Looking to get my first hybrid

I went from 24 MPG in a Forester to 46 MPG in a gen 2 Prius. (the new ones are about 2 MPG better, I now own the station wagon, which is 5 MPG lower)

While I think you will enjoy not spending as much at the pump, here are my warning signs that a Prius might not be for you:

considering a Prius | PriusChat

 

The Prius has fairly low ground clearance compared to some. Would this be an issue to you considering you had a Forester atm?

 

You should also consider the Volt and C-Max models.

75 miles each way is a hike but you could do that with a full charge and less than a gallon of gasoline in a Volt. If you can charge at work, you could do the same on the return trip.

don't let the MSRP scare you away, the price to drive is very low.

 

what is your general location? are there many hills on the route?
first impression seems +

 

Even if you can only plug in overnight, 40 miles of EV plus 40 mpg hwy would put your 150 mile trip at 2.75 gallons. The Prius at 48 hwy mpg would use 3.125 gallons. Your actually mpg will vary of course.

If you can eventually plug in at or near work, even a standard 110V outlet, you could save another gallon a day.

 

The volt is 20k over priced and doesn't have much more to offer than a PIP, besides it has a crappy warranty vs the Toyota. The Cmax is ok but even if i can get 47 its still priced higher and gets less MPG than a Prius. I would try to find a good used 11 or 12 under 10k miles. the price is low 20's with a nice lvl 3 or 4. With a little driving work its not hard to get 55 mpg. It all comes down to price to drive and type of car you want. Good luck and drive them all.

 

First- guys, please fill out the location in your profile.

Second, Im with Dustan. Find a used late model Prius with low miles.

Eric, have you test driven the Prius yet?

 

I have a 3 and love it. I thought that the price difference for the 4 was not worth it to me.

I had an Altima before my Prius and basically doubled my mileage. Just be prepared to change your driving habits!

Good Luck!!!

 

Eric, HOLY CRAP!. The Prius isn't going to be a good choice, it's a great choice. You can still hit 50mpg running on I-95. If you are going to live in the car that much a rental is a very good idea as you want to ensure you are comfortable.

The a$$ warmer is very nice and can be used instead of the climate control to improve FE. You'll need "leather" seats for that which pushes you into a Four. The Solar package is available on a THREE or FOUR. If you can't find what you want in MD looking in DE or PA may not help because they are in the same region. NJ is not.

Holman Toyota in Mt. Laurel, NJ shows 4 Four Solar in inventory.

I don't have to tell you to go through the Internet Sales Dept. or read through CarBuyingTips.com - complete step by step car buying guide , do I?

My 2010 was a dealer trade from the Baltimore area.

 

After tax credits and dealer incentives you can get into a Volt for under $30k. But if you want to stay with the old "mature" tech, by all means go with a plain hybrid. If you want to reduce operating costs, check out a plug-in.

 

Calling "old" tech what most of the world calls "mature" is misleading. It's proven reliable & competitive while being affordable for the masses.

 

The Prius HSD is older than Windows Vista. Sure it works, and works well. We can call it mature as well. I edited my earlier post since you feel it is "misleading".

Again, if you want to reduce operating costs, check out a plug-in.

 

I sure wish I could get my customers off Windows 2000 and onto Windows 7, but Plug in and Hybrid serve different drivers. I have one site still using Win 98SE as their server.

Plug in excels for commutes up to 70 Miles each way, but longer commutes can be cheaper in a Hybrid, the Volt engine is not so great if you need to use it for more than half your driving. If you drive less than the electric range of your Plug in, they beat a Hybrid quite decisively.

(Sadly, I need cargo room for my work, so neither the Volt or PIP seem right for me. If they made a Prius v PHV I would have jumped in a second)

 

Jimbo,

How far does a Volt, Prius, C-Max, and PiP travel on 3 gallons of gasoline and a full charge?

 

EPA estimates:

Volt is 35 miles electric and 37 MPG * 3 = 111 miles gas = 146 miles total then needs about 20 hours to recharge on 110v power

Prius is 0 miles electric and 50 MPG * 3 = 150 miles total and needs about 5 minutes to 'recharge' at a gas station every 3 trips

C-Max is 0 miles electric and 47 MPG * 3 = 141 miles total and needs about 5 minutes to 'recharge' at a gas station every 3 trips

PIP is 11 miles electric and 49 MPG * 3 = 147 gas = 159 miles total miles total and needs about 3 hours to 'recharge' on 110v power

So the range is very similar.

Fuelly does not make it easy to break out Electric range versus gas MPG, so I have to choose EPA numbers, this favors the C-Max more than the others as the C-Max does better in testing than in real life.

Fuelly:

2013 Volt 119.5 MPG

2012 Prius 49.2 MPG

2013 C-max 40.9 MPG

2012 Prius PHV 79.7 MPG

but these numbers assume gasoline is the sole power source.