Prius Prime Comfort Long Distance

I'm going to have to say that no Prius is for you

Overnight Prius Addict
2009 Prius 4 Black
2012 Prius 4 Blizzard Pearl
2013 Prius 4 Black

 

The Avalon's definitely the better deal, but it's not more car in terms of raw size. The current ES is based on the Avalon, not the Camry (as earlier models were), so you're getting roughly as much vehicle. Given the nicer materials and isolation features, if you could get an ES for the same money as the Avalon (not sure why that would be, but . . . ) the ES would likely suit you even better. If you mean that a "base" ES (not sure what that entails) would be a bit less feature rich than a loaded up Avalon of a comparable price (I imagine that's possible given the available upgrades), then in that sense I see where it would be "more car."

 

If you buy the Avalon, don't get the Touring, which has a stiff ride. It only comes on the gas only model.

The Avalon is actually nicer on the inside than the ES in most ways. The ES uses fake leather stitching on the dashboard and door. The Avalon's stitching is all real except above the gauge cluster. The Avalon is a better deal than the ES no matter what. The ES price starts near where the top of the line Avalon ends.

 

Yeah, that was pretty much my impression as well. Overall, I was reacting to russ's comment about the pricing being close, which surprised me. I don't shop Lexus, but from what I've seen of them from time to time they seemed decidedly upscale from Toyotas, so I'm surprised that the ES doesn't have that relative advantage over the Avalon - my bad for assuming too much. Given all that, I wouldn't even shop the Lexus ES - the Avalon is a great car. When we weren't sure what to expect in the Gen4, we seriously considered leasing an Avalon Hybrid for a few years while waiting for the wave of new electrified vehicles to roll out, since our Prius Gen2 was showing its age and we both hated the Prius Gen3 interior. As it turned out, we wound up liking the Gen4 well enough to buy it.

 

I don't agree with you on this. Having driven several four hour long drives recently on the cloth seats neither I nor the satnag felt uncomfortable in them, or after we got out again.

 

I should have qualified that I was speaking to US buyers. Each country fits the cars differently. Some still have real leather seats & steering wheel available.

 

By all means, I'd go for the ES if it had the same features at the same price.

 

When I looked at LEXUS, loved the cars, but the base LEXUS model was comparable with the Top of Range TOYOTA - so to get a few goodies to make it up to PRIUS - with RADAR CRUISE etc, I had to go 2 or 3 rungs up the LEXUS range.

 

Comfort depends upon your build. I'm exactly average... 5'8" with a medium build. That allows me to go hours on end in the Prius PHV. Several full-day drives within the last year (over 1,600 miles each trip) were no big deal. I anticipate the same with my Prius Prime... which I should be getting by the end of March, in time for my next long trip.

 

Well, I'm 5'9" and very heavily built yet I too find the cloth driver's seat comfortable for prolonged periods of driving. Mind you, with a wallet in my back pocket I have been know to shuffle my posterior after moving off to achieve optimum comfort, but I don't see that as a problem. The problem is my weight, but it is s l o w l y coming down (I hope)!

 

Wallet? I can remember the pain in my backside. I hadn't thought of that though... since I switched to a money-clip and small front-pocket card-holder decades ago.

 

Try new BMW I3 Rex...

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Very likely your UK seats are not the same as the US ones.

Perhaps that is why this exists. International Owners | PriusChat

 

I'm sure they are, or my seat would be crowded with folks with unusual accents and chattering 24/7.

But in reality, I suspect Mr T only had the one design of seat. Just using different covering materials and features.

 

I thought you guys had the option of real leather seats. That is not available in the US.

 

only SOFTEX (or cloth) here.

Mine are cloth - but the steering wheel is SOFTEX, I believe - and I'm amazed that it can be so relatively cool on a stinking hot day having been parked in the sun - very different from leather or plastic.

Trouble is, at $75,000, 'tis almost double the price of PRIUS.

 

I believe those with the Softex seats get a Softex wheel.Here is a quote from Toyota:

The 2016 Toyota Prius may be the most comfortable way to conserve fuel. Amenities abound in this roomier, quieter model, with comfort and convenience manifesting in many details. Take the tilt and telescoping steering wheel, for example. Depending on model grade, it comes wrapped in urethane or SofTex® synthetic leather. The synthetic leather features surface temperature-regulating properties to make it feel more comfortable in hot or cold weather.

from Return of the Disrupter: All-New 2016 Toyota Prius Rewrites the Hybrid Rule Book It Created | Toyota

 

Ours has the same wheel on both models - they just call it:


I'm sure it's not Urethane, though.