Why so much Prius v....LOVE?

They are Americans, Big is good, small is bad?
Once you own a Prius it is pretty big inside, but Joe Six Pack never makes it inside.

 

Yesterday when I drove my Prius I felt like a giant looming over the road... Not to mention I had those creature comforts of power steering, power brakes, and something more than a manual clutch. The Prius is anything but small!

 

Vehicles of that size typically get mid-20s MPG. It gets 42. Yes, a Prius is a decent size on the inside, but I think this will suit more people as a "family vehicle" for running around with their 2.5 kids.

 

I think there are a # of factors. I suspect that the press event was invite only so it could be combination of inviting the "right" set of journalists as well as getting the intended message across to them and spinning... err messaging it the right way. That's what marketing people are for.

I can't speak to the blogs and all the other things you point to, but much of the Prius "hate" (mostly misinformation) seems to stem from people who were never been invited to any Prius press events and who aren't automotive journalists. Many have likely never driven one or been given a proper demo and are full of all the crap that people brought up at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...information-anti-hybrid-anti-prius-folks.html.

Many of the above haters are probably unaware of the Prius v, so there couldn't be hate coming from them about it. I think once it ships, some of the haters will get wind of it and pile onto the v with their usual hate and misinformation.

 

"Sorry, my balls are bigger than raisins. I'll never buy a Prius", etc.

Anyway from day one I found this underwhelming. If it had a third row and wasn't priced brutally higher than our Prius I'd get rid of our Prius for it when the lease is up. As it is, I can't see that happening.

BTW, I think the name v is a catastrophe. I'm forever confused with what letter means what, e.g. scion xb xa, etc.

 

It is an opportunity to change their minds. Many people had mindless hate to the original Prius, for whatever reason. Now with gas at $4.00 they are realizing that they may need one. Since changing their minds would be a sign of weakness, the Prius v gives them a way to do that.

"It looks good actually." Here is a meaningless opinion, that can easily be made to serve the prejudices of the user. Since their original opinion of the Prius wasn't based on logic, they don't need logic to change it.

 

I suspect there is also a cultural shift in hybrid acceptance.. the folks who stated they hate Prius jumped on Prius v wagon instead admitting they were wrong?

 

Agree with Corwyn and Cyclopathic. It provides the perfect 'v'ehicle for the anti-Prius crowd to save face.

And, the fact that it more closely resembles the CUV shape many consumers are familiar with doesn't hurt either. A very clever design, IMO.

 

One of the reasons I love the v is because of the extra room in the back. Once we put my son''s wheelchair in the trunk we no longer have room for anything else.

 

I'll share my love. I think this thing is a winner. Size is everything. A larger vehicle can carry more stuff, and is thus a more capable transportation device. One of the great things about the current Prius is the hatchback design and space-efficient interior, which makes it more capable than your run-of-the-mill sedan. I appreciate that, but the truth is that people tend to want something bigger than the Prius. The Prius v makes significant size improvements and flexibility to the current design, bumping up the size enough to compete with midsize wagons and small SUVs without going into "minivan substitute" territory.

Sure, some people want AWD, etc and are willing to brush off a couple of MPG for it. But this is 42 MPG, and that's too significant to blithely brush off. On the EPA sticker, this is almost as fuel efficient as a Honda Civic Hybrid. I mean, think about that. Is there anything on the market right now that can touch that? Can you name me something with, say, +-4 cu ft of cargo space and +-2 cu ft of passenger space that gets within 10 MPG combined of this? I can only think of the Ford Escape Hybrid, which gets 32 MPG and is over $30k starting. The next closest that I can see would be the TDI SportWagen, at 33MPG but with more expensive fuel and a good bit smaller passenger volume, starting at $26k. Ford may come close to the Prius v with its C-Max hybrid, but it's going to be a harder sell because it's newer and unfamiliar to the U.S. market. At its launch, this vehicle is going to be unique and a leader.

The jump to 42 MPG is very significant, even more so than the jump to 50 MPG for the Prius. As many people know, the actual savings of fuel gets smaller as the MPG goes higher. Going from, say, a 24 MPG 2WD CRV to this would save 3571 gallons of fuel over 200,000 miles. Going from a 28 MPG Matrix to a 50 MPG Prius saves 3143 gallons. This thing should burn 4762 gallons over 200,000 miles versus 4000 gallons for the standard Prius. If gas prices remain high, the savings in fuel costs will be significant.

People who compare this thing to the current Prius are not treating the v fairly. That's even more unfair than comparing the current Prius to a Corolla sedan. The improvements in capacity should be enough to attract people who want something bigger than the current Prius.

I just hope the price isn't too high.

 

The Prius v, is not the product for me personally. I'm much more interested in The Prius c.

But despite my initial negative reaction to Prius v, based mostly on disappointment in regards to gas mileage. It's growing on me as a product. I can see where a lot of families might really like Prius v as an option.

I don't REALLY think there is a lot of Prius v LOVE..vs. Regular Prius HATE....there are going to be comparisons because they are both Prius and Prius v is the "new" thing. So comparison is inevitable. You expand a product line, products are going to be compared.

Regular Prius still is loved. As demonstrated by this very website. I still think there is a huge market for those that want a mid-size vehicle, that get's 10 mpg better...

Not everyone wants a mini-van like utility.

With comparison, some people will draw "battle lines"...but I think it unnecessary. With product expansion it really comes down to what product fits your needs better? I await Prius C, I personally like regular Prius better because of the better gas mileage. But that doesn't mean Prius v isn't a great choice for those wanting more storage space, and a more family friendly enviroment.

I also would admit...I like the dash of the Prius v better...I'm not a big fan of the flying buttress cockpit design.

 

The whole thing smacks of a turn around in the point of view towards hybrids.

Prius at 10 seconds 0-60 OMG Wth What a POS...
Prius V at 10.6 seconds, not much worse than Prius and very respectable considering the size...

 

Reading this, one recurring theme is that the Prius threatens his manhood, but the v does not threaten her femininity. So maybe v is short for .... and Prius is latin for ....

 

Imagine the manhood of those Charger, Jetta, and other car drivers that I have beaten off the line cleanly in my girly mobile. Poor wittle fellas, maybe they can claim it was cold out.

 

thnx Jimbo.. I just spilled coffee in my keyboard

 

Well, this thing gets better MPG than the tiny Volt. It even tops the Lexus CT200h. There is nothing like it.... until we see Ford C-Max hybrid.

 

That's not a bad analysis, macmaster05. I do agree that the Prius gets some hate because it can leave some things to be desired as a "family vehicle". I'm using it as a "family vehicle", but I admit that it's just a bit less than what I would like. For example, the width just isn't quite enough. 3 people in the back would be possible, but cozy. I've put two carseats in the back of mine, and there's no room in between them for someone to sit unless they want to be REALLY uncomfortable. Thankfully, the Prius v increases the width a little, though I wonder how much my car seat situation would improve. The review says that the 1 inch improvement in exterior dimensions turns into 2 inches of additional interior width for the rear seats (must be the Prius TARDIS effect), so that would make the back seat roughly the same width as the Camry's, which sounds pretty good to me.

So, anyway, once people rule the current Prius out as a "family car", they tend to view it as a "commuter car", which makes it look expensive and unnecessarily equipped for such a purpose, and that generates some hate. Of course, there's also the stereotype of a Prius driver being a smug, liberal environmentalist. That gets some people's knickers in a twist. I don't think this vehicle will be plagued with that stereotype.