Upscale Prii an endangered species ?

lol, i drove three. wouldn't wish it on anybody.

 

Upscaled Prii are already an endangered species. Just ~3% of all Gen IIIs consist of the Five with ATP based on sales numbers

 

Agreed, but that may be due to people looking at the "price per pound". Seeing a Prius at $35k takes some getting used to for the general public. The car appears to be small and when you get inside, the materials look cheaply made.

Toyota should rethink its interior styling and make it appear a little more upscale. Hopefully, the 2014-15 update will surprise us and finally bring some needed luxury to the cabin where it's long overdue.

 

i'd take a 50MPG accord over the prius for about the same price.....
Problem is it will be the the Jetta diesel or Ford C-MAXX where it claims this but in real world testing its a lot less.
If it does what it says.. 47mph HWY/50MPG in city... than that is something to shake a stick at!

 

The market will decide, but then again, those cars are in different markets.
Toyota will have to bring the Camry Hybrid up on its game, that's their direct competitor. I've drive a Camry hybrid new, we own a 2007 CH, and I've driven a new Accord ICE. Hands down, the Accord is a better car than the Camry.

But as to your question about the Prius versus the AH. Different ball game. I bought my Prius v knowing the Camry hybrid is there, and that the Accord hybrid would be launched soon. BUT, I wanted the cargo space. The huge disadvantage in the hybrid sedans is cargo room, they have little. I believe the Accord hybrid has the equivalent trunk capacity of a Civic, or thereabouts.

Another test is what's been selling now. Does Toyota not sell many Camry hybrids due to the mileage? Possibly. When I looked at the Prius v Five, I certainly wasn't willing to pay the price for their silly electronic upgrade and a giant moonroof, which was the only kind available when I went shopping. $2 grand for the Five versus the Three yes, but not available then.

I really think the markets are different. The Accord and the Camry hybrids are definitely sedans, and have all the advantages that come with that. The hatchback design is indeed handy, and gives the car utility that the sedans don;t offer. BUT, I'd much rather drive the sedan hybrid than a Prius. Our next replacement for the Camry hybrid we have will most likely be another sedan. But generally speaking, they sell far more Prius liftbacks than they ever have sold Camry hybrids. The Accord may well be different, because I suspect some crossover sales from Toyota buyers, and Honda does not have a viable hybrid lift back now.

 

True. I think the Veloster looks pretty cool. I'm simply not interested in more conventional looking cars and nobody pays attention to them as they're just any cars.

 

At last weeks car show in San Francisco, Honda had matching Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-in models near each other. For the most part they were identical with the Plug-in getting every bell and whistle.

Sitting in the Accord Plug-in was amazing and I would pick it any day over the Prius Plug-in Advanced by a wide margin. The materials and control logic in the Accord was much better, I felt like I was in Honda's top of the line model, comparable to Toyota's Avalon Hybrid. Only one big problem, it's a sedan with a 8.3 cu ft trunk. My smart for two had 7.8 cu ft!

I'm amazed Honda put so much technology into their Plug-in and still used the Accord sedan platform. Even the Accord Hybrid only has 12.3 cu ft. Plus the car is 17" longer than the Prius.

After I popped open the trunk on each, the crowds of people started laughing out loud. Had almost the same experience with the Ford C-max Energi. Both are non-starters with that kind of cargo volume.

But you're right that both felt much more upscale inside.

 

Around here, and many places, the Prius liftback is as boring and normal as they come. MOstly drab colors, many are the same. Very common.

Aside from the form factor, Toyota really needs to make the Prius a little more roadworthy. I'd much rather drive the Camry hybrid on a 400 mile trip than my own. Anywhere there's hills, it's dramatically underpowered. The Accord hybrid is a breakthrough compared to the Camry Hybrid. The Prius has a few more years before it's challenged.

 

if the accord drive train produces 50 mpg, they should be able to stuff it in the insight and get 75. prius killer!
or, it's tuned for the epa test.

 

Well there have been many an auto-journalist writing their test results so far.

 

means nothing. they don't drive like the average person under many conditions and geography. the proof is in the pudding and we'll know in a year or so. until then, all we can do is hope. or take a leap of faith if we want one.

