We drove the Toyota Prius Prime to Palm Springs- here's what we thought!

*This post is part of the @toyotausa #PriusPrime #LetsGoPlaces sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal views and opinions.

First of all, if you’re not driving a car that matches your hair, are you even really living? How fun is this bright blue? I had never driven a plug-in hybrid before so I was really intrigued and excited to see how far I could drive without having to fill up or charge.

Palm Springs is our favorite getaway and we visit it often so I’m very familiar with the drive and typically I’ve never been able to drive there and back without having to get gas.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I immediately was very impressed with the large and vibrant navigation screen and the dash! I love little details and it has the cutest music and intro when you turn on the car! It’s very user friendly and I easily connected it to my I-phone and used Apple car play to connect my music for the trip. At first I thought the placement of the gear shift was a little weird but I quickly realized it was actually very convenient as it allowed for extra space in the center and there wasn’t a chance of me accidentally knocking it with my purse (like I often do in my car). I love the keyless feature and that the steering wheel has easy access to all of the buttons you use the most, like volume and track changing.

The next feature that impressed me was the ample trunk space! I’m a notorious over-packer (hey, a girl’s gotta have options) and that wasn’t an issue at all with the Prius Prime! I was easily able to fit my extra large suitcase and large duffle bag comfortably in the trunk. If I had needed even more space, I also could have folded down one of the seats in the back and created even more room!

Charging up the Prius Prime was super easy and fast. It even tells you on the main screen on the dash exactly how much time is left until it’s fully charged. When not in use, the plug fits neatly into a sleek, hidden compartment in the trunk. We had a full tank of gas and a full charge, so it was time to take this baby out on the open road!

We immediately all commented on how comfortable and roomy the seats were, which made for an enjoyable drive. One of the first things I noticed when I started driving, was how smooth and quiet the ride was. The Prius Prime almost seems to glide! We ended up hitting the worst traffic we’ve ever seen on the way to Palm Springs so it ended up taking us 2.5 hours to get there and we were relieved to have a comfortable drive! When driving with my son I’m extra focused on safety features, so I appreciated the Pre-Collision system, Lane Departure Alert and Road Sign Assist. My son actually pointed out the road sign assist and thought it was so cool that it displayed the current speed limit!

My six year old son LOVES dinosaurs so of course we had to make a pit stop before we arrived in Palm Springs to see the iconic Cabazon Dinosaurs.

2.5 hours later, we finally made it! The first thing I did was check out the charge and gas and I was SHOCKED to see that the charge lasted the entire way and we had barely dipped into the fuel even after being stuck in stop and go traffic the whole way! If I had been driving my normal car, I would have had to fill up as soon as we arrived. It was so convenient to not have to pull over for gas!

We stayed at our favorite spot, the ACE hotel and after enjoying a refreshing dip in the pool, headed out and around Palm Springs to explore and eat. Cheeky’s is our go to brunch spot because it never disappoints!

Unfortunately, on the drive back, we hit horrible gridlocked traffic again! It took us 2.5 hours to get home as well. Fortunately the drive was comfortable and we had great music and company so it wasn’t so bad. I kept checking the fuel gage, fully expecting to have to stop and fill up. Shockingly after driving a total of 5 hours there and back and all over Palm Springs for two days, by the time we arrived back home in Los Angeles, we had only used 25% of our fuel! I couldn’t believe it! I immediately plugged in to fully charge up and have since been driving it around Los Angeles and still haven’t had to fill up! We are definitely looking into the Prius Prime as our next car. It’s roomy, modern, comfortable, quiet and best of all a HUGE saver on gas!