Pretty soon we’ll start seeing the fall new car promotions, and the ensuing news reports about the financial and environmental costs and benefits of buying a hybrid or not. The truth is, a lot of people buy cars for emotional reasons rather than rational ones. Anyone who buys a Mustang, a BMW, a Cadillac Escalade, or a Ford pickup truck could probably afford a hybrid, but they are choosing to make a different (neither right or wrong) statement about themselves. A few years ago I bit the bullet and bought a Prius. In fact, my husband and I traded in our fairly new Audi wagon and bought a new Prius and a new Honda pickup truck (two family cars for the price of one!). I love the truck when it comes to long car trips, snowstorms, antiquing, or going plant shopping. But when it comes to every day, I love my Prius most. Here’s why:
1. It’s zippy. Surprisingly so! All my cars before were performance vehicles like the Audi, or my favorite, a Peugeot Mi16. I was worried that the Prius wouldn’t feel fast enough in a pinch, and I’m happy to say I never feel shortchanged. I do live at the top of a pretty steep hill, so there are times when the car feels stretched. But 99 percent of the time it’s speedy.
2. It tells you what your mileage per gallon is. No guessing. I’ve been averaging 44.4 miles per gallon, and that’s pretty darn good.
3. It only costs $20 to fill up the tank. Sometimes, not even that. Even when gas was outrageously high I think I might have paid $21 once. And that tank lasts me two weeks—with a trip in and out of Manhattan included.
4. You don’t have to plug it in. People still ask me about that. I even wasn’t sure when I first went to look at it whether you needed to or not. But no, it’s just like a regular car…only better.
5. There is no need to stick the key in the ignition. I no longer have to dig around in my purse to find the key—as long as it’s IN the purse, I just push the “power” button and it all comes on.
6. It’s built for people my size. The one thing I hate about a lot of American cars (which I mostly drive when I rent a car) is that they are built for a giant, slouching, hulking man. I mean, no wonder people have so many back problems! In my Prius, I sit up straight and my legs reach the pedals with no pain.
7. The touch screen rocks. It’s got this screen that can do everything, from speed-dialing with Bluetooth to telling me what song is playing on my satellite radio, and from showing me how the engine and electric system are working to showing me how many miles per gallon I am getting every second.
8. It fits a family of four and lots of groceries. The only thing it doesn’t really work for is long family trips with lots of luggage. But truth be told, we don’t pack light. We could probably do it if we tried.
9. The rearview camera. There is this little camera that shows you (on the touch screen) what’s behind you, so you don’t have to yank your neck as much.
10. I don’t feel guilty about driving. Where I live, driving is required. There are no trains. I bought the Prius because I felt I should, but I was really surprised by how lightened I felt by my decision. I am using less gas to get to where I need to go.
The prius is a great car to drive!
I have a 2008 Prius and I can honestly say I have never had less issues with a vehicle I’ve owned. I love this car. It is indeed zippy and it actually has more torque than many sports cars due to the dual gas and electric power sources. I also love the fact that it is 100% impossible to lock your keys in the car ! The door locks won’t even activate unless you have the key (what Toyota calls a “fab”) with you. Now that’s some smart engineering.
I average about 48-52 MPG but there have been times when I really concentrated on getting max fuel economy and have been able to get it as high as 71 MPG on the drive home. Of course, the tractor trailer drivers behind me don’t appreciate some of the coasting and other tricks but they need to lighten up and go slower anyway. There are some great fuel saving and maintenance tips for 2004-2009 Prius owners available in the online manual offered by John at http://john1701a.com/prius/documents/Prius_User-Guide_iconic.pdf
One day, last October, while filling it up at a Hess station near my home the driver pumping gas into his SUV at the next pump remarked “I thought you only needed to plug those things in”. I told him “No, they need gas like a regular car.” He asked when I filled it up last and, with a straight face, I told him “June !” LOL I like tweaking the SUVers when I can. :–)
My husband has a cute story about a Prius. He’s noticed that since the Prius tells you exactly how many miles per gallon you’re getting, and you’ll get more mileage if you drive slower, many Prius drivers tend to drive pretty slow. Now my husband is a very impatient driver. He was stuck behind a Prius on a one-lane road just creeping along. Well, as soon as he could, he zipped around the Prius and then pulled into the only gas station along the route home from work. As he’s filling the rather large tank of his large car, the Prius drives on by. He thought it would be the perfect commercial for the car!
