GBA's 2017 PriusPrime (and trip report)

[RRocket]

Just handed the keys and car to GBA and his lovely wife. Really nice people! After a very efficient exchange, they were on their way!

 They have a teeny road ahead of them, so I was glad they were able to be on their way home without delay. Am curious what his L/100km will be for this journey!

Also, I deliberately left the car in EV ECO mode to see if his life felt threatened! LOL 😆

[Firm]

Safe travels GBA! Enjoy the trip, hope the weather is decent.

[GreatBigAbyss]

A pic of a misanthrope and a borderline autistic fellow (or so my spouse tells me).

We made it to the Sault today.  No problems.  Eco mode didn't try to kill me.

4.6l/100km between Burlington and The Soo despite having a depleted battery when starting out (charger at the hotel was bogarted by a Fusion Energi)

[Blueprint]

Have a good drive! Eco mode will only try to kill you if it has a sure shot at it 

[Gurgie]

Nice!! Guessing you'll be back home sometime today 

[RRocket]

Nice!! Guessing you'll be back home sometime today 

Where's Waldo update: just texted him on his progress and he's in White River taking a break and stuffing his pie hole!

[GreatBigAbyss]

We stopped in Thunder Bay for the night.  We are splitting the drive into manageable eight hour stretches, in order to enjoy the trip.

Here's the car in front of an iconic monument.



Winnipeg is eight hours away, so we'll be home tomorrow.  Well just miss a mega snowstorm that's going to hit Winnipeg Tuesday night.

[RRocket]

Good photo!

[Blueprint]

Speaking of "The Peg", my annual transportation conference is there next October. Already booked my digs at the Delta for the week. Maybe I can have another taste of the dreaded Eco mode? 

[GreatBigAbyss]

Speaking of "The Peg", my annual transportation conference is there next October. Already booked my digs at the Delta for the week. Maybe I can have another taste of the dreaded Eco mode? 

I'd be more than happy to meet up with you, and you can take the Prius out for another drive.  Poke me closer to your conference, and we'll exchange contact info.  I can take you to some pretty good local spots if you're a foodie, or show you some of the lesser know historical spots if you're into that. 

[GreatBigAbyss]

Windsor Pickup & the Long Way Home

The plan was simple—at least on paper.

We'd fly to Toronto early Friday morning, catch the 11:45 VIA train to Windsor, meet Ron at the station, and immediately drive to Hamilton for dinner with some high-school friends. From there, we'd overnight in Burlington and begin the long drive west: Burlington → Sault Ste. Marie → Thunder Bay → Winnipeg.

As a planner, I had everything pre-booked—flights, train tickets, and hotels—based on a self-imposed rule of keeping each driving day under 800 km (or about eight hours). What could possibly go wrong?

Friday: When the Plan Fell Apart

After waking up at 4:00 a.m. and having my MIL drive us to the airport in the Mazda, we boarded our 6:00 a.m. Porter Airlines flight. We pushed back, de-iced, lined up for the runway... engines spooled up—and then immediately spooled back down.

We taxied off the runway and sat for 10–15 minutes before the captain announced there was an issue with one of the generators. The pilots ran through their checklist, fired up the APU, shut down both engines, and restarted the plane—essentially the aviation equivalent of "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

No luck.

We taxied back to the gate and deplaned while Porter tried to fix the aircraft. I immediately called VIA Rail to explain that there was no way we were making our morning train and asked to be moved to the 17:30 departure instead. I also messaged my buddy to warn him that dinner likely wasn't happening.

Around noon, Porter officially cancelled the flight. After standing in line at the gate, I managed to get rebooked on the 6:00 a.m. flight the next day—Saturday.

Several hours on the phone followed. VIA was able to move us to the Saturday 11:30 train, but the change cost us 40% of the ticket—an extra $160 for the two of us. The hotel chain was more forgiving: two reservations changed for free, one cost an extra $40.

With the rest of Friday suddenly wide open, I at least salvaged the day with a bike ride along the frozen rivers.

You cannot view this attachment.

Saturday: Finally Moving

Saturday morning went far better. We boarded our 6:00 a.m. flight and made it to Toronto with only a 45-minute delay thanks to de-icing. From Pearson, we took the UP Express to Union Station—an absolutely fantastic service.

We arrived with just enough time to line up for our train. I would've loved to spend half an hour wandering downtown (the CN Tower is right there), but schedules are schedules.

