Is VSC worth the money?

I've got it, I've tested it on snow packed ice, and yes, it does seem to work as advertised. Still, it's no substitute for slowing down when conditions call for doing so. When I drive carefully on icy roads I never see the VSC light flash. Slowly slid into a snow bank last winter because a sharp curve had been graded improperly, sloping downward toward the outside of the curve. In that case, the VSC light flashed but I couldn't steer out of the slide. In that case, the eye bolt came in handy. :-)

It's not meant to replace common sense to adjust your driving to the conditions you are driving in, but it has helped us keep the car going in the desired direction on slippery roads, and icy ones, and not in a ditch or colliding into another vehicle on more than one occassion....

Russ

I don't see myself getting on icy roads too much, since I'm getting transferred to Kingsland, Georgia before I am planning on buying my Prius. Roads still get slippery there though.

Consumer Reports say they save more lives than seatbelts and airbags do.

I thought this was supposed to be standard in new Prius now

VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) is an option in the 2004-current Prius. For the US:

You may be confusing VSC with traction control. Traction control is standard in the 2004-current Prius. (There was a "simulated" traction control in the 2001-2003 Prius, but not a marketable traction control.)

It's one of those things that will probably never be worth the money UNLESS, of course, there is that one time when you have the bad luck to need it and don't have it.

My son drives a Subaru with a somewhat similar stability control. In over

150,000 driving miles he saw it kick on only once, but it kept him from smacking into a tree. (Wet road, sharp curve, too fast.)

I've had my 05 Prius for 20 months. The VSC kicks on every now and then, usually when I'm on uneven roads or if I over-accelerate for a turn, instead of getting out of control, the yellow light kicks on the car magically corrects and quickly returns stability to the car. I've had it click on when I went from dry to wet to dry pavement too.

It feels weird at first because the car does feel like it's drifting or about to get loose, but I've come to love the little yellow light. It's a similar experience to the first time the gas motor turns off and you think the car has stalled. Unusual at first, but then it's cool after that and just becomes part of the driving experience.

I would say worth it from utilizing the benefits.