The front-wheel-drive, gas-and-electric Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle. Since the motor pulls the car through the snow rather than pushes it like a rear wheel drive car would, the Prius moves through the snow about as well as all front wheel drive cars do. Snow tires are advised, however overall Prius owners have reported success when driving their cars in the snow. Some people have complained that the Prius’ traction control turns off the power to the front wheels when the road is slick.
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Toyota Prius performance in snow?
The Toyota Prius is not one of the best cars to drive in the snow. It can, however, travel through light snow fairly well. When outfitted with effective snow gear, the Prius can handle up to 3 inches of snow and has a 5.3-inch ground clearance.
How is the Prius propelled?
Front-wheel drive has always been the norm for the Prius. Except perhaps when starting out at a stoplight, it’s difficult to sense the advantages of the AWD system while driving normally on dry roads. We experienced some rain during my week with the Prius AWD-e in Michigan (surprise, surprise), and I did observe that the Prius felt sure-footed when other vehicles struggled a little to gain grip on our slick roads. I felt comfortable merging into traffic from a parking lot, turning left across a major street, and other risky scenarios we come into in the suburbs. This is the kind of subdued all-wheel drive system, not the kind that transforms your car into an all-terrain, all-weather machine, that merely makes driving a little bit safer. The regular Prius is only 0.2 inches taller than the ground clearance, which is still rather minimal at 5.3 inches. 15-inch P195 tires are standard on Prius AWD-e. quite small and thin, resulting in a small contact patch and hence a little amount of potential traction.
How does the Toyota Prius perform when it snows?
It works out fairly nicely, in fact. Over the course of several wintry days, I traveled between 10 and 298 miles in a 2017 Toyota Prius Two Eco, combining city and highway driving.
How It Drives in Snow
I was able to drive the Prius on several icy and snow-covered roads before the December temperatures threatened to reach a record high for Chicago on the last day of my loan to see how it handled the hazardous winter weather.
The Prius is a front-wheel-drive car with all-season tires as standard, according to Toyota. All-season tires are adequate, but winter tires give better traction and performance.
I observed no difference in tire traction throughout my test compared to any other all-season-shod vehicle I had been evaluating.
The Toyota Prius also tends to understeer, which means the front end stays moving straight even as you tilt the steering wheel to steer into a bend, making it a generally predictable vehicle to drive in the snow. Every time I tested this, as soon as I let off on the gas or used the brakes lightly, the front end of the Prius found traction, allowing me to make the turn. Once more, this experience is comparable to other front-wheel-drive cars I’ve driven in snow.
What has changed
The car’s brakes felt a little “grabby” in the snow, which took me off guard a few occasions. This is mostly because the regenerative braking mechanism of the gas-electric hybrid car uses energy lost during stopping to recharge the battery. Before you come to a complete stop while traveling at a slow pace, there is an abrupt increase in braking force, which causes the automobile to jolt to a stop. It took some getting used to, but when I wasn’t wearing my cozy but cumbersome winter boots, I was better able to modulate the pedal and had smoother stops.
How It Braves the Cold
Battery life is negatively impacted by cold air, as anyone with a smartphone can attest. The Prius, however, differs from a phone in that it has an engine and exhaust fumes as its own heat source.
Toyota claims that the exhaust heat recirculation system of the automobile enables the heater and hybrid system to be warmed by the heat from the exhaust gases.
However, it should be noted that if you tend to venture outside in exceptionally cold weather, the Prius owner’s manual warns that “it may not be feasible to start the hybrid system when the hybrid battery (traction battery) is extremely cold (below about minus 22 degrees Farenheit). In this instance, consider restarting the hybrid system once the battery temperature has risen as a result of rising outside temperatures, etc.
The automobile has been left outside all night in temps as low as 15 F during my testing, with the coldest starting temperature being 21 F. I regret not having had the opportunity to explore the Prius’ lesser capabilities. What I did observe is that the Prius began to operate right away, and the gas engine began to operate nearly quickly to help the climate control system. The Prius Eco started on warmer days with a high temperature of 52 F and ran in electric mode for a while before switching to the gasoline engine.
Mileage
I averaged 42.9 mpg on the coldest day while combining city and highway driving, which is much less than the Prius’ EPA-estimated 56 mpg combined fuel economy figure. It’s possible that the Prius’s prolonged exposure to cold weather played a role, but it’s also true that I kept the climate control set at 74 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not the most efficient approach to increase fuel efficiency.
I traveled 596 miles on the highway in the Prius. The Prius achieved 51.9 mpg on the portion of the journey that began at 27 F and warmed to 37 F. The Prius achieved 51.2 mpg for the return trip, which began at 52 degrees, warmed to 66 degrees, and ended at 49 degrees. Again, these numbers fall short of the EPA’s anticipated 58 mpg highway fuel efficiency figures, despite the fact that the agency doesn’t test vehicles in windy conditions or during peak holiday traffic.
