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'Fess Up, Who Hunts out of a Prius?

I also disagree with con #1. We've never noticed a difference in milage except between my driving and her driving and towing. Even at towing i was getting around 30 mpg when I went from Grand Rapids MI to North GA. It was Thanksgiving, we left here with snow on the ground and shorts weather there.
 
So, all the little displays on the HUD on my Subaru have made me a MPG nut. I very much drive to max it out. Over 60k miles, I'm averaging 30.1mpg. I generally run 32 if I'm not towing, but I do tow the jonboat a good bit

I've noticed a drop in the mornings vs afternoons during our coldest day. And differences driving N vs S with a strong northern cold front. And differences on wet and dry roads. I get it.
It’s not safe, but If you have the nerve, try getting on the interstate and tucking up on the bumper of an 18 wheeler. I once had my nissan getting 60 mpg on a trip up to the gump.
 
So the recap...

We've got 8 regulars on here willing to admit to driving and liking hybrids. 1 who drove and didn't like mainly due to a head gasket failure (non electric drivetrain related failure). Twice as many or more driving compact 4-bangers.

Cons:

  1. reduced mileage during very cold (battery efficiency) or very hot (AC drain) weather. But you still get compact 4-banger mileage instead of V8 truck mileage regardless.
  2. not reliable off paved and well-maintained gravel roads. Again, not necessarily an electric issue.
  3. battery replacement cost. 2k to 5k depending on DIY vs dealer work. In line with head gasket, transmission, and other major issues. Seems to start cropping up at the 200k+ mile mark, which is par for the course in my experience regarding something expensive happening.
Pros:

  1. Double to triple the fuel efficiency of a traditional hunting truck. Likely to become more of an advantage as gas goes up in the future.
  2. General lower purchase price. From the little bit of shopping I've done a "hunting truck" with 4x4 is going to cost 50-100% more than a compact hybrid.
  3. Stealth. Nobody considers a Prius owner as competition.
  4. Environmental benefits.
I think my life with one would look something like this.

Drive the "wife's car" hybrid to pick up groceries, BS around town, and do general daily driving. Enjoy 40-50mpg savings during off season.

Hunting rolls around. For trips to muddy WMA roads, drive the subie. For trips to parking lots, drive the hybrid. For trips to Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, whatever...drive the hybrid to the campground and throw my pack in my buddy's truck. Buy his lunch since I feel bad that he drove 500 miles at 15mpg just so we could power through that one mud hole.

Accept that I lose man points and will have to endure appropriate ribbing for driving a hybrid, shooting a deer with a crossgun, and eating a McDonald's salad for lunch.
So the decision has been made??? You will be pulling the trigger on the animal.... If your still on the fence might as well go with the Prius for sure 100%
 
It’s not safe, but If you have the nerve, try getting on the interstate and tucking up on the bumper of an 18 wheeler. I once had my nissan getting 60 mpg on a trip up to the gump.
I don't get right on their bumper, but I do slipstream behind them when I can. It does help with wind resistance and helps milage.
 
Yeah places that repack batteries can do it for a deal, NAPA kinda places so yeah absolutely gonna run you around 1800.

Still no free lunch for these MPGs
I used The Hybrid Geek. Paid $1500 for a replacement battery, with life time warranty. Price included them coming to my house and installing it. The battery did die on me about a year later, but with the life time warranty it wasn't an issue. You need to check current area coverage and price.
 
Not a hybrid but the ram eats way to much gas. So I'll be taking my wife's kia sportage on 2+ hrs away hunts this year. Trying to talk her into taking my truck and me get a 4 runner, even though they are crazy expensive.
2015 and love it
 

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Few years ago I bought a 2019 Rav4 Hybrid, no regrets it’s great and gets high 30s year round mpg average. This year I slapped a trailer hitch on it so have some added capability with a utility trailer.

Prior setup was a WRX also with a sweet little aluminum utility trailer, got so many compliments on that rig. One time I slept overnight at a campground and when I got back to the farm I was hunting the next morning that trailer was gone, broke my heart.

Living at minimum wattage should be high on the priority list in this age.

X2 on RAV4 Hybrid. 40 mpg, awd and clearance is almost the same as the Nissan Frontier I had before it.
 
So the decision has been made??? You will be pulling the trigger on the animal.... If your still on the fence might as well go with the Prius for sure 100%
I'm definitely not buying one right now since car prices locally at least are insane. But if I find a Toyota hybrid for an equivalent deal to what I paid for my forester, it's probably happening. May be this year, maybe 5 years from now. But to date I haven't read anything here or elsewhere from an actual owner that gives me pause. I like the idea of one and I have hunted from compact economy cars plenty.

