Millennial Excited for the Prius Prime

Despite all the huge amounts of negativity around here, I must say that I am really excited to see the Prius Prime in person. I was really excited for the regular 2016 Prius, but then it was revealed and I lost so much interest. The Prius Prime was revealed, and I am really excited for the car. It's what the Gen 4 Prius should have looked like, especially after the concept car.

I think the Prius Prime looks really quite stunning and aggressive. I'd get it in blizzard pearl. I love that it uses all exterior LED lighting (aside from the backup lights but that's fine). The front fascia is quite beautiful. The headlights don't look all "alien" as in the Gen 4 Prius with those really weird acute angles; it looks more upscale akin to the jewel-eyes on Acuras. The rear tail light design took a bit more getting used to since it's so unique with that dip in the middle, but it has definitely grown on me since it works really nicely with the curved glass and knowing it's for enhanced aerodynamics.

The stand out part of the interior is the gigantic touchscreen display. As a major tech buff, I absolutely love it. I'm someone who really enjoys all the latest tech (latest phones, latest laptops, latest smartwatches, etc). To see something like that gigantic screen in a car like the Prius Prime is exciting. It'll be the closest thing I'd get to Tesla's screen without owning a Tesla. I currently have an 8.4" screen in my Merc C-Class, and it feels a bit small.

The loss of the 5th seat in the middle is not a problem at all for someone like me. I'm a single, young millennial who doesn't plan to have children for a loooong time. I don't even want a 5th passenger in my current car because the 5th seat is more of a "seat" than a seat. I rarely ever need to try to fit in a 5th person because by that point, there's someone else who will drive so people aren't crammed into one car or we just go with a bigger car. Before my C-Class, I drove an Infiniti G37 coupe, which did not have a 5th seat.

I'm not entirely sure... but it seems like the cargo size will be bigger than what I have currently, but I'd have to get hard figures to really determine if it's true.

I can't wait until I see the car in person, and determine if I want to get it or not. I've been really wanting a hybrid for the increased mpg since I do a lot of city driving and enjoy going on road trips. My current car gets about 25mpg combined, which is vastly city driving. I'm sure owning a hybrid would be far better for my driving needs and style. I'd also love to be able to just drive to the supermarket and back home just on electric (10 mile round trip).

I have considered the Tesla Model 3, BUT I don't feel the range is really that good enough to support long road trips (several to national parks). I would have to stop far more frequently along my trips and be much more concerned over refueling. I know some other members have compared the Prius Prime to the Model 3, but they're very different cars targeting different buyers. Also, just because they're around the same price range, doesn't mean they should be automatically compared. If that was the case, then the Prius would have far more direct competitors that everyone would have to think about. I really do like the Model 3, and my father even put in a preorder for it to use as his daily work car (if he is able to get at least the $3,750 tax credit), but the range limitations makes it a bit restrictive. Also, the electric charging station infrastructure around where I live is not good. There are a lot of stations available around, BUT there is one big caveat. You have to be a "patron" at around 90-95%+ of locations to have access to it. Want to just quickly "refuel" as you're passing the station to go to another city? Better pay for a hotel stay (most stations are at hotels).

The Prime would definitely be best of both worlds for me. Electric range is long enough to cover my work commute and hybrid train is perfect for higher driving days and for very long range drives.

 

Oh you're welcome! It's nice to see some others who are looking forward to learning more about the Prime. It was really disheartening at first coming to Prius Chat and seeing so many people disliking/hating it. I wanted to bring some positivity to this subforum so it doesn't just continue in a downward spiral.

I understand the emotions coming from current owners of the Prius plug-in, and how some of their expectations were not met with the upcoming generation. I was really disappointed by the regular Gen 4 Prius, although I have never owned a Prius before. The cars I've driven in the past have all been compact luxury cars (C-Class, G37 coupe, and IS), so that is kind of where my perspective is coming from. I know the interior materials will not come close to my current C-Class, but I am looking for a more environmentally friendly and cost-saving vehicle since I would not be relying on "daddy's money" once I finish grad school. I have been considering the Prius because I have become much more environmentally-conscious, and will be working as a green building analyst at an energy/green building consulting firm. They have two dedicated electric charging stations, and no one is currently using them. A few hybrids in the company, but no plug-ins yet.

Once I get a new car, my Merc is going to my mom who is driving an old 2003 Merc. I'll definitely say this... I am not getting another Merc again. Too many problems with my C-Class that is difficult for the dealer to address (excessive wind noise, random rattles/vibrations that don't show up in their test runs, really shaky start/stop ignition, and more).

 

Ahhh ok. I used to foster dogs and would transport them when I had the G37 coupe (small backseat). What I would do is always put the seats down so the rear is just flat. I could see it being an issue with the Prius Prime since the cupholder and armrest would still be exposed, but I guess you could stuff some things in the cupholders and then cover it with blankets to protect them. I don't have any dogs and probably won't own one simply due to having to live in an apartment and gone for 8 hours of the day at a time.

 

Wow that's fantastic mpg. The best that I could do is 38mpg on pure highway driving (road trips) in my current car. The G37 and IS were far worse around 24-25mpg. Someday I'll do 50+.