Prius Test Drive

The first five minutes have the worst gas mileage of any trip. This is because the engine is cold.

I live in a very hot climate (Phoenix, AZ). Best way to maximize mileages for hot conditions is to drive during hours of darkness. Driving with the A/C on gives better mileage than with it off and the windows open because of air drag.

It is also part of package 5. But package 5 might not be available in your region. Check

I don't think the audio system is worth it; if you want a six-dish changer, you can get it as an add on. But it is the only way to get a cassette player.

It is rare to find a dealer that will give any discount on a Prius; there are still quite a few that add a "market adjustment" to the car.

-- Michelle

Actually not true... very recent testing has shown the diff to be negligible at best and slightly better to the window-down method. But I thought it was moot on the Prius since the AC runs off the electrical engine, not the gas engine. Am I incorrect about that last point?

Russ

Yes, it does run on the electrical engine; that's one of the reasons that Toyota says that running with the AC on and the windows up gets better gas mileage than running with the AC off and the windows down.

The Prius has one of the lowest drag coefficients of any car on the road, so disrupting the air flow by opening the windows will have a greater adverse effect than with most other cars.

Sounds like you drive like I do. Seems people always want to race me to see what kind of acceleration it has. I'm sitting around 41-42 mpg, not great, but still better than what I had. Your 38 seems normal. You need to learn the car.

That's not hot. Try Central Valley of Calif at 107 degrees. The AC runs full bore and will take maybe 30 minutes to cool down the car if it sits in the sun and it is a dark model. The owner's manual says to drive with the windows down for a while to remove built up heat and then close them. Seems reasonable.

I'm an audiophile and the system 6 isn't bad for a stock car. Personally, the NAV package is worth it if you drive out of town often and use a cell phone in the car (mutes audio, etc). Beats looking at a map or the Energy Screen all day. If you do get the one with the cell phone, you may need to switch to a Prius friendly cell phone for the Bluetooth to fully work and transfer the phonebook and such. Dealer has a list.

I was almost taken aback by the $3000 overage charge above the sticker which showed up on the four-square paper game they play. Took some arguing, okay a lot of arguing and threatening to leave (and I would have), but we agreed on a $600 overage since gas out here in some Northern California areas is well over $3.30 a gallon and the cars seem to move every time the gas jumps

Agree. My only niggles so far is the blind spot to the 5 and 7 o'clock positions. You need to rely more on the mirrors on the car. I wish the thing would automatically lock itself when I walk away (i.e. the Smart Key), sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't (?). May need to take a class to learn all the thing will do (i.e. Package 6).

Haven't found a nice tire pressure yet either as raising it to around 40 psi causes the thing to "wander" on the freeway, for lack of a better word. May try lowering it a tad.

Enjoy the dang thing!

B~

Betcha a nickel those tests were not done on a Prius. Prius A/C is very efficient.

Sadly, yes :_> All of the energy ultimately comes from the gas engine. If you do anything to make Prius less efficient, like rolling down the windows at highway speeds, you will burn more gas.

Another consideration is that the Prius traction battery (the big one) draws its cooling air from the passenger compartment, not from the outside air. (The inlet is visible at one end of the rear seats and must never be blocked.) The designers probably did this for a good reason, probably something to do with optimal operating temperature of the battery (for efficiency and operating life) and reduced dust in the cooling air.

Thanks for the confirmation :-)

Russ

To clarify: the A/C compressor is not turned by a belt or a shaft from an external motor or the engine; it has it's own internal electric motor.

If you unlock the car using the remote or with smart key operation, and do not open the door within 30 seconds, it will automatically relock itself. Otherwise, it does not automatically relock.

I had been riding at factory settings for a year (or so I though; after I finally bought and used a tire gauge, I found that the dealer didn't do anything with the tire pressure after rotating the tires, if he rotated them at all). I had a drive from Phoenix to Oakland and back earlier this month, and I changed the tire pressure to 38/36; my mileage went up a bit, without any noticeable effect on handling or comfort.

-- Michelle

To clarify further:

The electric AC compressor on the 2004-? Prius is not run off of the gasoline engine nor the electric motors. It is an electrically-driven AC pump, which draws its power from the hybrid traction battery. After enough AC use, the gasoline engine will come on to recharge the hybrid battery...

The AC compressor on the 2001-2003 Prius is run from a belt off of the gasoline engine. The gasoline engine will come on to power the AC compressor...

I bow to the Master (or do you prefer Mistress?) :_>