I test-drove the Prius today. I drove on the freeway and found that when the car ran above 60 mph, it seemed a bit heavy. The gas pedal was hard when I tried to run above 60 mph. Then when I it ran above 68, the engine seemed to make some bit of noise.<br><br>Is this normal? Does anyone drive above 80 mph and still feel that the car is still running smoothly?

We just returned from DC (to NC) and drove an average 70 MPH with an average of 46 mpg. We experience no trouble at such speeds. When the speed of the car drifts above or near 80, my wife tugs on my pants leg to pull my foot off the accelerator - I am oblivious to the speed. The car travels smoothly and quietly even at such high speeds. The engine will rev high when I push to accelerate past a car or get better position on a truck. But there are no problems for us at high speeds. One Aqua with 16k miles at the one year anniversary date.

The speed limit on a South Dakota HWY is 75 miles an hour. We've gone on many trips (it takes 3-6 hours to get anywhere interesting from where I live), traveling usually at 75 or 80 miles an hour for several hours at a time. We have never experienced lack of power or noise from the engine. <br><br>We have also noticed that there is a lot less road noice than in other smaller cars we have rode in. We own a Grand Caravan, and a Nissan Sentra also. Out of the 3 vehicles, we usually take the Prius on trips now, unless we need the room of the van. We are happy Prius owners.

Hi Yoyo:<br><br>Did you test drive a Prius that was broken in? (Above 600 mi) Was the car cold? Both of these factors determine how the car performs. First time I drove a Prius, I complained about its lack of power. The salesman switched me to a warmed-up demo with 750 miles on it. It ran like a bat outta hell. Mine with 10,500 miles does too. FYI. <br><br>-Michael<br>CA "01 Prius"

yoyohybrid 2/18/02 2:47 am:<br><br>&gt; I test-drove the Prius today. I drove on the freeway and found that when the car ran above 60 mph, it seemed a bit heavy. The gas pedal was hard when I tried to run above 60 mph. Then when I it ran above 68, the engine seemed to make some bit of noise. &lt;<br>&gt; Is this normal? Does anyone drive above 80 mph and still feel that the car is still running smoothly? &lt;<br><br>Ah, another person who drives by sound of the engine...<br><br>The Prius has a CVT (continuously variable transmission). The transmission selects the best gear ratios for the engine (and electric motor) to run at optimum RPM for the load that you ask the Prius to handle. For example, if you floor the accelerator to quickly get onto a highway from a stop (I've got a 55MPH highway on my way to work, with stop signs at all of the on-ramps...), or if you're going up a hill, the engine will increase to a higher RPM and make a lot of noise. This is normal, as you are requesting a heavy load of the engine, so it'll increase to a higher RPM and make more noise. So, you can be going a single speed (such as with cruise control on), but the engine will make varying sounds depending on your terrain. (Loud going up hills, and maybe even off when coming down the hill.)<br><br>An ordinary automatic transmission tends to stay in a particular gear when going a set speed, regardless of terrain, and therefore has a continuously sounding RPM sound.<br><br>For someone who is used to knowing their speed by the sound of the engine (particularly someone who drives a manual ("stick-shift") transmission car, the CVT such as in the Prius (or the hybrid Civic or Insight, or several high-end model cars) makes them worry at first. Don't worry, it's perfectly normal.<br><br>Meanwhile, as for the speed... It's very easy to creep up to a very fast speed and not realize it. Top speed on the Prius is somewhere around 100MPH (I forget the actual number.) I have no problems when I do take roads that are 75MPH or so.<br><br>(Some Prius have been known to have some tracking problems at highway speeds (wander). It's been found that the alignment on these Prius needs to be fixed. Also, the OEM Potenza tires have a tendancy of following grooves/ruts on highways...)<br><br>Do be aware that the sweet spot for highway driving with the Prius is around 63MPH. If you are prone to faster highway driving, because of air resistance your MPG will be lower than you expect. (According to the Car Talk guys, for every 1 MPG you drive over 55 MPH, your fuel economy goes down 2% ! <a href=http://cartalk.cars.com/About/Eco/tips.html#6 target=new>http://cartalk.cars.com/About/Eco/tips.html#6</a> )

&gt; knowing their speed by the sound of the engine <br><br>Hearing the engine rev and feeling the gears shift used to be how things were measured. Prius redefines performance. Smoooooothness & Quiet is a factor to consider now.<br><br>Car & Driver stated last month that not having the engine running while stopped at a light was disconcerting. The very feature that made them feel uncomfortable is the same thing that we praise.<br><br>It's interesting to see perceptions change. Like how tall car interiors are now becoming appealing, despite the fact that they give the illusion of making the car look shorter.<br><br>JOHN<br><a href=http://john1701a.com target=new>http://john1701a.com</a>

Hi Michael,<br><br>The Prius I drove on only got 10 miles. The engine should not be cold because it was driven from a different location to the show room for me to test-drive. Maybe it's the within the break-in period.

