Adjusting My Expectations...

We had one of the original 1998 Siennas, an XLE. Roomy, comfortable and dead reliable, it was a great "car trip" car. For a van, it was relatively small, sleek and sporty-looking. That Sienna got 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway and kept those mileage numbers for 10 years and 100,000 miles.

We wanted to buy a new one but the Sienna grew too fat over the years.

For us, the Prius v may be just the ticket. It's roomier, wider (I hope) and more modern than our G2 Prii (love the iPod station). And it gets twice the mileage that our Sienna got. What's not to love?

When and where can I drive one?

 

In NY, 45 MPG and SULEV are requirement to qualify for single driver HOV lane access. Yea, Prius v will not qualify.

 

2 quick questions (need to make a decision this week to buy my father's '08 Cadillac SRX (18 MPG) or wait for this).
Does the new v have the "upgraded" battery pack (I forget, the NiMH or Li-ION, whichever is better than thte current gen 3).
Also, did they release any kind of pricing?

Your help is appreciated.

 

Ditto. +1

 

They tested Prius with Lithium and the improvement in efficiency was very minor. To give us the best bang for the buck, they are sticking with the proven NiMH.

There was no pricing information released, so far.

 

My main concern if I was driving the V is when I would have 3 passengers plus maybe some luggage or stuff in the back - how quickly could I get up to speed on the freeway then? It's already heavier because it's 1.7 sec slower to 60 (Toyota specs), and with a load will you have to keep your foot buried in the gas pedal to keep it going? I can't wait to see some road tests and opinions on it.

 

Hi:

I'm not Doug (lucky him!) but I just checked my 2010 Prius V (not v) and there is a tether strap connection for the middle seat meaning you could utilize the 2 bottom clips, one from the right and one from the left and the middle tether clip behind the middle seat to put your baby in the middle and your parents on both sides. You can then benefit from the extra room between the end of the seat and the door panel which, I noticed is concave. It'd be a tight fit but it might get you to dinner without too much discomfort. The proto Prius v pics don't show any tether clips, but they'll have to be there for the production units in the USA. Take your car seat down to your dealer and give it a try in the current Prius.

 

Or maybe they could go up to 2.5 liters like the ICE that the Ford Fusion hybrid already has (combined ICE/electric motor horsepower: 191). With the combined horsepower of the ICE and electric motor, the lighter Prius V would probably accelerate like a proverbial bat out of hell -- sort of like the way my '07 RAV4 with the 6-cylinder 3.5 liter 268 hp engine from the Toyota Camry/Avalon performs now. :thumb: But then, of course, it wouldn't get sufficient MPG for all the fanatical hypermiling Prius devotees. I'm betting that the new Prius V won't either.

 

When Toyota eventually switches to direct injection and lithium ion with the 1.8 liter, it will help increase mpg's and performance. I still wish the V had a larger displacement ICE for more torque, which should help mpg. One of the beni's of the 1.8 vs the Gen II's 1.5 liter is the more relaxed rpms at cruising speed and higher mpg. It's not like they can't bore or stroke out the 1.8 to 2.0 or 2.2 liters so why not do it? My guess is they wanted to get the V out quickly at a lower cost. Let see how it actually performs in some test drives.

 

The best selling vehicle in the US is the Ford F150, a truck. The camry was the best selling car, and not many are buying the hybrid version. The best selling in Japan is the Prius. My prediction is the v will be a miss like the hs250. Its bigger, but is it big enough or fast enough to differentiate itself? If it was the 40mpg would be fine, but the other specs do not look very exciting.

I would hope it would get better mileage than the Rav4. But how will it do against the ford c-max hybrid or c-max energi, vehicles. Pricing may be key to sales.
2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid First Look - Motor Trend

I do hope the prius v does well, and the the prius c surpasses expectations.

 

As one who's considering buying a hybrid sedan (not a Prius) later this year, I'm wondering why the Camry hybrid isn't selling well. I drove one and it seemed pretty nice. I especially appreciated the combined 187 hp of the 2.4 liter ICE and the electric motor when merging onto a local freeway. The car drove very smoothly and was quite comfortable. The main drawback would seem to be the limited trunk space. The other car I'm considering is the Ford Fusion hybrid, with a 2.5 liter ICE and 191 combined hp. I'd be replacing my wife's '00 Volvo S70 GLT (113,500 miles and counting) with either car. I see tons of Priuses around here -- they seem to be multiplying like rabbits -- but very few TCH's. I talked to one guy who had an '06 TCH. He was very happy with it; said he even got something like 40 mpg in town and about 35 mpg on the road. This sounds like a good to great car for the gas-economy-conscious driver who doesn't need to haul a lot of stuff (or whose household maybe has another car for that task) and is not completely fixated on squeezing the last mpg out of every tank of gas. So what gives?

