Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma

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Mon 27 May 2013 10:21
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - neilp123
Hi all,
As you've all been so helpful with automobile matters in the past, I'm back for some more nuggets of wisdom.

So here's the thing. My 2004 VW Bora is starting to chug a little, we've also just come into a little bit of money (11k) so I'm on the lookout for a new family car for myself, wife and 5 year old monster.

I have been offered a 2010 Toyota Prius. It's the Spirit model, so comes with built in Sat Nav, rear camera and quite a few other bells and whistles. It's a family member who is offering it to us, he's had it from new, is a careful driver, has full franchise service history and 35k miles on the clock. It's in immaculate condition and he's offering it for the price the dealer offered him part ex (£10,700). Equivalent Prius' are going privately for between 13 and 14k.

Now I wouldn't usually be looking in that sort of bracket, but obviously it's a very good offer. I could buy something else for say, 8k, which was slightly newer with less mileage, but nothing in the same league. The Prius us tax free, and I would hope to make other savings considering its high mpg and cheap servicing.

So considering the above, what would you do?

Ta
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Mon 27 May 2013 11:08
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - John Boy

I would leap at it! I do recall, however, that there's a topic somewhere on here to the effect that some people find the front seats really uncomfortable. I'd find and read that first.

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Mon 27 May 2013 11:29
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - gordonbennet

Snatch their arm off, excellent vehicle.

Diesel economy without the ticking time bombs, and a silky smooth and quiet drivetrain to boot, you can't go wrong.

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Mon 27 May 2013 11:57
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - TeeCee

I would leap at it! I do recall, however, that there's a topic somewhere on here to the effect that some people find the front seats really uncomfortable. I'd find and read that first.

Yup, it's their one and only drawback. Poor lumbar support, no adjustment beyond the basics. Also the japanese cardinal sin of lever adjustment rather than wheel on the back.

A long test drive first is a must, but anyone with back issues would probably find one rather uncomfortable on long journeys. I do.

Edited by TeeCee on 27/05/2013 at 11:57

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Mon 27 May 2013 14:15
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - John Boy

The topic's here:

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=99592

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Mon 27 May 2013 16:23
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - Collos25

I had the exact same car for thee weeks gave it back must be the most akward boring car ever made and I have driven many motors.

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Mon 27 May 2013 16:34
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - madf

I tried one... I could not live with the cacophony when you acclerated hard..

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Mon 27 May 2013 16:36
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - Avant

In principle, as you say, it's a good offer- and if the Prius suits your driving needs, go for it.

The more town driving you so, the better the Prius will suit. I've had a couple of good long test drives in them and quite like it most of the time. But what it doesn't do well is motorway driving. Accelerating on to the motorway brings high revs (caused by the CVT) and lots of engine noise - and there isn't as much power in reserve when you're on the motorway as you'd find in a good diesel. Economy suffers is you want to make brisk progress.

But if you are a leisurely driver who doesn't do a lot of motorway miles, it sould suit you well. I'm not sure when the Mark 3 (1.8 petrol engine) replaced the Mark 2 (1.5) but the 1.8 is worth having.

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Mon 27 May 2013 17:02
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - mark999

Have an extended drive in it, if it suits you do for it. I managed to get a few days in an Auris and a Jazz hybrid to help my dad decide which one to go for. Both excellent cars. He went for the Auris in the end and hasn't looked back.

To benefit from the hybrid system you do need to change driving style, pulse and glide etc. plenty of advice on the Toyota forums.

Only reason i dont have one myself is that they are not type approved for towing in the UK (they are in the states)

Mark

Edited by mark999 on 27/05/2013 at 17:02

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Thu 30 May 2013 13:25
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - BenG

The seamless drive and lack of engine noise in stop-start traffic makes for a quiet, relaxing drive and good around-town economy, which is what the car is optimised for.

On longer motorway trips, the engine noise can be tiring as the engine revs away freely to accelerate the car and it lacks the acceleration and overtaking power of a good turbodiesel while not managing much better fuel economy.

The upside is that it seems a reliable car without the numerous expensive problems which affect many modern diesels. Also avoids the congestion charge.

If you do lots of driving on congested roads / in stop-start traffic go for it. If you do longer trips on motorways then the case isn't so clear-cut vs a turbodiesel. Either way, a long test drive is recommended to see if you like the way it drives as driving experience and controls are a bit different from the average car.

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Fri 31 May 2013 12:45
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - Kiwi Gary

I am in my second Prius because it does just what I require. The seating does need checking on a long drive, although I find it very comfortable. 400 miles in a day, with the return next day without any back ache. [ We do have sheepskins on the seats though.]

They can be a bit of a gas-guzzler if used exclusively around town. I run about 50 / 50 city and main road / motorway. Sitting on cruise control at legal limit [ 100 km/hr ] on main roads, and not being a hoon about town, I can get very close to the claimed 4.4 litres / 100 km.

Traction control is agricultural to say the least. On wet roads accelerating away from traffic lights, especially up hill, any loss of traction under heavy hoof will bring in the traction control which consists of crashing out the main breaker, then re-energising it. You can hear the breaker operating as you kangaroo across the intersection unless you quickly lift the hoof. The drive motor has very high torque at low speeds.

They are not the softest-riding vehicle in the world, so that needs to be checked on your test drive. They are susceptible to any reduction in tyre pressure which quickly shows up as increased fuel consupmtion. I get 60k miles out of a set of Michelin Economy running at 250 kPa pressure. [ Recommended pressure 235 - 270 ]

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Fri 31 May 2013 11:23
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - TeeCee

Only reason i dont have one myself is that they are not type approved for towing in the UK (they are in the states)

It's not type approval that's the problem[1], it's the transmission. You can get an aftermarket towbar in the States, but it does come with a warning that it should only be used for light trailers and will cause Toyota to wash their hands of any warranty obligations should the transmission fail for any reason.

Toyota provide an OEM towbar, but it has a square end rather than a ball and is only to be used for fitting a cycle carrier.

[1] Well, sort of. As the EU bureaucracy-for-the-sake-of-it insists on type approval for towing and since it's not designed to do it, Toyota have never gone through the process.....

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Fri 31 May 2013 12:23
Toyota Prius - The Great Prius Dilemma - RT

It is Type-Approval that's the problem in Europe - you cannot legally tow any trailer, however small/light, with a Prius.

A towbar can be fitted but can only be used for directly mounted racks, eg for bikes.

What they do in the US is totally irrelevant - they have different liability laws and different customs - typically their cars can only tow half what the identical car in Europe can tow - but - their maximum noseweight/tongue weight is usually 50% higher than in Europe.

Edited by RT on 31/05/2013 at 12:23

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