The Best Budget Road trip car is the Prius

"magman007" (magman007) 10/03/2013 at 11:05 • Filed to: roadtrip, prius

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And I am going to tell you why. Now, you may wish to revoke my man card after this post, but I assure you, hear me out before you go on and call for my head.

Besides the obvious reason of good fuel economy, the prius makes its self the best road trip car for a few more, less thought of reasons.

1) You can fit a twin sized futon mattress in the back with the seats folded down. True story. Fold the front seat backs up a bit, and lay the rear seats down, and you have a full beige bedroom at your disposal. While driving, just bend the mattress up behind the front seats, and you have room for your luggage on top of the mattress. Outside of a pontiac aztek with its goofy tent there is no better option out there that will return decent fuel mileage.

2) Climate control. Yes Climate control. What is the worst part about sleeping in a car? Its getting cold or hot at night, making sleep difficult. Well, with the prius you can leave the car on all evening running the climate control systems and barely use a few sips of fuel. The system will run off of the battery, and kick on the motor occasionally to keep charging.

3) Ride Quality. Lets face it, the prius may not be rolls royce levels of comfort, but its not bad in any way shape or form. The seats are comfortable, nicely adjustable, and the interior, while bland is nicely appointed. You get a nice upright, high seating position and a fishbowl of glass to see out of the entire car.

4) Performance. Lets face it, if you're road tripping, you're going to be going around 70 mph the entire time, needing just a little juice to pass. While the prius isn't setting any land speed records, when you tell it to move it will do so happily.

5) Blendability. Lets face it, unless you are doing some face melting speeds, the Law enforcement you encounter on the trip are not going to think twice about the beige box scooting down the road. Instead they're going to be pulling over that dipshit in the v6 mustang who cut you off 2 miles ago and is weaving in and out of traffic.

6) Fuel savings. The prius is so efficient you can tour the entire USA, while sleeping in your car, for approx $500. Thats a cheap vacation any where the road will take you.

Other positives include large hatch area to profess your love for things via bumper sticker, The troll factor (pissing off everyone else on the road, just because your in a prius), and the economy gauge, which provides hours of entertainment trying to get the best numbers possible.

Ok, now you may rage against me, revoke my gear head card, and burn me at the stake. Fact of the matter is the prius is an excellent road trip car. Used examples are getting cheap, and while I would rather stay at the Ritz and drive an e39 m5 through out the USA, the prius is better suited to those on a budget. So, round up the socially awkward kid in your dorm who drives their parents old prius, or take your parents prius, or your grandmothers aunts cousins prius, and go out and see what our beautiful country has to offer. But wait a few weeks, because due to the govt, all of the places you really want to see are closed.

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:09

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I'm sorry, but I disagree. TDI Sportwagen.

Nice an quiet on the highway. More headroom in the back. Not to mention more MPGs on the highway.

Also, because wagon.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:09

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All wrong. Buy unusually well-maintained 924 for far less than Prius, tour in that with map of spares locations, and have money left over.

*Still has hatch, but front seats for sleeping in.

*Better ride

*Good mileage, performance

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:10

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I'd still have to buy a Prius, which I don't want to do. I don't want to be caught dailying a Prius, therefore the cost of the roadtrip rises to Cost of Prius + Cost of Road trip, is what, $10,500?

offroadkarter > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/03/2013 at 11:10

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I would honestly take a TDI over a hybrid any day.

Ex. President Mack41 > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:13

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All your points can be had with most 5 door hatchbacks/wagons. You can find those with 30mpg+ highway too, at a lower cost used than a used Prius, and cheaper and quicker repairs if it breaks down in the middle of nowhere during your road trip. A Prius can be the best choice for some things but not for just road tripping. Plus, you put that futon mattress back there and pack it with everything that weight will bring down the MPGs a decent amount.

magman007 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/03/2013 at 11:13

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have you tried sleeping in bucket seats for multiple nights in a row, then driving in said seats all day? Its not accommodating in the slightest, nor is a 924 the epitome of reliable. As great of a car as it is, its not ideal.

magman007 > Ex. President Mack41 10/03/2013 at 11:15

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Ah yes, this is true, but none of those vehicles offer you the convenience of climate control as effectively as the prius does.

magman007 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/03/2013 at 11:15

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Thats why you borrow one, or convince the nerdy kid to go on the road trip of his life.

PelicanHazard > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:16

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If you're going to pick a Prius as a road trip car, there's a better one that has more room for the stuff you'll take and pick up on the journey:

magman007 > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/03/2013 at 11:16

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Doesn't have the convenience of climate control like the prius.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:17

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Interesting article, but you should have used a photo of a Prius as your lead picture, not a grassy area with nothing in it but a tree and part of a sidewalk. It makes some sense though, as it's a "Green" car.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:17

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I'm mostly being contrary - that being said, for everything the Prius has I think I'd have more fun in a gen 2 Insight.

