Week One

I got my 07 Prius a week ago today, didn't get to drive it much until Tuesday. Since then, on my job, every day he gets a work out.

I wasn't sure about getting a Prius, but wanted the HOV stickers, since i drive on my job in Los Angeles and adjacent counties and cover a lot of miles, and up until now, i have really been suffering. It was a trade off. For close to the same money, i could've gotten an 09 in today's market. After weighing and considering and deciding and soul searching, i decided HOV stickers were crucial.

I had doubts and uncertainties, i have often seen the HOV lanes just as gridlocked as the other lanes, and sometimes in my rare diamond lane experiences in the past, i get behind a very slow driver in the HOV lane and the cars in the regular lanes are flying by me while i'm trapped. I hoped i wasn't making the wrong decision, paying more to have the stickers, needing to get an 07 rather than something newer in order to get them.

I think i put close to 400 miles on the car Tues through Friday, or maybe more. I am just fumbling around and am not sure if i reset the odometer at some point.

Anyway, all my doubts have been dispelled. I have travelled many diamond lanes this past week, and it's a wonderful free feeling to sail through the gridlock to my right, i'm so stoked. I was pleased at not encountering any congested diamond lanes. There was the occasional slow driver in front of me, but the mindset in the carpool lane is really different for me, i'm feeling less pressured, more patient. And, the Prius is entertaining, being able to watch the Consumption display, the feedback from it training me to go for the coasting on the electric motor, being distracted from the frustrations of the road.

Today for the first time, i had a slow diamond lane, it only lasted about 5 minutes, then cleared up. Words are not enough to capture how happy i am with this new improvement in my quality of life. It's a big deal to me, and it's a good feeling, and a relief, to find that i did make the right choice.

I am enjoying many other things about the car, including the GPS and bluetooth with all their challenging imperfections. I am loving the feel of the car. Compared to my last three cars, all Accords, it reminds me of the VWs and other small cars i used to drive, in another lifetime. It feels light and tight, i love the handling. It's the first time since i had a VW that i haven't been able to see the hood while driving.

I filled the tank for the second time. The first time, i had 2 pips and it cost $13. Today, it went down to 1 pip while i was on a long freeway drive. It cost $17. Sweet.

I haven't had a chance to read up on how the gas mileage is averaged by the car's computer, or what the icons and numbers and graphs on the display mean, but it says i've averaged 43.4 mpg. I consider that to be very good overall. That's a lot of fast easy low mpg highway miles, but also a long bumper to bumper stop and go trip on an extended upgrade on my home commute where there is no diamond lane (one is under construction, or, apparently a double one, hurray!)(the 405 North over the Sepulveda Pass for those who know the area).

What an ingeniously designed car.