I think a camry would be my first pick. The rav4 sounds cool but i kinda have that thing already in the forester.

But... if I bought a prius I'd buy skinny jeans and grow my bun back out just to enjoy the looks of disdain from my compatriots.
 
I'm definitely not buying one right now since car prices locally at least are insane. But if I find a Toyota hybrid for an equivalent deal to what I paid for my forester, it's probably happening. May be this year, maybe 5 years from now. But to date I haven't read anything here or elsewhere from an actual owner that gives me pause. I like the idea of one and I have hunted from compact economy cars plenty.

I think a camry would be my first pick. The rav4 sounds cool but i kinda have that thing already in the forester.

But... if I bought a prius I'd buy skinny jeans and grow my bun back out just to enjoy the looks of disdain from my compatriots.
Fyi, heard the RAV4 get sketchy at highway speeds.
 
No man buns ever here but i can tell excellent fashion and hair choices similar to what you're suggesting are quite satisfying. Nothing political but I've really enjoyed trips to very conservative areas in the past lol. Although my look has tamed since covid
 
X2 on RAV4 Hybrid. 40 mpg, awd and clearance is almost the same as the Nissan Frontier I had before it.
Off topic here but this spring I was only getting 31 mpg… was driving me nuts. Put a new air filter in and boom back to 41 mpg instantly. What did that dirty air filter cost me. Two months later and now I’m only getting 37 mpg, driving me nuts again but just at that threshold as to whether it’s worth spending time / money to investigate it or not.

But yes, so far 0 issues with vehicle dynamics at 60-80 mph freeway speeds.
 
2000


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That's not bad at all.

Apparently their plug-in gets a 40 mile range. 9" of clearance and AWD....Basically my forester + the ability to fetch groceries and eat dinner in town without pumping gas, + about 10mpg in general fuel efficiency.

Dang you guys!
 
That's not bad at all.

Apparently their plug-in gets a 40 mile range. 9" of clearance and AWD....Basically my forester + the ability to fetch groceries and eat dinner in town without pumping gas, + about 10mpg in general fuel efficiency.

Dang you guys!
Is that for a new one?
 
Just looked it all up and I overstated a bit:
1750 lbs towing capacity
8.1” of ground clearance
38/41 mpg (I usually get about 39.5)

Mine is a 2019 but the new ones have the same specs. I do not have a plug-in hybrid (prime model).
 
Just looked it all up and I overstated a bit:
1750 lbs towing capacity
8.1” of ground clearance
38/41 mpg (I usually get about 39.5)

Mine is a 2019 but the new ones have the same specs. I do not have a plug-in hybrid (prime model).
I went pretty far down the rabbit hole on this and it took awhile… and somewhere around 1100 lbs I think, you technically should have trailer brakes. I don’t, and while I’ve hauled 1700 lbs around town I wouldn’t make a habit of freeway speeds at full rating. Odds are you’d be fine but if we’re splitting hairs.
 
Have you (or anybody on here, for that matter) actually leased a car? Every time I've looked into it it seems mad expensive, especially considering that you're on the hook for anything beyond "normal wear and tear" and have to pay extra for mileage. Like I said I do drive a lot and while I'm pretty considerate of my vehicles I also hunt, fish, camp, and haul a dog in one. I consider it "use" not "abuse," but I think a dealer may disagree.

To me buying low-mileage, newish-used for a good price and interest rate, taking care of it, and selling it as soon as it starts to show its a$$ seems to be the winning strategy. I'll add that the wife and I are pretty patient buyers and sat on our home and first "new" car purchase for multiple years waiting on the right deal.

But, that said, I've never leased. I would consider it for a second car if I was not 100% sure what I wanted. It may make sense for something like trying out a plug-in hybrid.
We leased 4 vehicles in a row from 99-08. I was young and dumb, and loved having a new ride (vehicles I typically wouldn't have been able to afford) every couple years. I also apparently had a love for car notes, and expensive monthly insurance payments.

The dealerships are more than happy to take back your beat up leased vehicles (3 kids under 10, stuff happens)... As long as you're going right into another lease. It's when you decide to stop leasing that they go over them with a fine tooth comb.

Dave Ramsey calls them a fleece, and the most expensive way to operate a motor vehicle.
But I came to the realization before I heard him say it. My eyes were open in 2006. Some poor decisions with my finances had caused my credit to go below what Ford motor credit wanted to extend to me for a new vehicle.
I ended up taking out a personal loan for the entire lease duration from my grandfather. Paying all of the money up front for a vehicle that I was going to give back 2 years later was like a cold bucket of water to the face!
 
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