It's almost time for me to get a new car, and at the rate gas prices are increasing, I'm seriously considering a hybrid. Any FB you have on it good or bad would help. Does anyone own one?
Hybrid 411
- Thread starter sabrinahchan
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
I have an '05 Toyota Prius. I can honestly say that I can't find one thing wrong with this car. I LOVE it. My mom liked mine so much that she got one too! My dad, who has a BMW M5, is always stealing my mom's Prius...I think that says a lot, haha!
I've heard many people say that they assume that hybrids have no pick up. Obviously, it's no sports car, but I've always had more than sufficient acceleration. It handles very nicely IMO. I feel very safe and secure on the road. I previously drove a Nissan Pathfinder, and I worried that by switching to a smaller car, I'd feel like I was being blown around on the road if I were going fast and it was windy, etc. In reality, the battery is pretty heavy, so it keeps the car weighted down (am I making any sense? haha)
The inside is surprisingly roomy and comfortable. Since it's a hatchback, you can lay the back seat down and actually transport a lot of stuff! (Edit: I just wanted to add that I moved myself out of my dorm room last year and fit EVERYTHING I OWN in my car...I had to do some creative packing and pretty much used every square inch, but I was so impressed that my car could fit all that stuff!)
I think the EPA estimates 55 MPG--60 in the city and 50 on the highway, or something like that (I haven't checked these numbers in a while...so I might not remember correctly). I have actually not been able to get such good gas mileage. My average is around 49, but I drive with A LOT of gas and A LOT of brake. My mom, who is a very cautious driver, drove my car on a long trip once and got an average of 62 MPG, so it all depends on your driving style.
Overall, I seriously think that the Prius is the best car ever, but I'm a little biased!
If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!
I've heard many people say that they assume that hybrids have no pick up. Obviously, it's no sports car, but I've always had more than sufficient acceleration. It handles very nicely IMO. I feel very safe and secure on the road. I previously drove a Nissan Pathfinder, and I worried that by switching to a smaller car, I'd feel like I was being blown around on the road if I were going fast and it was windy, etc. In reality, the battery is pretty heavy, so it keeps the car weighted down (am I making any sense? haha)
The inside is surprisingly roomy and comfortable. Since it's a hatchback, you can lay the back seat down and actually transport a lot of stuff! (Edit: I just wanted to add that I moved myself out of my dorm room last year and fit EVERYTHING I OWN in my car...I had to do some creative packing and pretty much used every square inch, but I was so impressed that my car could fit all that stuff!)
I think the EPA estimates 55 MPG--60 in the city and 50 on the highway, or something like that (I haven't checked these numbers in a while...so I might not remember correctly). I have actually not been able to get such good gas mileage. My average is around 49, but I drive with A LOT of gas and A LOT of brake. My mom, who is a very cautious driver, drove my car on a long trip once and got an average of 62 MPG, so it all depends on your driving style.
Overall, I seriously think that the Prius is the best car ever, but I'm a little biased!
If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!
^
Your review made me want a Prius! haha.
Even though my boyfriend HATES them and think they're for wusses. Boys and their cars.
Your review made me want a Prius! haha.
Even though my boyfriend HATES them and think they're for wusses. Boys and their cars.I get that a lot! Any time a guy finds out I drive a Prius, I get the major eye roll and an assortment of negative comments.
Every Prius comes standard with a touch screen display, and I added on the voice activated GPS system, so it's really funny whenever a guy gets in my car. They FREAK OUT about all the options on the touch screen computer (which, by the way, is REALLY COOL...it shows you where the car's energy is coming from and shows you your exact MPG at any given moment). They're so busy playing with all the stuff that they don't have a minute to say anything bad about the car!
They also really like the push button start and the gear shifter. The gear shifter is awesome. It's kinda like a joystick...you push it into drive, for example, and then it pops back to where it started...I have no idea why I think this is so cool, but it's so fascinating to me..ha! I'm not sure how to explain it where it makes sense... I'll just attach a picture. (more pictures here: http://www.toyota.com/prius/interior.html)
Oh! Another big hit with the guys is the way the speedometer is displayed...it's digital and looks like it's really far away. It's pretty cool!
Basically, this was my really long and rambling way of saying get your bf inside one, and he might hate it a little less!
Attachments
^Your pup in your avatar is so cute! Whats his/her name??
**Back on topic--I love the idea of a hybrid, but I read a report (Consumer Reports, I believe) that was saying that unless you have conservative driving habits (ie accelerating slowly, etc) that the MPG is not as good as advertised??
**Back on topic--I love the idea of a hybrid, but I read a report (Consumer Reports, I believe) that was saying that unless you have conservative driving habits (ie accelerating slowly, etc) that the MPG is not as good as advertised??
Great post, Laura. I work for the state environmental agency here in Florida and most of our government cars are hybrids. I drive a 2005 Prius often and love it! It's a great car that gets very good MPG. We also have a couple of hybrid Ford Escapes. In fact, after reading about hybrids and their benefits to the environment, reducing our dependency on foreign oil and benefits to his wallet, BF is getting an Escape next year 
Great post, Laura. I work for the state environmental agency here in Florida and most of our government cars are hybrids. I drive a 2005 Prius often and love it! It's a great car that gets very good MPG. We also have a couple of hybrid Ford Escapes. In fact, after reading about hybrids and their benefits to the environment, reducing our dependency on foreign oil and benefits to his wallet, BF is getting an Escape next year
Ah, how does the Escape fare MPG and performance wise? Or what made him decide to get that one?
Hmm...I'm 5'8" as well, and I don't have any problems
What year did he have? I've seen a few Priuses before they redesigned them (not sure what year that happened), and those things were TINY looking!
Her name is officially Belle, but somehow she's turned into "Bellita" over the years. She's 5 pounds of trouble
Anyway! What you said about driving habits is totally correct. I don't drive conservatively at all, so I get less than advertised (an average of 48-49 MPG usually). My mom is way conservative in her driving and actually gets over what's advertised. There's also the air conditioning factor...I live in south Georgia and go to school in north-ish Georgia so I have to run the air conditioner almost year round. On the occasion that I don't use my AC, I do notice a slight increase in my MPG, but it's not substantial enough for me to want to turn off the AC. I'd be interested to hear from someone who lives in a cooler region and doesn't run the AC much, if at all...
Prius is a great car! I think you can't go wrong with that car and I think you get the best mpg in the market. My DH is an engineer for Honda, so I have no choice but to drive a Honda
. So I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. Runs about 43 mpg and I drive freeways and local streets almost daily. Pretty good car for me. One thing they say about Hybrids is the battery. Once the battery is gone, then you have to replace it which costs $$$ and disposing of battery is not a good enviromental thing. I think hydrogen cell cars are the best environment friendly cars we have so far. And they will be coming out in the market pretty soon, I am sure.
. So I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. Runs about 43 mpg and I drive freeways and local streets almost daily. Pretty good car for me. One thing they say about Hybrids is the battery. Once the battery is gone, then you have to replace it which costs $$$ and disposing of battery is not a good enviromental thing. I think hydrogen cell cars are the best environment friendly cars we have so far. And they will be coming out in the market pretty soon, I am sure.