I was genuinely excited to take the train. I'd only been on VIA once before, when I was 12, traveling from Montreal to Toronto. This felt like a brand-new experience.

You cannot view this attachment.

The train itself was excellent. Even in economy, the seats are wide and comfortable with tons of legroom—more like business class on a narrow-body aircraft. You can get up, walk around, and just... relax.

You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.

What wasn't relaxing was that VIA runs on tracks owned by Canadian National Railway, and freight trains take priority. We were shunted onto sidings no fewer than four times to let long CN freights pass.

A four-hour trip turned into six.

Along Lake St. Clair, the engineer pushed the train to its 160 km/h maximum to make up time, which was admittedly very cool. Still, instead of arriving in Windsor at 15:45, we rolled in at 17:35.

You cannot view this attachment.

Windsor, Detroit Views, and the Handoff

With my high-school friends unavailable on Saturday, we met Ron (in all his bearded glory) at the station and drove him back to his place on the shores of Lake Erie. .

He gave me the choice of vehicle for the drive home, and of course I chose his LS. He let me take the scenic 45-minute route, which included passing several iconic sights—including a bridge that's been in the news lately.

You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.

The LS was immaculate—easily the cleanest car I've ever seen. It looked factory fresh.

At Ron's place, the Prius handover was quick and painless. I'd be remiss not to say just how good the car was: spotless inside, very clean outside, and aside from a few minor dings and some steering-wheel wear, it could easily pass for a well-kept 2–3-year-old car.

You cannot view this attachment.

Burlington and the First Real Drive

We left around 7:00 p.m. for the 3.5-hour drive to Burlington. A shawarma stop in London added 45 minutes, followed by a detour through Hamilton so I could show Mrs. GBA where I lived as a teenager. After a late-night Shoppers run, we finally checked into the hotel at 12:30 a.m.

Indicated average fuel economy for that first leg: 4.5 L/100 km, including about 30 km of EV-only driving thanks to Ron handing over the car with a full tank and battery.

Sunday: Ontario Eases Out

Sunday morning, with the car now ours, everything became easy.

We drove through Toronto, past Barrie, Parry Sound, and Sudbury, finally arriving in Sault Ste. Marie without a single hiccup. Driving on the 403 and 401 was a treat—this Manitoba boy isn't used to that many lanes or that much traffic moving that fast—but I adapted quickly.

Past Barrie, the road narrowed, the traffic thinned, and the familiar Canadian Shield scenery returned. Snowbanks near the Soo were enormous—easily the height of a single-story building.

Indicated average fuel economy: 4.6 L/100 km.

You cannot view this attachment.

[GreatBigAbyss]

Monday: Lake Superior at Its Best

Monday's leg—from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay—was easily the highlight of the trip.

The north shore of Lake Superior is spectacular. I'd driven it once before, 20 years ago when moving from Hamilton to Winnipeg, and it was just as memorable this time.

It's a remote stretch, and with the Prius Prime lacking a spare tire (only a can of fix-a-flat), I was slightly apprehensive—especially with potholes near the Soo that were very much Prius-sized. Fortunately, once along the lake, the road improved dramatically.

Traffic was light, the views were incredible, and we had the road largely to ourselves. Before reaching Thunder Bay, we stopped at the Terry Fox Monument to pay our respects.

Indicated Average fuel economy for the day: 4.7 L/100 km, cruising at 102 km/h.

You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.

Tuesday: Home Stretch

Compared to Monday, the final leg from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg was uneventful and boring—through Dryden, past Kenora, and home by 4:00 p.m. Indicated Fuel economy: 4.6 L/100 km.



Final Numbers

Total distance: 2,536 km

Fuel used: 126 L

Fuel cost: $152.45

Calculated average: 4.98 L/100 km

We easily covered each ~800 km leg on a single tank. The only charging opportunity was in Sault Ste. Marie, where we lucked into a ground-floor suite and ran the cable in through the patio doors.

I'm thrilled with the car and can't wait to spend the next few years seeing just how efficient I can make it.

You cannot view this attachment.

[Gurgie]

Great trip report, thanks for sharing!! Crappy about the Porter plane breaking down & our train system in Canada sucks!! Windsor to Montreal should be a high speed corridor for us via train, but no where near that.

[Firm]

Yes, nice overview of what sounds like a good little adventure. Great way to get acquainted with a new car too!