Why I Hate my Prius Prime

I just went to try in my Prime. I don't think it's possible to have anyone sit over the center console of rear seats in Prime. I am short by US standard at 5'7" 160lb. I could not sit on the console lid without hitting my head on the roof. If you did by bending your head forward, it would be so uncomfortable, never mind the legality of it, no one would want to sit in that position for any amount of time. And if it is a kid, for safety reason, I would absolutely go against seating him/her over the console lid. On the other hand, I found the regular bucket seats in rear of Prime to be most comfortable rear seats I have ever sat on any sedan.

 

I talked to a colleague about the Prime and he was very intrigued, when I showed him the car, he told me that he has 3 children, so no go. For me, I don't need the 5th seat, i can fit my bike in the back, took it to the dealer before buying the car, would have been a deal breaker ... everyones needs is different of course ...

 

If you were to install a seatbelt on the back middle, a child could sit in the middle sit, may not be super comfortable... could add some padding... from the outside, the seat seems perfectly usable, a little bit of modification and you could in theory make it an extra seat (for a child or a smaller person) by installing a seat-belt and removing the plastic shelf and adding padding... I assume that in order for it to be legal/road-worthy, just needs a legit seatbelt and a head not hitting the ceiling?

 

well, quite frankly, for me that would be way too high a risk to take, in case the seatbelt is truly needed ...

 

I would really like to move up from our 2015 Prius to a Prime. Electricity in our area is currently 15 cents per KWh 24 hours a day so it is about equal to gas prices. Still I'd love to drive an EV, but have the range for quarterly 1100 mile trips. The Prime hits a nice balance in price, EV range, and no range anxiety.

We drive 11,000 miles a year just taking our son to school and picking him up. Perhaps a total of 20,000-22,000 with other trips included. Those school trips are 25 miles round-trip with enough time between drop off and pick up to charge the battery. Perfect right! But...

Every time I look into the Prime I am disappointed. As is mentioned in this thread cargo space is lacking. More than lacking. Cargo space has been a big draw since we bought our first Prius in 2008. We go to the beach often in our 2015 Prius and load the car up with this list. 2 inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards (iSUP), a 12V pump for the iSUPs, a portable 12V battery, two folding chairs, an ice chest, a kids kalyk and paddles, a small folding beach sun shade, a bag with towels sunscreen and such, and three passengers. There is simply no way all of that would fit in a Prime.

Add to that the other list of more minor things and I just can't see us buying a Prime.

- White accents on the steering wheel and console. I hate them.
- No rear wiper
- Four seats maximum.
- No spare. This kills the deal all by itself. We live in an area where getting out of cell service range can happen within 10 miles of home. I simply won't buy a car without a spare, or at least an under cargo floor space to add one. Many people suggest putting a spare in the cargo space but with that space already being limited it simply won't fly.
- I've never liked the center gauges
- I've never liked the position of the cruise control stick (same issue in our 2005 4Runner)
- Three spoke steering wheel. No place for my hand at the bottom where I often like it.

I do believe that a low range EV Hybrid, 30-40 miles capacity, is a good balance. That kills range anxiety. Also it is likely that electric rates will rise, and so will gasoline rates. Not sure which will rise quickest. With a Prime it is possible to make use of either one depending on which provides the lowest cost per mile. With a model 3 there would be no range anxiety but I wouldn't want to take it on one of our quarterly 1,100 mile trips.

Still the small cargo space and lack of a spare tire are deal breakers for me. I could possibly live with the other things but when I add them all up I'll be looking elsewhere. The coming Hyundai Ioniq plug-in is a good candidate, sadly no room for a spare there either. But it hits all the other Prime weaknesses.

 

well, don't get one then, if it doesn't work for you. Look into the Ioniq plug-in, not sure when exactly it will be available but you can look at the regular hybrid and see if that might fit your needs ...

 

Right. I drove the regular hybrid. Very nice car - with a spare tire space too.

It's just too bad. We've had super experiences with our two Prius cars. It just appears Toyota is going in a different direction than we are.

 

You must have had a lot of flat tires.

 

I had two flat tires in the last two years. Both of them could have been temporarily fixed with a fix-it kit, and we weren't out of cell service. That's the best it can be when a flat occurs. There are a range of other outcomes which include being out of cell range, and having a flat that can't be fixed with a fix it kit.

