V8 Owners Are Choosing Toyota Prius To Solve Their Commute Problem

Last I checked in some parts of California, the cost for a gallon of regular gasoline was over $4. Take that number and multiply it by 25 (average number of gallons in a newer V8 vehicle), and you get 100.

100 dollars to fill a fuel tank on a vehicle that gets on average 15 miles per gallon is absurd. That means you should have about 375 miles or drivable range before you have to fill that tank again. The keyword here is should.

Many V8 drivers that I speak to who commute are sometimes filling twice a week and paying dearly. Even if you only did $100 a week, that is $400 a month in fuel alone. That may not seem like a ton of money, but that is the difference between living comfortably and scraping by.

As the fuel crisis continues, more V8 owners get into smaller economy cars like the Toyota Prius. After thinking about it, I realized I am one of those people, and here is why I did it.

V8 Owner Turned Prius Believer
I own a 2006 Toyota Tundra, and I love the truck. It is everything I need in a pickup and suits me perfectly. The only thing I despise about it is the thirst it has for high-priced fuel. 15 miles per gallon at 30 gallons is a big pill to swallow, especially if I drive it every day.

I had my Prius around because I write stories on them. How to repair and keep Prius going is part of my main bread and butter. I have always been able to afford gas for my Tundra until prices soared. It was then I was happy I owned such a great alternative.

My Prius is in a strange way similar to my Tundra. It is reliable, well-built, and of course, a Toyota product. I did not think I would value all the traits of this car until I needed to rely on it more than ever before. I then was left to think, "are other V8 owners doing this too?" The answer was yes,

Other V8 Owners Are Following Suit
If I do not want to sell my truck, do you think other V8 owners do? Nope, they want to keep them. Pickup trucks and other V8 vehicles have value to the people that own them. They haul trailers, boats, or many other things that require a larger engine.

Many of these "truck guys" have it because they use it, but trying to justify 4 to 5 dollars a gallon of fuel on a V8 and live a decent life is rough.

I am on all sorts of Facebook groups that involve pickup trucks. Lately, most of the posts are about truck owners getting into a Prius.

Conclusion
Truck owners are choosing Prius for fuel economy and for versatility. I have seen many Prius owners haul some insane loads in their cars. The money on fuel savings alone will pay for the vehicle depending on how much you drive.

My commute is significantly less now, but I still prefer to use my Prius where possible. At 50 mpg, I have to fill it up once a month at $30. Compared to the $450 that I could be spending on driving my Tundra, this is significant.

More V8 owners are trusting Prius because of the reputation of the little fuel saver. Prius may seem weak compared to a burly pickup or large SUV, but it smashes them in fuel economy ratings, and right now that is where it really counts.

I hope that more people realize how great Prius is as a secondary vehicle. If you feel the need to sell your pickup, reconsider and get yourself into a Prius instead. Trust me, as a V8 owner, I am glad I have one.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you have a great start to your week. I look forward to seeing you in the following article.

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Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.