 

My personal experience: I initially though I was going to buy a TCH, but ended up with a Prius IV. I tested both and found I didn't like the transition of the ICE shutting down and starting up. It seemed abrupt or rough compared to the Prius. I initially though the Prius was going to be too small as I have to occasionally carry 2 or 3 passengers for my work. I found the rear seat legroom comparable to the TCH, so that, and the test drive sold me on it. PLUS, I save over $3,000 moving from the TCH to the Prius AND I get better mpg.:thumb::bounce:

 

I admit, I have yet to drive a Prius. I plan to. I've been planning to rent a TCH for a weekend ($115, Friday P.M. to Monday A.M., at the local Toyota dealer); I would do the same for a Prius, especially if I was trying to decide between them. You can't rent Ford Fusion hybrids, no way, no how.

 

My brother has a 2008 and he likes it. He has a long commute on slow moving chicago highways. Back then the seats in the prius were not good enough, he wanted a trunk, and there was not much choice. My guess on the slow sales are the price and competition from the prius and ffh. Soon their will be a redesign an dealers may be discounting heavily. The sonata hybrid and lexus ct200 should be in show rooms soon. You have many more choices than he did back in 2008.

 

Agreed. Most vehicles look better in person. I think this is one you really have to get into to form a full opinion.

Example: there is a 2nd cupholder hidden in the second console... the one on the right under the A/C vent is the 3rd in the front row. Tough to know that without being in it or seeing the pictures.

Not forgotten at all. We would never take our eyes off MPG for any Prius product.

Absolutely true. With a portfolio as broad as Toyota's, there aren't any white spaces to go with totally unique new buyers, so there is always cannibalization (as we say, better to cannibalize our own product than to have a competitor do it). The task is to minimize when possible, but you can only do so much.

Thanks. And that's the rub. The Prius is pretty well optimized for MPG in that class vehicle. That's why it has done so well. So we have created an expectation... among MPG-focused consumers like those on PC. Thus the initial disappointment from some.

Among consumers who prioritize other needs as much or more than MPG, though, 40 MPG is fantastic. And that helps explain why we think cannibalization will be minimal. Most Prius owners won't trade off the MPG for the cargo. Others who haven't yet bought Prius - due to it's size - will like the v though.

So just one more reminder, all, promote the v with your friends who have mocked Prius' size!

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

40 MPG car that can replace SUV is a very interesting and insightful product. There are many people that got a SUV or mini-Van because Prius is a little too small for them.

40 MPG (cordless) is great considering the competition:

- Camry Hybrid (33 MPG - Midsize Sedan)
- Jetta TDI Sportwagen (34 MPG - Small Wagon)
- HS250h (35 MPG - Compact Sedan)
- CR-Z (37 MPG - Two Seaters Hatchback)
- Volt (37 MPG - Compact Hatchback)
- Sonata Hybrid (38 MPG - Midsize Sedan)
- Fusion Hybrid (39 MPG - Midsize Sedan)
- Prius v (40 MPG - Midsize Wagon)
- Insight (41 MPG - Compact Hatchback)
- Civic Hybrid (41 MPG - Compact Sedan)
- CT200h (42 MPG - Compact Hatchback)
- Prius (50 MPG - Midsize Hatchback)

As you can see only the Prius and other compact cars have higher MPG than the Prius v.

I think Ford C-Max hybrid will be an interesting alternative. It will have a bigger more powerful engine and fuel efficiency may match that of the Prius v. We'll see when we get more information.

 

If you're considering a TCH, you might want to rent a NAH. It's not as refined as the Prius or TCH, but does out accelerate the TCH and esp. FFH. See Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance.

Too bad the Federal hybrid tax credits all ended 12/31/10, taking the $2350 credit on the NAH, with it. Coupled w/incentives as high as $5K on leftover 2010 NAHs, made it pretty attractive. Now per San Francisco Oakland San Jose Area Nissan Altima Hybrid Offers -0.0% APR - $4,000 Cash Back - $279 Lease - Nissan USA, I see $4K in incentives on a 2011 NAH.

You also will dislike the limited trunk space of the NAH though... My mom's 07 didn't even have a rear pass-thru for skis or poles, unlike the TCH.

 

I've considered the NAH (and looked at a NA) and so far said nah to it. :mod: