Prius or Model 3 for Road Trip. Help a new owner decide

[Ladyjade3]

Of course the other factor is we are meeting hubby's brother and family at the destination for a day at Universal Studios and a fun hotel. Hubby would love to show off his new toy to his older brother... I'm really going back and forth. Either way its a long day. Oh, and yes we do have autopilot but not full self driving.

 

[ewoodrick]

Hi all! Super new here. Just got our Model 3 on Sunday (3 days ago) and love it!

I'm surprised the range is not at all what I expected, but from browsing around here I see that its a problem with my expectations, not the car.

Thinking about our upcoming December road trip from Raleigh to Orlando. The Tesla route has us making 5 stops, 13 hours total. Google maps says its a 9 hour 21 minute trip. Realistically we'd stop at least twice anyway...

Our other car is a Prius and it gets like 500 miles per $20 fill up.

We'd have our two boys 7 and 9 in the back.

Should we take the Tesla and accept the road trip challenge? Or the boring old Prius... Advice, suggestions, dares pls.

Atlanta to Orlando requires no extra times for charging. The trip does require stopping for meals and biology though. (That's when charging happens.)

 

[eprosenx]

Of course the other factor is we are meeting hubby's brother and family at the destination for a day at Universal Studios and a fun hotel. Hubby would love to show off his new toy to his older brother... I'm really going back and forth. Either way its a long day. Oh, and yes we do have autopilot but not full self driving.

So I am assuming you have an SR+ then, not an SR (unless you special ordered it). (important to know for calculating range)

 

[Uncle Paul]

Take the Tesla...you know you want to...

 

[Eno Deb]

Autopilot makes the Tesla superior for long road trips IMO, even if you need more stops. It really is a big stress relief for the driver.

 

[640k]

Sure is, changing to SR changed the route from 2 stops and 9:25 to 6 stops and 10:47!

Tried a few options on this route (all aero wheels):
SR 6 stops, 10:47
SR+ 5 stops, 10:29
MR 5 stops, 9:56
LR AWD 4 stops, 9:36
LR RWD 2 stops, 9:25

if I had seen this breakdown before i purchased my SR+, I might have choked down the extra $100/mo to get the LR RWD.

 

[Rockster]

I feel compelled to point out that you asked this question on a Tesla forum. Did you also ask the same question on a Prius forum? If not, it's clear that you really want to take the Tesla and want us to convince you that it's the right call.

 

[Ladyjade3]

I feel compelled to point out that you asked this question on a Tesla forum. Did you also ask the same question on a Prius forum? If not, it's clear that you really want to take the Tesla and want us to convince you that it's the right call.

Correct.

 

[GalaxyExplorer]

Like everyone is saying take your Model 3. We did nearly the same trip, DC area to Winterhaven, Fla, via Orlando, this past Spring Break in our Model 3 mid-range with our kids in the back seat. Best road trip car, Kids loved the glass roof and had fun spotting the super chargers. Road trip with kids means more breaks anyways which can be timed with charging stops and it really does not make the trip longer.


The only tight stretch is on 95 from Santee super charge to Kingsland super charger (~207 miles) we skipped Savannah airport super charger midway because I read on PlugShare that it gets crowded. Make sure your at 100% SOC when leaving Santee and get the Fried Oyster Po’Boy at Clark’s, you won’t be disappointed. We took lacrosse sticks and tossed the ball around if we had an extra 10 min at a charging stop. Kingsland has good take out BBQ.


Use PlugShare to get a sense of what’s available at the chargers. We treated it as an adventure, allow the full day and take your portable charge and j-1772 adapter just in case, but you probably won’t need it!


I can’t wait to do that road trip again!

 

[Watts_Up]

Hi all! Super new here. Just got our Model 3 on Sunday (3 days ago) and love it!

I'm surprised the range is not at all what I expected, but from browsing around here I see that its a problem with my expectations, not the car.

Thinking about our upcoming December road trip from Raleigh to Orlando. The Tesla route has us making 5 stops, 13 hours total. Google maps says its a 9 hour 21 minute trip. Realistically we'd stop at least twice anyway...

Our other car is a Prius and it gets like 500 miles per $20 fill up.

We'd have our two boys 7 and 9 in the back.

Should we take the Tesla and accept the road trip challenge? Or the boring old Prius... Advice, suggestions, dares pls.

With the Model 3 you have Auto Pilot for you, and Karaoke for your passengers.

No brainer, just take the Tesla!

Note: There are tons of Florida Trips on YouTube, just immerse you in advance.

For long trip with kids, my Dad use to drive during the night while everyone was sleeping. Something to consider.

 

[Ladyjade3]

Like everyone is saying take your Model 3. We did nearly the same trip, DC area to Winterhaven, Fla, via Orlando, this past Spring Break in our Model 3 mid-range with our kids in the back seat. Best road trip car, Kids loved the glass roof and had fun spotting the super chargers. Road trip with kids means more breaks anyways which can be timed with charging stops and it really does not make the trip longer.


The only tight stretch is on 95 from Santee super charge to Kingsland super charger (~207 miles) we skipped Savannah airport super charger midway because I read on PlugShare that it gets crowded. Make sure your at 100% SOC when leaving Santee and get the Fried Oyster Po’Boy at Clark’s, you won’t be disappointed. We took lacrosse sticks and tossed the ball around if we had an extra 10 min at a charging stop. Kingsland has good take out BBQ.


Use PlugShare to get a sense of what’s available at the chargers. We treated it as an adventure, allow the full day and take your portable charge and j-1772 adapter just in case, but you probably won’t need it!


I can’t wait to do that road trip again!

Super useful! Thanks! We have the standard range, so we would HAVE to stop at Savannah, but good to be prepared.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

....snip...our upcoming December road trip from Raleigh to Orlando. .....We'd have our two boys 7 and 9 in the back.....Should we take the Tesla and accept the road trip challenge? Or the boring old Prius... Advice, suggestions, dares pls.

New toy, autopilot, two months to learn, young boys who get to oogle other Teslas, show off for the family, not sending money to the oil plutocracy..... what’s not to love? Take the Tesla.

Leave home at 100%, finishing charging right at your leaving time, 1st stop at 18-stall Florence (maybe a 10 min bathroom stop at 16-stall Fayetteville) for shopping. I doubt you’ll have problems filling time with a food court, Best Buy, Target, Barnes and Nobles, Sporting Goods, Ruby Tuesday’s, IHop, and a bunch of other restaurant choices. You could fill to 100% with all those choices, or just do 15-20 min . The problem is your next few hops. I would stop in Santee for lunch, filling all the way to 100%, just to minimize Savanna. I hate airports, and 200+ mi interstate from Santee to Kingsland is just not easy with a fully loaded SR, so you probably shouldn’t try it unless speeds are below 60 mph. Do the absolute minimum charge at Savanna to get to Jacksonville (better dinner stop) using Kingsland as a fall back in case energy gets low. Orlando is about 150 mi with plenty of supercharger choices, but it’s always better to have a 240V station at your destination. That 600 mi trip is about 100-150 mi more than my typical EV road trip day, but it’s not really too tough. Especially, during my younger days. For this one, I would normally pull up short of Orlando at a hotel with charging, but I didn’t see very many great options on PlugShare.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

.....For long trip with kids, my Dad use to drive during the night while everyone was sleeping. Something to consider.

We left at 4am, heading west, thrown in the back on a padded board with pillows and blankets. We didn’t wake up until we were nearly there.

 

[gilscales]

Surprised no one has mentioned to take the safer car!

 

[Need]

If the Model 3 has autopilot, I would take the Model 3 and won't even think twice. If not, then it is a little harder to decide.

