My Prius and I
EmailCorrespondent Miguel Marquez blogs about driving one: I bought a Prius last October. I had done a story on the car about a year earlier and was surprised at how well it drove and thought all the techie gadgets were pretty darned cool. When I arrived in LA I was still driving my 1995 VW GTI. It was peppy and fun to drive but was breaking down constantly. In my line of work I need a decent car and the lure of being able to use HOV lanes at all times was too irresistible. (I drive lots.) It’s not enough to be practical. In LA you are what you drive. And the Prius, I quickly learned, bestowed a special status. I suppose that’s what made them so ubiquitous. I’ve pulled up to traffic lights where it was all Priuses waiting. For some reason I felt slightly embarrassed, like I was supposed to acknowledge my fellow Priusers(?). Not only are they popular but there is definitely something odd about some Prius owners and people who want them. I was stalked by a woman driving an ancient hatchback one day. She swerved through a parking lot and ran a stop sign to catch up to me and shouted through open windows "do you love your Prius, should I get one?!?" I told her "sure" as the electric half of my hybrid engine quietly whisked me away. People have actually waved at me and I don’t wave back. I wondered why they were waving then a friend told me about the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where Larry David informs his friend that hybrid owners always wave to each other cause "we’re in a special club." I missed that episode. Larry David speaks truth. When I bought the Prius I jokingly said it was the most status I could buy for the least amount of money. Now I’m not so sure what sort of "status" I’ve purchased. South Park, and its hilarious episode about hybrid owners, really seemed to put it in context. Prius owners can seem smug. After all, we get great gas mileage, our cars aren’t polluting the air, we can park without paying at meters with no time limits, and then there’s that HOV thing. (I also boast to my friends that Prius owners can do several other illegal things that I won’t mention here.) So I guess I can see why some people view Prius owners as pampered and whiny tree huggers. It’s interesting that other hybrid cars don’t have the same cache. Experts will tell you that it’s the distinctive styling of the Prius that gives drivers a "halo" effect. Because I drive a Prius I feel slightly pressured to adhere to some generic and murky set of beliefs that others have ascribed to Prius owners. All I know is that my old VW had a 12 gallon tank and I filled it up once a week. My Prius has a 10 gallon tank and I can drive for three, four, sometimes five weeks before I need to stop into a gas station. That feeling outweighs all others. Watch Miguel’s WNT Webcast piece here: [WATCH]
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The fact that the Prius is a hybrid car does not mean that it’s owners can say “our cars aren’t polluting the air…”
On the contrary, it still uses gasolene (albeit a lot less) and the electricity it uses is produced by fossil-fuel burning power plants.
Posted by: Paul Gilmartin | April 27, 2006, 11:30 am 11:30 am
The gasoline engine of the Prius is a marvel of engineering and efficiency. My family owns 3 Priuses(?) and we definitely can say that driving these vehicles, which are rated PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle), makes a significant difference in OUR personal contribution to pollution due to vehicle emissions. We feel GREAT about that. If every multi-car family had just one car like the Prius for running errands and commuting to work or school, our dependence on foreign oil could potentially be eliminated.
This is merely one aspect of how we choose to live our lives. We aggresively recycle, buy organic whenever possible, and try NOT to live “disposable”. I realize that simply being on this Earth means I contribute to polluting it, but I can say I am doing it far less than most people.
Posted by: Xanne Mabry | April 27, 2006, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm
Hybrid car owners can say alot more about the benefits of their cars than not.
If the gas motor is running, yes there are emmissions like any other car. During city driving where the electric motor powers the car exclusively no emissions are being – emitted.
I believe the batteries can be charged by the application of the brakes alone, which is done a lot during city driving. They call it regenerative braking. The gas motor is engaged, started – whatever – when the regenerative braking is not keeping the batteries charged sufficiently.
The motor is used for sure during highway driving. So, you could drive around in the city for a long time and not use the gas motor.
Over any given period of time, it is better to say the hybrid pollutes the air less – alot less.
