Prius Prime Plus in my hands

Not really but the urban, executive summary:

• BMW i3-REx - teaches me a lot of bad driving habits. It is a pocket rocket that scoots around traffic like nobody's business.
• Prius Prime - a solid Prius experience, a member of the mob, it does everything any other car in traffic does but at less than half the cost per mile. But across an intersection, it will shame a lot of rides.

On cross country:

• BMW i3-REx - works but the 70-80 mile gas range means lots of quick stops to add 2 gallons. It works and the dynamic cruise control is perfectly fine.
• Prius Prime - Holly CARP! First tank, 600 miles, you'll take more biology than fuel breaks. Dynamic cruise control, perfect, even better than BWM because it uses long-reach, radar. Easy ride and comfortable. This is the first choice to drive coast-to-coast.

Bob Wilson

 

I live in Huntsville AL, the biggest a Southern town can grow before it becomes a city. So the Prius Prime works best here because we don't have the traffic and parking issues of a Nashville or Atlanta. If I were back in Washington DC, the BMW i3-REx would be the better ride. The answer really depends upon where you live.

The maintenance and potential operating costs of the BMW makes the Prius Prime a more attractive long-term answer.

Bob Wilson

 

The BMW sits higher and the suicide doors make access from the sides and rear, trivial. It has a 2" receiver and the battery pack on the bottom gives it a low center of gravity. It takes turns that put the Prius to shame ... with confidence. The rear wheel drive, Woop! Woop!

The biggest problem is the 2 gallon tank. To go cross country, it really needs 4 gallons and I know how to do that. I would like a more efficient engine but compared to the gas tank size, not that big of a deal.

But doing cross country, you need to be comfortable doing 65-70 mph and NO FASTER! Dynamic cruise control makes cross country easy but the small tank is a problem. The Prius Prime handles 70-80 mph without breaking a sweat.

The BMW 40 MPG is not as nice as 55 MPG of the Prime. But the gas price differences are modest over every 100 miles:

• 2.5 gallons, plus, ~$5.50 per 100 miles
• 1.8 gallons, regular, ~$3.60 per 100 miles

The difference, $1.90 per 100 miles, is pocket change. The loss of time because of the small tank is the problem.

Bob Wilson

 

About Prius Prime charging, I've seen it sit at 16A on a 211 VAC L2 without a problem. I suspect but have not tested it on a 240 VAC, L2 charger but I strongly suspect the 16A current is the true limitation. It so happens I know how switching power supplies work. But in reality, we need to take the metrics.

Bob Wilson

 

We agree that accurate metrics are a problem.

Later,
Bob Wilson

 

A brief history of our cars:

	value	model	typical MPG	disposition
1	1	1991 Camry	33-39	rain slick accident insurance bought $19000 salvaged vehicle $1300
2	1	2001 Echo	33-40	bought $14000 sold $3000 with ~30k miles
3	3	2003 Prius	52-52	sold "$500" bought $17000 with 49000 mi and sold 172000 mi
4	4	2010 Prius	52-52	bought $24000 sold $8000 73000 mi
5	7	2014 BMW i3-REX	117 - 40	bought $29.9k with 6440 mi still owned
6	8	2017 Prius Prime Plus	133 - 54	bought $28.5k ($4.5 tax credit) with 4 mi still owned

A plug-in hybrid is so much more than a regular hybrid or gasser, it is beyond explaining to those who never have owned or driven one. It literally is the best of both worlds. I'm not faulting pure EVs for those who are able to live with them. Rather, a plug-in solves so many problems . . .

Bob Wilson