Walking the Walk...Finally
I did not wake up yesterday knowing I was getting a new car. It's been on my "to do" list for a while now and I finally decided NOT to wait a year or more for the major Prius redesign. So I checked around the area and found one with the Navigation system and a color that I liked and "Whammo!" - new car.
I must say that saying goodbye to the A4 was not easy. It has been a great and enjoyable car to drive. I won't miss the manual transmission though. Driving around Chicago with a stickshift is always just a roll of the dice. Will we get stuck in traffic and give our left leg a ridiculous workout on the clutch pedal? But it is with mixed emotions that I make this transition when nothing was really wrong with the Audi. I will miss that innate craving for Gs going around on-ramps. That car could handle corners like nobody's business! But it is a heady decision and the kids are proud that both our cars are hybrids. Colin is happy that the car is NOT blue and Chelsea actually likes the shape. Go figure. Perhaps someday they will make a hybrid or some-such environmentally friendly sports car where I can once again enjoy the Gs. Chelsea wants a hybrid convertible and, by the time she's ready to drive, there just might be such a vehicle.
So, we've made a complete transition from the Honda (& Acura) line of cars to the Toyota (& Lexus) line. I had considered the Honda Civic hybrid but decided that the Prius made more of an official environmental statement. Rather than hiding the technology, the Prius flaunts it. Now, I just need an Obama sticker on the back!
The New 2008 Prius in Driftwood Pearl
posted by Kevin @ 10:46 AM
1 Comments:
The shape of the Prius has grown on me. At first, it was so unusual, that it stood out, but now that there are so many of them, and it is such a symbol, I like it. Plus, you realize that it is partly the shape that helps the gas mileage, so it acquires a certain beauty.
I hope you enjoy your Prius as much as I've enjoyed ours. Ours has 91,000 miles on it now, and narry a problem other than the display freezing (I think they've fixed that...). Still haven't replaced any brakes. Factory tires wore out relatively quickly (28K mi or so I think) so I replaced them with better ones, and I do put on snows in the winter - started that last year just to see if we should get a second Prius to replace the CR-V and unload all our 4WD capability (jury is still out on that one).
I'm sure the car is still teaching you to drive it, so it will take a bit of time to optimize your mileage. Driving longer distances (combining trips) to minimize % time in warmup mode (all gas), learning to use the regenerative braking with gentle pressure applied earlier coming to stops, steady acceleration followed by easing off on the foot pressure, not using A/C when temps are between 55 and 80, keeping windows closed above 40 mph - all those tricks will up your mileage. They say also that mileage is best with slight hills (not completely flat, but certainly not hills like we have), so you should do very well there.
The thing people don't talk about much is saving $ at the pump! When you can go 400 miles and have trouble squeezing 8 gallons in the tank, the contrast becomes very real with 'normal' cars.
Enjoy!
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