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There are other threads about the Prius, but I specifically wanted to ask:
If you drive a Prius in hilly or mountainous areas, how does it do? (And which Prius do you drive?)
The very first generation Prius is terrible when it comes to hills, merging onto the freeway, etc. My former employer had one as a company car that I had driven from time to time. I've also driven a third generation and it was much better, in my opinion.
There was another post about the Prius. They were wondering why there were so many for sale. Now I've got it. They're buying the new ones or trading up to the Camry hybrid.
My 2012 does fine anywhere. No problem on hills. But of course, I view a car as transportation, not an extension of my manhood! Love how little it costs to fill it, and how long the tank lasts. On average, 50 mpg, 500 mi/ten gallon tank.
Nobody said that it couldn't make it up a hill or mountain. Compared to other vehicles on the market the Prius is a less than ideal to combat these tasks with. Am I wrong?
The thread starter asked how the Prius handles hills and mountains. Not one person here stated that it was incapable. What's being told is, while it can certainly drive up a mountain or hill depending on weather conditions, its a less than ideal vehicle to have if this is going to be something that you may have to encounter often. Especially if you live in a region where you experience heavy snow. Am I wrong?
Civic. The extra weight of the Rogue basically totally negates the power advantage. Civic handles better. The AWD system in the Rogue is front biased. It's really only useful at low speeds where you can use the electronic locker. Above 25 mph, however, it's basically a FWD car. How often do you find traction control coming on in your Rogue? That's the only time the AWD is doing anything. Either are more than adequate. Ideal is just a silly word to use. Ideal for what? I'd rather have a Miata in the mountains (clean pavement) than either.
12-30-2014, 07:22 PM
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2014 Prius C here. With the pedal pressed all the way to the floor it can (usually) keep up with traffic on hills. I did drive it up Mt. Hood once without too much of an issue with the power. There the biggest issue was the awful, boat-like handling.
The lack of power, enormous blind spots, and horrendous handling make for a miserable, dangerous driving experience.
Civic. The extra weight of the Rogue basically totally negates the power advantage. Civic handles better. The AWD system in the Rogue is front biased. It's really only useful at low speeds where you can use the electronic locker. Above 25 mph, however, it's basically a FWD car. How often do you find traction control coming on in your Rogue? That's the only time the AWD is doing anything. Either are more than adequate. Ideal is just a silly word to use. Ideal for what? I'd rather have a Miata in the mountains (clean pavement) than either.
Well you're wrong.
My fiance works on a steep hill in Westchester County NY. With the Civic she along with many cars are unable to make it up the hill when it snows and roads are slippery. With the Rogue she activates the awd lock and makes it up with ease. For her situation the Rogue is more ideal during these conditions.
There is a lot of difference driving up Stanyan in the city of SF, than it is driving at highway speeds in the mountains. That is why in mountain states, you do not see the Prias. Here in Montana I only remember seeing 3 and they had out of state licenses. There is not one Tesla registered in Montana.
You are talking about city cars, driven basically over fairly level ground and small hills. Not serious mountain driving. Give me a modern 4 wheel car like my 2012 Explorer. Dial in ice and snow on the transmission with studded snow tires and I can go anywhere and it never slips. When the chain law is in effect (tire chains required on all 4 wheels to even be allowed to drive on the road), I do not even have to put on chains. It is a lot safer, than a typical car with chains. A true all season mountain car.
Thanks, everyone, for contributing. (I knew any Prius thread would attract some bickering, but even those posts contribute by keeping the thread where others will see it.)
Mountain driving is not my main goal, but it's nice to know your car could go up the mountain if you need it to. It's unlikely I'd be driving snowy mountainous roads, so that part isn't a factor for me. It rarely snows where we live, and we usually just stay home (no commuting to work or school). We have another car that's more powerful, but someday the new car could be the only car.
I mostly drive around the NW counties of Washington, country roads and sometimes in town. My longer trips are down I-5 to Oregon (no mountains to go over). But I don't want a car that can't make it through the Cascades if I want it to. When we drive 80 miles into the mountains to go hiking, it will be nice if the new car can get us to the trailhead without too much strain - especially when gas goes back over $4.
I'm also looking at a small AWD (Subaru Impreza), as well as some other, completely uninteresting, cars.
I'll have to decide what I really want: 50 mph and a more sluggish car, or 30-35 mph with AWD.
There are too many folks replying in here that does not own a Prius and never drove one regularly. Prius is my daily driver while my old STI was my weekend car. I've drove through many hills in NJ, there aren't that many and it drives just like any underpowered car. It's not gonna outrun cars with more HP but I get up to 65mph on a incline just fine. If you're talking about serious hills, why would you even consider a Prius or any standard car? You should look at the Subaru Crosstek and they offer a hybrid version too.
The main reason you want a Prius because you want to save money on gas and you sit in traffic a lot in busy commutes. As for speeds, I hit 90mph every weekend on the highway with no problem and still get 40mpg. My STI gets under 20mpg if I drive above 80mph.
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