The 924, as much as it's a troll answer, I'd have more fun with with an occasional breakdown and some more uncomfortable sleep - a car I'd actually like being in for more than 4 hours. More than about 6 in a Prius, I think the murderous rage would set in.

magman007 > PelicanHazard 10/03/2013 at 11:17

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good point, you can fit a larger mattress, and more stuff, but they are less popular than the ubiquitous regular prius.

PelicanHazard > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/03/2013 at 11:17

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Although if you're not dailying it, you can presumably recoup a high percentage of the vehicle price selling it afterwards.

magman007 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/03/2013 at 11:18

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just quell your rage with the MPG gauge :)

PelicanHazard > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:18

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I dunno about that, I'm starting to see them in almost equal number to the hatch in my area, which is impressive for its short time on sale.

magman007 > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 10/03/2013 at 11:19

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It was the most bad ass prius I could find in 3 seconds of google image searching :)

magman007 > PelicanHazard 10/03/2013 at 11:21

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This is true, they are gaining popularity at an alarming rate, almost like Tribbles. To date I have only seen (or at least noticed) 1 prius c.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > PelicanHazard 10/03/2013 at 11:22

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This is true... I still have trouble with the idea of Prius anything, let alone owning one. Or even stepping onto the lot and having to say, I'd like to look at your Prii. Not to mention the onslaught of jokes at my expense, from some of the friends I have, haha.

magman007 > PelicanHazard 10/03/2013 at 11:23

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This too, 5k more miles or so and the value is not going to change that much. If you were to purchase one for this use, and re sell it, you should break even, if not profit a bit if you buy and sell it right.

PelicanHazard > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/03/2013 at 11:29

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I'm coming to terms with it. The Prius and Prius c I downright hate, having experience with both. The regular Prius isn't really that big, drives like a narcoleptic cross-country skier, and has some oddities I can't get used to, like the odd center console. The Prius c is smaller, cheaper and built worse.

The Prius v I'm ambivalent about. On the one hand, it doesn't look half bad (keeping in mind nothing in this segment is truly wow-astonishing), it feels like a stepping stone back to true wagons (I think the v is called a 'tall wagon', like the XC70), and I can certainly respect its fuel efficiency. But I hear it drives just as badly as the hatch, I'm having a really odd time wrapping my head around all the instruments being in the center, and there's no denying that a Prius purchase in this day and age carries a certain image or looks like keeping up with the Joneses...which is odd for me because I don't usually care about this.

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:44

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Sure it does.

magman007 > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/03/2013 at 11:49

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not going to help when you get to Arizona or nevada :)

timateo81 > magman007 10/03/2013 at 11:57

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Prius owner here. I think your expectations on climate control efficiency are misguided.

A/C : On the current generation liftback models, the a/c compressor is run directly off the traction battery - the same one that powers the wheels w/ electric. true, you can run the a/c for a time without using gas. on a hot day we're talking about 8 minutes before the engine has to turn on to recharge. It's not insubstantial by any means.

Heat : The cc heat on the current generation liftback is generated from ICE residual heat. You must run the engine to initially generate the heat, but the engine will shut off for some time once it reaches temperature. transferring heat to the cabin via CC lowers the engine operating temperature - at some point the engine will start to run again to create more heat. On a cold day, this will be very similar to the a/c situation on a hot day.

There is no such thing as free energy - and your hypothesis on cheaper CC isn't as practical as you might imagine.

magman007 > timateo81 10/03/2013 at 12:02

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Its still not as inefficient as running an engine the entire night. My father in law who has done this twice now with my mother in law says it uses less than an 1/8th tank of gas through out the night on the hottest and coldest nights.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > magman007 10/03/2013 at 12:54

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Climate control sucks, trufax.

Stef Schrader > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/03/2013 at 13:10

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Or TDI anything. I really didn't want to give back the A7 loaner I had a couple weeks ago. Really didn't. It got better gas mileage than the Lancer and more comfortable seats, despite being the size of Zimbabwe. The "toys" all made sense, were easy to use, and easy to find—which I can't say about the current-gen Toyota's entertainment system.

I'll review it shortly, but gott dang were we kicking ourselves for not asking to get the A7 for my LeMons trip to Houston instead. I would road trip that sucker anywhere and everywhere.

Also, while it's didn't have the immediate punch of electric torques, the vast usable range of mid-range torque in those VAG TDIs made for one very happy Stef. My crew guy for LeMons and I kept fighting over who got to drive it. If they'd just come out with some kind of e-tron TDI wacky hybrid diesel A7, holy balls. All the torques for all the things. Not sure if want from a complexity/having to fix it standpoint, but I vote MAKE IT ANYWAY. For, uh, when I strike oil in my yard 'n' stuff.

mikespeed95 > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/03/2013 at 13:12

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Before I completely shame myself, I own a lot of vehicles, and I used to daily my Full size Cummins powered truck that I also use to tow my racecar trailers and other toys.

I got tired of spending $800+ a month on fuel, and started looking for a a-b car when not towing.

I'm 6'3'', and I have to be honest, the back seat in the Prius is actually somehow comfortable, the VW's I don't fit.

