In a recent post about winter driving, I revealed that I traded my 05 HCH for an 06 Prius. This change was not just for the winter driving issue. Other factors:

I had the lean burn engine, it's pollution specs were not that much different than the convention ICE in a Civic or Corolla.

The Prius gets better mileage in stop and go city/town driving. Where I live, Fort Collins, CO, it's difficult to drive around town and not have to stop for a traffic signal every mile or so. My HCH yielded low to mid 30 MPG under warm summer driving conditions. In contrast my 06 Prius has 50 miles on it. 80% of that is stop and go city driving, in near zero weather. Average MPG 31.5, the HCH would be sub 30 MPG under these conditions. Can't wait for summer to see what the Prius will do. I'm betting on mid to upper 30s or more.

The Prius' ability to creep and crawl in EV mode. Not available in 05 or 06 HCH. Doin' my part for cleaner air on the front range :-)

I sometimes need the cargo capacity that only a hatchback can offer. (I wish the new VW Beetle was a hybrid. Had one a few years ago, I loved its small size, nimble handling and the hatchback)

The Prius has more horsepower, this is important when you live at 5000 ft ASL. As best I can figure horsepower is reduced about 10-20% at this altitude. The extra ponies are nice to help with the rolling terrain here. Nicer still when I head west into the mountains.

Something I noticed today when I did a short trip on the expressway, the Prius is much quieter than the 05 HCH.

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12/9: With the cold weather I forgot about AC. The 05 HCH AC would shut down at traffic lights. UGH summer days here are 90-100 Deg F. and the intense sunlight would heat up the interior of the car quite quickly.

 

One thing about the elevation is this-- the electric motor will not lose any power from the elevation, so the Prius, by having a smaller engine/larger motor will lose much less by the elevation than the HCH.

 

Hi Double-Trinity:

___Another viewpoint on the Prius II’s electric capabilities … If you are ever in the pink (I was there only once, I promise ), the Prius II has an acceleration capability of a Geo Metro 3-cylinder. 0 - 60 in the 14.5 + second range. How you get into the pink takes some doing but remember that a 0 - 60 time of ~ 10.5 seconds arrives from a relatively full pack. In the midrange, expect a 11 - 13 second performer and in the pink, previously explained.

___In any case, if you are a city dweller in particular, the Prius II is possibly the best choice of any and all automobiles available other then a bicycle

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

 

yeah... I'm having such a hard time deciding between the 2001 prius and the 03 civic. One has comforts and looks, the other has better FE capability and traction control. Although it will cost me less to get a prius, they come With no warranty so I'm paranoid about expensive repairs so for now I'll keep my reliable car although I wish I had another.

 

I drove a new Prius, and the *only* reason I went with the HCH is because of the lack of legroom. I'm 6'2", and my knees were literally rubbing on the steering wheel! There is no excuse for lack of driver legroom in a 4-door...take it away from the seat behind you (extreme example...check out the Lexus 430SC..a "4-seater", but with the front seats all the way back, they are literally up against the rear seats...absolutely zero rear legroom in theis configuration!).

Bill

 

Strange that none of you even mentioned the $3000-4000 more that the TOYota folks want for the wierd looking Prius.

 

It costs $100 less. Do you mean markup? Most Honda dealers charge markup too, but not all, just like Toyota dealers.

 

It might add a couple of grand to your purchase price, but look at adding on an extended warranty on either car. It's an expensive insurance policy, but the nights that you sleep all the way through are much better


I bought the 03HCH as a Certified Used Car from the Honda store and then had them add on enough Xtended Warranty to cover the car for as long as I'm making payments on it.

Given that I traded a Mercedes Benz 300E wagon with near-single-digit mileage and a dodgey wiring harness, moving up to a highly-reliable marque and 45 MPG, adding on a little more for warranty was a no-brainer. (Plus that was back in the days before a used HCH cost more than a new one )