Driving a Prius, nine months later
Thursday, May 24 2007
The cost of gas is higher than ever. Not that we’d really notice.
We’ve owned our 2006 Barcelona Red Toyota Prius for almost nine months. It’s hard not to feel smug about gas prices when you’re driving the most fuel-efficient car on the market. Because we [still] get a lot of questions about the car, here are my thoughts a few months “down the road”…
Fuel economy: The first question everybody asks is, “What kind of mileage do you get with that thing?” What we don’t get is the dubiously-calculated 60 MPG EPA estimate; almost no Prius owners do. What we do get is a consistent 48 MPG in warm weather (as with all cars, fuel economy goes down with temperature). With Beth’s 70+ mile daily commute, that adds up to thousands of dollars in savings on fuel every year.
Hybrid confusion: The next most common question is, “Do you have to plug it in?” There are apparently a lot of misconceptions about what a hybrid is. A hybrid vehicle isn’t an electric vehicle; it’s a vehicle. You drive and maintain it the same as any other car; you just get much better fuel economy.
Our friend Jon had a smart observation about why the Prius and other hybrids have been so successful while other electric vehicles have failed: If you took somebody from the 1960s or 1970s who’d never heard of hybrids and put them in the driver’s seat of one, they would be able to drive the car without needing to learn or know anything different.
We also frequently hear, “So can it go at highway speeds?” or “Can it go fast?” The answer is again, yes, it accelerates the same as any other vehicle. I don’t remember what the zero-to-sixty time is for the Prius, but it accelerates like a fairly peppy four-cylinder. It’s not a V6, but it’s no slowpoke, either.
Digital interior: Although the actual act of driving the Prius isn’t really that different from other cars, sitting inside one feels like stepping five years into the future. The Prius is nearly all-digital inside. It has an 8-inch touch screen in the center console that controls most of the interior features, including climate and sound. Upon getting in, many people ask, “Is that a DVD player?” Many of the same controls are also accessible from buttons on the steering wheel. It’s rare that you need to take your hands off the wheel while driving — a great feature.
Our Prius also has a backup camera (an option). Besides the hybrid technology itself, this is probably the biggest “wow” factor. Put the car into reverse and the console screen switches to a video feed from a camera mounted in the rear of a car. The backup camera makes parallel parking a breeze, even for people like me who aren’t that good at it.
Comfort and feel: Another reason to love this car is that it handles beautifully, rides quietly, and is comfortable inside. The Prius is rated as a mid-size car; there’s lots of room inside. It seats four comfortably and five without much shoving. It’s very well insulated, meaning that road noise is kept fairly quiet. Of course, the car itself is almost completely silent when in electric mode, and still very quiet when running the gas engine.
…
Overall, we love the car. It’s been a great-looking, great-driving, fun vehicle to own. As Beth said in her original post, we didn’t think we’d be driving a new car this soon, but nine months later, it’s good to be driving a Prius.
More letters and a full heart
Saturday, May 19 2007
After four years of work, I can now add two new letters to the end of my name: M.A.
I graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary today with a Master of Arts in Educational Ministry. It’s a great feeling to be done.
It was a great day, and my heart is full. My parents and Beth’s grandmother came in from out of town to see me graduate. Friends came to watch the process. Beth’s parents and sister came. We spent time with the family, spent time walking around our neighborhood, ate an amazing dinner at The 1913 Room, and had a great time. It is humbling to hear family, friends, and professors heap compliments on you. While I’m honored and grateful, I feel overwhelmed by the generosity in all their remarks.
It was a beautiful, sunny, and warm day. I was just a perfect day. I wish this day could last much longer, because it’s the sort of wonderful day that you only dream of having.
Ultimately, though, all praise is due to my friends and family for sticking by me and supporting me, and most of all, all glory goes to God. Thank you.
When all is said and done
Friday, May 18 2007
I handed in the last of my work at CTS this morning. I’m done!
Graduation is tomorrow at 11:00a in the Calvin College Fine Arts Center (info here). If you are in the area and would like to come, please do! Tickets aren’t required, as the graduating class is small (65 across all seven degrees).
Having an office
Saturday, May 12 2007
There have been times when working full time while going to school has been a drag, such when everybody wants to go out late on a school night but I have to be in the office at 8:00a the following morning. But yesterday morning, while finishing my thesis (done!) I needed a quiet place to sit, lay out some books, and write for a few hours. My options were:
- A tiny 2-foot by 1-foot desk carrel in a dark corner of the occasionally-odd-smelling fourth floor of the library, or
- My office at work, where I have a massive and clean desk, bright lighting, a huge 20-inch LCD monitor, an impossibly-comfortable Aeron chair, fresh coffee and breakfast, and on Friday mornings, almost complete silence.
Sometimes working while going to school has been a drag. But other times, the benefits are worth their weight in gold.
Finales
Thursday, May 10 2007
My last class is over, my thesis is nearing completion, and I’m putting the finishing touches on the final issue of Kerux.
On the topic of that publication, we met as a staff one last time this past week, and I marveled that 10 people had stuck with me all year. For my own part, I felt that my administration of the publication was rather ham-handed. But the staff was gracious enough to even congratulate me and make little to do of my many shortcomings and extended absenses of publication. Contrary to what some people will tell you, charity runs deep in the Dutch blood.
The final issue is both critical and reflective; hopefully it will be read for what it is. I am glad to have been a part of it.
About us
Six27 is the website of Beth and Christian Bell. We live in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan with our cat Athena.
The name of this website comes from our anniversary date.
Recent pictures
Contact us
E-mail us both: bells@six27.com
If you only want to e-mail one of us, see our respective pages for our personal e-mail addresses.