Posted by: RonRizzardi | April 27, 2006, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
If the price of a hybrid car drops down to around $15k, then many more people will buy it. So those who are lucky enough to own hybrid cars should aim their speech to the ones driving SUVs
instead of those who can just afford simple cheap cars.
Posted by: A.T. | April 27, 2006, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm
“Three, four, sometimes five weeks” vs. “once a week” for fill ups. . . are you sure something else didn’t change (or are you exaggerating just a bit)? I know every car and driver is different, but this seems a little far fetched. The fuel economy for your 1995 GTI was probably around 20/25 and the Prius 60/51. So all city driving (no HOV lane advantage), a below average older GTI, and an above average Prius might get you a 4x difference. Double to triple the time between fill ups makes sense. And is worth writing about!
Posted by: Skeptic | April 27, 2006, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
I BOUGHT MY WIFE A PRIUS WHILE I DRIVE A (PRESTIGIOUS) lEXUS 330 SUV…..DUE TO THE GAS SITUATION, WE TAKE HER CAR ON VACATION TRIPS NOW AND I FOUND THAT HER PRIUS HOLDS AS MUCH LUGGAGE AND GOLF CLUBS, ETC AS MY LEXUS DOES. OF ALL THE CARS WE HAVE OWNED, THE PRIUS IS OUR FAVORITE AND I AM IN THE PROCESS OF LETTING GO OF MY BELOVED LEXUS FOR ANOTHER PRIUS IN THE FAMILY.
Posted by: JAMES METZ | April 27, 2006, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm
The Toyota Prius is the ONLY car still on my “If I buy a car” list. Why? Because it’s a Toyota. Because it has a trunk and back seats. Because it’s a hybrid that gets great gas mileage. If I can’t have a Prius, I’ll keep walking and riding the bus.
Posted by: Lisa Miller | April 27, 2006, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
I have had a Prius for 4 years, gas milage is super (high as 60 mpg) I am 6’2″ 220lbs, have no trouble fitting in the car, or driving it on long trips. On more than one occasion I have gotten over 500 miles between fill ups on an 11 gallon gas tank. Can this be beaten by anything else in production ….NO WAY! And I am not even a ‘tree hugger’!
Posted by: John C. NIbler | April 27, 2006, 7:35 pm 7:35 pm
@Paul:
“the electricity it uses is produced by fossil-fuel burning power plants”
Err, not quite correct. If you make aftermarket modifications to your Prius you can plug it into your electric company’s fossil-fuel burning power plants. However, there’s still a good chance a portion of your electicity originates, hydro, nuclear, or other non-fossil fuel sources.
Either way Prius owners can claim a well-to-wheel efficiency that’s more than double that of a typical gasoline engine.
Posted by: CS | April 27, 2006, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
Interesting article
Posted by: Margo | April 27, 2006, 9:17 pm 9:17 pm
If car owners in China and India only drove a Prius we might save a small amount of oil
Posted by: bob | April 27, 2006, 11:45 pm 11:45 pm
Of course I love my Prius. But the strange thing is that although I have a luxury car, my grandkids, ages 5 and 7, who know nothing about saving gas or tree hugging, etc., prefer to ride in the Prius, even though their own parents also have a luxury car. There’s got to be something else that has that kind of pull, don’t you think?
Posted by: stan | April 28, 2006, 11:58 am 11:58 am
And it’s a negative thing to act to conserve energy and live more lightly off the environment? Why is this such a bad thing? That kind of attitude is long overdue in a “me-first, who cares about anyone or anything else?” world. Who needs gas-guzzling SUVs? Just rent a truck or van for the day if you need to move something big.
