New Prius for 9k miles a year driver?

For your state, the hybrid or traction battery has an 8 year warranty. (Certain states with California rules get a 10 year warranty.) After warranty, current replacement cost for a new battery is roughly $3k installed. Refurbished batteries are available from third parties.

If that battery dies, the engine won't even start, as it is required to spin the 'starter' (which is really one of the hybrid motor-generators). It can't run just like a plain old traditional car, the high voltage system is integral to the whole system's operation. Some other hybrid systems, such as the Honda IMA, are not completely dependent on the high voltage system. They have a backup 12V starter and are able to run with a dead traction battery.

The regular 12V battery is a bit pricier than in normal cars due to is mounting position inside the passenger cabin. It lives and dies on a similar schedule as those in normal cars.

 

Do you really want my idea of sensible, or yours ?
State your priorities, ordered from 1 - 5

 

Cost, and cost difference ?
Define 'good' economy by numbers
Mention cars that meet your requirement of 'comfort.' And those that do not

 

Why do you feel the need to upgrade the fusion? It should have low miles and is comfortable

 

I suggest you head over to fueleconomy.gov and print a list of cars that meet your fuel economy requirement.
Scratch out anything that is not Honda/Hyundai/Subaru/Toyota or Ford.
Scratch any model that CR rates below 'good'
Add in prices for each model, obtained through a car buying service

Take your short list for some test drives

 

The good news is you will be 5'8" in a couple of years

I lost an inch in height two years ago while replacing a deck. Hurt like hell for a week, and I shrunk.

 

You did not say how tight money is, but if you have some lee-way I suggest you check out the Toyota Camry LE hybrid, +/- the fancy 8-way adjustable seats.

 

A camry or corolla would be similar to your fusion, not much of a difference.

If you can afford it, go for a new prius. New prius should be free of major repairs for about 10 years. However with so little driving, the gas savings would not be enough to justify the depreciation of a new car vs retaining the fusion.

But you only live once, buy what you want, what else are you going to do with your money?

 

1) It's a reliable, dependable car.
2) It should last a long time when cared for
3) Economy is off the hook. On my 27 mile r/t trip commute in SF Bay Area, 60 ish dry weather, I'm seeing over 60 MPG on the optimistic gage every day, but still, it's over 55 mpg. Last tank was 56.x MPG actual from heavy traffic too. When you do short mile or so trips, engine doesn't fully warm, won't see big MPG, but in 30s and 40s.

4) Comfort - Some, maybe most like it. I just deal with it. And that's after adding a headrest pad, board for right leg, 2" foam on driver door and 1" on center console. And the steering wheel comes out slightly crooked from dash. Typical Toyota. Even new Corolla has steering crooked out of dash. just lean up from your seat, look at steering column, you'll see. Also, you should notice one hand is slightly farther away than other when gripping wheel. Funny thing is, Toyota lovers don't seem to mind this sort of thing. I find Honda seat / controls impeccably laid out in the new models, but Honda sells peanuts volume in hybrids.

the 15" wheel models do offer a softish, floaty highway ride, but bumps will be felt. I actually prefer a more controlled driving feel with flatter cornering but that doesn't mean I'll be looking for a Prius Five or Persona.

Toyota doesn't seem into making completely centered or straight out of dash / inline steering wheels (Prius, Corolla , Camry) as shown here. 'Course the reply will be 'camera tricks' or what does it matter?

btw, some here relish the idea of Toyota cheaping out on things, including the driver's seat. They haven't the least bit of concern that Prius (v and c) and corolla manually adjustable driver's seats butt area of cushion lowers while front edge stays up (iow, whole seat leans back instead of truly lowering). ... and these types would have Toyota get rid of power seat options altogether! Yet I can drop into any new Civic to find great seat adjustment, centered straight contorols and well-placed armrests, but no comparable drivetrain. Accord Hybrid? pricey.

2013, 14, 15 Camry SE/LE/XLE all the same

 

Get a Prius. I presently do about 3,000 miles a year now I'm 'between jobs' and the car is fine sat outside for days on end.

The car is very smooth and very economical. Comfort is about average for the size of car. It also stops the boredom when you're driving as you'll enjoy working out how to get better and better mpg averages. Or you can just drive it as a car.

