Advice: replacing a Gen2 Rav4 with a Gen4 Prius.

Welcome to Prius Chat. Now, over to you - America.

 

Welcome.
Wow, a lot of questions.

1. The Prius is known as a reliable car when driven regularly. Most US Prii (plural of Prius) have Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. The Plugin Prius introduced in 2012 has a Lithium Ion battery do some Prius vehicles elsewhere in the world. I have not heard of any traction battery failures on the Plugin. The Generation 4 (2016 - 2018) Prius
One & Two have Nickel Metal Hydride batteries.All other trims, including the plugin Prius Prime have Lithium Ion batteries.
2. The Prius has pretty good cargo space. The rear seat can sit 3 people but only has anchor points for 2 child seats in the outboard positions.If driving with just the front seats occupied, the rear seats fold down extending the cargo space.

3. This might be better asked in the Prius Prime forum. This is new for 2008 on the Prius Liftback. The Prime got it last year. Perhaps @HPrimeAdvanced can give you a more information based on his Pius Prime.

4. Some people find the 17" wheels ride firmer since they have less sidewall. I have not heard of any 17" rim issues.

5. I have not heard of many Prius sunroofs. Perhaps @jerrymildred from the Tampa area has heard of some.

6. The car is designed to be low polluting & efficient. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the technology. It is best to just drive the car reasonably and adapt to the technical features gradually.

Feel free to ask any questions. We are generally a friendly, helpful, possibly eccentric bunch.

 

Late 20's, Dog, 1-2 kids in near future...

Prius is doable, but reflecting from our experience...car seats, baby bags and accessories, friends, holidays, whatever...there is a reason we had mini-vans and suvs for a while. I drive a Prius now, Son drives a Prius and the Wife...she now drives RAV4 Hybrid. Oh...and the RAV4 Hybrid is 100% made in Japan just like the Prius too! Don't waste you money on the sun roof option. Just my take.

 

Another option, but older technology, might be a 2017 Prius v which is a station wagon version of the Prius.
Rumor is that there will not be a 2018 model in the US.

 

I agree a v would be a good choice. The next gen Rav4 will be introduced at the NY auto show on March 28, could be worth checking out, should be lots of info on line starting that day.

 

I haven't researched it, so I'm not sure, but I don't remember hearing of sunroofs on the Gen 4. Some Gen 3s had them. I wouldn't want one because I know it can't leak if it doesn't exist.

As to the Lithium batteries, they seem to be holding up well. I still get the EPA estimated EV range on my PiP and my traffic situation is NOT conducive to fuel economy. (60stop60stop60stop60stop, etc)

Space shouldn't be a problem unless you're making a long trip with luggage AND playpens, etc.

 

...not to digress, but space is "always" an issue with little ones thrown into the mix.

 

That is why my son got a 2015 Prius v when he replaced his 2005 Prius. His "little ones" have fur & paws though. He travels with his dogs to dog shows. I will be traveling with him & his 4 dogs from Virginia to Orlando, Florida for a week in June.

 

Welcome - I'm not in USA, but in Australia, in a similar climate to yours, I believe - semi-tropics. I've had my PRIUS for nearly 2 years, and think it's a great car. Not as sporty as my previous FORD FOCUS, but a better car than many other hatchbacks. And very cheap with fuel - see my Fuelly report at the bottom of my post. Oh, and we only get NiMH batteries here and in most of the world except Japan and USA, I believe.

1. Powertrain. Very reliable, has got close to top of Consumer Reports etc ratings for decades. I'd expect much the same from a Gen 4. The battery comes with an 8yr warranty - many have gone much more than that, almost none fail within the 8 yrs. As mentioned by others, the Li-ION battery isn't new to PRIUS, but has been used in the PlugIn for 6 or 7 years, and the PRIUS v Wagon overseas, but they've not been in PRIUS as long as a NiMH battery, which has been in use for almost 20 years. The engine only runs 70+/-% of the time, and is unstressed. The gear-box - it hasn't got one. But the Hybrid Synergy Drive (if you're into the technology, google it, it's fascinating) is quite a simple arrangement, driving through 2 electric motor/generators via a power split device (based around a "simple" planetary gearset). And they last almost forever, unlike some newer complex Autos which seem to have a finite life and high $$$ to repair. The brakes don't get used a lot - it's anticipated that you'll get up to 300,000 kms from pads and rotors - because of regenerative braking (recovering energy from braking back to the battery rather than into wearing brakes out). The savings in fuel and brakes etc mean that, should you need a battery in 10 years, you're well in front anyway, and the cost of a battery would be le$$ than maybe 4 or 5 brake jobs you'd have had in a "normal" car.

2. Cargo Space. We had a smaller car than PRIUS for our first 2 children, it's got a large boot (trunk?) and plenty of back seat space for 2 children. If you needed 3 carseats, you need to make sure they are narrower to ensure they'll fit across.

3. Infotainment. Sorry - I've got a different one from USA, so not sure. I know it hasn't got Apple/Android Carplay, but that hasn't worried me.

4. Wheels. Haven't heard about any damaged rims, none have been mentioned on PriusChat. The 17" are what they give the Journalists in press cars, I suspect because they handle better. The 15" potentially will cost less to replace, might last longer and may use a little less fuel. Personally, I'd probably opt for the 17" if they're available and enjoy the better drive. I haven't heard that the 17" ride any rougher.

