejudices.

Plenty of examples of that outside the automotive world too.