 

[tomas]

If you take the Tesla, please bring up the energy app, turn on the trip window, and use it. It will project your remaining % at next destination very accurately (including elevation changes) and the projection will become even more accurate as you drive. I suggest in each leg of the trip, start out driving conservatively (i.e., not above the limit), and then if your estimate still looks good at the halfway point, step on it a bit more.

 

[Ulmo]

Hi all! Super new here. Just got our Model 3 on Sunday (3 days ago) and love it!

I'm surprised the range is not at all what I expected, but from browsing around here I see that its a problem with my expectations, not the car.

Thinking about our upcoming December road trip from Raleigh to Orlando. The Tesla route has us making 5 stops, 13 hours total. Google maps says its a 9 hour 21 minute trip. Realistically we'd stop at least twice anyway...

Our other car is a Prius and it gets like 500 miles per $20 fill up.

We'd have our two boys 7 and 9 in the back.

Should we take the Tesla and accept the road trip challenge? Or the boring old Prius... Advice, suggestions, dares pls.

If the Tesla route has you stopping where you'd already stop for the same amount of time, then that works. Unfortunately, most Tesla SuperChargers are not located where most people stop (i.e., they lack proper facilities such as restaurants, bathrooms, etc.). Some are located well or OK. Sometimes (the minority of the time in my experience), readjusting the trip (hotel stays, visits, etc.) can make this work well and not lose you any time.

If you compare the route the computer says for the Prius to the route the Tesla route says and you find that they are similar in time, then it should matter more about preference for comfort and amount of room in the vehicle, and you could probably use either one depending on that. (That would allow you to use the Model 3, which is likely nicer in some ways.)

Otherwise, Prius, because of the time component.

There are other little details that you'll learn over years which will get you to make more detailed decisions, but for now, that's the general answer.

Correct.

Then I'm glad my post helped you lower your expectations, so that when you do go, you'll be more pleasantly surprised (and less unpleasantly surprised).

 

[Evbwcaer]

Just got back from a 3,000 mile road trip with two young kids, in a 2014 S85 with "chargegate." Left the Prius at home. the 2014 S is about to surpass the mileage of the 2011 Prius.

Take the 3 all the way. Sure, you've got to be a little deliberate and plan, but it is totally doable. Charing "times" are really only cost time if you don't make use of the time while charging. We started everyday full (250 miles), stopped for lunch and got back about 150, and would go for a run once/day while supercharging, another 250. That puts us at something like 550 miles/day at no time cost...just because of planning. When we did drive across 4 states in a mad dash home through the night....it slowed us. But in any typical scenario, it just takes a little planning and you won't regret it.

Look on Plugshare for hotels with J1772's, if you plan to stay in hotels. They will be free and cost you no time.

 

[youngmcdonald]

Towed the Prius and took the one month old SR+ from coast to coast on stock wheels in snow and rain in April. With a dog. Close to 2800 miles. Four days. Trip obviously took several hours longer than a petrol car or LR AWD, but we had no fatigue whatsoever. The dog was also very stimulated with all those walks and was very tired during the drive and slept in his bed in the back. Two drivers in the front. No kids.

We hated the weather. Otherwise a great trip. It’ll largely depend on where you’re going and availability of plenty of chargers all along the way. If you’re planning to do this in winter, put snow tires on.

That said, do take into account the risk of an accident. You’ll almost never run out of charge if you don’t drive more than 160 miles at a stretch and plan to stop. Tesla’s in car system is a bit over ambitious so watch out for that. Elevation and cold weather kill the range. But you’ll still be able to make 180 miles on an average as long as you’re running bare minimum heat and heating your seats and are well clothed. And keep the speeds under 80 mph at all times (just for safety mainly but also helps the car range). Always preheat the battery by charging one full hour before leaving every day. And keep heat running when you’re charging.

 

[Rottenapplr]

I say take the model 3. The Prius, I have one btw, is so unenjoyable to drive. It’s like a fridge. Model 3 is great for road trips. And it’s safer too.