Truck to Prius

I don't know about you, but trucks and comfort don't usually go together.

As a 5'11 guy weighting at around 170 lbs, i find that the Prius is very comfortable, even more comfortable than my dads W210 Mercedes on long journeys. If you're taller than 6 ft something then it might be too small.

The Prius has enough space for moving anything daily, even moving small furniture but it obviously isn't a truck.

Sure the height is nice, but as a 18 year old, i find that tall cars lack driving pleasure. (Example; i drove is a Toyota FJ)


Only way to tell is go to the dealership and test drive one for yourself. Go for at least 30 minutes so you can make up your mind.

 

Better yet try renting 1. Most rental companies have the prius 2. Ur local dealer should also have a rental prius however it may be a 3 or 4

 

I drove a Dakota Quad-Cab daily until I retired and wish I had bought a Prius back then. Like you, I didn't really need a truck, I just figured I'd use it if I had it. Well, I did use it a little on the forest roads up north, but nothing I couldn't have done in a Prius. My daughter was one who had a Suburban as a daily driver because she liked Big, High, etc. Mileage finally got to her and she traded for a MUCH smaller Kia Optima. She has not looked back. She loves the small car, the ease of being able to park anywhere, etc. She doesn't miss the height on I-95 at all, something I told her many years ago.

However, and there's always a however or a but, I echo the suggestion to rent a Prius, especially if you are determined to opt for a Two and not a Four with the power seats. At a minimum, you need to take an extensive test drive in both models. If it were me, I'd test drive the Two and rent a Four with the power seats, if you can. Many Toyota dealers offer rentals. We can all offer opinions and try to convince you that you won't miss the power, height, etc., but only you can really know that and only by driving for more than a test drive. The only reason I own a 2014 today is because I rented a 2010 back then and drove it 1,100 miles in 2 days. We take road trips and it had to pass that test. I knew back then that I'd eventually buy a Prius and I did. I still have the Dakota, but it sits in the driveway unless both of us have to go somewhere different at the same time.

The Prius actually replaces a Montana extended van and we take our first road trip, 6,500 miles, in less than 2 weeks. I thought I'd miss the ease of getting in the van, but that has not been a problem at all. I also thought I'd miss the room, but we never filled more than what the Prius is capable of anyway, so I'm completely confident the Prius will be just fine. Yes, we do sit closer, but we don't bump elbows on the console, so it's big enough for us. The JBL GreenEdge audio system is tons better than the van's radio. The seats are more comfortable, at least around town so far. And the mileage, well, 46-50+ vs 19-24 says it all. Still, the Prius is not for everyone and it's a decision not easily undone.

 

Yeah, switching from a truck to a Prius is going to require a bit of an adjustment. In June, I traded in my 2004 Tundra for a 2014 Prius 4, so I am still in the process of adjusting.

• Vehicle Height: Not as big of an issue I thought it would be. I can still figure out what's going on ahead, even if I can't see over the vehicles in front of me. Advantage... push.
• Ease of Entry/Exit: Did not really appreciate how easy it was to get in and out of my pickup until I had driven the Prius for a while. Advantage Tundra.
• Creature Comforts: I went the opposite direction than you're planning; from a spartan pickup with a six-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission to a fully-equipped Prius. Consequently, I'm thrilled with all of the bells and whistles. I'd echo Double DAZ's suggestion to test drive both a Two and a Four. Advantage Prius.
• Power: With the manual transmission, the Tundra always had enough power, even with the six-banger; the Prius.... not so much. Be prepared to slow down on steep hills and mountain roads. Advantage Tundra.
• Gas Mileage: I was averaging 18.3 MPG with the Tundra and now I'm getting 48+. However, I now find myself driving more - making additional trips whereas before I would've waited until I could run multiple errands on a single trip. Advantage Prius.
• Cargo Capability: I did not truly appreciate how much I'd miss the ability to throw a bunch of lumber in the back and haul it home. It didn't help that my wife came up with a new home project soon after I traded in the Tundra. Advantage Tundra.
• Handling: Oh yeah, Prius all the way. Compared to the pickup, it corners flat... no more downshifting for sharp turns. Advantage Prius.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

I have a mid-size pickup (Mazda B3000). Since hardly anyone makes mid-size trucks and I don't need or want a full-size truck, I opted to keep my Mazda and get a Prius for daily driving.

I had no problems other than needing to pull the seat forward in the truck where I used to have it all the way back. Getting used to the riding posture of the Prius, I find the old way I sat in the truck to have me too far back from the steering wheel.

 

I went from a fully loaded 2012 Tacoma to a 2013 C4 and couldn't be happier. I sometimes miss the hauling capacity of the truck but other than that would never go back to 22 mpg.

 

I maintain several vehicles for myself including an F250 Superduty. It is my hauler, tower, inclement weather vehicle. I use this only when needed because of the fuel consumption (12 mpg). It feels monsterous now whenever I get in, but mostly from a height/size standpoint. My Prius, a fully optioned hatchback, has plenty of room, and is at least as comfortable to ride in as my truck - maybe even moreso.