I think I may have Prius envy.
I also have a 2008 Prius and as for it being roomy, I can relate a story from last August when I went tent camping at Ricketts Glen State Park here in PA and we got hit by a very severe thunderstorm on the second night. The tent was directly under 150 feet tall pine trees and on the top of a very tall hill so I had the recipe for disaster and decided to make the back of the Prius my sleeping bag’s parking spot for the rest of the night. It was quite spacious when you put the back seats down. Not quite a room at the Holiday Inn but better than being fried to a crisp by a lightning bolt. My parents also have a 2008 Prius. The Toyota dealer loves me because every time I am in for an oil change and go outside to look at what they have on the lot, I end up selling a Prius or two to people who are also out there and “just looking”. By the time a salesperson is free and comes outside, the customer usually knows exactly what they want and just wants to talk financing and trade in. I need to find out where my commission checks are. LOL
My husband and I have been happy Prius owners for a little over 3 years. We’re plotting trading our 2006 Prius in when the plug-in hybrids become available (we buy all our electricity from wind and plan to add solar to our house) so most of the time we’ll drive carbon emission free. We currently get 45-50 miles per gallon in the summer and 40-45 in the cold Wisconsin winters. I love all of the things the article writer loves about the car, too. I think it only took 4 or 5 tanks of gas to drive out to New York and back (about 2000 miles round trip) this summer. Other than the great mileage, my favorite thing is the keys or rather lack thereof. I love not ever having the key out of my purse. Now I just have to get that for my house : ) I drive my husband crazy “calling” every Prius I see as we are out and about together. It warms my heart to see others who’ve chosen the greater fuel efficiency road of driving a Prius.
I would like a Prius based on my Prius-owning friends’ good experiences – although I’m loyal to Hondas.
Nice “review” but I have to ask about your sentence, “And that tank lasts me two weeks—with a trip in and out of Manhattan included.” Why would you drive your own car in and out of Manhattan if you are working to care for the environment? Even driving your Prius to a train station in New Jersey and taking that transit is better than pushing one more car through a tunnel into downtown Manhattan.
To throw my two cents in and answer the previous poster, I think if you were to stand next to a Prius and then stand next to your average mass transit train, you will find that the Prius is infinitely more clean in it’s emissions. The Prius is a near zero emission vehicle and while I know more and more commuter buses are switching over to propane and other cleaner fuels, I doubt you will see many trains able to do the same. Even electric trains are dirtier when you factor in the coal that is burned to generate the electricity on most municipal electrical grids.
I looked into taking the train from Clinton, but it seems exceedingly long and difficult. Plus, I often have suitcases and bags of work and I need the flexibility of not being on a train schedule. Excuses, I know. But I’m doing the best I can.
Just bought a 2010 Prius IV with solar, and I’ve never liked any car more. It’s roomy inside, looks great outside, and has all the gadgets a tech geek would want. The Plug-in prius is coming probably 2012, and that would be even better as you would probably get 100+ MPG
It’s people like you, Maria, who are bringing down the American economy. By buying foreign anything (autos, goods, furniture, whatever) you are doing nothing but taking away jobs from people in America. Some foreign cars are made in america and canada, but where do you think the profits go? Back overseas to a foreign economy. It’s not just the auto workers you people put out of jobs, but everyone leading up to them including american parts manufacturers and dealerships. And with these people out of work, they are not going to be spending money are they, so there goes even more layoffs and losses to local business owners and the people who supply them. Its a chain reaction. You people are a waste to the North American populations and should go live in an Asian country. Dirtbags.
