Prius Pros and Cons, anyone???

I'm 6'6/230lbs and do just fine in both our Prius. The 2008 require extend my seat brackets.

 

WOW -- With the reply from Unix - I have to post. Unix - maybe you need driving lessons? First off, we live in Minnesota and DO drive just fine with our Prius in the cold weather AND the snow. Our 2010 Prius is our second Prius - the first was a 2005, and because that one was such a great vehicle, there was no doubt that we would replace it (188,000 miles later) with a newer Prius. Lately we have had temps. of minus 20's (F) for 5 days in a row. No worries with the Prius - started fine every day. We have had snow storms of up to 12" at a time (and, BTW - I only have snow tires on the front - all-season radial tires on the rear) - again, no problems with traction. The technology of this car is flat out amazing. IF you drive sensibly, it WILL get you where you want go, and at 45-50 mpg in the Winter and 55-60 mpg in warm weather. For a commuter car (we drive about 20 miles each way for work), I cannot think of a better vehicle to have. Our other vehicle is a Ford Explorer, so if I felt the Prius would NOT handle the snow/cold, we would drive the Explorer. Needless to say, the Explorer isn't getting driven much. Yeah, I admit it, I am impressed with the Prius and had I known what a great car it is, I would have bought one years ago.

 

My biggest complaint is that the steering is quite vague. I'm hoping some stiffer suspension pieces will help remedy that. Also the ground clearance is a bit less than other cars in its class, but that's not a huge deal.

One thing that I absolutely love is the quietness at a stop light or when driving at low speed. It's one of those things I didn't consider before buying the car but now that I own one I can't imagine going back to a car that ran the engine at a stoplight.

 

Congrats!
$18K for a 2013? Excellent!

 

Sounds like a great deal!
I agree with all "pros" listed, but I think a couple of minor "cons" and their fixes were not distinctly covered. So now that you have your Prius you might consider these cons listed with their fixes:

Side Mirror blind spots-->add small stick-on blind spot mirrors on each side mirror.

Lack of lumbar support in driver's seat-->extra foam or mesh support in lumbar area

Front door arm rests too low-->add 2-3 inches of foam to arm rest on either side

Sun visors do not extend far enough to rear when on the side position-->add a sleeve + opaque cardboard insert to the inside face of the sun visor so that it can be extended to block the sun as necessary

I found the OE valve stem caps hard to unscrew and replaced them with a slightly longer metal cap so that I could easily check tire pressures regularly as that seems to be one key to better gas mileage.

Have fun with your Prius!!

 

I am sorely disappointed with the quality of some of the interior materials -- specifically the door trim. More specifically, the build of the arm rest into the driver's door. I sometimes put my weight onto the arm rest to lift up my body and reposition myself in the seat as i have done with many of my cars. Yesterday the lighter gray upper panel that forms the arm rest just collapsed into the interior of the door and i saw how poorly built and flimsy the door trim is. I was able (by pressing in on the surprisingly cheap and flexible lower door panel) to get the upper portion pulled out and reseated (sort of), but boy was i stunned at the cheapness of the build .... and i have the P-Five with all the bells and whistles. I realize that the same basic design carries through all the models, but it was disappointing. i will talk with my dealer at the next service interval about doing a better repair on the door under warrant, or just replacing the interior trim on that door under warranty.

 

Good cautionary tale!
Given the additional fact of dissatisfaction of other Prius drivers with the arm rest height, a redesign of interior panel with better materials and maybe an arm rest that could be adjusted higher would seem desirable.
Hello Toyota??
Hello aftermarket parts companies??
Ok, how about all you Do-It-Yourself guys, any ideas??

 

Toyota made materials very lightweight to keep weight down and get the 50 MPG rating.

Door armrest is very low and hard so I built and installed a 4" lift. To Prius defense, I would need about 2 inches or so in a new Honda Accord. Here's the foam. It's built for function, not looks. I'll remove it when ready to sell and there shouldn't be any residue on fabric. Using 3M Command no-residue strips.

Hold, think i need to delete some files.

 

Use Rainx on the windshield to prevent most of water/ice build up, then use rainx fluid for washer fluid, I have them on my Prius never have issue with ice build up or wiper problem except when I park over night then my wiper will be cover/froze under snow.

