Prius sucks in cold temperatures

I totally understand your issue.

I too happen to be a Manitoba resident and I've owned a 2007 Prius II during our winter months and verified similar results even though I'm further south in Winnipeg. In the end, I ended up selling it to my company and replaced it with a 2007 HCH. The 2007 joins an existing 2006 HCH I had purchased earlier.

Now, to be fair I still think the Prius is one of the better cars even in the depts of winter with -40 to -50 temps. However, I now own 2 HCH-II's which are marginally better performers in extreme winter temps than the Prius was (mainly due to the smaller gas engine and less weight). Of course, when the summer arrives the soles reverse and the Prius will better the HCH-II as expected.

Nevertheless, despite the lower mileage you get on the Prius during the winter, perhaps between 7.8 to 10 Liters/100Km, it is still MUCH better that what you would get with any other gas only vehicle.

Cheers;

MSantos

I have a 2006 version, purchased in May. I had a business trip, where the Prius was left in the airport garage for 7 days. During that time the temperature dropped below freezing. The car would not start, requiring a jump. I also am experiencing a decline in mileage efficiency in the colder weather. The mileage in the summer averages 50 to 55. The highways mileage is better than city; the opposite of what is suggested. Unfortunately, the batteries and electric motor are too underpowered to benefit the city driving. The hybrid really should be all electric, with a high-end electric generator, plug-in capability and solar panels.

Jim K from NH

I've owned a 2007 Prius for one year and can happily report no major issues in regards to winter driving. In fact with four studded snow tires the vehicle is exceptionally sure-footed on slick pavement. The mileage usually dips to the low 40s (mpg) from the customary low 50s (mpg) experienced in summer but even that far surpasses the gas guzzlers I'm on the road with. Last January I left my Prius at the Anchorage airport for ten days and it started easily upon my return.

PS - Nearly ten percent of Canadians live in the Vancouver-Victoria Area (over 3 million), and it continues to grow more rapidly than the rest of the country. This area will soon have as many people as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Maritimes combined (3.4 million).

Now if only BC would do something sensible to make hybrids more affordable for its over-taxed residents, e.g., exempt hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs from the PST (now the HST).

fabien says: "Well, this post is quite dismissive"

Worse, this post is outright wrong.
It it currently 40 below here in Fairbanks, and I use my Prius for my daily commute as well as weekend trips into the mountains. I've logged thousands of miles in sub-zero temps in the Prius. Let's see:

"Gas economy goes down as much as 50 %"

More like 30-40%, as a result of the engine running more often to keep warm, which makes for cleaner exhaust (which the Prius is programmed to prioritize over fuel mileage). So? I'm *still* averaging 35mpg...

"and the batteries need to be trickle charged"

I don't even know what you're talking about here. You don't have to trickle charge - or *any* kind of charge - the batteries. That happens as you drive the car, through excess power produced by the gas engine, and regen braking. You never have to 'charge' a Prius under any conditions. It doesn't work like that.
Since the gas engine runs more often in cold weather to keep the cats warm (as mentioned above), you actually end up with the battery having a higher than normal level of charge no matter what your driving style.

"or the car does not run on the electricity if there's not enough power-due to the cold."

Again, hard to make sense of what you're saying. The car is not designed to 'run on electricity'. The electric motors are to *assist* the gas engine when power is demanded.

"The tires don't grip and you feel like you're driving on ice all the time."

You can say the same thing about virtually any car or truck on the road that is running on all season tires when it gets cold. Get some winter tires.
I've found the stability control makes the Prius extremely sure-footed on snowy roads. As much as my AWD Subaru (taking off on a slick surface is a different story).

"He hit a few snowbanks simply slowing down at a stop light."

Your friend needs to learn to drive if he's just going around sliding through stoplights and bouncing off stuff. He's dangerous. That's not the car's fault. Many people drive Prius's up here without that problem.

"winter put a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle and required lots of maintnenance. Electrical parts were frequently replaced."

[citation needed]

"If you get stuck, there's no horsepower to get you out!"

More horsepower to spin your tires faster does not help you get unstuck. What the Prius lacks in the 'getting unstuck' department is ground clearance and AWD/4WD. The overly sensitive traction control does not help. But it's not really an issue since the Prius is so good at not-running off in the ditch in the first place.

I drove one for 3 hours (250 miles) in temperatures ranging from 0F (-16C) to -25F (-32C) without any problems. The mpgs dropped from the usual summer 50mpg it gets to about 40mpg.

I've driven a prius for 2 years in Utah's snow and slush without any problems. But if you are going to do a lot of ice driving, like any other car, you should consider a set of snow or studded tires or invest in a set of tire chains.