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I live in an area of Northern Michigan where the average snowfall exceeds 200 inches and there's snow on the ground for five to six months of the year. Because of fuel costs, our road commission doesn't plow the side roads as often as they used to, so at times I have to drive through up to a foot of fresh snow to get down my rural road to the main highway (which is kept plowed). Our temps can go as low as -30F. My Matrix has no problem with these conditions so long as the snow is dry (except the heater is lousy in spite of having the winter weather package).

How does the Prius perform in deep snow and extreme cold? Are snow tires available? I don't recall ever seeing a Prius around town in the winter and wonder if it is a feasible vehicle for really harsh conditions.

I don't know about deep snow, but on plowed roads it does just fine. It has a traction control system, that works very well. It is different then some systems, in that the traction control limits power to the wheels when traction is lost. One thing that some people don't like, is that you are unable to spin the wheels by flooring it. Some people don't like it, but my experience is that it works great.

Hmm. Spinning wheels in snow just gets you stuck deeper into the snow, so that's not an issue. An inability to install snow tires would be an issue since my road isn't always plowed.

I was talking to the Toyota dealer in Grand Blanc (LP of MI) and she said there are two customers who come in every year to get snow tires put on. I asked her if this was necessary and she stated that for some reason (even though they live in michigan) they did not want electronic stability control. Most roads down here are plowed however, so I'm not sure I'm really helping you....

It's OK in unplowed snow as long as it's fluffy and you have a good, grippy set of snow tires. The main difference between it and your matrix is technique. Traction control limits slip obsessively, so you have to overcome your good training and just hold the gas down while it finds the road and grinds through. It takes a bit of getting used to.

(The sign says South Carolina but I was born, raised, and spent one winter with a Prius in New England.)

I have only had my Prius since March, but we did get quite a few bouts of snow in Minneapolis since then and the Prius drove great! I was worried about having an automatic and traction control since I learned how to drive in snow (growing up in northern WI near the UP) with a manual but the drive was very secure. The antilock breaking and traction control take a bit of getting used to but I do not think that is Prius specific.

It also was cold (not quite -30, but probably -20s at night) and the Prius started fine without a garage. I think the interior heated up faster than the Saturn did (but that could have been due to the heated seats I had installed.)

Really I think winter driving is more about the driver than the car, if you can drive a Matrix in the snow you can drive a Prius too!

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the reports on the winter driving. That's positive news. Next question: the Prius doesn't come with a manual transmission? Obviously I'm Prius-challenged.

Correct Pruis is hybrid/CVT transmission only. Here in New Hampshire we has 189 inches of snow last year and lots of mountains. Many Prius around here with studded snow tires.

Well, there are two Toyota dealers here in the north, each one about 70 miles away in different directions. Checked their websites and Prius is not even listed.

I guess I'll wait or go to Plan B (Honda) or Plan C: (keep on trucking in the Matrix).

Appreciate all the good advice.

If you can, hold out until later in the year. I waited until December ('06) when the market usually slows down and the dealers are more interested in picking up the year-end numbers. Since there were cars on the lot I got to choose my color and options as well as negotiate the price somewhat aggressively. A few months prior the cars were in very short supply, much like they are now.

In the mean time, a Matrix is one of the better cars you could have.