It’s time people stopped being so selfish. I’m proud of being an environmentalist and environmental scientist (I’ve held the degree for seven years now) and proud of the fact that I don’t live so extravagantly. So I drive a little car; what’s the problem with that? I can truthfully say that I have the welfare of others in mind, unlike the cellphone-yammering soccer mom in the next lane in her unnecessary H2 that will never go off road.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 28, 2006, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
In our town – the Tri-Cites in Washington state (Pasco, Kennewick and Richland) a taxi company (Tri-City Cab) has been buying them. I work at a two-way radio shop, and we’ve installed the radios and meters into all of them. They are saving thousands of fuel dollars a year, and naturally, (as most taxis do) they drive in city traffic 98% of the time. The people who ride in them also like them, and the dispatchers constantly get requests for a Prius taxi to come and pick them up.
I’ve driven a few to calibrate the meters, and I LOVE it. They are silent like a golf cart, and certainly not gutless! The engine is ‘’disconnected’’ as it runs. It other words, if you jam the pedal down hard and it starts up, the RPM’s have nothing to do with the feel of the car’s acceleration as in a normal car. There’s no shifting because there’s no multi-speed transmission since the motive power is electric motors. Smooth operation is an understatement. Driving normally in city traffic is as silent as it gets.
I’m 6’ 6’’ and weigh 300 lbs. and I can drive them with comfort. I can even sit in the back seat – something I can do in very FEW (if any) smaller cars.
Posted by: Craig Ueltzen | April 28, 2006, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm
Interesting that the author is claiming to be getting fuel mileage that is way above the actual test results for the Prius published in the April edition of Autoweek magazine. The best that they could get was 42 mpg, about 20 mpg LESS than the window sticker says. Perhaps a bit of wishfull thinking in the owner’s part?
Posted by: James Dean | April 28, 2006, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
I sat in a Prius at a dealership and immediately said “I want one!” At 5′ tall there are not many cars that I am comfortable in and the Prius felt like it was made for me. Funny that it fits me and someone 6′ tall (previous posts).
I don’t know what kind of drivers they have at Autoweek, but I have had my Prius for about 6 months and I average 48.2 mpg. That is about half freeway and half city driving. If I drive really conservatively, I can get better than 50 mpg. I put about 6 gallons in it every 10 week instead of the 30 gallons I was putting into my Montero. However, I was bummed on a recent trip from SF to LA because I only got 43.2 mpg …. driving down I-5 at 75 mph.
It is a lot more fun to drive than the Montero. I can make really tight turns, I can park in compact spaces, the stereo is awesome, the navigation system is wonderful, the amount of people and “stuff” I can put in the car is much greater than it looks from the outside, and it really can get up and go when I step on it!
BTW – the Prius does not get plugged in to charge the batteries therefore the electricity it uses is NOT provided by fossil fuel burning power plants! The electricity is produced whenever the car is slowing down or when the gasoline engine is producing more energy than is needed to move the car.
I LOVE MY PRIUS! I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!
Posted by: Lee | April 28, 2006, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
It strikes me as quite odd that the hyperlink that comes to this article is “Prius Owners: ‘Pampered, Whiny Tree Huggers’?”
That phrase was a minor reference and really had nothing to do with the article, actually titled “My Prius and I”.
What’s up with that?
This car appears to be a GREAT car from what I can read. It deserves an article on its own rights and doesn’t deserve some sort of implied condescending hyperlink.
If it were just for the hyperlink, I would not have read the article. I only read it because I find the Prius an interesting car and wanted to see what was being said about it.
I guess I find the hyperlink insulting to my intelligence and rather offensive.
Posted by: Mark Tiede | April 29, 2006, 8:49 am 8:49 am
While you were all patting yourselves on the back, did you any of you consider the environmental damage caused in the manufacture of this car, or in the disposal after word. You might save a little energy now, but all that will be lost if the car is to be properly disposed and disassembled at the end of its life. Think of huge amounts of acids, plastizers, and heavy metals. Two choices are evident. At the end of the cars life, dump it and watch all that leach into the water supply, or spend a large amount of energy to properly dispose of the problem materials.
The ones deserving a pat, are those that commute by public transportation, walking and biking. Lifestyle and cultural changes are required, not some ego pumping car that lets us drive everywhere with less guilt, so we can continue increasing our 60% overweight/30% obese demographic in the United States.