 

Oh for god's sake. Most reviews showed the new Prius v to get pretty much what the epa estimate was, just as they showed the Ford Fusion Hybrid did not. So seriously, where's the leap of faith? The Prius got great ratings as well.

The majority of the Prius crowds can have faith in total BS, but not auto reviews?

 

not sure what you mean, but auto reviews are done on a test track or set route, not real driving in traffic. they can be high, they can be low. we'll see, no need to get excited.

 

I believe the Edmunds test was on a route in excess of 800 miles, with a variety of different driving conditions and speeds. I posted a link to it somewhere on this site, and there are others.

 

Toyota aims to increase fuel economy by 8% with each new generation of Prius. By the time the 4th generation comes out, the Prius will be getting 54 MPG combined mileage compared to the Accords 47; a 7 mpg difference. So the Prius will maintain dominance in fuel economy.

The Prius has many luxury features in the lower trim levels such as keyless entry, bluetooth, steering wheel mounted controls, etc. An Accord will run up in price when optioned similarly. The Prius wins the initial and long-term cost battle.

Finally, I narrowed my next car purchase down from about 10 cars to just the Prius due to the cargo capacity. I've read that people can sleep in a Prius with the seats folded flat, and that's an important feature to me since I plan to go on as many road trips as possible, as frugally as possible. So the Prius has more utility than the Accord.

I see a lot of people saying they would rather have an Accord, so I'm curious as to why? I own an Acura TSX (Euro Accord) and think it's just about as good as a car could get. Still, I'm excited to get a Prius.

 

The point is, many hybrids have been released over the years with the promise of great fuel economy. None, other than the Prius, have completely lived up to their billing across a wide swath of owners over a long period of time. The Accord Hybrid looks set to change this, but people have plenty of reason to be suspicious until the long-term mileage reports from a wide variety of real owners begin to come in.

 

The Prius is a very good, reliable car that has a nice form factor, utility, and gets great mileage.
I had a lower mileage 2011 Camry SE that I sold to get the Prius v. I didn't do it only for the mileage, but the cargo capacity. We already have a 2007 Camry hybrid.

Normally, I would have gotten the Camry Hybrid or waited for the Accord. The only other choice I was looking at was the Rav4. I drive hilly terrain all the time, mountainous for those that don't live in hilly states. Absolutely no question either sedan is more comfortable and more pleasant to drive than the Prius, either model. The sedans have more horsepower, roomier seats (although the V seems cavernous to the lift back in the back seat), and cruise better on the highway with less effort to the driver and occupants.

A lot of people don't need the extra cargo room, and a lot of people don't like hatchbacks. Most people don't think about sleeping in their cars, and prefer a quieter cabin and a little more Oompha in their engine bay. Now there are many choices in vehicles, and they seem to get better all the time. Imagine having a quiet and powerful sedan that is comfortable and fun to drive, and gets between 40 and 47 combined gas mileage. A lot of people will replace existing sedans with hybrid sedans, and the penalty for doing so is very slight now.

My Prius V Three listed for right around $29 k. Remote entry, bluetooth, steering wheel controls, navigation were standard. I still have manual lights, no power seats, and nothing really special for options. Most cars in the $16,000 price range have all of that and more nowadays.

It's all about choices, and it's great that there's so many now. But the Accord and the Prius generally don't attract the same type of buyers. Different classes of cars. Your TSX is a nice car, some people would have gotten a VW Jetta TD instead. Different beasts. It's the total package that sells, not just the mileage.

 

Oh I agree. From my personal experience, the Camry hybrid has lived up to it's stated promises. It's been reliable, and we always get more than the epa mileage, even today at 100,000 miles and up. I would have thought potential Ford hybrid buyers would be more suspicious, but the sales numbers say they're not.

Despite being rated 7 mpg or so more than the Camry hybrid, most tests have them coming in about even, with the CH coming in right around the promised numbers. Go figure.

 

I would have to drive the lexus es300 h and avalon hybrid before going with an accord hybrid. If I had that much to spend. I'm pretty sure the prius is still alone in a unique class. Big sedans are hard to sell these days. Most buyers want a luxury brand name on a big sedan. How are accord sales for the last few years? Probably steady and flat.