Going to A Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v - only 2010 use uppercase

Shannon - I just went from a Honda Odyssey mini-van to a Prius v. The van was purchase new in 2006 and as a now empty nester I spent most of my time driving around in an empty van getting under 20 mpg. I've only owned the Prius about 10 days, but intentionally chose the v because of it's slightly larger size - 1" wider, 3" taller, 6" longer. Doesn't sound like much, but it made a lot of difference in feel to me. It's only a short time, so take my comments with a grain of salt - but thus far I'm really pleased.

 

If you can afford, another possibility might be the RAV4 Hybrid.

 

My nutshell opinion is the v is a car, rav4 a truck

 

Here is a posting with a picture of their "overweight Prius" RAV4.
So happy with the Prius.... | PriusChat

 

I traded an '13 outback for a '16 v. I found I did not need awd, and the 8+" of ground clearence, and general trucky feel. I did however like the overall interior size, and the v filled that perfecty. We still own an '08, and for 140K, Toyota reliability is great, whichever you choose.

 

I went from a Subaru Forester to the Prius, but more to the point my wife has a Chevy Tahoe as her company car.
It does not have more load floor than the v, but it is taller in the cargo area. The v holds a lot of stuff, my favorite example is 96 10" by 10" by 3" cheesecakes.


We are both over 330 pounds and have no issues with room.

 

Went from a Honda CRV to the v.

When my daughter-in-law was buying a used v, she said she found this list of 50+ things I liked and didn't like helpful. It really is a compilation of all the things I've picked up reading these forums since I bought the '12 v Three new. See how your wants/needs matches up.

My immediate reaction is the Lexus to v transition may disappoint simply because you lose the luxury features/finishes. The v is wonderfully practical, reliable, and useful. See how you and the possible passenger(s) fit.

My two went to a magnet school 20 miles away but that didn't mean they didn't haul a ton of stuff back and forth. Lots of after school activities that meant late pickup by dad on the way home so they could get to the homework. The v would have been perfect.

The RAV4 hybrid is nice but not in the price range you are looking at.

Prius v Likes and Dislikes - mikefocke2

 

In 2008 a !ady stood up in church and needed to go to the Dr. in Memphis, 2 1/2 hours away. 3 knee operations, 5 Emergency Room visits, and over 100 Dr. appointments later, she is well.

We started in Subaru Forester but quickly switched to the Prius which she preferred as it was low to get her knee in.

In 2014 I fell down a flight of stairs and detached my quadriceps tendon. I have just finished my second knee operation. Mostly, the Prius is better, but sometimes i want my leg to hang straight down.

 

look at your local state hybrid incentives if any. my state needed a >= 40 MPG city to take advantage and that made my decision easy. if not, good luck deciding.

 

FWIW my wife and I went from a 2006 Dodge Caravan to a 2016 Prius v Three and could not be happier. We were getting 20-22 MPG with the Caravan and now get 48+ MPG around town and 39+ highway driving. We found the cargo space almost equal to the Caravan which was good for my wife and all the stuff she takes on our annual winter trip to deep south Texas. She was a bit apprehensive about moving from the van to the Prius because of sitting lower in the car when she drives but now she would not trade it and go back to the van.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Be sure you pay attention to seat comfort. That can be especially important for long trips. My son has a 2015 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v. only 2010 Prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation) Trim 5. The seats are OK for long trips but probably not at the Lexus level. I have the low Trim 2017 Prius and the seats get uncomfortable on longer trips.
It appears seat comfort can be a subjective personal preference. I do not want to scare you, but sometimes I wish I had made a different purchasing decision.

Good luck on your quest.

 

Hi! I've noticed in thev (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v. only 2010 Prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation) that if you raise the drivers seat up high, and raise the steering wheel to, it almost feels like you're driving a small SUV with that higher than most cars visibility.

I would say for most people the largest problem with the RX400h to Prius v switch would be power since the RX is very powerful, but for you it doesn't sound like a problem. The road noise might bother you a bit compared to the Lexus, and if it does you can replace the tires with some quiet tires and it will help a ton. Best wishes to you!

Get a v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v. only 2010 Prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation) 5 with leather and all the goodies if you can!

 

I've had many Lexus RX loaners in my 24 years of driving Lexus LS sedans. The RX became the main loaner vehicle at the local Lexus dealer as soon as it was introduced in the late 1990's.

My take is that an RX of any year - both hybrid and regular - is a vastly superior highway car to a Prius v. I've never been able to get comfortable in our 2012 Prius v but never had a problem getting comfortable in an RX - maybe due to all RX's I've driven having had both power driver and front passenger seats.

We've driven several Toyota and Lexus vehicles from new to far beyond the 105,000 miles your RX is at - don't worry about it. Compared to an LS the RX is cheap to maintain at higher mileages even with its hybrid system - more like the cost of maintaining our last Camry V6 which is now driven by a nephew and is at over 200,000 miles. If the inverter goes bad - and it probably will not - have a used one installed at a far lower price by an indie shop. The main downside I see of a 2006 RX is that (I think) it has a timing belt that should be changed every 90,000 miles or 6 years. IIRC, the 2010 RX was the first model year with a timing chain. The Prius v has a timing chain.

The 2012 Prius v is quite loud at highway speeds, the handling is not great and the ride is harsh although different tires has helped. Ours is used primary as a town car and rarely driven over about 45 mph.

I think a Prius v will work for you only if you are ready for something very different from your RX.

 

My trip to the grandkids is ~45 miles at 25-55-65-75 MPH. Costco the same. Church the same. I've taken multi person trips to the beach and the mountains and DC that all involved multiple hours at 55 to 75 MPH highway speed trips. The v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v. only 2010 Prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation) isn't a Porsche but then it uses less than half the gas costs. I don't drive it the same way but it does what I need it to and a don't miss the 6-cyl acceleration as I just allow a bit more time/room. It seems mostly the same to me as the CRV I had except much more MPG.

Is it a plush-mobile? No. But then I don't even like riding in a plush-mobile. My wife's Avalon seems excessive, heavy and wallows.

Drive it on your typical roads, See how you and it fit. Not every car is for everyone.