<p>We are getting close to having to replace my car. I am thinking along the lines of something with really good gas mileage as I drive 100 miles 5 days a week. Been thinking maybe Honda Fit or even a Toyota prius. Anyone here have one. Happy with them. Is mileage as good as advertised. How about comfort?</p>
<p>I want good gas mileage. One concern is that my husband needs to fit. He is a big guy (both height and width). How is the roominess? Don’t really care about the back seat, just the front seats.</p>
<p>Also I have been googling about the Prius and keep reading weird stuff about how to drive it to get the best mileage. I just want to get in and drive. Is all that stuff just people that are a little over the top?</p>
<p>I have a Prius, and I have to admit I love almost everything about it. Mine is a 2009, so it’s not the most recent generation. We are supposed to get about 45mpg, and we do. We are currently averaging 44.7 (in a cold, snowy climate) but it climbs to almost 50 in the summer. We don’t do any really goofy driving except when we turn it into a game. Example - I can increase my efficiency by 7mpg by drafting off a semi-truck. I do take some efficiency improving steps, like coasting down an incline, etc. Anyway, I think the newer generation is supposed to get better milage than mine.</p>
<p>I find the car completely comfortable and roomy enough for us. No one in the family is over 5’8, but some of us aren’t as slender as we should be.</p>
<p>The one thing I don’t like is that sometimes I feel like I don’t really know where the front of the car is. In part that’s because the hood slopes down at a steep angle so you can’t really see it in front of you, and in part it’s because the strut between the windshield and the front windows is sort of thick (I think because it houses airbags). That may be an idiosyncratic thing to me, so just pay attention to it if you do a test drive.</p>
<p>I guess there is one other thing that I would change in mine, and that how adjustable the steering wheel is (or, I should say, how adjustable it isn’t). I’m used to it now, but the angle bugged me at first.</p>
<p>Overall, though, I’m really glad I took the plunge. Plus, when you buy a Prius you get to join the totally secret underground club. You’ll know you’re a member when you start parking next to other Prii in parking lots, and when you realize that other Prii are parking next to you.</p>
<p>When I was googling for info on it the forum I found was full of people talking about pulsing and gliding and ICE and posting pictures of their dashboard showing their great mileage - at 28 mph. I have to drive over 50 miles each way and am not planning to go at 28mph even to get good mileage.</p>
<p>It was a bit off putting so I decided to come to CC and get some sane opinions :D</p>
<p>It will be a huge difference from my current car which is quite large. Definitely will do a good test drive. Is it pretty good speed/ power wise? My drive is mostly highway so I do want a little oomph.</p>
<p>We have a 2005 Prius (DD drives a 2003 Prius, but it is a “first generation.”) We love it. We, too, get around 44 mpg in the winter and a bit higher in the summer. We don’t do anything special when we drive–just get in and go. My husband is about 6’1" and has plenty of legroom; I’m about 5’3" and also find the driving position quite comfortable. We would absolutely buy another Prius. Our only issue is that we live in a rather snowy place and the Prius isn’t the best car for driving in deep snow. Our other car is a Forester–we make do with one car on the blizzard days.</p>
<p>We don’t normally have much snow, but this year has been an exception. I think whatever I get, my husband’s truck may have to be in use on snowy days as we couldn’t even get my car out of the neighborhood the last snow storm (we live in the countryside about 1/2 mile from the closest ploughed/sanded road). </p>
<p>I’m 5’10" and my husband is about 6’ but is large. I think I need to have him go sit in these cars before I get too excited (he drives a Ford 350 truck I can drive it but don’t like to - its like driving a tank)…</p>
<p>We have a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid - bought it used last summer with about 18K miles on it for around $18K.
We get around 40 Mpg (44 mpg the last tank) , a bit less when our college students drive it since they are not as good about coasting up to stoplights, having a light foot on the accelerator, etc. Also a bit less when it’s very hot or very cold.
