Back from a whirlwind drive from Connecticut to Minneapolis, Eric’s inherited Prius is safely in his driveway. The day and a half drive was uneventful. Going any where between 65-75 miles per hour on the highway, the Prius clocked in at 49 mpg when all was said and done. Not bad for a long road trip. With only 10.5 gallons capacity the car easily got 450 miles per tank. We filled up with a couple gallons still left just to make sure we didn’t wind up on the side of the road out of gas. I’d venture to say the Wilson family will get over 60 mpg while tooling around on the side streets in Minneapolis during daily commutes and doing errands. The Prius takes advantage of all the stop and go by shutting off its gas engine when not needed (at a stoplight or stop sign or in traffic, for example) and using the brakes to recharge the electric battery. Though Eric and I might disagree on the role hybrids should play in our shift away from fossil fuels, one thing is for certain: a Prius will save you money on gas. If I had a car, it would be a hybrid.
