Yeah, short trips aren't good for any car. The Prius tells you just how bad it is...
You'll probably note that the blue cool engine coolant light is on for about the first 5 min or so of your trip. The Prius was designed as a really low emissions vehicle, and the good MPG is just a nice side benefit. The Prius doesn't know how long you'll be driving, so it assumes when you start it that you'll be driving for a while and first makes sure that the engine, oxygen sensors, and catalytic converter (and probably a few other emissions components) get up to proper operating temperatures (hot!), before allowing the Prius to operate in a high MPG mode (turn off engine at stoplights or going downhill).
You'll probably note that the blue cool engine coolant light is on for about the first 5 min or so of your trip. The Prius was designed as a really low emissions vehicle, and the good MPG is just a nice side benefit. The Prius doesn't know how long you'll be driving, so it assumes when you start it that you'll be driving for a while and first makes sure that the engine, oxygen sensors, and catalytic converter (and probably a few other emissions components) get up to proper operating temperatures (hot!), before allowing the Prius to operate in a high MPG mode (turn off engine at stoplights or going downhill).