I bought a 2010 Prius back in September. I recently had it in for repairs and was given a “loner” car – a Chrysler 300. You can really appreciate the Prius good gas mileage after driving a big gas guzzler. I went on a trip from Texas to Florida for an airshow, a round trip of about 3000 miles. I installed a reciever hitch and bicycle rack on the car so I could ride my bicycle at the show. I have not figured the mileage I got on the trip but it seemed as though the car burned more gas than I thought it should. I realize the owner’s manual/Toyota does not recommend a bicycle rack, towing the car or using the car to tow anything. Unlike most cars, the Prius underside is completely covered with plastic panels to control airflow. It seems as though air manipulation is very important on the Prius to get mileage as advertised.
Also, I recently bought a Jet-Ski and have pulled it behind the Prius on short trips with no problems. The thing I notice is the Prius does not act like other cars in mud or on slippery surfaces. The wheels do not spin very fast and climbing a slippery, wet boat launching ramp is a problem. I got stuck in the mud a couple of times and the Prius drive system does not like that either. Other than these quirks, I love my Prius and will continue to utilize it in the same way.
To Hector: Please watch the DVD “Who Killed the Electric Car” before lecturing us for buying a sensible vehicle. BTW, my job went overseas, also.
Hector, Your argument doesn’t fly. The American’s have the technology to build even better vehicles but elect not to. I am in no way a “tree hugger” but the quality of Toyota and the astounding results from our 2008 Prius make me a believer in the technology. When the American Auto industry decides it wants to be a leader in technology and competetive with pricing, things will change economically. For now, my money won’t go to a company that took part of a bail out in any fashion. Ford did not but, in the same breath, they want too much for their vehicles based on the quality of the automobile you get.
Thanks to all the previous posters to this article. You made us a believer on the Prius.
Dear Maria,
You were part of the reason we chose to buy 2 new 2010 Prius Cars. The other reason was that after a visit to a San Francisco we were riding in a cab and we each looked over and asked the driver ” What kind of car is this? Its so roomy back here “.We came back home, sold our Jetta and Scion and bought these. They are AMAZING !!!.We have driven Acura, Mercedes, Infiniti and Lexus and we prefer PRIUS !!!!
Its fun driving again !!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy Toledo, so glad I ciclked on this site first!
Hector, I have bought many American cars and watched as some imports passed while I was waiting for a wrecker. Have you ever seen a Prius on the side of the road. An ex-COO of GM was on the radio and stated that profits are taught by managers as the number one driving force behind their cars. No one even talks about quality because it cuts into profits. Go figure.
Well said Bill S. You can never complain about quality with Toyota. After having three different Toyota’s, I’m hooked. 145K on a truck and sold it, 134K on my Camry and still going strong. Our 2008 Prius has almost 57K and I’m expecting it to easily pass the 100K mark as well. Built to outlast the competition.
I will definitely have to check these things out. I’m not sure if I want the solar after hearing about the gas mileage these other get.
Thanks All…….
So Hector complains about Americans buying a Toyota, but is probably the same guy who shops at Walmart where money goes back to China and other countries with deplorable work conditions, nothing like Toyota Japan.
Also Hector, whens the last time you checked the tags to make sure they were American made when you purchased clothes, shoes, televisions, stereos, etc…? Exactly. Go back to the basement, Mom wants you to clean your room.
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I bought my Prius in 2006 and it is still running strong. I live rurally and am also a freelance musician. I put a LOT of miles on a car.. the last three cars I retired each at over 300K miles. I do everything in my Prius from hauling hay (cover the interior with plastic sheet) to hauling my string quartet tho the ‘cello makes it a little tight… It can be done. I used to get teased by the other members of my quartet… but now every member has bought their own Prius!!!! Now if I could only get every one of them to switch to Mac from PC…..
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Hector
It’s people like you, Maria, who are bringing down the American economy. By buying foreign anything (autos, goods, furniture, whatever) you are doing nothing but taking away jobs from people in America. Some foreign cars are made in america and canada, but where do you think the profits go? Back overseas to a foreign economy. It’s not just the auto workers you people put out of jobs, but everyone leading up to them including american parts manufacturers and dealerships. And with these people out of work, they are not going to be spending money are they, so there goes even more layoffs and losses to local business owners and the people who supply them. Its a chain reaction. You people are a waste to the North American populations and should go live in an Asian country. Dirtbags.
Okay, Hector I respect your view, but buying foreign or American doesn’t even matter anymore. So you buy an American car. All the parts come from China, and the profits go to some wealthy CEO who buys houses and furniture from foreigners.
Hector.Please. You do not KNOW.
I own a prius and love it. Original battery, electric motor, and engine. 284,000 miles. Better than any American car I’ve ever owned, and I use to always buy American.
My experience is American cars are built cheaper than foreign cars, because Americans are too focused on making a profit, that they cheap out on parts, and the cars breakdown faster, rust faster, and have cheap interiors.
I just bought a used 2013 Prius with NO manual! I’m told it’s in the mail. Maybe the car is a little too high tech for me right now–programming my GPS destinations and personal phone numbers, but I do enjoy driving the car and making it a personal challenge to get the lowest possible mileage I can. I traded in my perfectly good 2005 Camry for the Prius and sometimes think I shouldn’t have, but I don’t miss the $50 gas fill-ups, and the comfort is the same.
Ryan B, I love you.
That is all. Carry on. lol
I LOVE MY PRIUS TOO!!!!
I am driving a 2006 that I bought new and I have NEVER regretted it. I got a LOT of ribbing from my friends when I first bought it.. but now.. they ALL HAVE THEM!!! My string quartet assembles from as far away as 125 miles and we oftimes do gigs as far away from homebase as 200 miles. Finally after giving me heck for buying my prius almost 8 years ago, they each have bought one for themselves! ha ha. I don’t rib them though…. and mine still is getting great mileage: 46 mpg. I also use it on my farm where I raise American Shetland ponies.. I haul hundreds of lbs of hay and feed IN IT and sometimes ON IT…. I ran into the side of a barn with it once…. and so it’s officially now a farm car…. I can’t pull a trailer with it.. but it makes me able to afford to drive the truck when I must (it only gets 15 mpg pulling the trailer)…. I LOVE MY PRIUS!!!!
..Oh.. and my Prius just turned 170K miles this week!!!!
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hybrids and electric cars are cheaper to drive per mile = more miles driven = more congestion = less overall fuel efficiency. #deathtoprius
i just brought a used 2010 prius and only 77,000 miles and i love it only had my prius for three now and so far i really enjoying the car and love the color and looking forward keeping this car and i have had many cars prior to that over the year since i started driving 1989 ford probe, ford escort, ford escort wagon, chevy cobalt and so far since i had the prius i love due to some negatives about the prius. the dash and stuff is cheap, i do not think it is cheap. this morning i was stuck a traffic jam on the freeway and was not moving for 20 minutes and i have the biggest smile on my face because i saving gas. i am happy prius owner.
If anyone is still interested I bought a used Prius a couple months ago with 110,000 miles. I think the car will go 500,000. Its the best car I have ever owned. I take it camping and install a tent made for it on the back. You keep the car going all night to keep it warm or cool. It gets 45 MPG. I LOVE it. Oh, by the way Hector if you still check in. You are an idiot.
Had two Priuses, love them both. I have a strange attachment to the Prius, could be compared to a kind of crush. A car crush😊
Newbie Prius owner here! Been driving my 2024 Prius for just over 100 miles and I’m really enjoying the ride. I have always hated commuting – I still think of it as being a waste of time (waiting for the invention of stargate technology), but the Prius makes the commute tolerable! I wish the sales lady had demonstrated how to place the vehicle in park. I spent 10 minutes and had to rely on YouTube to discover the P is a button and not just a shifter position. Now I’m reading the manual from cover to cover. I am still adjusting to Lane Tracking Assist … the vehicle seems it knows how to drive better than I do (probably true). Thank you for this article, it was a great read!