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My 2012 Prius 3

Oct 23, 2012 at 14:51
by Steve Meza  
Shuttle Buddy

My New 2012 Prius 3/ Shuttle Buddy. I decided to pick one of these nerd rides after having 200,000k on my 06 Tacoma and a $700 a month Gas bill. I was able to keep my Tacoma and use the gas money for a new car ($400 payment) and save about $500 a month on gas.

The car has 3 different Modes EV, ECO and PWR.
Shuttle Buddy
EV stands for electric and can be used for under 25mph driving for about 15+miles or so, Eco is the economy mode and cuts out horsepower and runs the EV mode under 45mph if driven correctly. And Power of course is Open up Horsepower.
Shuttle Buddy
Once I got the hang of driving a Hybrid and how the ICE and EV work. I can now try to drive hyper mileage.
This was a Personal Best 99mpg for 30 miles. The car typically drives as 50mpg, but with a little practice you can increase that mpg to 77 or beyond.
Shuttle Buddy

I am in the process of getting a 2-bike rack for it for the rear tow hitch. The car is able to fit my DH bike in the back (if you take the front wheel off) and I can still put the seat back all the way, which is great!
I knew this car is kind of nerdy looking so I decided to install some Megan Racing adjustable coil overs with 32 settings on shocks (1 hard, 32 soft, currently on 15) the coilover helps the ride from wobble to race and every adjustment is so drastic from hard to soft you can really tune to your specs.
Top speed so far is 107mph.
Shuttle Buddy

So as a review stance I think this car is great and the technology from blue tooth radio/ phone sync, to solar panel moon roof and overall comfort. You don’t get any bottom end performance, but freeway driving makes up for it.
The car its self is not about speed and performance, but rather a game of trying to beat personal MPG records.
Shuttle Buddy
I love it and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a new car... Feel free to comment or ask any questions!

Author Info:
Rider656 avatar

Member since Sep 4, 2008
6 articles

4 Comments
  • 2 0
 107 in a Prius? that seems counterintuitive haha. I know somebody who has a 4 bike tray-style rack to shuttle with on his Prius. If you want specs let me know.
  • 1 0
 ...My whole life is counterintuitive!!! As for four bikes and Downhillers that's too much. My cars still too new for all that, haha. Thanks for asking.
  • 2 0
 a prius on coils thats fuckin awsome!
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