Wind chill may not be an issue with starting the car, but it is an issue if you have to get out and walk. YOu want reliable if you are driving in the boonies. If you don’t have experience driving in the winter, keep a blanket and a snow shovel in the car, and be sure you always have warm clothes – hat, mittens, good boots,…
The Prius battery might act a little funny after being cold soaked a couple of weeks at below zero temperatures. Most storage batteries will loose more than 60% of their capacity under those conditions. They move towards becoming inert…Ft Kent. Nobody in their right mind would move there, so the Government must have sent Ron there. Keeping America safe, maybe?
if a hybrid is what you want,with the possibility of deep snow,what about the ford escape hybrid?? it’ll give you the ground clerance the prius won’t,and it comes in both two wheel AND four wheel drive?
being a larger vehicle,it won’t get the mileage the little prius would,but,it might get you there when the little commuter car wont…
if a hybrid is what you want,with the possibility of deep snow,what about the ford escape hybrid??
In a 10 year period there MIGHT be 3 maybe 4 times you’ll NEED a 4wd. That doesn’t justify the difference in gas mileage to me.
You guys are making me cold just reading all this. I’d recommend you forget the Prius, and buy yourself a one-way plane ticket to somewhere that man might be an indigenous species 
How did you arrive at that conclusion?
Some pertinent items:
- Toyota designed this car for worldwide use; that includes Minnesota (much colder than Maine), Northern Canada, etc.
2.Windchill is only felt by humans and animals; cars react to thermometer temperatures. - No one has mentioned this, but whenever you need the heater, the Prius will not run on the battery alone. That was the biggest drwaback to an all electric car. You need that engine heat to stay warm. Therefore, expect much lower fuel economy in the winter.
- Do as all residents of cold regions do; use a good winter oil, 5W30 sythetic is ideal, have a good set of snow tires, use a block heater to keep the engine warm, and park inside whenever you can.
- I d?n’t know the size of your new town, but Toyota trains its mechanics well, and you should be able to get good service. I spent 4 months in Moses Lake, Wa, population 14,000, and the local Toyota dealer was well versed in Prius service.
So, stop worrying, people in Maine got along quite well before there were SUVs and 4 wheel drive pickups, and, yes they do have snow plows in Maine!
Unlike most of the respondents I actually have a 2004 Prius, and have experienced subzero temperatures (actual not wind chill) This is not a good car under those conditons. We usually don’t warm up our cars but we make an exception when it gets below zero. My wife started her Prius to let it warm up and when she went out to drive away it was dead as a doornail. Even though it had 5W30 oil in it it stalled after a couple of minutes and the battery drained until it was totally dead in less than 10 minutes. I couldn’t figure out how to jump it, since the battery is in the trunk, but the tow truck started it with a portable jumppack. It is easy to jump if you make a good contact with the remote positive terminal in the fuse block, and figure out where an actual negative ground can be found, that isn’t cleverly disguised plastic.There is an engine block heater from Canada available that I managed to obtain . I found a dealer that knows how to install it, but they wanted $150 so I didn’t do it. It is sitting in my garage. If you need the part number email me at taub@scacable.com By the way my wife has been stuck in less than 6" of snow due to the low ground clearance. On those days she takes my AWD Aztek or 4wd Chevy truck. Ron Rome WI
Install the block heater; you and your wife will love it. I’ve used block heaters for the last 42 years and the savings in fuel and engine wear will soon pay for it.
MANY…MANY years experience driving in Winters FAR WORSE then Ft Kent.