Prius v: What about comfort???

The dealer filled it to the brim, sir. Likely the northern drive up the grapevine and the brand new car needing a little breaking in made a difference.

 

Oh sorry . I forgot you're not like Honda who didn't quite top off my new Accord, so on the first tank it read 21 MPG. Next tank was about 28 MPG.

 

I *knew* it had been filled to the brim

Peter+

 

Yeah, I see that in the specs too, the manual only shows *reclining* the front seats flat, not folding, and requires removal of the headrest. As I said, I was certain I'd seen it *fold* forward in the demo car in the spring. But I cannot figure out *how* to do that -- if anyone knows how, I'd love to hear it, the obvious approaches didn't do it.

Good idea on the audio interaction, it means you have to keep the iPhone easily in reach, but that's better than not being able to use Siri, I'll try it tomorrow!

Peter+

 

What MPG did you get with your 05 on the same route? Just to gauge/compare it with Prius v.

 

05, same route, gets me about 50 for my driving style. A little less than that now (48-ish) because I need to replace my 12v battery (I hope).

 

Test drove a Prius v Five today, as I was getting our other Toyota serviced. I was able to drive it around the city and briefly on the highway.

Compared to the standard Prius, the driver's area seems more open as the center console is not nearly as high and intrusive. The center stack and the console are separated by a gap in the v, and not one continuous piece as it is in the standard Prius. The panoramic roof may have contributed to the more open feeling as well.

The driving position was fine, although it was surprising to me that the fully loaded v Five I drove has only manual seat adjustments. The visibility out the back is better, as the rear window is upright & unobstructed. The a-pillars did not seem unusually big, though the c-pillar does block a bit of the view. I still hate the fact that the instrument panel is in the center, not right in front of the driver where it should be.

As for the Softex fabric, it does feel like leather. Unfortunately, it was a cold day, so I was unable to tell if it doesn't breathe or feels clammy like the vinyl of old.

The biggest disappointment for me was the rear seat. Although the rear seat does slide fore/aft, there does not seem to be any more rear seat legroom than in the standard model even with the seat slid fully aft. In addition, the seat cushion is mounted too low, making the back seat less comfortable in the v than in the standard Prius. Though it's nice that the rear seats recline, I felt that the backseat in the v was significantly less comfortable. It appears that the extra room in the back of the v is primarily used for the cargo compartment, not the rear occupants, and that is a shame. I think this may have been because in the ROW, the v is available with 3rd row seating. But for the US where that's not an option, Toyota should allow the rear seat to slide back further and raise the seat cushion more for comfort.

Overall, if you are vacillating between a standard Prius & a v, as we are, definitely try before you buy and spend some time in the back seat. For us, the poor rear seat comfort was a deal breaker & we are leaning towards the standard model.

Hope this helps.

 

Rear seat legroom shouldn't be a problem for the vast majority of families. The front seats slide back farther than most anyone would need them to. I'm 6'2" with long legs and I would slide the driver's seat 3 or 4 notches forward and be comfortable, leaving good legroom behind.

Let's just say the v can accomodate drivers with legs of an NBA center.

I didn't notice the rear cushions low. Would need to check that.

 

Interestingly, according to the Toyota website, the v has less leg room in front & back. As a disclaimer, I have *no clue* how these measurements are made (i.e., the positions of the seats when measured). I just took them from the US website.

2012 Prius v: f/r (inches)
39.6/38.6 Head room
55.9/55.2 Shoulder room
53.5/53.5 Hip room
41.3/35.9 Leg room

2011 Prius: f/r (inches)
38.6/37.6 Head room
54.9/53.1 Shoulder room
52.7/51.2 Hip room
42.5/36.0 Leg room

If these measurements are true, they do confirm how I felt about the rear seat. Interestingly, the v is bigger in every dimension except leg room. My main issue is that since the v so much bigger externally, I think that they should have been able to make the v's rear feel much more spacious & comfortable, especially in comparison to a standard model.

On the other hand, if these measurements are inaccurate and the v does truly have more legroom, I feel that the lower seat cushion in the v may negate some of the legroom gains, as your legs are splayed out more. Perhaps this was what gave me the sensation of less legroom.

Anyway, it seems that much of the extra external dimensions went into cargo room, which is unquestionably bigger in the v.

Thus, try before you buy. The difference was quite noticeable for me when I hopped right from one into the other.

 

The armrest for the 2012 V has been raised quite a bit, and also padded.
I agree that was a problem on the older (pre 2012's). Toyota also moved the controls for the side mirrors onto the left side armrest where they should be so you can adjust them from your normal driving position.
Now for one last request...Hey Toyota, people driving Prei are logging a ton of miles and would love the cruise control ON THE WHEEL just like 99% of the other manufacturers do these days! Its more comfortable.

 

Plus cruise control on the steering wheel is safer. The stalk is not lighted. Have to take eyes off the road to see 'hmmmm, which way is set again?"

Accord cruise control on steering wheel is Much better and it's only 3 buttons.

Lose the stalk Toyota. Move forward.

 

Cannot make use of 2011 Prius increased driver's legroom. Telescoping steering wheel favors the seat full forward and up to the dash. When scooted back, I'm screwed. So, it's effectively 1" more rear legroom in Prius v.

 

I got a new Prius v Two last Friday. I could not believe when the sales rep told me that, even with all those electronic controls, backup camera, SKS, etc. they chose not to include cruise control in this particular model. I did a quick search myself and could not find anything. I read the multimedia manual, but have not checked the main manual yet.

 

All Prius v models have cruise control. If the salesperson told you the model Two doesn't have cruise control, he/she is a complete idiot.

EDIT: I'm talking about here in the states... just noticed you are in Puerto Rico! According to the Toyota Puerto Rico website, the base model does not come with Cruise Control... sorry!!!

 

Thanks PDP. Our Prius are promoted as different models (long story, dont want to deviate too much from topic), but they are the same as those sold in the US. The model listed as 'Decontent' would be a Prius v One (sold to commercial fleets), the Base is just a Two, the Luxury is a Three and the Touring is the Five.

I have been too lazy to read the manual, but will search for the cruise control today. This about the salesperson surprised me, since he has been the salesman that knew the most about the car. He has a Prius and was very passionate about them. The other ones were really beyond idiot. On top of that the service was ridiculously bad.

 

If you read the "EDIT" part of my previous reply to you, I found out via the Toyota website for Puerto Rico that the Base (model Two) for your area unfortunately DOES NOT come with cruise control. But, all the United States model Twos do have cruise control. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.