Posted by: RR | April 29, 2006, 3:05 pm 3:05 pm
This is so hallarious and silly at the same time, I do not know what to do, laugh or laugh! Are you serious?
Posted by: j | April 29, 2006, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
The world can be grateful that it’s the Japanese that are building the first hybrids. If it were anybody but Toyota and Honda, the image of hybrids would be tarnished due to the inevitable quality problems that would result. The Euro cars are the worst. Thank goodness VW/Audi/Mercedes are not making hybrids.
Posted by: Richard | April 30, 2006, 6:24 am 6:24 am
I love that Prius of ours, although I had to cut short my visit to supermarkets to pay for it. I take pride driving it amongsnt those insensitive gus guzzler drivers. I belive the gallon of Fuel I’m saving today will come to use to my daughter some day. This is my little 2 cents to keep the air cleaner, at least for now. I will depend on technology to come up with better way of disposing it when it is due.
Posted by: saswati | April 30, 2006, 10:50 am 10:50 am
I have an ’04 Sienna. My previous Toyota was a ’90 Camry. If the Sienna had been hybrid, I would have paid even a substantial premium to have purchased one. Can you imagine how much easier my kid-hauling would be if I could use the HOV lane? Perhaps my next Toyota will be a Hybrid Sienna. Toyota…keep leading the way…
Posted by: Katya | April 30, 2006, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
Just wanted to weigh in here on a couple of issues. One it is not “wishful thinking” that I can go a month without filling up. Depending upon how I drive I can average about 50 miles to the gallon. I usually get less. Somewhere around 44 or 45. (BTW that is lots less the sticker said I would get. It claimed I would get 60 in the city and 55 on the highway. So much for manufacturer claims.) I still get very good mileage. Of course, if I go on a long trip then mileage goes way down but most months when it’s mainly just the drudgery of driving to work and home I fill up about once a month. (That’s 400 to 500 miles per 10 gallon tank.) Not bad.
Second, I also think it’s fair to ask that in the production of the Prius is there a net savings of carbon emissions. I don’t know that answer. I’d like to. As far as I know, no one has done a nuts-to-bolts enviro analysis of the Prius production process. That said, even if there is no net savings of carbon emissions for the Prius as currently produced that trend may reverse itself if production processes can be refined and certain economies can be reached.
I kinda view my purchase as one of many data points that tells industry leaders that people, if given the choice, will go green. I see it as encouraging the market to develop greener technologies well into the future.
Posted by: Miguel Marquez | April 30, 2006, 7:41 pm 7:41 pm
Be aware that oil companies are paying people to downplay the virtues of the Prius and even insult owners by calling them names like “tree huggers”. They’ll stop at nothing to keep milking Americans for oil. We should nationalize the oil industry. They’ve done enough damage. If Brazil can become self sufficient of foreign oil, so can we. Oil companies will lie, pay people off to turn you off of buying Prius’s or their like.
Posted by: bob | April 30, 2006, 9:19 pm 9:19 pm
Gee. I have a 1993 Honda Civic with over 170,000 miles on it and it has always averaged 45+ mpg. I remember on one trip of primarily mountain driving I got 57 mpg.
It starts right up, even on the coldest mornings (I live in Wisconsin), and it can go through 4 inches of snow without too much of a problem.
It does all this on regular oil changes and the occasional tune-up.
Additionally, it’s a fun and zippy car to drive.
It’s got a few dents and rattles but I plan on driving it until it falls to dirt around me.
What I’d like to know is why isn’t Honda producing a basic gasoline powered car like this any more? I know I’d buy another.
Posted by: Cindy | May 1, 2006, 9:58 am 9:58 am
Admittedly, I’m a Toyota bigot, but I’m not surprised that the Prius is performing so well. I have a 2000 Corolla (bought in fall ’99) with 170,000 miles on it. Most of my driving is highway (long commute with no practical alternatives), and I average 41 mpg. This is my third Corolla; the first lasted 11 years and 110,000 miles, the second 14 years and 245,000 miles. I’d get a hybrid, but I want to wear this one out first!