You get a little less MPG in the TDI's, but the cost per gallon of fuel is 30% higher, which negates the point entirely.

I looked at a lot of things, and I've put 40,000 miles on the used Prius I bought last October. The only maintenance I've had to do is tint the windows to protect occupant and drivers identity, and it has saved me a LOT of money, and it's very good at carrying up to 4 full size adults on several 6+ hour road trips with luggage.

Don't get me wrong, the car is boring, and sucks. But when you're getting from point A-B on an interstate, you're not using more than its 10'' brake rotors offer. You wouldn't know if the sway bars were even there, you wouldn't know if you had more power. You're driving in a mostly straight line at a mostly constant speed, it's boring, restricted, and it is a task. The Prius is a good piece of equipment for that task.

And again for the record, it is an awful, awful boring piece of equipment. Don't make the mistake of assuming I'm that guy posting on the internet who's only accomplished purchasing a Prius in 30 years. If you're looking for a commuter car to add to your fleet, keep miles off of your truck, and keep money in your bank account you should really look at what you're using the piece of equipment for, and make a decision based off of that. Used Priuii make a lot of fiscal sense if you just need something to drive people up/down the road with no cargo, and you already have a racecar/plethora of other internal combustion toys you use on the weekends.

His Stigness > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/06/2013 at 21:43

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And the ride and seat comfort are LIGHTYEARS better than the Prius.

I really hope he has never driven a current VW because I would seriously doubt his definition of "comfortable" if he had.

DIRTEE30 > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 10/06/2013 at 23:41

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I would take this over a Prius, not because the Prius is a hybrid, as I have nothing against hybrids, as long as they genuinely save significantly on gas over a similar-sized vehicle. But I love the way the Sportwgon looks. My self-esteem is boosted when I drive a wagon, rather than a cheese wedge, and not a good one, either.

911e46z06 > magman007 10/07/2013 at 02:30

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Let's face it. It's better to pay the extra money to not have to drive a Prius. An e39 528i touring will get you 30 mpg and be more comfy (driving and sleeping), more fun, less embarrassing, and much better for passing all those big rigs.

BlackLab > magman007 10/07/2013 at 03:09

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No offense but I think you need to try road tripping in some nicer cars. Prius are noisy, uncomfortable and handle as well as a big SUV.. Any generic Audi, BMW, etc is light years ahead of them. And a Prius doesn't even get very good gas mileage at the 80 or so MPH you are going to cruise at.

You are not talking about a road trip anyway - just some kind of road torture where you have to sleep in a car..probably because you are broke. I am not hating - maybe the Prius is the best car for broke college student who doesn't want to pick up or talk to any girls..

I rented a Chevy Equinox recently. I am not saying its the best road trip car - but its not as noisy as Prius - it can hold alot of stuff - and has a really nice stock radio. Like a Prius though (it had the four cylinder) its almost comically slow. You floor while passing a big rig and it makes alot of noise but doesn't go much faster for a bit..

Sorry but despite the slow car fast crowd theories - I kinda like a car that can accelerate quickly to get you past worrying situations like unsteady looking double long 18 wheelers..

I'd go with a Dodge Challenger as a cool road trip car if it was just me and a girl.. but that more cause they look awesome and are fun.

Wonk Unit > magman007 10/07/2013 at 10:18

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I second that. My mom has one and i've road tripped it several times. good on gas and comfortable, you can throw stuff in the back. its just a car, not a disease.

magman007 > BlackLab 10/07/2013 at 11:04

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Ah, but I have road tripped in nicer cars. I have done KS to PA in an e46 m3 (my personal weapon of choice for a road trip) IL to FL in an e36 m3 (great, except for the fixed back sparco seats) CT to FL in a Subaru STi, KS to Chicago in an 07 chevy malibu, as well as PA to KS in a ford windstar, and other trips in between.

While I am not advocating everyone do the trip, but if you have the means, and have a prius at your disposal, you can see our beautiful country for really really cheap, and rather comfortably.

Passing maneuvers in a prius are not that bad, the electric motors provide a decent amount of pep, and its better than similarly powered gassers. The real benefit to the car is the gas savings, the sleeping space, and the ability to do so with relative comfort, using the climate control to your advantage. $6 in gas over night is better than even $39 at a motel 6, and there is less chance of taking home roaches and bed bugs with your luggage.

magman007 > 911e46z06 10/07/2013 at 11:06

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I agree, I prefer a proper car, don't get me wrong, but the e39 is not going to be more comfortable than a twin size bed, and the full convenience of climate control all night long for $6 in gas.

Michael > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 12/11/2013 at 19:39

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I think it comes down to the fact that the TDI Sportwagen gets severely worse mileage than the Prius.

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > Michael 12/12/2013 at 20:48

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Severely worse? Don't you think that's a bit extreme? People I know that have a TDI will get 50 miles per gallon on the highway. were talking a difference of 6 miles per gallon. Not to mention it looks better, there's more room, it has a factory roof rack and you don't have to change out the batteries at 100,000 miles.