Prius in the snow?

Question

Prius's are front wheel drives, right? How do they do in the snow?

Answer 1

Yes, the Toyota Prius is a FWD vehicle. It can perform just as well as any other FWD vehicle in the snow - it depends on the ability of the driver and the condition of the tires (the contact points with the road). Drive appropriately for the conditions, and you'll be fine.

If you live in an area where the plows are infrequent, like with other cars you may have to wait a bit as the Prius has less than 5" of ground clearance. The Prius' low-speed torque (thanks to the electric motor) is great at punching through plow heaves that accumulate at the end of your driveway, though.

For more reviews of the older NHW11 Prius' handling in snow/winter weather, see:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/links/FAQ_s_000973373272/Winter_Snow__001007996330/

The non-Touring edition of the current NHW20 Prius in the US/Canada come with the "all-season" (more appropriately 3-season) Goodyear Integrity tires. They may be OK for your first winter season, but with any amount of wear you'll really want to either get a dedicated set of snow tires or change to a better all-season tire if you live in an area that sees any amount of snow. (The reviews for the OE Goodyear Integrity tires (OE on several cars besides the Prius) at various tire review sites, or on various newsgroups and online forums, are less than flattering for the tire.)

The only real issue some Prius owners have had, besides the poor OE tires, is with a slightly over-agressive traction control (cannot be turned off) when on a steep slippery slope.

All cars (not just the Prius) get lowered fuel economy in the winter. Several factors: more heater use (heat is "waste heat" from the gasoline engine), colder/denser air, sloppy roads, lower BTU winter fuel blends...

I'll note that the Toyota Prius uses regular gasoline (87 octane in the US per the (R+M)/2 method). As higher octane gasoline actually has lower BTUS (less energy) than lower octane gasoline, using the higher octane "premium" fuel will lower your fuel economy on a vehicle not designed to run on higher octane fuel. (The Toyota Prius is also known to get check engine lights (engine misfire codes) due to the longer detonation time of the higher octane fuel and the Atkinson cycle engine.) So, to the person who complained about low fuel economy while using premium fuel, look at the operator, not the car.

US 2004-2007 EPA ratings were: 60MPG city, 51MPG highway, 55MPG combined.
Under the new EPA testing schedule, the 2008 (and the 2004-2007 have been revised to be): 48MPG city, 45MPG highway, 46MPG combined.

For more info on the EPA tests, see:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ratings2008.shtml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

there's this published MPG information from Toyota:

Tips for better Prius Gas mileage (near end of Spring 2004 newsletter):
http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyview/archive/pdfs/priusview5spring2004.pdf

Maximum MPGs: How to Get the Most From Your Hybrid:
http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyview/2005/fall/mpgs.html

Prius Fuel Economy: Explaining the EPA Ratings
Toyota explains what the EPA ratings actually mean, and lists ways to improve your MPG
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/71431
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G/message/2742
http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=1079

Prius Fuel Economy Factsheet:
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/prius/Understanding_Fuel_Economy.pdf

Can I expect to get over 50MPG in the new Prius? (see question #6):
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/faq.html
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2007/prius/faq.html
Can I expect to get over 45MPG in the new Prius? (see question #6):
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2008/prius/faq.html

Fuel economy explained: Tips for improving fuel economy:
http://www.lexus.com/hybriddrive/fuel_tips.html
Fuel economy explained: About EPA Mileage estimates:
http://www.lexus.com/hybriddrive/epa_estimates.html
Fuel economy explained: Why your mileage will vary:
http://www.lexus.com/hybriddrive/ymmv.html

Answer 2

Good tires is what you need. Our only frustration in the winter is slippery hills. With our older car if we were slipping on the way up the hill we could feather our way up (turning the front wheels side to side) but with the prius the computer runs the show. I've found myself sitting inches from the crest of the hill, with foot pedal to the floor, and totally unable to move because the computer won't let the tires slip so you may as well throw out the pedal.

Answer 3

Fair , its not the ideal car for snow but with proper tires and good driver and with it being fwd it can be done safely ofcourse i would not recomend highspeeds in the naow in any vehicle,if you are in the market and only few mnths out of year driving in snow go for it. if year around recnisider. and for your previous answer it amazes me how Toyoyta is lieing about the car gets 60 + mpg cause they advertise 48-50 highway 55-60 city. i average 50 to 53 mpg combined with a heavy foot. i drive it no different than anyother car and i still average 50 mpg. most i have got was 58 but i am certain in correct driving conditions , weather conditions etc. it could easily get the advertised 60 mpg. living in south the summer heat is awful, so you are constantky running the A/C the aircondition puts a bind on normal cumbustable gas engine, so yes it does put a strain on the combined gasoline/hybrid technolgy but over all I love the car.,

Answer 4

I learned that just being front wheel drive doesn't promise anything. Although generally better then RWD, FWD can still be bad depending on the tires. I'm sure that with a good set of all season tires, or even snow tires, you'd be fine.

Answer 5

Driving in the snow is completely up to the driver. A bad driver in an awd car with traction control and all of the goodies is still more dangerous in the snow than a good driver in an 800 HP RWD car with bald tires.

Answer 6

A Prius in the Snow is like a cat in water. Its tires have absolutely no traction, the ground clearance is too low, its pretty much a led sled. If you have to do alot of snow driving all year round and your in the market for one, turn away. If you have to do snow driving only in the winter, go for it. I owned one, it was the worst car I ever owned, if I was in the market for one again, I would go for the Civic Hybrid. I luckily went into the light SUV segment and got my hands on a BMW X3 which gets 24mpg and my wife get 30 in her BMW 3-Series.

P.S- I just want to warn you that Prius' don't even get the projected MPG. Toyota says like 64mpg, I was getting 32 in city driving and on premium gas. Good Luck

Answer 7

I have no idea, but if your at highway speeds and a full size SUV is behind you and the Prius shuts down....

Physics will take over..

Answer 8

Adam D, you are a bad driver then with that mpg and an airhead, too.

Answer 9

Excelllent being FWD and having all that torque.

Answer 10

FWD are the best cars for slippery surfaces, if you have good tires on them. Else.......... you would just be slippin on one spot