Is it big enough?

The Fit offers absolutely no thigh support for my 35" inseam legs. I would not own one. Fit is too small for a family of 5. Small family of 4, ok.

3) Of course the MPGs drop. But with 1.5 gallons more pumped in after 400 miles, no family that needs the room will care. So many see things like 'OMG we've got to stop using gas ASAP', while the American hasn't the foggiest thought about that.

2) Not really. You still have the Fit.

1) I think Americans are slowly downsizing in automobiles. I don't any large SUV in the top 30 sales. There are a lot of large fat Americans though. Our eating habits, large meal portions, lack of exercise and general excess, etc... are to blame. It's scary.

 

Yeah...but you are doing exactly what I said...you are taking my generalizations and personalizing them.

Do you really think Americans are slowly downsizing in automobiles? Unfortunately I do not.

Automobiles in the US have followed a trend of growing. Full Size cars and SUV's border on gargantuan...and many mid-size vehicles are roughly the size of Full Size automobiles of just a decade ago. Compacts like The Honda Civic, are now about the size of Mid-Size automobiles...

I'd really like to believe Americans are embracing smaller automobiles. But outside of the panache of Smart Cars, I still don't see that trend.

The Prius has grown...The Fit itself has grown with each refresh...The Scion XB which came to America as an Asian and European styled urban city commuter was bloated in it's first reincarnation on American Soil.

Larger is better is STILL a huge part of many Americans psyche. I would argue even Toyota's choice to release the Prius v, before the Prius c demonstrates that dynamic is more respected.

I would of been happier if Toyota had released the Prius c first, and we were all waiting for the Prius v...but alas...Supersize Me...isn't just for fries.

 

Why should Americans be ragged on to drive teeny tiny little cars like the Fit when they're barrelling down the highway at 65 MPH next to some gargantuan tractor trailer or commercial box van?

I think it's a lot more effective to get people from 20 to 25 MPG average (minivan, all CUV's, etc,) vehicles into something like a Prius v at 42 MPG ( 6.5 to 11.5 gallons saved at the pump per 400 mile fillup)

Not much gas savings of going from a 50 MPG Prius to a, hypothetical 65 MPG Prius c ( 1.8 gallons saved per 400 mile fillup)

Should automakers concentrate on saving 6 to 12 gallons per 400 mile fillup, or 1.8 gallons per 400 miles while righteously preaching that families stuff themselves into subcompact Prius c cars?

Not that Prius c is a bad idea, but improve the majority of cars on the road first.

 

I agree that the Prius v, is not a bad idea. I like it. I support it. I'm single and have no family to transport so it doesn't fit my needs.

But I think you're personalizing your arguements too much. Nobody is ragging on anyone to "drive teeny tiny cars". Everyone has the freedom to purchase what they want.

But I think your attitude illuminates my point. Americans still embrace the Bigger is Better thinking.

The justifications may be valid. Family to transport, Large vehicles alongside them on the freeway...etc, etc...

I've spent some limited time in Ireland and England. What I witnessed was many families having a dual system in place. Maybe due to smaller side streets and enviroment, along with higher gas prices, I saw many more smaller vehicles. And I saw a greater attention payed to the most efficient choice for the need at the moment. In other words, 1 or 2 people going to work or to the shopping center? They take the smaller efficient vehicle. Family going on a road trip? They take the "secondary" vehicle...usually a larger sedan or family sized van. In the US? It's more All LARGE...ALL the time...

I'm not self righteously preaching to anyone, or ragging on anyone to drive a smaller vehicle. BUT I do witness a lot of mostly empty SUV's, Trucks and Mini-Vans, transporting 1 or 2 people and a lot of air...I do find that frustrating.

That being said? I think the Prius v is great. If I had a family to haul, or just wanted a larger but standard setting vehicle, it would be absolutely ontop of my list.

 

In my opinion, the Prius really needed a larger cargo area. Open the hatch on Prius, the load floor is flush with the bumper. Open trunk on a Camry and the load floor is about a foot lower, thus increasing the cargo capacity.

So, while a Prius cargo capacity with seats up 21.6 is listed as more than Camry trunk, 15.4, effectively it is not more cargo room. Unless you pack you stuff in Prius up to the roof, give up any rear view, and leave yourself open to stuff flying into your lap in a rear end collision.

I think the Prius v usable cargo room puts it much more on par with a Camry which is a good thing considering the consistently top selling cars are -

Camry, Accord, Fusion, Altima and Sonata.

 

I don't like solo drivers in Expeditions, Tahoe, etc... but if they don't drive it much, not so bad I guess.

On TV they show dignitaries, celebrities and VIPs pulling up in big black SUVs. Some people see that and they want to pretend to be the VIP or celebrity. They feel more important in a supersized vehicle.

But, maybe most of them don't drive very much and therefore don't spend much on gas. I don't know. One guy at work drove a Chevy Avalanche. Said he doesn't drive much at all. He couldn't see what the fuss is all about to get really small cars.

