6 Things I never expected owning a Prius

I traded in my Nissan Pathfinder for a Toyota Prius just over a year ago. Normally when you get a new vehicle, everything is wonderful and it’s the best thing ever. But that shine fades quickly. But not so with my Prius… Over a year later, and its still the best thing ever.

1. The savings
Going from a a big SUV to a fuel efficient Prius was quite a change in the pocketbook. The Prius gets much better fuel economy… using less than 1/3 the fuel of the pathfinder. For every $30 fillup I put into my Prius, I would have used $100 in my Pathfinder. So every time I fill up, I think ‘Wow, that’s $70 more for me.’ I didn’t expect that! Amazing.

2. The silence
Yes, cruising at low speeds and through parking lots is understandably quiet on battery, but what I didn’t expect was how quiet it is on the highway. It is extremely aerodynamic, so that means less wind resistance, and less wind noise inside. It’s very quiet.

3. The power
Back in 1986 I had a VW Golf Diesel. My Prius has a smaller gas engine. The tiny diesel engine had no power. I could only pass someone if I was going downhill and had a very strong tailwind! But the Prius… you stomp on the accelerator and both the gas engine and electric motor kick in. Lots of power!

4. The attention
In my small town, not many people know what my car is… but when I head to the city, people stop and ask me questions about the car. I’ve never experienced that before.

5. The technology
The Prius is a tremendous piece of high technology, and as a tech geek, it’s right up my alley. When I walk up to the car and the lights come on, as if by magic, that’s pretty cool. When I touch the door handle and it unlocks, Wow. When I sit in the car and press the power button and it starts up, cool. All without taking out the little key fob that is buried in the bottom of my wallet. Add in the JBL stereo, voice activated GPS, bluetooth connectivity, and it’s a pretty cool piece of tech.

6. The comfort
I would have expected a small car to be uncomfortable. Not at all. Very comfortable. Plenty of room. Back seat passengers never complain about room. It’s easy to take long drives in. Very nice.

Overall, the Prius is a pretty amazing car. Although the sticker price seemed steep, I thank myself every time I fill up - which is not that often!