ericbecky,

thanks for the post.

Because the car is front wheel drive, you can increase the grade limit if you zigzag the car (just like tacking in a boat). This has the effect of lowering the 'angle of attack' of the drive wheels.

So if ever you get in a tight situation, turn from lock to lock as you reverse, using the brakes when necessary to stop you from ever rolling forward. The front of the car will swing from side to side, but after each "tack", you'll notice that you're slowly edging your way up the incline.

This is a very interesting thread. While reading these posts, it occured to me that the law (in California) says that if you are on a single lane road and going down hill and meet another vehicle, you must backup the hill. This is safer than backing down a hill. This could be an interesting twist with the Prius on some narrow mountain roads! :o