Lot of people have big toys - boats, jet skis, etc... they need towing capacity.

Economics, gas prices and such are the great equalizer for most.

 

I think Toyota could do a lot to improve the driver's seating and ergonomics in their smaller cars -

The Prius driver's seat can slide about 10 inches fore and aft. The steering wheel can only telescopes 1.5". How is 1.5" going to accomodate sliding 10" forward or backward? It doesn't, so those on the opposite of spectrum, short and very tall are on the outs.
I would have liked to get the 3rd gen Prius, but it didn't fit well enough.

Volkswagen does a pretty good job with seating in their smaller cars like the Golf. Actually Honda does quite well too. I feel more at home in an Insight II and recent Civics than a 3rd Gen Prius. I don't know if most see it the same way, but that's how I see it.

So, to get more people in smaller cars, it will help to maximize the seating and controls adjustments in those smaller cars.

 

There are few things worse than getting into, out of, and riding in, a car that does not have enough leg or head room. The bestcars for tall drivers facilitate ease of ingress/egress (which is becoming increasingly important as the population grows taller on average and lives to drive to an older age) and adequate headroom is an important safety consideration as well. Cars that tall drivers are most comfortable in usually have provisions for seat-height adjustment, adequate space between pedals to accommodate big feet and have a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel to provide additional move-around room. Best of all, one does not necessarily have to stick with a full-sized vehicle to be comfortable in – there are some unexpectedly modest-sized cars today that can accommodate the big and tall.​

- Ford Flex | Top 10 New Cars for Tall People | Automotive.com​

Consider how a Full size bed used to be the standard, now it's Queen. I guess people are just getting bigger and taller due to how much we get to eat. This might make it even more of a challenge to get people into smaller cars that you like.

 

I was one of those people. Until 10 days ago, there wasn't anything efficient that I fit in. Now there is. Don't take it too personally, many of us simply had no choice but to drive a truck, etc. as a commuter.

 

In general, I simply await the day when the question we ask isn't "Is it Big Enough?" but "What do I Need?".

I think a lot of people make a lot of excuses to routinely drive large vehicles that most often are transporting a lot of empty air.

If the tool (automobile) fits the job it will most often be charged with doing? I don't care if you're driving a Smart Car, or a Chevy Tahoe.

 

Right, but when the job is "carrying passengers comfortably", size is probably the most important factor...

 

Never said it wasn't. If you want a vehicle to haul a family? If you are most often using the tool for the job of carrying passengers? By all means...buy and use the proper tool. The Prius v, would be an excellent choice it appears.

But I think Americans "In General" need to get away from singular purchases of HUGE automobiles that they most often use as their singular daily driver.

You don't need 6-8 cylinders, 75 cubic inches of cargo space, and 3 rows of seating to get yourself and your lunch to work.

 

To get back to the original question, I would say that it definitely feels wider than the Gen 3. It feels like maybe the doors are thinner, and I know the center console is much better, now that it isn't the 'waterfall' design. I'm a tall guy, and I hit my knees on that console way too much. Headroom is not a problem at all.

The only place where I have any issue is, with the seat all the way back and reclined a little, there's very little room between my left shoulder and the B pillar. It feels a little tight, but still better than your average small car for a big man.

 

What about all the large / tall people that don't fit in those small cars? I'm not just talking about headroom. I hate it when people judge whether a car fits or not only on headroom. Not saying you do that, but many do.

I'll answer that. I need a car that sits 4 people well, max of 5. I need flexible cargo space and rear loading for 100 lb. drumset hardware case, 16"x22" base drum in case, 4 other drums in case, and accessories. It has to fit me well and I'm tall. I need it no longer than about 185" and 70" wide, and hopefully fuel efficient.

Here's was the list of cars that meet above criteria -

Subaru Outback and VW Jetta Sportwagon, that's it.

Chevrolet HHR - ?
PT Cruiser - ?
Dodge Caliber ?
Ford Escape - sucks gas
Honda CRV - seats lousy
Element - seats lousy
Honda Fit - if my legs were 3" shorter
Tuscon - maybe
Kia Rondo - oh no
Mazda 5 - seats lousy
Rogue - sucks gas
Scion xB - seats lousy
Toyota matrix - seats lousy
Prius - seating lousy
VW Golf - too small

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At least now we have the Prius v. It fills a HUGE void in the automotive market. But will I$%^&#c Americans accept being a wagon or will it be pulled off the US market in a few years??

 

Have had my Prius for three days. Over the weekend husband (6'2 200#) and I took our two baby grandkids out for a ride. They were strapped into their car seats in the second row, and the the dog (labrador retriever) was in the far rear. Then we did a Costco run with everyone inside. It has plenty of space. With the seats down I could fit three labs in the back of that car. We are loving the space. I drove a loaded Venza and while it felt almost "Lexus-like", it was MASSIVE. Felt too big. The V is just right.