December 21st is the first official day of winter but somebody forget to tell Mother Nature. Here in the Midwest, we’ve already seen over 17 inches of snow. That is more than half of our average annual snowfall (32″ where I live) and it seems we are just getting started. For the past few years, I’ve owned several different all-wheel drive sport utility vehicles during the winter driving season, but with the purchase of a 2010 Toyota Prius this past summer – I’m now getting used to driving a front-wheel drive car again.

Most of you who live in New England are also relearning how to drive on snow and ice. With this weekend’s snowstorm dumping 10 to 20 plus inches in Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and surrounding states – road conditions are poor at best. And with well over one million Toyota Prius on U.S. roadways, I have lots of company sharing my hybrid driving experience.

I’ll admit that I debated even buying a new Prius because I wasn’t sure how it would handle the snowy roads, but it had nothing to do with it being a hybrid-electric vehicle. My concern was mainly about moving from a 4 wheel drive truck with 10″ of ground clearance to a 2 wheel drive car with about 5″. Right before the blizzard hit, I decided to do a few online searches to see what others were saying. That’s when I discovered there is a lot of debate surrounding how the Prius does in snow and in cold weather driving.

On sites like PriusChat.com and GreenHybrid.com, most of the negative comments center around poor traction from the Prius’ stock (factory OEM) tires, a big drop in fuel economy, and issues with the traction control reportedly causing the Prius to stop on slippery hills. Comments are all over the board, ranging from those who claim the Prius is one of the best FWD small cars they have driven in snow to those who say it’s nearly useless. The majority of people commenting on these forums own a second generation Prius (2004-2009 model years) but my guess is the experience is similar in the 2010 Prius 3.

Although I have less than 2 weeks of history driving my Prius in the snow, I’ve been impressed with how well it’s done so far. I don’t see any major traction issues yet, but I haven’t had to climb any large hills either. Most of my winter driving with the Prius has been in town as well. What I have noticed more than anything is the big change in gas mileage. For the first 10,000 miles I averaged 50 m.p.g. in my 3rd generation Prius. Driving on snow and in temperatures ranging from zero to 32 degrees (Fahrenheit), I am averaging only 37 miles per gallon. Again, some of that has to do with the fact that I haven’t been on the highway during this time, but it is still about 10 mpg less than what I got during the summer and fall. From what I’ve read, a 20% drop in fuel economy is normal for most cars under these driving conditions.

If you own a Prius, we’d love to hear how yours handles in the snow!

1. Split Rear Windows – The first thing I noticed when test driving the 3rd generation Prius was how poor the visibility was when looking in my rear view mirror. As part of the hatchback design, the back window area has two separate glass sections, with a fairly wide strip that is not glass running horizontally between them. For me, this creates an unwanted blind spot and it took some getting used to. Some owners like the split window, stating that when a higher profile vehicle (such as a truck or SUV) pulls up behind them at night, in blocks the glare for their headlights.
2. EV Mode Button – I tried using EV about a dozen times during the first month I owned my Prius. Even when the hybrid battery was well charged and all the electric sucking devices were turned off or disconnected, I could only travel a 2-3 blocks at less than 15 mph before the engine kicked in. Essentially, it is useless. I know a plug-in Prius is coming, but on this model I’d get rid of the EV button.
3. Coin Holder Compartment – When you lift the center armrest to access anything you might have in that storage area (for me, my Trident) there is a small black tray that could be used as a coin holder. Unfortunately, if you want to plug in your iPod or put something under that so-called coin tray, all the coins get spilled. This car could use another area to put your spare change. For now, I’m tossing in the cubby area below the shift lever on my center console. Putting stuff down there is very easy for others to see, even from outside the car…so it can become kind of messy if you’re not careful.
4. Ground Clearance – Three days after I purchased my Prius I pulled into a parking lot and scraped the front edge of my new Prius on the curb/sidewalk. I was just sick as I backed up a few inches, scraping all the way, and proceeded to the front of the car to access the damage. Fortunately, none of the scratches were visible. You would think that would have been the last time that happened, but over the past 7 weeks it has occured 2-3 more times. Never have I owned a car that had such low clearance. I’m guessing it was all part of the design, to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. To me, it’s still a drag. When we get 8 inches of snow this Winter, I’ll be plowing my way to the main road, hoping it has been plowed.
5. Sunglasses Holder Compartment – Have you seen the sunglass holder on the 3rd Gen Prius? I own 4 pair of sunglasses, all of which I would consider normal size for a man. None will fit in the holder, or I should say, all will fit but I can’t close the hatch. Is this really for sunglasses, or am I supposed to put my false teeth in there? Come on Toyata, make that area a little bit larger please!
6. Retracting/Sliding Arm Rest Lid Cover – I liked this at first, now…not so much. Basically, to access the storage area beneath the center console arm rest you first have to push a lever and slide the armrest back. This also gives you access to the 2nd cupholder. The bad news is that your armrest gets pushed into the leg area of the backseat. If someone is sitting back there (passenger #5), it ends up right between their knees. Even with only two kids in the back, it’s easy for someone to kick or bump this when moving around or getting out.
7. Lumbar Support – I’m over 6 feet tall and there is plenty of headroom for me when driving. I’m not a big fan of the front seats, as they aren’t terribly comfortable after more than about an hour of driving. One thing that would really help would be a little lumbar support. Several of my previous rides had this, and even the manual ones with only a three lumbar settings where helpful. I imagine you can buy some kind of device that provides a little lumbar support, but it would be nice if Toyota added this to the next revision.
8. Fog Lights – Search for a picture of the front of a 2010 model (or open this picture of my Prius). Do you see that gray, rectangular shaped piece of gray plastic (with a circle shape inside) where the fog lights should be? They are directly below the front turn signals. Let me tell you, these are not attractive fog lamp covers. I guess if you buy the Prius V package, there are integrated fog lamps rather than these cheap looking covers. I have a package III, so I need to either buy lamps, paint my covers black to look like the rest of the car, or learn to live with them.
9. Storage Spaces – Most cars I’ve owned had more storage spaces that could be reached while in the front or back seat, compared to what this Prius has. Not a lot of places to put your CD cases (if you are old school and still listen to them) and the center compartment below the armrest doesn’t hold much, especially if you have your ipod and cell phone adaptors plugged in there. I have a couple of packs of gum and a pen, and it seems crowded.
10. Improved Navigation Screen – I didn’t spend the extra money to get a navigation screen (I am really happy with the portable one I already own) but I hear that a lot of new owners are unhappy with the colors, functionality, software and resolution.

Even with these ten things I wish Toyota would change about the new, 3rd generation Toyota Prius…I still really like this car. Did I tell you it’s getting 50 miles per gallon? So, if you own one…what would you change?