I understand the benefit of saving a tiny bit of fuel by eliminating the weight of a spare tire. I also understand the trade off between the need for space to fit in more battery. But when those trade-off's are made, car companies are assessing the risk that people like me won't buy their cars. They have determined the risk is worth it and are willing to lose some customers. I vote with my choices and my dollars.

 

An anxiety of not having a spare tire was something I overcame a long time ago. We have been driving 2005 Sienna AWD minivan for 12 years. It did not come with a spare, but came with almost useless run-flat tires which I changed to regular tire at my first opportunity.

 

Do you know if Yakima's roof bars are permanent installation or removable? How about OEM rooftop cross bar like this? Prius Prime Cargo Cross Bars - OEM - PriusChat Shop If it is a permanet installation, I wonder how much it affect milage when no cargo is on top.

 

The cross bars are designed to be easily removed after utilization. Which is a smart thing to do, because they affect negatively the car aerodynamic, and make noise at highway speed.

 

Thanks for the info. I may look into this option for my rare occasion of a long distance travel.

 

I have had my Prime Premium (middle one) for 8 months and ~13,000 miles. I was tired of getting 25 mpg in my 2007 Sienna. I now have an 80-mile commute which I do ~4 days a week, 60-70 miles of it on a not-very-crowded interstate.

My observations:

PROS:
- incredible gas mileage. I'm averaging around 70mpg. I always charge at home but usually can't at work. Driving style: I use EV for the 5 miles from house til accelerating on the interstate (75mph). Then EV again for most of the ~15 miles to work on a divided highway w/stoplights. I arrive with 10 or 15 EV miles left which I usually use getting lunch.
- I save 5 miles of EV for the stretch between highway and home, and I end up at about 53mpg on the highway in the afternoon- this is probably due to elevation (going uphill) and running the A/C higher.
- tax credit, I was only able to claim $2500 which was disappointing but my own fault, I over-estimated my tax liability.
- I like tracking my MPG and fuel usage via the small screen above the wannabe Tesla screen (see cons).

CONS:
- seat comfort. I'm 6'2" so I climb down into it. The car is fairly comfortable but ~800 miles/week takes a toll. The seat is too short for my thighs. Lumbar is ok. If I get a different car it will be for more comfort. The Avalon Hybrid has a thigh extender and gets ~39mpg highway. Might look at the Sonata hybrid, too.
- The white "pleather" gets dirty on the seats and I can't get it off w/ Armor All. I haven't tried other products.
- I drive home into the setting sun and can't get cool on "Eco A/C"
- Aforementioned big touchscreen is a pain, I wish I had knobs for turning up the fan. I don't like its position in the center either. Toyota apps are useless to me.
- It's a hassle to find a plug. I kind of enjoy the adventure of it, but I realize I'm using my time to save half a gallon of gas, or $1. Probably not worth the trouble for me.

NEUTRAL RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
- I probably should have gotten the Plus. Cloth seats would be cooler in summer and I dislike that big screen.
- Ironically everyone who rides with me loves the screen. I use the map for reference but navigate with Waze on my phone.
- I wonder what I could get in resale. I figure I'll wait til I've owned it a year- hopefully the 2018 won't be out yet and the IRS hopefully won't want the tax credit back.
- Speaking of resale, a local dealer recently e-mailed me with a white Premium, 4,383 miles, $27,499.
At 70 mpg, I have saved ~$700 on gas (at ~$2.10/gal) vs my van which got 25 mpg. This doesn't count whatever electricity costs me.

 

we have a tall guy here who can't get comfortable in the prime or 2018 hycam, due to the short cushion. he does like the avalon as well.
in the right market, your car may be worth msrp minus your tax credit.

 

For summer vacation needs, I have had OEM cross bars mounted on my 2010 Prius, and I have OEM cross bars mounted on my 2010 Lexus RX450h. Before first use, it is necessary to carefully install the adhesive transparent protections (20' job) then 10' are needed to mount the cross bars, and 5' to unmount them.. below a picture of my former Prius with the cross bars and a Thule cargo box attached on top.

 

The car is what it is but I too have a cargo requirement:

Alternatively, it can carry a spare tire or tow a small trailer.

Oh there is a 5th seat option:


Bob Wilson