Prius vs Any other car

I noticed that the Lincoln MKZ was on your list. Have you considered the Lincoln MKZ hybrid? Ford recently announced that it will carry no premium over the non-hybrid MKZ. It will have the same proven hybrid powertrain as its sister car, the Ford Fusion Hybrid (as well as the outgoing Mercury Milan Hybrid).

 

Hi Iris,

Before I get into my note to you-- I saw somewhere else on this board that you were quoted $16,500 on the Fit-- I know you can get it for less-- my wife just bought an 09 by going through Costco Auto (AAA offers the same rates if you aren't a Costco member) and got a slightly lower price than that-- you should check it out... That said, on to my comparison...

My wife has a 2009 Fit, I drive a 2010 Prius. Both are great cars and I'm happy to drive either one. That said, there are a few big differences in each vehicle:

Size: The Fit and the Prius probably hold about the same amount of cargo, but the Prius feels a lot roomier... I think that the Fit is categorized as a compact car and the Prius is a mid-sized car... The Fit only holds as much as it does because of the general engineering genius of Honda-- it's truly an impressive feat. That said, I prefer the Prius for passenger travel-- it's a generally more substantial feeling car.

Performance: City driving-- Fit wins... It's peppy and nimble. Highway driving-- Prius wins... The Prius feels more sure footed, is happy to cruise at high speed, and more importantly-- I feel like the Fit starts to show resistance to highway speeds at about 60 MPH, the Prius doesn't start to resist until going 85+.

Fuel Economy: The Prius wins... Not by a whole lot, but the difference will add up quickly.

Other thoughts:
While a lot of the design of each of these cars overlap, they're definitely in two different classes. Don't get me wrong, the Fit is a terrific car-- especially for city/around town driving; but it's not a very refined vehicle. Notably, the Fit lets a lot of road noise in, takes bumps in the road hard, comes up short in comparison in the "fit and finish" department, and is comparatively cramped for the passengers.

The Prius on the other hand feels like a tank-- it performs well-- but more like a luxury car vs the Fit's sporty design-- but, that said, the Prius feels generally more solid and capable.

Given the choice, I'd take the Prius for 9 tasks out of 10. My wife, who doesn't do a lot of highway driving, wanted a smaller car and loves her Fit. I don't think you can lose choosing between these two great cars, but I'd also suggest that-- if it were me, I'd go for the Prius.

 

I would have gotten a Prius sooner, but waited for the HyCam to come out in '06. Definately disapointed in the HyCam traction battery integration. The Prius has been fantastic in every way, function, versatilty, MPG, even fun to drive in its own way.
As far as winter driving, living in the snowbelt of northeast Ohio I've had several AWD vehicles. Had my eyes opened with an Audi I had long ago that even AWD vehicles benefit with snow tires. But I always come back to the simplicity, and improved MPG of Front drive especially with traction & stability control. The first 3 winters were ok with all seasons, even the first 2 with the Integritys. Last winter the Falkens were @ about 50% and weren't going to cut for the winter, so I splurged & put snows on. What a difference!! It was like having AWD, tremendous traction & stability. It's funny how I always have DOOH! moment when I put snows on, even with having them on mutiple vehicles over the years!
So get the Prius that you know & love, & just add snows for the winter. I've found the Prius with snows works better than AWD with OEM all seasons. The Gen 3 with it's improved traction control should be even better than mine.
I've also been very happy with Tire Rack's Winterforce brand (Firestone) and the General Altimax Arctic the Prius has, vs. the higher cost brands I've had before, Gislaved, Blizzak, Pirelli.

 

For me it is. For you it is, and I think for most of the folks on this board it is. But Camry outsells Prius by a wide margin.

IMO, several reasons for that:

(1) Lower price for the Camry

and

(2) Traditional style/look of the Camry

Everything else being equal, it's a well known marketing fact that most Americans prefer a sedan over a hatchback. But logically, IMO, the hatchback has far greater utility and versatility than the car with a trunk. Most Americans buy based on the concept of form over function. I, on the other hand, prefer function over form. Ergo, Prius wins.

 

I live less than a mile from my place of work and I ride a bike most days. I walk when it is snowing or raining.

 

That is great. I walk close to 3miles everyday during my lunch hour. I would enjoy living that close to work and walking. But I also really like living in the burbs too.

 

To the OP,

All those cars you mentioned in your OP eat gas like crazy. You will literally watch your gas needle drop before your eyes.

But some are just plain fun to drive. It depends on your driving style and your preference.

 

Currently, we have the new Prius since 10/2009, and a 2001 Audi A4 AWD as a second car. The usage patterns are a bit interesting.

This was an El Nino winter, plenty snowy. The Audi was our preferred ride after storms, to the point of leaving the Prius sit, since the Audi is highly competent in deep snow. Prius traction control annoyed me in a situation where I was trying a hill at low speed--need to keep the Prius moving faster.

On out-of-town trips, we have the luxury of just waiting another day until the roads are better-cleared.

Now, however, the Prius is the preferred ride. With both of us semi-retired, we can coordinate and leave the Audi sit; it has become our local-only backup car.

My lifelong habit has been to buy a car (new) every 10 years. Now I want to continue, but overlap to realize a new purchase every five years. I am hoping that someone will build a wee AWD vehicle using HSD or something similar, so I can buy it at around 2015.

Hasn't Subaru licensed HSD technology from Toyota?

 

what!!! no Subaru???

AWD, SUV, etc, etc...