Bought a Prius

Yesterday we picked up our brand new Prius!  Of the cars I have owned, this one by far has generated the largest number of questions, odd comments, and quizzical looks, which is saying something considering I once owned and autocrossed an orange Chevette.  As a convenience for my family, friends, coworkers, and other acquaintances, I present this convenient FAQ:

Q: When did you develop a man crush on Al Gore?

A: I didn’t.  This car is not a political statement.  It’s not going to save the planet.  It’s still consuming resources.  Only rather than burning a lot of oil from unstable countries with despotic governments, it’s made from many rare elements which are mostly concentrated in other unstable countries with despotic governments.  The motto of hybrids and electrics should be “Killing the planet a little more slowly and in different ways”.  If I really wanted to save the planet, I’d move closer to the office and walk/run/bike to work.

Q: So why did you buy it?

A: Two reasons.  First, I have a long commute and typically spend a couple hours each week crawling along slowly in bumper to bumper traffic.  The Prius is ideal for this kind of driving.  It can crawl slowly on electric power alone, which is exceedingly quiet and it doesn’t have a transmission that’s constantly changing gears like a modern 6+ speed automatic.

Second, I’m an engineer, and the technology of the Prius is fascinating.  I tend to avoid complicated cars, but will make an exception in this case.  While it’s complicated, they’ve also eliminated a lot of the failure points and maintenance items in other cars.  There is no accessory belt.  All the accessories (including A/C and water pump) are electric.  This means they can run independently of engine speed, and since they don’t need to function from 600 RPM to 6,000+ RPM are in theory less failure prone.  So how many readers have I lost by now?  Okay, I’ll skip the bit about the lack of a normal transmission.

Q: Why do you need 5 cars?

A: I don’t have 5 cars.  We have 4.  Two are new-ish daily drivers which are reliable and in good condition, and the others are both 17 years old and driven infrequently.  They old ones are a luxury and a means of coping with the long commute.  When I get bored driving the Prius, I’ll hop in a gas guzzler for a couple days, have fun, then at the first traffic jam quickly remember the reasons for getting the Prius.

Q: How much did you pay?

A: About $500 too much, like any other car, so so it feels.  With the internet, there isn’t much negotiation left.  I end up paying at or near invoice price, plus taxes, registration, and dealer fees, minus rebate and trade-in.  I suspect the invoice is slightly inflated by advertising fees and such.  With the holdback, the dealer ends up selling the car “at cost” and pocketing about $800-$1000 dollars, plus whatever other incentives go directly to the dealer.

Q: What’s it like to drive?

A: Surprisingly like any other car, with a couple exceptions.  The first portion of the “gas pedal” travel uses electric power, so to get it to really accelerate you need to push past that, and past the “efficient” zone.  It’s set up for economy, not to feel like a fast car.  Need to get up to speed?  Lead foot it.  Also, the brakes are used to recharge the battery, but the regeneration works best at speed.  As you approach a stop, the regeneration quits working and you need to push down harder to engage the friction (normal) brakes.  It’s a bit disconcerting until you get used to it.

Q: How often does the engine shut off?

A: Any chance it gets.  At speeds below about 45, the engine will shut off every time you take your foot off the gas pedal.  Driving behind someone who is going at an unsteady speed, or in traffic where cars are frequently slowing down to turn, the engine can cycle off and back on many times per mile.  It’s very well done.  Many times, you can only tell if the engine is on or off by the “EV” light on the dashboard.

Q: Is it quiet?

A: Yes and no.  At low speeds, it’s either on electric power or the engine is turning slowly, so it’s very quiet.  At speed, there is a surprising amount of tire noise.  It seems sound deadening would add weight and reduce gas mileage.