 

pros cons spelled out well in this review -

2010 Toyota Prius Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

 

Are you serious, you put your full weight on the door armrest and was surprised it collapsed??? And now you want the dealer to repair it under warranty??? This is an armrest, not a body prop. It is not designed to handle the full weight of an adult. I'm stunned as to how you could expect an "armrest" to support your weight then talk about how cheap it is when it doesn't. You may have done this on other cars without issue but, the armrest is designed to "rest" your arm on, not as a lift for your whole body.

 

I often use both armrests to reposition my body especially on long drives. I don't think eliotb is putting his full weight on it but it should able to support a good percentage of it. I've taken apart interior door panels before to install speakers. The door armrest doubles as the pull handle for the door so it is made very robust in comparison to the rest of the interior door panel.


iPhone ?

 

It may very well be made more robust than necessary but, it is still an "armrest" not a body prop.

 

after two days of ownership here is my short list
Pros:
in 5-8 years hybrids will be the norm. Toyota is way ahead of the game. A shame GM was so stupid for killing the ev-1.
The regular Prius is a hybrid, but the kWh of the regular Prius, don't expect to drive it around town like an electric golf cart.
The battery helps augment the engine to increase HP for uphills and overall performance, initial starts (ie. red light), stores electricity from the regenerative breaks. Very nicely engineered and full of technology. Just wish it was more of a good thing. E.G. bigger battery and lithium (expect this in 2015).
Fuel economy is through the roof compared to my F150 truck and 40% better than my three cylinder 800cc (104hp) motorcycle.
The car is truly amazing at the MPG. Short little trips 2-3 miles not as good as say a bit longer
Fit and finish is very nice, not European quality but better than a Ford product.
Cons:
Package three manual seats are not good! Perhaps the worst seats i have ever sat in? I am 5'6" and it just doesn't fit my body. I am not sure how Toyota designed such lousy seats?
A lot of plastic on the car.
I think the car was made out of Tsin Tao beer cans, Tecate or El Sol? a little bit tiny, but completely acceptable, nonetheless. just not built like a BMW or a F150.
Ugly duckling styling. Was never a big fan of the Prius look? I got tired of paying $8,000 a year driving a full size truck around.
I could not rationalize paying extra for the PIP when the 2015 will be completely updated with better fuel economy and longer range. Seemed more hype than real world practice. If you need the carpool stickers with the federal rebates it will help make it an easier purchase. The PIP though depreciate quicker than the regular tech since it is evolving more rapidly.

 

I guess by norm you mean hybrids will have over 50% market share of cars (not including trucks/SUVs) ...

I seriously doubt it. Most hybrids on market have gas-only counterparts (Fusion, Camry, Accord, Optima, etc....) which outsell the hybrid versions by ... a lot. Buyers look at the $4k premium, smaller trunk and most pass.

 

My take:

Pros:
Roomy (great for small families)
Comfortable
Excellent fuel efficiency
Great cargo room and layout (practical not just cu.ft.)
Extremely reliable
Affordable without having to rely on tax or state incentives
Awesome tools for hypermiling
Positive public opinion depending on where you live

Cons:
Rattles
Feels somewhat cheap
Dated styling
Dash gauges are very antiquated
Poor tracking at highway speeds
Poor handling
Not real fun to drive unless you like hypermiling or you mod the suspension/wheels
Negative public opinion depending on where you live

 

CONS: How about fast depreciation!

 

CONS -
* Somewhat awkward dr. seating position (non-power seat): At 6'2" tall, it's taken 4" foam on door armrest, clip-on console board to rest right leg on and $400 set of front seat covers (accessories) to feel this car is worth keeping for long haul. Should be MUCH easier to get settled in a car with this amount of drivers space availalble. Wish list - power driver's seat should be available at lower cost trim (must have tilt adjust!!!!!)

* Rough pavement at freeway speeds, roads noise gets bit high
* Dated interior design, hard plastics everywhere with vertical grain that are easily scratched / damaged
* Toyota doesn't update interior materials mid-generation unlike some other brands, only changed colors
* Steering feel awfully numb
* Odd handling going around turns, excess body roll

PROS -
* Real deal on MPGs
* Very reliable (knock on wood)
* Good service at my dealer
* Practical, probably the optimally shaped car for a hybrid