I've turned into a Grandma Driver!

I've always been one of those drivers in the farthest lane to the left, cruising with the big boys. My number one concern was always "How fast can I get there?" As long as those slow people in their Priuses stayed in the right lanes and out of my way, all was good. Never in my life did I imagine I would be driving in the slow lane because my competitive nature just wouldn't allow it.

But my 80 mile daily commute and skyrocketing gas prices made me rethink my car choice. In Minnesota, where hills are minuscule compared to SoCal, tire tread and the ability to handle snow are bigger concerns when buying a car (SUV) than MPG and bumper to bumper traffic.

The commute, the hills, and the price of gas convinced me to get a Prius, and it turned me into one of those smug drivers, moving at old-lady pace, oblivious to all the people passing me. How did this happen, you might ask? Toyota took advantage of my competitive nature and put a display in my Prius that tells me when the car is driving in Electric Mode (best), in "Eco" Mode (good), or in Power Mode (gas guzzling). Then along the bottom of the display, it shows how many miles per gallon the car is averaging on this tank of gas. When in Power Mode, the indicator light turns red and the MPG falls. 

All of this brings out my competitive nature. It's like being in a video game where the goal is to keep the light from turning red, keep the MPG from falling below 50, and the enemies are quick-starts and going too fast on the long uphills. Now I understand why all those other Prius's are in the slow lane on the way over the foothills - they are all playing the MPG game! And winning at the MPG game takes away the sting of being passed by 70% of the people on the road. 

Did I mention that I fill up my tank once a week for less than $40 and drive 500 miles before I have to fill it up again? That helps to ease the sting, too.