Prius Plugin Regrets

as early adopter, i paid $31,500. for the base, less the $2500. incentive. that put me about $4,000. more than a similarly equipped lift back, although there is no exact equivalent. so far, that's $100./month and dropping. whether i'm driving ev, or high mpge blend, i feel that is has been well worth it and will do it again on the next gen. but value is in the pocketbook of the beholder.

 

Yes, worth it because you got an incentive. Same reason my 2001 Prius and my 2004 Prius were worth it.

Actually, for one of those I managed to legally claim a tax incentive twice, once for a lease on the car and once for an outright purchase after the lease. The government had set the incentive up for both new and used cars, but didn't account for those of us who bought "used" by buying the car after the lease was up.

 

that's the purpose of incentives. without them, we wouldn't have any alt fuel vehicles.

but then again, without oil company 'incentives', maybe we would.

 

Do not use B mode, it can help but it's for advanced users. You'll likely increase fuel use being a beginner.
Do not perform any tricks. Drive normally and see what happens.

 

If it means you will take a big loss then no, keep the car and learn to love it. If you won't suffer a big loss then yes, ditch it because you are obviously not happy with it.

I'm MUCH MUCH happier with my Volt then my old Prius PIPa. I suffered a big loss that still haunts me to this day but I didn't expect to be around this long so I guess I'm happy to be stuck with the payment. The cars are night and day different in how they drive. I had to drive like a grandma in the Prius but in the Volt I can drive it like Mario Andretti and still achieve great efficiency while having fun.

It's just money so buy what makes you happy.

 

and and then glad you're still posting.

 

i was just thinking about you, miss you bud!

 

I'd much rather have a Toyota then a Chevy, no interest in any U.S. Auto manufacturer as far as cars are concerned. Would I like a 50 EV mile Prius? Most definitely! But I love my Prius wether it's using gas or electricity. Either way I'm saving money.

 

Since we do not know exactly what algorithm is used to calculate "estimated remaining EV distance" the drop in estimate while not moving and A/C on cannot be indicative to actual distance loss when driving. Maybe the algorithm takes into account the fact you are not making progress?
A/C consumption is time controlled so the actual distance loss will heavily depend on driving speed.
My experience in a particular trip:
28 km return, city driving that I am usually doing in about 50 minutes. A/C (AUTO with 23 C setting) drops the EV distance about 1.3 km average (ICE coming on 1.3 km sooner). This is 4.6% drop or 260 m per 10 minutes drive for this trip YMMV.
EDIT.
The trip described above is always taken late afternoon early evening with temp of about 23-26 C in summer and it is driven in ECO Mode, and starting from roofed parking space.
I had today a drive at noon with temp 33 C and starting with very hot interior due to parking in direct sun. Do not have history to compare this drive but I did watch the estimated remaining km disappearing quite quickly.

 

i understand what you're saying, and agree that we don't know. after 20,000 miles of ev driving within 10 miles of my home, i have a pretty good feel for my ev estimate vs actual. i almost always get more ev miles than the estimate, typical average speed around 20 mph. what i had left when we started up again was pretty accurate. i don't usually lose as much when driving, and i wonder if there's a cooling affect that helps the a/c.

 

^^ I don't see why it is difficult to figure out. Just monitor the traction battery amps

 

Toyota is not giving us this tool...

 

That is true, but Toyota did not pay for your Felafel, either.

 

Well fed cat you have

 

Big bones.
And since you mention it, he finds the lack of snacks while co-piloting very distracting.

 

Just wants to shift to B position...

 

Back in January 2013, I had a car coming off lease and started looking for a replacement. Looked at plenty of different brands. I surprised myself and decided I wanted to try a Prius. I decided on a new 2013 Prius 5 with ATP (all options) at around $31,000. I was waiting for the dealer to find what I wanted when I found some good deals on close out 2012 Prius Plug Ins. I opted for the Advance version, wanting a plug in. At that time, other than the Volt, Leaf, or Teslas, nothing else if you wanted some version of EV. I purchased my PIP versus lease which was a mistake. I drove my Prius PIP and at one point had 76% EV miles because I loved EV. Last September, I leased a 2014 BMW i3 BEV with about 85 miles range. I love it and my Prius has fallen out of favor with me. I still have the Prius PIP and drive it, but the i3 is an exceptional vehicle. EV range still needs to improve, and it will. I realize I paid way too much for my Prius and I could dump it for a loss, but it's still a great road car that gets fantastic gas mileage. I plan to keep the Prius indefinitely, but at some point I'll sell it. You bought your Prius for a reason, so keep it and enjoy the great gas mileage. I rarely plug my PIP in, but I still do. If I had purchased the non plug in Prius, I would have been disappointed, wanting something with EV. Plenty of EV options now and only getting better and cheaper. Drive your Prius and wait several years for your next vehicle.

 

Question:

Can a person who buys a Prius plug in get by with limited access to an outlet to "plug in"?

In other words, if you buy a Prius plug in, can you use it like a regular Prius and it act and charge exactly like a regular Prius,

Asking because this "might" be my situation.

If you are wondering why not just buy a regular Prius to begin with? I need the tax credit/rebate.

Thanks in advance.

 

You can use it as a regular Prius. It has a larger better battery so it will give you slightly better mpg then a regular Prius. I've found that people don't understand that and that's why (at least around here) the used plug-in doesn't sell for more then a regular used Prius.

 

The answer is yes.
You can own and drive a Pip without ever plugging it in.

Many people on the left coast buy Pips to get access to the HOV lane, and one of the advantages of living in that area is that you have access to public chargers.
Priuses also last long enough to allow for life changes---such as buying a house.
If you live in an apartment or condo you might also be able to work out something with the the manager, just be careful!
Get permission.
You might also be able to work something out at work.
I don't have a Pip, but I asked for and got permission to plug a vehicle in where I work - after ensuring that there is an appropriate outlet near my usual parking spot.

If you work in retail this might not work for you either.

I know I'm going to get eggs thrown at me by Prius fanboys for mentioning this, but the 2016 Volt is due out at the end of the year.
If you're willing to shop around, you can get one of the old leftover 2015's for not much more than the pip, and they have up to a $7500 federal tax credit plus whatever Caly offers.
However (comma!) the Prius would be more efficient to operate in a wireless environment, and it uses regular gas vice premium.

Different cars for different situations

Good Luck!
Let us know what you decide.