Equipment Hits and Misses
Because my first car didn’t have a defroster, I have a thing for cars that defrost windows quickly in the cold, and the Prius does not disappoint. It rapidly removed the fog and made it simple for me to see where I was going despite the wide windshield and quantity of glass in both the front and rear of the vehicle.
Sadly, the Prius Eco lacks a feature that might have been useful occasionally during my drive: a back windshield wiper. The rear wiper comes standard on all other Prius levels.
After utilizing the Prius to transport groceries, Christmas packages, and skis, I can finally understand why it’s so well-liked on the trails. The Prius is spacious inside, and I found it to have a better cargo space than several of the small SUVs I’ve tried, particularly the Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5. However, there is one downside: Contrary to those SUVs, the cargo floor has a lip that can grab objects instead of being flush with the back of the vehicle. If it weren’t there, I would prefer it.
Overall
Overall, even though the mileage numbers are low, they don’t really surprise me because I wasn’t trying to squeeze out any extra miles by not using the cruise control or turning off the air conditioning. As with any other car, I drove the Prius as I would any other one, and I typically came near to but didn’t reach the fuel economy estimates.
I don’t often go outside when it’s that cold, so even while the idea of owning a car that might not start at 22 below zero might worry me, that’s not really the case. I truly don’t mean “don’t often” when I say “don’t often.” Similarly, although there are days when I believe I would prefer all-wheel drive, the reality is that front-wheel drive is enough in the types of conditions I typically drive in.
Of course, it must be acknowledged that the abrupt warmth we encountered prevented us from testing the Prius’ full capabilities in the cold. Maybe the next time I can test its performance in cold weather by traveling a little further.
Are any Prius vehicles four-wheel drive?
Only two 2021 Prius modelsLE AWD-e and XLE AWD-einclude all trim levels from the Prius and Prius Prime. Starting at $27,135, the LE AWD-e variant has a 51/47/49 mpg rating. The XLE AWD-e is rated 51/47/49 and has a starting price of $29,575 as well. The only AWD trims are the L Eco, 2020 Edition, and Limited. The LE, XLE, and Limited grades of the 2021 Prius Prime are also all FWD-only vehicles.
Does fwd function in snow?
If you have winter tires and drive defensively, FWD cars and crossovers are absolutely safe to drive in the snow. A FWD drive vehicle’s front tires bear the majority of the weight, which gives the powertrain good grip. A FWD also “pulls the vehicle forward, reducing oversteer” because all the weight is either above or behind the wheels doing the driving and steering. The most frequent reason for a car to spin out in the snow is oversteer. A FWD vehicle, however, won’t perform well in the snow if its all-weather tires are worn out.
Are RWD Vehicles Safe in the Snow?
Even with winter tires, RWD automobiles are more unpredictable in snowy situations. A good RWD sports vehicle is something we all adore, but it will have trouble on snowy roads. Many RWD vehicles (such as trucks and large SUVs) also come in an AWD or 4WD version. We always advise purchasing those if you reside somewhere that experiences snow. Fortunately, AWD systems are rather affordable, typically costing an additional $1,100 to $1,400 on a brand-new car.
Looking for an AWD Vehicle?
Nearly all of the new Mazda vehicles in our inventory at Hall Mazda have all-wheel drive. Call Hall Mazda if you’re looking for a reliable winter driver. And to be sure you’re getting the greatest offers, look into the regional Mazda discounts if you’re serious about purchasing or leasing a new Mazda.
Are repairs for Prius expensive?
Over the course of its first ten years of use, a Toyota Prius will require roughly $4,008 in maintenance and repairs. This is $2,756 less than the industry average for popular hatchback models. Additionally, there is an 11.22 percent probability that a Prius will need a significant repair at that time.
A 2015 Prius has front-wheel drive, right?
The 2015 Toyota Prius’s driving characteristics. A 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor combined to create 134 horsepower in the Prius. Front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) are standard.
What is the lifespan of a Toyota Prius?
A Toyota Prius owner may anticipate getting between 200,000 and 250,000 miles out of their vehicle with routine maintenance, with some owners exceeding the 300,000-mile milestone and still going strong. The Prius has a well-established history of dependable service for more than two decades as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle.
What Prius model years are AWD?
Yes, it does. In fact, it already has as of the 2019 model year. To add a second electric motor to the actual axle and add 7 horsepower and 40 pounds-feet of torque to the front-wheel-drive Prius, owners must choose an AWD model (Toyota refers to it as AWD). However, it also adds weight, with the AWD XLE weighing 145 pounds more than a FWD XLE. AWD vehicles still often use low-rolling-resistance tires (our test vehicle had Bridgestone Ecopia rubber), so don’t anticipate any extreme traction skills despite the additional 0.2 inch of ground clearance. AWD vehicles also cost the least