If you are replacing your truck, then there will obviously be aspects the Prius cannot substitute. However, I think your comfort should remain adequate in comparison.

 

Yup.

I drive a truck every day, and my company car is a Prius.

You know what the 3 biggest words in your post are?

Don't.
Find out whether or not you have to worry....

My round trip commute is less than 6 miles, so I could walk to work if I had to but I'm still driving the last pickup that I'll probably ever own.
With gas at $3 a gallon it just doesn't make much walking around sense to spend so much money hauling an empty box around.

When I work evenings I have to drive as much as a few hundred miles in a shift, and I can TELL you that ride height and cockpit comfort are non-trivial issues...especially at night. The seats in a G3 Prius are nothing less that abysmal - and after a week of driving more than about 50-miles per day I begin to get "Prius butt." Some after-work exercise and a lumbar pad helped out here.
I'm 5'10" and weigh about a buck eighty.....if your BMI is a lot bigger than mine is you need to do two things:
1. Cut back on the carbs and get more exercise. (that's in progress for me... )
2. Rent a Prius for a weekend and drive it around a lot before you buy one.

Actually?
You need to do that anyway.
Priuses are great cars, but there are things in the Prius driving experience that might drive you nuts if you discover them after stroking the second or third car payment check.

All in all it breaks down something like this for me:
Priuses are just about the best car I know that will haul your butt back and forth to work at an acceptable level of comfort if you keep them long enough to pay the differential (hybrid premium) in price between them and non-hybrid econoboxes,
The base model has enough features to make it a good commuter, and despite a low ground clearance a wafer-thin plasticky feel, they're pretty solidly built and you can expect one to hold together for well over 100,000 miles with almost no maintenance.
The hatchback area will haul some fairly bulky items, and there's more room in the rear seats than most compact---which allows Toyota to claim that it's a 'mid-size' rather than a 'small' car.
Typically not a big deal (pun almost unintended) for a reformed pickup driver.
The Prius has a zero-pound tow rating, although there are people who have towed 2000# trailers with theirs, so if you're thinking of getting a car and a utility trailer to replace a pickup truck, you'll need to factor that in.
Priuses are a little easier to park than pickups, but they have amazingly poor visibility for a car with as much glass as they have.
There's also the availability of using the Prius as a power source for lighting and small hotel loads during a prolonged power outrage.

For me it comes down to just being tired of paying for $80 tanks of gas that last about 350 miles when I can pay $30 for 500-mile tanks.


If I had your commute?
It would be a no-brainer.

Even with the flaws that I've outlined, paying an extra 150-200 bucks a month to ride around in a pickup truck just wouldn't make sense to me.

Good Luck!
Let us know how it shakes out.

 

I guess it depends on the truck you have. I went from a 1997 F-250 Supercab diesel to a 2013 Prius 2 last year and have no regrets. I'm over 60 with mobility issues, so the truck was hard to climb into/out of. The truck rode like a truck; the Prius is very comfortable for both of us. Storage space inside the vehicle is much greater and easier to get to with the Prius. The F-250 had good amenities for 1997, but no comparison to what's in the Prius 2. If you want more goodies than you get with a 2, save your money and buy aftermarket accessories. A $150 Garmin is much better than the Toyota GPS Nav. Fitted leather seat covers look as good as factory seats for a fraction of the cost. The standard sound system is good enough; it's a car, not a rolling living room.

Last year we did a 2000 mile (RT) trip to visit relatives; we had done the same trip in the truck a few years earlier. The comfort level was greatly improved; we didn't feel beat-up by the end of a day on the road. The fuel savings were enough to pay for the motel at the end of the day. We could actually hear the radio. At one point we were driving 80mph up a 5% grade at 7000ft elevation; power in the mountains is adequate. We drove 70-75mph most of the way and still averaged 47mpg.

I may need a truck once or twice a year. What we save in registration fees alone will more than pay for renting a truck for those few times.

 

Great advice here. I'll say again though that IMHO there is a big difference between the standard cloth seats in a model Two and the power Softex seats in a model Four when it comes to comfort.

As for other comforts, I don't know. My Four has a very nice audio system, power windows, power door locks, the loading/unloading ease of the hatchback, etc. The one thing it doesn't have is a spacious interior like a full-size pickup or our van. However, to me it's like having a 2,500 sf home when all your time is divided by the 18x18 family room, a 15x15 master bedroom and the kitchen. All the extra size is nice to have, but at what cost? If not for resale value, etc., I could easily enjoy a 2 br 1,000 sf home with less upkeep, lower takes, etc. It's the same for me with the Prius. I loved the 3 rows of seats in the van, but the grandkids are all grown now, so the 3rd seat for sure never gets used. I loved all the front room in the center console, but everything I "need" fits in the smaller console in the Prius, partly because some of it for my wife now goes in the upper glove box on her side. I was enamored with the idea that I could remove the rear seats for hauling, but once the newness worse off some 15 years ago, the seats have never come out. It's true that we did haul a bunch of stuff to my daughter's in Georgia and we won't be able to do that with the Prius, but most of the stuff we hauled was just because we could, not because it was needed or even wanted. So, much of it went to Goodwill in Savannah rather than a Goodwill in Phoenix.

