Going Green for a Week Update

We turned in the Prius on Sunday after filling up the tank. I a week, we'd driven about 275 miles on half a tank, 165 miles of it high-speed freeway driving. When my DH figured out our mileage, he was surprised and pleased to find we'd gotten 45 mpg on the half tank. Not bad considering more than half of it was freeway driving.

In a comment Rhonda asked if a large man would fit in the Prius and I'd say yes. My DH is 6'1" with very long legs and he had no problems at all. In fact, the car is higher than our Acura TL, with excellent head room. Overall, it was surprisingly roomy inside. The hardest thing to get used to is the "snub nose" front as Rhonda put it in a comment. You can get the idea from this photo which I took out the front window while parked. The hood of the car is nowhere in sight!

Would I consider buying one? You bet. Gasoline prices may be down a bit, but I doubt we'll ever see $1.00 a gallon gas again anytime soon. But first we may have to rent a Toyota Camry and see if we like it better.

Going Green For A Week

On Sunday, my hubby and I rented a Toyota Prius for a week to see how we like it. He drove it the first part of the week and now it's my turn, though I did get a chance to drive it a bit on Sunday and again yesterday. I'd been intrigued by the idea of the hybrid engine for some time, and since the price of gasoline started going up, he's quit fighting me on the idea.

My husband drove it first, and the thing that impressed him most was that you can't see the front of the car from the driver's seat. The hood slopes off dramatically, as you can see it. It takes a little getting used to. I discovered today that it helps to turn on the headlights, even during the day, as you can see them reflected in things like walls, garage doors, the bumper of the car in front of you... Very useful. :)

The controls take a little getting used to, also. Instead of a standard automatic transmission control, there's a Power button you push to start the engine but it only works if you have your foot on the break, and another button for Park. The display is fun to watch. It shows whether or not the gasoline engine is engaged (like you can't tell by the sound of it). The electric motor is very quiet.

It's smaller but higher than out Acura TL. We don't have kids or grandkids to haul around, so a sedan works nicely for us, even a small one. My DH said to ask myself as I drove the Prius, "would you want to drive this car across the country?" I'm not sure about the answer, but I'd happily drive it to northern California or Arizona. Don't know if we'll buy one or not. I'll report in again on Sunday about final impressions in between my writing, which has gone pretty well this week. The next few days are going to be busy ones though.

How's your week going?

Linda