Hi guys,<br><br>Thanks for all the info.<br><br>It's just that I felt that the car was a bit heavy (only 2 people on the car -- me and a passenger, not on a hill or something). As I wanted to speed up the car a bit on the freeway, the gas pedal was pretty hard and it seemed like the car resisted to move beyond 70 mph. I did feel tired on my right leg (stepping on the gas pedal continuously, again not on a hilly road) as I continued to keep the car at 73 mph! I got the same experience when I drove the Honda Civic (1994 model). The vehicle didn't really want to go beyond 80 mph, or it would roam quite a bit. Probably it is all because of the small engine on these vehicles.<br><br>I understand there is a trade-off (car performance) for a gas-saving vehicle. But I am still interested in finding out all of its strength and weaknesses before I buy one.

We actually love the power we have with our prius! In driving through our coastal hills, we push the pedal to the medal and zoom past the larger "more powerful" vehicles. This car's maximum speed is supposed to be 80 mph but I believe you can push it a little further and to be honest, do you really need to go faster than 80 in the US? We will be driving through CA in a few months where the speed limit is at 75 so we will see how it runs at that speed or higher, right now we have no problems using our cruise control in the 65-72 mph. Good luck!

Just a correction - I believe the computer limits the max speed to 100 mph.

Just adding on to the details in your message-<br>Yes - My '02 Super white wandered quite a bit at first - During my first servicing I had the dealer adjust the alignment - It was off and the correction to spec made the car handle very nicely at highway speeds (65-80 mph). Plenty of power - My wife observed, the first time she and I were driving next to each other that when I went up our last long mountain climb to get home (1 mile long at @15-20% grade), I walked away from her car and she could/did not want to keep up - Her car is a 2000 Subaru Outback Sport.<br><br>I love the Prius.!

&gt; it seemed like the car resisted to move beyond 70 mph<br><br>A lot of people instinctively fear revving the engine high. They hesitate without even realizing that's what they're doing.<br><br>Did you ever try punching it? It's an incredible sensation. You can smack the pedal to the floor without any fear of over-stressing the system. The motor provides the brunt of the acceleration. You can shoot up from 70 to 85 MPH without little effort. (It's the ultimate test-drive "must try" once you've experienced stealth, since you don't expect the system to still have that much power available.)<br><br>JOHN<br><a href=http://john1701a.com target=new>http://john1701a.com</a>

Hi Yoyo again:<br><br>Not that the stock broken-in Prius doesn't already run great, since I've installed a K&N air filter replacement and a Tornado Air unit in the air intake hose, I have MUCH more useable power (& more torque, which dovetails beautifully with the already torquey electric motor)! It accels rather well. Now, if I could only keep my foot out of it long enough to see an increase in the already incredible fuel mileage! FYI.<br><br>-Michael<br>CA "01 Prius"

yoyohybrid 2/18/02 2:52 pm:<br><br>&gt; The Prius I drove on only got 10 miles. The engine should not be cold because it was driven from a different location to the show room for me to test-drive. Maybe it's the within the break-in period. &lt;<br><br>Are you saying that the Prius that you drove only had 10 miles on the main odometer (ODO next to the mileage)?<br><br>If so, it definately was in the Prius break-in period.<br><br>p. 144 of my old 2001 manual:<br>"BREAK-IN PERIOD<br>Drive gently and avoid high speeds.<br>Your vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in. But following a few simple times for the firstr 1000km (600 miles) can add to the future econoomy and long life of your vehicle:<br>* Do not drive over 100 km/h (62 mph).<br>* Avoid full-throttle starts.<br>* Try to avoid hard stops during the first 300 km (200 miles)."<br><br>The thing with buying a TRAC or former demo vehicle (perhaps a used Prius as well) is that you don't know how the Prius was treated before you got it...<br><br>Also, several owners have noted that the MPG and power change on the Prius may take upwards to 3000 miles, not just the 600 miles break-in listed in the manual. Not sure if this is the Prius settling in, or if it's the owner settling in to a driving style that best suits the Prius...

&gt; Does anyone drive above 80 mph and still feel<br>&gt; that the car is still running smoothly?<br><br>Fastest I've had mine is 103 MPH (according to the speedometer). Still smooth and stable.<br><br>Regards,<br>Julian.

I did 87 mph yesterday for a short period of time and not only was I surprised at how quick the car got to 87, but how much more it felt like it had left.

i drove it at maximum speed for a couple of minutes (i live in germany ;-) ).<br>the prius accelerated quite quickly to 100mph / 160km/h, then the acceleration suddenly stopped; so i guess the prius COULD go even faster but some electronics won't let you (probably to protect the generator or engine or something).<br>btw the battery only showed 1/4 full after this high-speed driving... guess the turtle would have shown up if i hadn't slowed down then.