Posted by: Paula | May 1, 2006, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
Two comments – to the author of the article, I believe the way you used it the word is cachet, rather than cache.
Second – Come on, Miguel Marquez – give me a break. How do I sign up to get the oil companies to pay me to insult Prius owners?
Posted by: Jim | May 1, 2006, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
Jim- In order for the oil companies to pay you to insult Prius owners as well as any car that has high mileage you have to be in a position to influence many people. Are you? And oil companies, what with the chairman walking away with $400 millions, they wouldn’t be that mean to be underhanded would they? You bet!!!
Posted by: bob | May 1, 2006, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
I’m not from California. Please explain the HOV lane.
Posted by: Rand | May 1, 2006, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
I am so proud of my Prius. It does not only save me gas money but it is also a truly good car to drive. Every day I see another Prius being driven in my neighbohood. I hope this will bring the price of gas while at the same time helping keep the air cleaner. Good luck to all of my fellow Prius lovers.
Posted by: chitopal | May 1, 2006, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
Yes, you definitely, absolutely ARE polluting the air when you use a Prius! I’m amazed that even reporters cannot seem to get this straight.
Posted by: Dem | May 1, 2006, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
Too bad the Prius doesn’t look as good as it performs. Per the automotive publishing the hybreds have a lousy re-sale record due to the batterys $$ replacment, so unless you can afford a new one you are stuck with the high cost of new batteries, and dispsal of the old ones. Also keep in mind the what it takes to manufacture, and whatdisposal of old batteries does for the enviroment
Posted by: Earl Miller | May 1, 2006, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
well… In my opinion the
Prius is phenomenal. Sure we are not saving EVERYTHING but there is a defenite step in that direction. I am of a military family of four and we own two Priuses. Since my brothers are in USC (South Carolina) It is only The four of us left at home. The Prius helps ALOT on our budget. It only costs 25-33$ (Now gas prices are 3.33) over here to fill it up. It is unlike our late barge of a Buick that costed us 50-60 dollars to fill up when gas was merely 2.36 or so. But reguardless. It is not a perfect machine. It does not reach true non poluting standards in the way of zero particulants harming the air but it does show that there are alternatives.
We have saved zast amounts of money with our two hybrids over time and frankly if gas is getting more and more pricy shouldn’t this be the way to optomize savings. The prius is Cheaper that the original 30k. That is if you can survive without all the GPS, Stability control, Tcs, abs, and enviornmental adaptation (Just a fancy way of saying it helps get through snow, rain, dirt ect).
The car is efficent in and of itself. It can hold large loads and it has plenty of room. It may not be the sexiest and fastest automobile out there on the road but it has the luxuries that affect your wallet and the enviorment. To be blunt this car shows a step in the right directing and it demonstrates the little ways to help a society at whole.
Posted by: JC | May 1, 2006, 8:54 pm 8:54 pm
I feel smug and rightly so. I have a 2001 Prius, a true man-magnet! (and I’m a grandmother, but the questions continue. Everyone loves to drive my car, go out to the mall for me, do an errand I need done.)In 2001,I was having my trusty lovely 12 yr. old Honda Accord’s oil changed when I read this article at the Honda/Nissan/Toyota dealer’s about this new technology, worth $40,000, the Japanese put in their new hybrid Prius, selling for $20,500. I decided right there to do my bit about saving the environment. As soon as there was one on their lot, I test-drove it, bought it, didn’t look at any other cars. They didn’t have “The technology”. My Prius is so quiet people can’t believe it’s running. I must mention the down-side, in case it’s happened to others of you. The first year it dies five times and had to be jump started! The first time was after I had been gone three weeks; second time, gone two weeks; third, gone five hours; fourth, gone four hours; then the straw, the time I went alone to an evening movie, came out to a dark empty car lot, after two hours gone!!! The dealership was always helpful, even the service manager offering to come over on his lunch hour every day to let it run fifteen minutes. (where’s the gas saving there?) The last time that year, there cheif diagnostition sat with me, chatting about the car, and then he said, “I’m going to order a new driver’s side door electric panel.” I didn’t even know there was such a thing. That did the trick! Have others had this happen? I was happy till this month, four years later, after a three week trip gone, it was dead again. When the tow/jump start guy knows me and where I live when I just mention my name, that’s sad. I tell my myself, with my once a month fill and good gas mileage, it’s still winning technology, and I do feel smug.
