Versus: I have a trip to Fort Lauderdale Florida coming up: "Fastest route" and "Hurry" mode on the way down (with 550 ft altitude loss) "Best Amenities" and "Chill" mode on the way back Bob Wilson
Guiness World Records doesn't do records for fastest trips on public roads in order to not encourage speeding. As it is, Gerdes did that trip in 5.5 driving days with 60mph max speeds; That's 584 miles average per day. I'll do about 670 miles in ten hours with 75 to 80 mph top speeds. He might have done stretches over unpaved roads. 5th Gen Toyota Prius Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for Highest MPG from Coast-to-Coast | CleanMPG
I'm a little too old to be rolling a G5, but just imagine if Yota had started out with THAT car instead of the shape that launched 1000 memes....
We're blessed he didn't figure out how to do an automated, after market, "Gerdes Driving Package" for any vehicle . . . There may still be time: https://youtube.com/shorts/2cukB4_hDCI?si=05bMOhD4xZGNkong Bob Wilson
The G1s looked like..........a normal car. You could almost put a Nissan or a Mazda badge on the nose and nobody would notice the difference. We were also in the final days of political divisiveness only being crazy and annoying. G1 drivers were trying to do their bit - NOT browbeat everybody ELSE about how they were doing their bit. (mostly.)
Like the VW bug, there was an amazing amount of volume inside. For one trip, I took out the passenger seat and put in a "nap" board and pad. It was pretty quick over the first 20 yards, enough to get lane choice when stopped at an intersection: 2001 - hideous green without cruise control . . . uh NO 2003 - black with cruise control . . . ran 175,000 miles before the unrepairable brake booster failed Easy car to work on combined with a water noodle front intake block, very efficient, quiet, and measured ride: 65 mph - 52 MPG 70 mph - 50 MPG 75 mph - 42 MPG (latent defect in transaxle control laws fixed in Gen 2) Bob Wilson
Mine was the deep green color and I've been disappointed by all later Prius colors. There have been some blues offered for the c that were almost as nice. I just added the cruise control bits thanks to Metro Toyota offering them in one nice package.
Externally, Toyota did not change the appearance of the cars produced at the same time much. Gen1 was similar to Toyota Echo.
Sunday: 4.92 mi/kWh - "Chill" mode, 76.4 mi, 1:51 hr, no highways 5.19 mi/kWh - "Hurry" mode, 77.5 mu, 1.41 hr, with highways Bob Wilson
The price of the Echo is what the subsidy amount in Japan was based on; it was half the price difference. My understanding was the Prius was conceived to be a hatchback from the beginning, but cost limits resulted in a sedan for gen1. I'm guessing Toyota didn't have an existing Kammback hatchback model available as a starting base. Which left the Prius team stuck with a sedan for best possible aero.
"I just added the cruise control bits thanks to Metro Toyota" I seem to remember discussing the same thing, back. Back in the day of removing the (steering wheel) airbag with anti-static wrist straps etc. Our Bob found it quiet, but I did not, until adding sound-absorbing stick-on pieces. As far as driving styles, I think Wayne Gerdes may have passed me once