Quite happy with it - the Prius does better mileage-wise, but we were scared off of Toyotas because of all the sudden-acceleration issues. Perhaps not a rational fear, but didn’t think we could live with ourselves if something bad happened, especially to one of our kids. With the Civic, it’s also VERY hard to know where the front end is, as someone above mentioned about the Prius.</p>
<p>With gas prices going up, and likely to go VERY high in the next year or so, we’re very glad to be driving a fuel-efficient car. We also feel good about not causing as much pollution and waste as all the people unnecessarily driving big frikkin’ huge urban assault vehicles…</p>
<p>Drove a Prius as a rental for 3 weeks back in 2006 or so while one of our vehicles was in the shop after a crash (damaged front and back). Liked driving it very much and were suprised at how roomy it was. Don’t really remember how the roominess compared to the Civic. Do know that the Civic Hybrid has less trunk space.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t know the mileage on our Fit — but I know everyone who drives it is really happy with it.<br>
I, personally, drive a Subaru Outback – love it. The Outback would be a great choice for those who need all-wheel-drive in snowy environs.</p>
<p>My HCH has almost 60k miles on it and most of them are in the 40 to 50 mpg range. I live in a severe climate, but this car does wonderfully in cold weather.<br>
Personally, I love its non-“Wow look at me I’m a Green Vehicle” demeanor. This little baby just drives and hugs the road, totes the load, and gives me no maintenance issues at all while sucking that gas in wee little quantities. Summer mileage is easily over 50 mpg, and I feel secure for safety. Great car!</p>
<p>We are a two-Prius family, both obtained in the past year. Love them. One car is more basic and gets 50+ mpg – the other ranges more in the 40-45 mpg range.</p>
<p>Weakly linking this back to colleges, on a college tour out east we had a choice of cars to rent from Wash DC to Phila and chose the Prius out of the “let’s see what all the fuss was about and how it drives” (and save some money on gas, too). It takes a little getting used to how quiet the engine is, and having the key that doesn’t go into a lock but sits on a ledge, but once you get past that, it drives just fine. </p>
<p>And having been to Saudi Arabia (for business) this past year, nothing gives me more pleasure than trying to minimize the amount of $ I spend on gas that goes to SA coffers.</p>
<p>I recommended it to my niece, a twentysomething just starting out, and she’s been pleased as well.</p>
<p>I have a Fit and I love it! I get between 35 and 39 mph. We joke that it’s like Mary Poppins bag - way bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. I’m 5’10", and my husband & 3 teens range from 5’10"-6’4". Four of us fit in it just fine (I wouldn’t try getting 5 people into it, although there is a 5th seatbelt). The seats fold down or flip up so you can haul tall things or big things. I took a trip last year with my three boys (tallest is 6’4") - 13 hours each way. It was a tight fit, but it worked and we didn’t’ kill each other. The Fit is great for tall people because there is a lot of head room. My husband and I are both kind of big, and we feel perfectly comfortable in it.</p>
<p>And - it cost $16,000 brand new. It feels like Honda quality, but there’s nothing luxurious about the interior - the fabric is “eh” and you hear and feel the road. I don’t now, but when I first drove it, for just a couple days, I was aware of it. The design is great as far as cup holder, radio & heat controls, etc. And it’s got a plug in for ipod, etc. </p>
<p>I love it! Every on I know with a Prius likes it a lot too. I definitely think a Prius feels soother, nicer, etc.</p>
<p>We own both a Prius and a Fit. The Prius can get over 50mpg on a long trip on freeways. The Fit is not quite that good but it can carry things the Prius cannot. </p>
<p>The largest person who drives in our home is H, who is 6’ tall. He has plenty of headroom in both, and his legs are not cramped either. His car is the Prius and he’s been happy with it. The Fit belongs to S, who is much shorter but likes the good visibility. </p>
<p>I like to drive the Prius when I’m going to be in stop and go traffic because the engine cuts off and I’m not sitting there burning gas. I like the Fit when I go shopping because the back is so easy to load/unload. We have the fitted liner in the back so I don’t have to worry about anything that may leak on the way home from the grocery store. I can just remove it and clean it. </p>
<p>The Fit is probably cheaper. Your size may mean the Prius is more comfortable. Either will be dependable good mileage transportation.</p>
<p>When I started thinking about this the Honda dealer nearby still had 5 2010 Fits (sports - which I’ve heard are worth the extra over the base model) at a sticker price of a tad under $17 k. Went by to have a look this week and he had only 2011s, he had sold all 5 2010s in the past week (with the high gas prices I guess). The cheapest 2011 Fit Sport I have seen on the net within reasonable driving distance (we usually drive to the nearest big city for car purchases as our local dealers don’t usually do well on prices) is a tad over $18k. The cheapest new prius I have seen is a tad over $23k. I am not finding much in the way of used ones around here. I would go for a used without too high a mileage if I could find one.</p>
<p>I actually quite like the look of either car. </p>
<p>What is the the thing with the Prius and the key? You don’t put it in the ignition?</p>
<p>Oh another thing - as far as negotiating prices. I know a lot of dealers are going more toward a fixed price strategy - what has been your experience with Honda and Toyota.</p>
<p>I know my daughter’s ex room mates mom bought a fit about 3 years ago and she said non of the Honda dealers withing a 100 mile range (we live about 100 miles from the nearest big city - centrally remote as someone once described it to me) would negotiate on the price for the Fit at all.</p>
<p>Prii aren’t cheap, but they do hold their value pretty well. I looked at used ones (back in 2009), but one that was 3 years old was only a few thousand less (maybe $3,000) than a brand new one.</p>
<p>Here’s the deal with the key: the Prius has an electronic “smart key” that looks like a little black box. If the car is locked and you have the key in a pocket or purse, all you have to do is walk up to the car, put your hand on the handle, and open it the door. The smart key remotely unlocks the door for you. To lock the door from the outside, you simply push a little black button on the door. You cannot do either if the smartkey is not in range.</p>
<p>Similarly, when the smart key is in the car, you will be able to turn the car on by pushing the “power” button on the dashboard. You do not have to put the key into the ignition - it can be in your purse the entire time.</p>
<p>I was dubious about it at first, but I have to admit I love it. I get very confused now in regular cars, because I’m always looking for the “off” button!</p>
<p>Yes, that’s correct. You push an “on” button. It takes a little getting used to - it is easy, because the car is so quiet, to put it in park and exit without actually turning the car off. </p>
<p>The only problem becomes if, let’s say, a man and woman were in the car, man driving and woman has the key in her purse, and she gets out of the car and takes her purse - the car won’t start. It does take a little getting used to, and frankly I’m not really sure of the benefit of this smart-key. I mean, if my key’s in my ignition I always know where it is!</p>