I am thinking of purchasing a Prius plug-in and I will be using it to drive within 8 miles of my home. Since the speed limits in my area range from 20 to 35 mph will I benefit from using the EV mode? Or am I better off buying a the standard non- plug- in version of the Pruis?
yes you will benefit from ev mode, but do some more reading before deciding. it can sometimes take a bit of thinking to stay in ev, especially in winter. i have a 7 mile commute each way and have been using ev almost exclusively since last april. all the best!
If you can figure out how to stay warm in winter without using the heater then you'll likely run entirely on EV if you charge at home and work. On weekends, if I stick close to my house I don't leave EV Mode. I run errands then recharge. It's quite nice!
Yeah. I had the rear windows tinted today and as per our deal, the dealer installed the full clear bra package for free. Unfortunately I already had rock chips but this will reduce the damage I would incur without the bra. My old 2012 was already pretty beat up without a bra. While dropping off the rental car at the dealer, I saw my old 2012 on the lot. It looked so good.
Sorry for the frowns. I really love the PIP. My long commute kills the mpg potential BUT I can stay in the 60+mpg range easily even in winter. That means summer I'll be closer to 70mpg. Add in all the cool comfort and tech features and I'm satisfied. Especially after driving a 2012 Corolla for a few days. My PIP feels like a luxury car after that!
i believe you will do better than your '12. i was just thinking how smooth the pip is on my drive home tonite.
Guaranteed! I had to do some serious summer hypermiling to keep my average above 60mpg on my old 2012. The PIP will allow my to hold the same average without all the hypermiling antics if I choose. The plug allows me to drive faster when I want/need to and still keep a high average despite my 100 mile commute. The biggest bonus of all is being happy to run errands for my significant other without the mpg penalty of short trips suffered in a non-Plug In.
I chose the Prius Plug-In while waiting for a Prius 5 to be shipped in to my local dealer, I found out about the good, time limited deal, limited Advance availability on 2012s, here. One day trip Northern Virginia to close the deal and drive it home. I know I would have been happy with the Prius 5, being new to the Prius, and the exceptional mileage. I'm sure that would have been short lived and wished and wondered if I should have gotten the plug-in version? Now, I don't have to look back. Exceptional deal, 0%, 60 month financing. I drove off the lot without spending a dime. I feel like I legally stole my Prius, at least until the first payment is due. My commute to work is 9.8 miles and the past two mornings, I got 999mpg with .1 left on the meter. Exciting stuff. I can't believe I purchased a Prius. I've always been conservative, but never really concerned with gas mileage. I must admit, I'm a reformed Prius hater. Chose two VW NewBeetle diesels (1999 & 2006) as my choice of fuel efficient vehicle. The current 2006 was named "the Prius eater". I must admit, I sinned, I was a hater, I was wrong, but I've changed. I love the Prius, but only with decent 17" wheels. I plan to give up my 2011 Lexus IS 350 off lease in December. Looking forward to my Prius "plug-in" experience.
Short trips are MPG killers with the regular Prius. If you had to deal with them and speed limits up to 45 mph, efficiency is heavily in favor of the plug. That makes the decision easier. The engine likely wouldn't be needed at all. 8 miles from home (16 round trip) is longer though, but the capacity would actually balance out nice. You'd still get great MPG overall. In the summer, you'd experience the rapid engine warm-up and not mind much when it runs. In the winter, you may get annoyed by the engine warm-up taking longer and running for heat, not just providing power after depletion. The EV experience is complimented nicely by the HV driving. It's what a plug-in hybrid is all about. Toyota designed a system for the masses, delivering a vehicle that takes advantage of electricity without sacrificing it just for the sake of keeping the engine off even when it's inefficient to do so. It's a balance some people like and others don't. Good luck with your decision.
Congrats, I was wondering if you kept it or not. I too came from driving VW TDI's and have found the way, after years of denial.
You have to be careful. "better off" as in financially or fuel economy? If it's fuel economy, there's no question the PiP trumps all other Prius. Long distance, short distance, cold weather, hot weather. It will use the least amount of gasoline of all Prius in all conditions if you have a place to plug it in at home. However, if you're talking about financially, a Prius C at some $18k will save you the most money. And if you live with high electricity rates like CA, you'll save money even with a regular Prius at $23k despite all the PiP rebates.
The magic question is asking yourself how much you'd like to contribute to the environment and making a better future for the children. Some people disregard that benefit entirely, expecting the financial decision to "pay for itself" rather than helping out a little bit. Considering a small chunk of the price difference for that is realistic.
To the OP: you're situation seems more-or-less the ideal for Prius plug-in. I'm sure you'll find in practice a lot of your trips will be longer, but if the majority are around 8 miles each way, you're big concern could be stale gas, LOL. I think too the plug-in monitors engine usage, and purposely starts it up occasionally, to keep it lube'd, burn a little gas.