My biggest surprise is that at 6'1", I don't have any trouble at all getting in/out of the Prius. I should mention that my previous car was a 1988 Grand Prix, a fairly low car too. Getting in the Prius is like getting in the Grand Prix, I find myself in a nice little cocoon and I feel comfortable, not cramped. That will probably be the biggest change from a large truck. I expected it to bother me compared to the van, but it doesn't at all. In fact, I like being closer to my wife.

 

CJ...
Not to make your decision even harder.... but have you looked at the Chevy Volt?
It's advertised EPA all electric range is 38mi, but many of us are getting closer to 50 AE (All Electric) miles out of it- one PC member that just traded in his Prius for a Volt is getting near 60 AE miles out of the Volt. When out of battery the Volt still gets good 42+ MPG on it's gas engine (with 9 gal gas tank).

In your case, with the Volt you would most likely not burn any gas at all for your daily work commute.
FWIW- The Volt is $34,500 - $7,500 fed tax credit = $27,000 (if you can take the full tax credit).

I've had a Prius Five, Plug-in-Prius and the Volt- all good cars, but if you really want to zero out your fuel use for your 40 mi daily commute- take a look at the Volt...

Oh- the current Volt is a 4-seater BTW, the MY 2016 Volt (which will be introduced at the car shows in Jan 2015) may be a 5-seater, but that's not confirmed yet.


One last snippet... I've had the regular Prius cloth seats and the Softex Power seats... there's no comparison... the Softex seats are way more comfortable!

 

I have a 2002 Tundra V8, mileage average is 16. I pretty much agree with everything you've written. But I kept the truck for doing the hauling. There's nothing quite like stomping on the gas on a V8, but you pay for it at the pump. As far as comfort, my truck was average. It used to be real quiet on the highway, not so much anymore. It used to ride real smooth, but I've switched tires on the truck, and it started riding like the truck it is. As far as handling, I'd consider that a push on my truck. I had a real stabilizer added that made the truck corner like car. People couldn't believe how hard i could corner in it. I always know what that truck is doing. The Prius I haven't pushed that hard yet. Those little tires chirp a little to early for me, but i know the traction control should help.

What i really don't like most about a Prius, is people cut me off all the time. Rarely would they dare doing that with my Tundra, if they did they just kept right on moving to another lane. That I have no problem with. The Prius just has a target on it's back. What I do now though is have begun driving in the slower lanes, I'm much more patient and forgiving, for the lack of a better word. I like seeing just how far I can push my great gas mileage. It really is relaxing...

When it comes to gas consumption? basically I'm saving enough in gas every month to make my payment on the Prius. Only out of pocket is the insurance.

 

I'm just being totally honest here, I do love the savings in money to start with because I have to, that's the number one reason why I switched. But, I must say I really do miss my 2005 Toyota Tacoma, in fact I have been looking for a good used one lately for some stupied reason. What amazes me to this day is the truck I traded in is worth more in value now then when I traded it in. My 2010 Prius II is still going down in value as the months and years roll by. My concern now is my Prius is making strange noises lately examples (AC comp., HV battery not lasting like it did, brake clicking noises while turning and the dashboard rattles are starting to get to me a little bit. Please don't miss understand me it is no doubt fun to drive especially driving past all the gas stations but I don't feel safe in it when I'm around all the other big cars and trucks around me in my area which is hicksville, large trucks, medium sized trucks and small trucks. If money wasn't a real big issue for you like it was and still is for me, I'd say pass on the Prius and keep your truck! Just my 2 cents worth take it or leave it flamer's!

 

Just traded my 2008 Tundra for a Prius II and I've never looked back. Do I miss the ride height and 381 hp sure, but I don't miss the $75+ to fill it up every 8 or 9 days. It certainly does take some getting used to some things are easier than others as others have mentioned. Overall I couldn't be happier with the trade and I look forward to having the Prius for years to come. Now I just have to convince the wife a Prius v is a better deal than her Pilot.

 

Hang on to your truck and buy the Prius, that's what I did. You keep the best of both worlds and can decide later what you want to do. The trade-in money is usually just a pencil whip anyway, not anywhere near the retail value.

 

I went from a bare bones f150 standard cab to a 2010 series 4. I usually drive around 340 miles a week so the difference in gas is paying for the car. I thought I would miss the carry capacity of the truck so I kept it. Turns out all I was hauling was yard waste so essentially I was driving a moving compost pile. The car has plenty of room and has a comfortable ride. For me it was a no brainer.

 

I think you speak for the majority here, but my wife and I heartily disagree. We owned the Lexus CTh for a year and we both whined and bitched about the pseudo-leather seats LOL

Give me cloth ANY DAY

 

I did not come from a truck (my Prius v is the largest car I've driven since 1979) But you can put a lot of 8 foot lumber inside a Prius (but just one 10 foot 2 by 4) If you need more room, the v station wagon is bigger yet, but gets 10 MPG less.

These are 10 by 10 by 3 inch cheesecakes, there are 96 of them, in my v.

 

I half expect your Vagon to say "I have room for more, if you don't mind."