[Sakhiya]

I travel close to 140 miles every day. I live in Chicago, and commute to work in Milwaukee. I am impressed with the facts about this car. But wondering if any of you are using for such a commute and how good comfortable you are when driving in snow or in such bad weather conditions?

Your input helps me make a good decision for my next car.
I drive a 99 camry now. Do you think I will miss something by choosing this smaller car?

Thanks!

Thanks!

 

[melgish]

Well, until last week my commute was 150 round trip... no snow in sight though.

It's a good ride, and ( don't tell hyperion ;-) ) not having to fill up the tank as often is a nice plus.

In the very beginning, i had a few days of leg-soreness, but I've long since adapted...or perhaps mutated.

 

[HunterGreen]

My wife takes me about 25 miles, then drops me off and goes another 25, and the same on returning, for about 100 miles a day, in Vermont. No problems so far in weather despite some nasty "wintry mix" stuff this year. We sprang for the extra VSC and in Vermont weather we're very glad of it -- it's never slid even once. We also got Bridgestone Blizzaks which I check the inflation on once a week.

 

[Fordman789]

I drive between Kansas City and Omaha every week, about 200 miles each way and about 500 miles a week total. I haven't had any trouble with the car in good or bad weather (I did replace the tires). The Prius is my car of choice for commuting.

 

[Stairman]

I drive a couple thousand miles a month on business. When I bought the Prius I was concerned because the seats are firmer than I like. Now that I am used to them I find that I'm not as stiff at the end of a 300 mile day as I was with a softer seat. I can't speak to the snow issue.

 

[Sanny]

I travel close to 140 miles every day. ...
Your input helps me make a good decision for my next car.
I drive a 99 camry now. Do you think I will miss something by choosing this smaller car?

My commute is 70+ miles per day. I gave up a 99 Camry (leather, moonroof) for my Prius. It's NOT the same car. Camry is closer to the luxury line than Prius is, despite the similarity in price. The Prius ride is less sophisticated (don't know how else to describe it), the Prius has less sound dampening, and the interior is not as comfortable, in my opinion. I'm not driving leather in my '05, so that might make a difference in relative comfort. As you've read, the Prius seats are shorter in the thigh, there's less leg room, and almost no seat adjustment, unlike the Camry I had. That said, the Prius is roomy, and comfortable enough for me (I'm 5'5" and hippy), and I haven't found the interior to be cheap and gappy. I do miss the moon roof, but I didn't use it much on the commute, just around town.

It's your choice, ultimately. Not paying $50 to fill the gas tank is wonderful!

 

[Ct. Ken V]

So, Sanny,

You're a little 5'5" hippy huh? Is that one of your old tie-dyed t-shirts wrapped around your puppy's neck? Is he also a hippy too? Long live Jerry Garcia! It's nice having a member of the hippy movement coming over to the HYBRID/save the planet movement (hee,hee). Welcome! I have been enjoy'g your posts for a long time now.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

[DanMan32]

100 miles /day (50 one way), no problems. I am short, so I don't have the thigh/headroom/armlength problems that the taller ones around here may have. Like Melgish, no snow in sight since moving down here, though there were a few freeze spells in the mid 90's.

 

[wayneswhirld]

Although I would feel somewhat more secure in a 4WD vehicle driving all that distance in bad wintry weather, I have found my Prius (with the highly recommended Vehicle Stability Control) to be adequate in the worst that this Vermont winter has thrown at me in my 80 mile 3 day a week commute.

But if you've been satisfied doing that bad weather commute in a 99 Camry, you'll do even better in a VSC equipped Prius with snows all around. And since like the Camry it's a midsize car, you won't have a ligher compact feel, just a less luxurious one, as mentioned.

And of course, you're a prime candidate to really take advantage of MPG. I predict gas prices over $3/gal by summer.

 

[hyperion]

After Exxon/Mobil's earnings report and the obvious backlash on the horizon, we could well see one dollar fifty gas again.

 

[wayneswhirld]

After Exxon/Mobil's earnings report and the obvious backlash on the horizon, we could well see one dollar fifty gas again.

Hey, anything "could" happen...Bush "could" announce tonight he's withdrawing all the troops from Iraq in 60 days.

 

[Sakhiya]

I find the headlights of some of those new cars so blinding that my eyes get tired after an hours drive. The rear view mirror also reflects so much of glare that I turn it away. I wonder if any of you having cars with those powerful headlights face such a problem. Or the windshields have a coating that would reduce the intensity of the light?
How does Prius feel?

Thanks!

 

[hyperion]

After Exxon/Mobil's earnings report and the obvious backlash on the horizon, we could well see one dollar fifty gas again.

Hey, anything "could" happen...Bush "could" announce tonight he's withdrawing all the troops from Iraq in 60 days.

.
.
.
.I find the dollar fifty gas more plausible!
.
.
.
.

 

[ahmedz]

I too drive 140 a day

I traded in my 2006 Scion Tc for my 2005 Toyota Prius. I drive here in upstate New York from Binghamton to Oneonta.

I put on the Blizzak snow tires now. While I miss the zippiness and the sound system of the Scion TC, I like my Prius. Its more comfortable and is giving me about 16 miles more per gallon from 26 in the TC to 42+ in my Prius.

I figure the hilly route and the snow tires plus the heater makes for a bit less mileage per gallon than I currently get. I have 1500 miles on now.

 

[bobcheap05]

I just my Prius Saturday and I driven it alot about 150 Miles. I find to the Prius to be as comfortable as my 97 Camry was. Great Car!

If everybody drove a hybird the troups would not be Iraq, Afgainistan or any were else, they would be home in the gulf states helping to re-build America instead of some country far away!

 

[ehurtley]

It's your choice, ultimately. Not paying $50 to fill the gas tank is wonderful!

On that note, I've now paid under $20 two tanks in a row. ($17 today, $16 a week ago, about 390 miles each tank.) My lowest 'cost per mile' tanks in a year.

 

[coloradospringsprius]

After Exxon/Mobil's earnings report and the obvious backlash on the horizon, we could well see one dollar fifty gas again.

Hmm ... March gasoline futures are at $1.80, the situation in Iran is spooking the market, demand for oil continues to rise in China and India, and at least three of the world's four largest oil fields are in decline ... are you interested in a modest wager on $1.50 gasoline?

 

[hyperion]

Hey, all I know is that the price of gas dropped six cents a gallon here this week and that when the governments figures on the economy, report it is now the best in five years the stock market drops 100 points . Go figure. All I say is that at this time next year the price of gas could just as easily be a buck and a half or five dollars. Is your pitcher of beer half full or half empty?

 

[DanMan32]

One station (Chevron) that I passed this morning raised their price 10 cents to $2.41. I hope that was just an anomoly.

 

[Sanny]

So, Sanny,

You're a little 5'5" hippy huh? Is that one of your old tie-dyed t-shirts wrapped around your puppy's neck? Is he also a hippy too? Long live Jerry Garcia! It's nice having a member of the hippy movement coming over to the HYBRID/save the planet movement (hee,hee). Welcome! I have been enjoy'g your posts for a long time now.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

Well, Ken, I can claim a bit out of the ordinary, as you may be able to tell. But by "hippy," I meant I'm a woman of hip. Um... baby got back? Junk in my trunk? Means in my jeans? You get the idear.