We are looking into buying a Prius. We live in New England where winters can be bitterly cold. How does the Prius handle in snow and how does the cold affect the performance of the hybrid engine? <br><br>Becky & Chris

&gt; We live in New England where winters can be bitterly cold.<br><br>In Minnesota, my Prius didn't struggle at all driving 7,500 miles last winter. <br><br>Details about my snow & ice adventures are documented in the personal logs on my website, along with MPG data and a bunch winter photos.<br><br>JOHN<br><a href=http://john1701a.com target=new>http://john1701a.com</a>

Hi John,<br>Thank you so much for your reply to our question. If the Prius can handle your Minnesota winters, then we're no longer worried about it's performance in Boston!<br><br>We really enjoyed going through your photo albums. You have so much useful information on your website. <br><br>We were also considering an Electric Green Prius. Looking at your photos has convinced us even more!<br><br>We have yet to test drive a Prius. We've made an appointment for this week. Can't wait!<br><br>Thanks again!<br>-Becky and Chris

pipocas01 on 11/3/01 5:07 pm:<br><br>&gt; We are looking into buying a Prius. We live in New England where winters can be bitterly cold. How does the Prius handle in snow and how does the cold affect the performance of the hybrid engine? <br><br>I asked the same question last Sept. (2000) before ordering my car. I live in Acton, MA, and got it the first week of Feb. 2001.<br><br>You'll find much more information on the subject if you search the Group site for either "snow" or "winter"<br><br>Here is my response to a similar question posted on the Group a short while ago:<br><a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/21549 target=new>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/21549</a><br><br>F\ rom: "Michelle Vadeboncoeur" &lt;mrv@...&gt;<br>

Hi, Becky and Chris. . .<br><br>Sharon, MA, here. . . our Electric Green is slated for delivery this January-February. . .

I live in Boylston, MA and I made my final decision to buy my Prius back in April after spending considerable time reading all the information on John1701's web site. He had a lot of photos of his car in the snow and daily logs detailing the tempurature and driving conditions. My biggest concern was very cold temps and the effect on the battery pack - John had some logs showing -10F days.<br><br>The only thing that remains to be seen is if I'll need real snow tires. New England has a lot steeper terrain than Minnesota and we do get a lot of freezing rain.<br><br>It will be interesting to see if the 'unadvertised traction control' will allow the car to climb out of a slippery spot.