Posted by: Joanne | May 1, 2006, 11:59 pm 11:59 pm
Dem: “hybreds have a lousy re-sale record due to the batterys $$ replacment” (multiple sic)
Care to cite a source? Since when has anyone had to replace a battery in the Generation 2 Prius? As of last year’s statistics, Toyota claims they’ve had zero battery returns (per their company’s annual environmental efficiency report). Even so, the cost would generally be under $1k, and that’s assuming the 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty wasn’t in place.
Further, sales figures of used Prius vehicles, of which not many exist, closely match the sales figures of their new counterparts moreso than any other vehicle. At least, that’s what dealers I’ve spoken to have told me. In other words, you’ll be lucky if you find a used Prius available for purchase, and even if you do, the price will likely not be much less than that of a new Prius, if the car is in any kind of fair condition.
Posted by: BU | May 3, 2006, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
Hey Miguel,
I’m not fooled by your “other Prius owners wave but I don’t wave” demeanor. The aftermarket woodgrain paneling on your car tells me you’re just as anal as the rest of us Prius owners. Come on, fess up – you’re probably a closet waver.
Arroyo :-)
Posted by: Arroyo | May 4, 2006, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm
I purchased a 2006 Prius in March. Commuting to San Jose and back to Monterey, CA I have been able to get 55+ mpg. I have noticed that to get this great gas economy I have to keep it around 65mph. If I go up to 75mph the fuel economy drops to around 48 mpg.
I have a hard time keeping it away from my wife. She loves it. I was spending $60+ every 2 days on the same commute with my SUV (about $180 per week).
Also noticed that I seem to get better fuel economy driving manually versus cruise control. Haven’t figured that one out yet.
Posted by: Mark | May 8, 2006, 2:17 am 2:17 am
I have just ordered/purchaed a 2007 Prius and expect to get it in 4 days. Any advice about starting off? Any tips about the first 100 miles to brek it in?
Posted by: jan | July 28, 2007, 12:05 pm 12:05 pm
I recently purchased a fully loaded 2008 Prius after much analysis. Originally, I hated these cars when they first came out. Somehow it managed to drive into my heart.
I have driven and owned many cars, from Jeeps, Porsche 911 Carrerra,to Mercedes. My favorites are still my Toyota Supra and now my Prius. These cars are cool – I love the interactive screens and gadgets, yet alone the gas mileage. I bought a Honda Civic in 2000 to help save gas (I was driving a Mercedes G-Wagon, which fills up today at $100 per week, or more). I can truly say I do not regret my purchase of the Prius. No, it is not the cheapest hybrid if you get leather and all the options, but it makes it worth it overall. I don’t live in a city where public transportation is an option, so the savings I have enjoyed on gas with the Prius pays for the extra costs when compared to the price of a regular Honda or Toyota.
I think these cars are great. I have completely converted and I drive this car everywhere, benefits, dinner parties, work, etc. The cars that stay parked in the garage are the Porsche 911 and now my G-Wagon — and I swore I’d never drive anything else. I feel just as safe and confident in the Prius as I ever did in this big clunky SUV, even on the highway where I do most of my driving. Finally, I drive pretty fast, ffrom 70 to 80 mphs and I always average 38.5 mpgs on the highway, sometimes even in the 40s.
Posted by: heather | April 1, 2008, 12:50 am 12:50 am