Bob47 wrote: The other difference is that the Prius is NOT a small car. The back seat room in a Prius is amazing, particularly the leg room. My son, who is 6' 5" can sit comfortably behind me with my seat all the way back. We have never had another vehicle, including SUVs and Vans, where that was possible.
We had the displeasure to ride in the back of a Prius taxi in Vegas. I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'10". I had to lean forward so my head wasn't rubbing on the roof. The slope cuts into the headroom in the back. We were both hitting our heads on the roof with every little bump bottoming out the suspension. No luggage and it was only 20k mi old. Not nearly as much room as a Suzuki Aerio.
reminds me of when I was in a car pool and one fella had a datsun hatchback. we had fistfights to avoid riding in the back seat and I am altitudely challenged.
bumpy
I suppose it depends on how you are built. As I said, my son is 6' 5" and has no problem with headroom in the back. I'm 6' 1" and also have no problem, but we both have long legs and relatively short torsos. The original equipment tires do produce a rough ride particularly if inflated to 40 psi or above, but there are other tires that correct that issue without much penalty in terms of mileage.
I don't really want to hijack this thread but there were a lot of statements made regarding the Prius that were just urban legends and not very accurate. I am happy with filling up every 500 miles (10 gallons) whichleaves something for the $350 fill-up for the coach.
Bob & Dagmar
Teddy (Shih Tzu)
1999 Monaco Diplomat 36
Cummins 5.9 (275) & Allison MD3060
2006 Toyota Prius Towed on Demco KK370SB Dolly
I know for sure, now, that the Smart Fortwo IS INDEED certified as good to go when towed four-down. I've read the factory explanation of it's approval and know of at least a couple folks that are using the Smart as a toad.
The Blue-OX folks offer a tow-bar kit made for the Smart Fortwo model 451 USA version:
Base plate #: BX1983
Wiring #: BX8848
This apparently works just peachy, so if'n ya gots a little Smartie and want to tow it you can go right ahead.
The transmission on these cars is actually a " manual " type Getrag 5-speed which happens to be managed by computerized robotic controls which makes the "auto-shift" part by doing the work of the shifter and the clutch. There is no actual clutch pedal, one can choose to shift manually with the shifter knob OR with the paddles on the steering wheel OR let the computer shift for you when IT decides to. The computer does a pretty good job most of the time.
To tow the car one attaches the tow-bar to the base plate and plugs in the wire for the lights. Then ya put the shifter into NEUTRAL and turn the key one notch to the left and release the handbrake. As far as I can tell that's about it. The gearbox is lubricated by the typical gear splash of a manual gearbox rather than having front or rear pumps, so this makes it more or less the same as towing a typical US car with a manual tranny except this little car has about a third the weight. It also has about that ratio of storage room inside, but that's a whole nuther thing altogether... ;-))
My understanding is that a good price for the tow-bar system installed is around a couple grand or so. I've never done this myself, but do haul a Smart Cabrio in our garage style coach. So far I LIKE the little bugger as fun and sporty transportation which is relatively easy on gas and fits the coach... but most assuredly is on the SMALL side when it comes to storage, typical of MOST two-seaters without a real trunk. The performance/ handling is actually not all that bad and the seat room is excellent. Cost-wise I'm thinkin one could buy several models of little car with more room and seats and have some money left over for that bit of extra gas they'll use and still end up spending less green dollars than a Smart Cabrio which pretty much uses up a twenty-thousand-dollar-bill . Great fun though, and did I mention it climbs right up into the back of my coach?
:-)))
latertaters
Jay and Joyce
'07 Damon Outlaw Garage-Coach /WH
Real-deal-steel-2WD-military-sidecar-rig: The dreaded Frog-of-War
AND
Smart Cabrio for when goggles and rain gear are beneath our dignity.
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