Why in the World Would Toyota Discontinue the v?

By 2016 and 17 everybody was buying Rav4 and Camry hybrids with a bigger 2.5L engine, far less engineering problems and equivalent gas mileage. I remember in 2017 you could not find them on a dealer's lot, so Toyota made a conscious decision to reduce production. The new Venza hybrid is pretty close to the v's size and is awd. Many thought the disguised test Venzas were a new v.

 

I always thought that the v should have had the larger 4 cylinder engine from the Camry hybrid, since it's curb weight was 300 lbs heavier than the regular Prius HB.

Combine that with several engineering problems that the 3rd Gen 1.8 liter engine has and it was probably inevitable that the v wouldn't survive.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

follow the money my friend...

 

It's the same reason that Toyota abandoned the Camry wagon.

I bought my v in 2012, and I'm keeping it for as long as I can.

 

they toasted the c too!

 

Just read that next year we will have a hybrid Toyota Cross. That should be a great replacement for the V.


iPhone ?

 

I always figured the Prius V and Prius Prime were similar external dimensions so they should have just updated the V to Gen IV and use that platform as the Prime in the US.
Overseas that platform could be left as the 3 row Prius but updated for the Gen IV power train

Kinda silly having a plug in Prime unicorn instead of standardizing it with the next common denominator

 

Yep, it's market dependent...what are people buying? I was upset Toyota stopped selling the Scion IQ in North America a few years ago. (The Toyota iQ is pretty popular in Europe, especially France) I used my 2012 Scion iQ as my commuter car until this summer when I replaced it with the Prius AWD. (The iQ got great MPG's with the little 1.3L 4-cylinder...I was getting mid-40's) It had 100,000 miles and the engine transmission looked brand-new...no leaks, not even small ones. But the suspension did me in...just wasn't good on the rougher country roads my commute drive had.
So a month after I got the Prius, the city repaved the entire road...now it's smooth as glass...could've kept the iQ....but I do love the Prius and the 60 mpg and really liking the SiriusXM radio which the iQ didn't have.

 

I parked next to a new Venza the other day. Unfortunately, the owner opted for the maximum allowable window tinting, so I could not see inside.

The biggest thing I don't like about the Venza is that the wheels are huge, with low profile tires. That plus it has four wheel drive. This makes the Venza's rear doors shorter, and seats are probably higher than the V's (which affects tall passengers who have to sit in the back seat). I suspect it does not have the movable back seat either.

As an Uber vehicle, rear passenger comfort for tall people, plus ease of getting in and out are more important than cool looking wheels, or rarely used 4 wheel drive. Both of those cost MPGs as well.

 

You don't see that many v's.........

 

I still see a few Prius v's as taxi cabs in Philadelphia, in spite of their age. Back in 2018, Prius v's made up about 20% of the Taxi fleet. The v's seem to be getting replaced by Camry's and Ford Fusions (both available as Hybrids). No Venza cab sightings yet.

 

Prius v sales peaked its first full model year (in the US) at 40,000 and declined every year after to just under 10,000 its last year, 2017. The Liftback outsold the v by 3-9x any given month the entire time the v was available. With constantly declining sales, Toyota probably thought it didn't make sense to go through an expensive redesign to bring out a new TNGA v, so it got axed instead. Doesn't matter if it's a great model; what matters is how many people think it's a great model enough to buy one.

 

I stand by my comments, Toyota spent $$$ on an expensive redesign of the lift back into the snow flake long body Prime for a couple thousand sales, using the existing already long body V that continued to sell outside the US instead would have made at least as much sense (likely more considering the higher volume of the V vrs Prime.

This also would have avoided many unfortunate decisions that hindered first year prime sales and reduced market saturation by not having 2 very differently designed underlying platforms targeting the exact same eyeballs by appearing to be the same car when they are not.

 

The Liftback and Prime are the same car underneath: same floorpan, same hard points, same interior, same body panels and glass, same everything except the hatch door and front and rear bumper covers/lights, and of course battery and charger. Not sure where you're getting that they're different cars underneath the way the v and Liftback were different.

 

I think the decision was marketing, not technical. Toyota sees the Honda CRV as their major US competition. Most people who test drive cars never compare the back seat, or they assume the "Kids" will just fit back there. Toyota introduced Hybrid Camrys and Rav4s back around 2015, so they felt that the Prius v was redundant in the US market. The Prius name has a "wimpy' association as well.

People love the idea of 4 wheel drive, and it drives sales. However these people don't realize how rarely they need it. It adds a lot of weight for that profitable "testosterone" factor. 4 Wheel drive also causes compromises to the back seat leg and head room. Gone is the forward/backward adjustable back seat. Again, people don't often check out the back seat when they test drive a car (or care).

 

False, the rear third of the Prime is unique even if the hangers are in the same spots, the Prime is a much longer car
Toyota definitely didn’t just put a different battery and a hatch on the liftback and leave everything the same.

If you try to go to a wrecker and get parts on an interchange you will find a large volume of parts you wouldn’t expect aren’t the same interchange # (even if they physically fit)
Toyota played around with a lot of stuff going liftback to Prime, even rear seats are different part numbers.

The V would have made much more sense being purpose built as the Gen IV prime platform EVEN IF Toyota decided to change the rear sheet metal to look like the liftback given the wheelbase and spacing of the V is more conducive to the battery and other components would have fit more easily with less hillbilly engineering.

But having the V instead be the Prime would have appealed to a different demographic and likely improved sales (not that Toyota wants to sell Primes)
It also would have avoided the poor 4 seat decision into a 5 seat.
It also would have strengthened international sales given the overseas 3 row would get a better drivetrain
A V as a Gen IV platform would also be more expandable allowing Toyota to mid cycle refresh into larger batteries if the market demanded it (not possible on current Prime)

 

Back in June, I paid $22k for a 2017 four with 41k miles. I had to drive 3 hours to get to the dealer that was selling it. The original 2017 MSRP was about $28,500 on that car. I was able to buy it because Upstate New York is a place where owning a 4WD vehicle actually makes sense. The 2017 v had been on their lot 3 whole weeks.

My nephew who works at Boulder Hybrids tells me the best place to buy a 2WD Prius is a dealership in Buffalo NY. Toyota dealerships are required to sell a minimum number of each car in the Toyota lineup. A 2WD Prius sold from that dealership typically sells for well under dealer cost. It may even be worth it to buy online, and fly into buffalo to pick it up.