5. Sunroof. I also live in the "Sunshine State" - of Queensland, Australia. Because we get well-and-truly enough sun already, sunroofs get specified in almost ZERO% of cars here, and most of the few people I've known who had them wished they hadn't. I haven't heard of PRIUS sunroofs leaking on PriusChat - but check if it cuts head-room inside.

6. General advice. A couple of interesting websites you might want to peruse:

Hybrid Synergy Drive - Wikipedia

Toyota details powertrain advances in Gen4 Prius; available E-Four system for all-wheel drive (not for US) - Green Car Congress (just ignore the AWD mentino - - that is Japan only).

 

Hello Miami folks, welcome to the magic land of Prii!! I have owned nothing but hybrids for about 12 years, from Honda to now a 2017 Prius Prime Advanced. I am deeply prejudiced toward this last car, and if you can swing the money, and can actually find one in/near where you live, you'll be lucky. From what I've heard, you're more likely to find a unicorn in Florida!!
I've had the 3 kids, long gone now, and were I to do it again, on the calendar you mentioned for having kids, I wouldn't hesitate to jump on a Prime. If you drive mostly in the city, on many fairly short trips of say 10-12 miles each, one way, you may never buy gasoline again! My son has a Prius he bought new, sadly purchased before the Prime was available; he is on a similar path regarding kids, as you are. He would never buy gas if it were a Prime; I haven't bought gas since December last year. I'm just shy of 4,000 miles on this gas tank! Aside from that, the puppy has so MANY techno and safety features, including blind spot monitoring, rear traffic and pedestrian alerts, rearview camera, automatic wipers, automatic headlights/high beams, auto dim inside mirror with remote garage door buttons, killer JBL stereo system, excellent cruise control that will stop the car if car in front stops, emergency braking, etc.!! The 11" panel is all right, but I prefer manual controls for heat, radio, A/C. I don't use the built-in GPS; I prefer my completely voice- commanded Garmin.
The steering wheel has buttons for radio, self-parking, voice commands, steering wheel heater, etc., etc. The voice command system with the phone coupling is probably the best I've seen in ANY car, including other regular Prii. The car seats 4 adults comfortably, and feels luxurious inside. The trunk has a slight "lift" (from bigger battery) which reduces storage a tiny bit; it has tons of room for groceries and luggage. I picked up my other son and his wife, with all their luggage for 2 weeks; no problem!! Since the Prime runs on electric, EV Mode, most of the time, you get a very smooth, quiet stealthy feel, with good power, that is a blast to drive! If you're looking for a fun, super economical, very reliable, responsible car, you must visit Prime Land. Good luck!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

The Prime can only seat 2 in the rear. I believe that even though it is longer than the Prius Liftback it has less cargo space.

Another consideration. I believe trim 2 3 and 3 touring are the only ones with spare tires. I am not sure about the Prius 1. The others, including the Prime trims have tire goop and compressor instead.
I chose trim 2 due to the spare tire. For me, the 3 was not worth the extra cost.

 

Unfortunately, they won't sell PRIME here - would suit my retirement lifestyle well.

Only one thing to watch with a PRIME - it's only 4 seats. I found with 2 children, there were often times when I needed another seating position - a friend, grandmother - or ... mother-in-law. And PRIME has a smaller luggage space.

 

Another reason to get the Prime, no Mother-in-laws allowed, Har, har. Remember, the time table for kids; sounds like they'd be ready to replace or add to the car by the time they have kids. We got by for 8 years, with only a 2+2 Alfa GTV, and our eventual brood of 3 kids!!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

It's too bad they don't sell Primes near where you live. My Texas brother-in-law is an Alfaholic, and he brings over older Alfas from Europe; he fixes them up, and sells some of them. I wonder if you could purchase a Prime somewhere, to use in Australia!! It'd be interesting to see if you could get one from Britain or the U.S.! Just a fun little project, har, har!!


Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

Did you mean Prime?

 

Woops - yes.

I'll have another ... and edit my error out.

 

You guys in USA put the steering wheel on the wrong side. There are grey imports from UK, but generally things like Lotuses (Loti?), Astons and Jags.

I think our market will start changing in the near future - Hyundai is bringing in the PlugIn IONIQ next month, and that should get Toyota's jealousy going.

 

My last on this. The RAV4 Hybrid has the same excellent Hybrid system as the Prius, it's a Toyota and as stated before, it's ONLY made in Japan...so the quality IS better than US made Toyotas. We all know how much you can "squeeze" into a 2nd-4th Gen Prius, but the RAV4 is much more spacious, comfortable, gets better mpg than other suvs and minis (+30 real mpg)..and that's with kid, pet, holiday and/or whatever cargo. I am a Prius "fanboy" obviously, but it does not do it all or serve every purpose "best"...especially for the first +10 years with kids.

I wish MiamiTraffic (and Wife ) the best...what ever they decide.

 

I think the 2019 RAV4 is supposed to have the newer hybrid system similar to the current Prius.
Toyota is slowly moving all their models to a new architecture to standardize manufacturing.

 

The Prius is a fine choice. As far as space is concerned, if you can't fit kids and stuff in a Prius you pack WAY to much. Our road trip car has ALWAYS (even when the wife had a minivan) except for winter that is has been my 2000 Trans Am. We piled 4 of us in it and drive 14 hours to Kentucky!!! I could still see out the back. We also travel in my 17 Camaro.

My wife's current 2010 Prius IV has 138 on the clock and will be our sons first car in a few weeks. It has been very reliable as has my 17 year old Trans Am with 59K on her I think....(in storage). The worst thing you can do to a car is let it sit.

So pack light, enjoy the car. I think it's years ahead of the Rav.