thinking of buying one, opinions please

I am not a short woman but my wife has a 2007 Honda Accord and I have the Prius. If your wife does not like the blindspots on the Honda Accord, then I would not think she would like the blindspots on the Prius. With the rear window of the hatchback, the rear view is limited compared to the Honda Accord.

If she is referring to the blindspots on the side rear areas, I also think the Prius has more blind areas there than the Accord.

Having said that, I have adjusted to the rear view and the blindspots of the Prius so they are no longer a problem to me.

 

Yeah, visibility is not one of the Prius's strong points. Have her test drive it again and take your time.

 

My wife is 5'3" and she used to drive a Honda Civic. I do agree with the other posts in that there are several blind spots but knowing where they are and compensating for them is something my wife has easily adjusted to. Overall her experience has been very positive, she loves the way she fits into the drivers seat and the adjustments it affords. Everything is within her reach control wife and she has no problems with the bluetooth phone connections.

I suggest you take the vehicle home for the evening and experiment.

 

There ia a base IV, NAV package (with backup camera), and SOLAR package (which includes NAV).

Read through www.carbuyingtips.com and AAA will give the MSRP, invoice & up to 3 dealer quotes.

If possible rent one for a few days.

 

My wife is 5'1" and legally blind in one eye. She hasn't had a problem. Although, she's used to compensating for the bad eye and is more vigilant about using the mirrors to pay constant attention to what's going on around her. If she can deal with it, anyone can.

The Prius blind spots are real, BUT, any reasonably good driver should be able to adjust to them without too much difficulty.

The seat height adjustment on the Gen III's helps shorter people a lot.

 

I'm just your average female and I love the car. It's comfortable, spacious and gets great mileage to boot. My husband refers to it as 'my car', I don't let him drive it that often as he drags down the average mpg!

Some people have issues with blind spots. Make sure the mirrors are adjusted properly. If you are still uncomforable, for about $5 you can get a blind spot remover. This thread has more details on the mirror adjustments and options: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/62782-blind-spot.html

 

These are ALL great suggestions, test the Prius again, keep it overnight and rent one, my wife is also short at 4' 11 & 3/4", we initially test drove a 2009, but quickly found it presented visual challenges for her, due to the lack of verticle seat height adjustment.

Also, at that time it was noted that the Prius Did have blind spots, but, at the time the seat height was the primary issue.

When the 2010's were available to test drive, she drove one and immediately found the lack of visability due to seat height adjustment to NO LONGER be an impediment.

The 2010 still has some blind spot issues, however, like EVERY other car, you learn to adapt and compensate for those shortcomings, the Prius is NO different.

On the initial 2010 test drive, she commented that "they're are a couple of blind spots", but now after owning the car for almost 6 months, I've NOT heard ANY further comments about rearward visability. Like everything, you adapt.

David (aka Blind Guy)

 

David has made the best recommendation one can give - Rent a 2010 Prius. After a day or two, you will either want to buy one or look for something else.....

Good Luck,

Keith

 

You can always remove or tilt forward the rear seat headrests to make less blindspots- or fold them all down entirely.

 

You can also take them all off and stow them in the tray under the cargo area in the back. (makes them easier to fold down too)


As for visibility, I think it's more of an issue for changing lanes than for backing up. Using the side mirrors helps but I'm not entirely used to it yet. Still a significant improvement over the Accord Coupe I was driving (trunk too high).

Also note that MPG will be below EPA's estimates in cold weather.

 

Mine are chilling in my garage. The tallest person I stick back there is about 48", and almost always have two car seats in the back.

 

You could always put those convex blind spot mirrors on the rearview mirrors. They even sell them at my Toyota dealer. These are the things drivers would also use on a box type truck or 'big rig'.

Minor blind spots needn't be a reason to not buy a car.

 

It is also important to adjust your side view mirrors properly to avoid blindspots! Here's what I have been taught:
1. Place your left ear on the driver side window. Now adjust the driver side mirror.
2. Move your head so it is centered over your console and then adjust the passenger side mirror.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do you will have a LOT less blindspots to deal with!!!

 

Maybe you could rent a 2010 Prius for a day or two, I really don't think the visibility is going to be any better than with the Honda. The Prius nav system comes with a back up camera, probably its best feature, which is helpful while backing.

 

I think it depends on your goals. Is a hybrid really needed?

I got the Prius to get on the HOV lane. And now I admit that the mileage is a lot of fun although many reports have stated that there are cheaper cars even considering the gas mileage - like the Camry, Corolla, or Yaris etc. The Corolla or Yaris will probably save you money over a lifetime of ownership and have better visibility too.

If there were no HOV lanes, I think I would have gotten a Corolla. If you wife is spending a sizable chunk of her life driving like me, and she does not need HOV access, and she is not an enthusiast (which I have become), there are other choices. She should not discount comfort since she is in the car so much.

Now having said that, I find the Prius highly entertaining. I got a Scanguage II. Monitor my engine temperature and mileage. Getting on PriusChat. If I have gotten a Corolla, I would have just driven it. So the Prius, while not the most monetarily sound choice, made my commute more enjoyable and that's why I would buy it again.

Rhino (55 miles round trip commute)

 

I removed the rear seat headrests on mine and it does improve things, but the fact that people feel compelled to do this says something about visiblity from the Prius. It isn't great. The mirrors make up for it somewhat by being oversized and more parabolic than most.