Give one a test drive, for a couple days if they offer that your way, and see if you like it. It's not for everybody but I'm now converted to hybrids and my next car would be one again or a plug in or even a electric car. Once you get used to sitting silently at the lights or in slow moving traffic you'll never want to go back to a traditional car.

 

I think Grumpy has been kidnapped, and his avatar is being used by an alien.

 

lol not at all, though I was convinced yesterday was Thursday!?!

Is the Prius perfect? No. Has mine been a pig? Yes. Does it have shortcomings? Yes. Are there other cars out there that do some things better? Yes. Would I consider a Prius again? Yes if they come down in price - too expensive in the UK. Am I vocal about the shortcomings of the Prius or BEVS? Sure. I like what Tesla are doing and think they have the right idea about BEVs and I think Toyota have taken their eye off the boil and have become complacent.

I have become happier about the Prius since Toyota UK increased the hybrid warranty to 10 years/unlimited mileage as long as you service your car with them. That adds peace of mind as our warranties differ to yours. Toyota Warranty | Toyota UK

 

If you drive under 25 miles a day, you may never warm up your car completely, and get horrible MPG in any car. If you drive once a week, but go 100 miles each way, a Prius will deliver excellent gas mileage for you. Even in cold weather, I am getting phenomenal MPG by 15 miles into my trip, when it is 90 degrees out, by 5 miles into the trip.

No one knows how well built gen 3 batteries are yet. I think about 25% of the Gen 1 (2001 to 2003) batteries have been replaced. Gen 2 (2004 to 2009) were better designed and have a much lower failure rate. (5% for 2004?) If you do the labor and buy a used battery, $1000, if you have a rebuilt battery put in at a mechanic, $2000, if you have the dealer put in a new battery, $3000. (if you choose the wrong dealer, $5000)

It is not a plain car. The engine never pushes against the wheels, it is always pushing against two motor/generators. Without the battery powering the motors, the car will not start, or if already running, will always be in 'neutral'.

 

Buy whatever will make you happy and that you can afford. I'm retired and 76. I had a 2011 Prius for 3 years. It was a great reliable car. I wanted one more luxury car in my old age so I traded it in for a 2014 Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring. Very comfortable car and I'm glad I did it. If you can afford it treat yourself nice. That's my advice. You only go through once.

 

I think paying a premium for a Prius when you drive 9k miles will take a long time to recoup the cost. I would suggest getting a Corolla or a Civic since these two cars have gotten a lot better than they used to be. They get excellent gas mileage, you don't have to worry about all those complex batteries and electronics and cheaper to run in the long term as hybrid batteries can get quite costly. I put close to 30k miles a year and that's why I bought my Prius. If I have a short commute, I would've bought another Accord (I had an '06 and I loved it) or a Mazda 6.

 

What is this, AA for Prius owners?
I own a Prius and I only drive 8000 km a year. That's less than you.

I love it. Great mileage, lots of technology to confuse me, pretty good comfort.

On short trips the mileage does suffer. The term "lousy mileage" is relative. For a Prius, "lousy mileage" is 5 - 6 l/100 km. That's 39-47 MPG US.
A few months ago I took a one day trip around Alberta, a place you can't "go slow", and I expected my mileage would be lower at speeds of 60 t0 70 MPH. On the 450+ mi. trip I averaged 66 MPG Imperial or 55 MPG US. I was not worn out at the end of the day, even though I had to fight through rush hour traffic to get back into Edmonton. I did not try to extend my fuel economy, I just drove.

Prius can carry a surprising amount of stuff for the occasional "truck use". Even large things. So it can be practical as an only vehicle.

There are two batteries in a Prius. The 12Volt lead acid one is used to "ballast" the 12V system and provide power to the electronics when the car is off and when you want to start it up as well as power the lights. "Starting" is called getting to "Ready". The engine is started by the "traction battery" (so called because it can provide power to the wheels to move the car during normal operation). It's a 200V NiMH battery of rather low capacity and is there to allow the engine to operate in super efficient modes other cars can only dream of. It is not there to allow you to drive in "EV" mode, though that IS possible for short distances.
There is a version of Prius that has a much larger "traction battery" of Lithium design that is more capable of EV operation. If operated in an EV environment (plug it in, drive it on short trips without a lot of highway travel) it can attain upwards of 80 MPG.
The traction battery should last the life of the car, though some do fail early as with anything. Traction battery failure is not a common thing.

If the price of the Prius doesn't scare you off, it could be a very nice car for your use.