Gen 5 Prius and Model 3 reviewed together: A highly biased review from a Tesla fan/owner

Wow…what dealership did you buy from? Free battery changes for life? Mine gives free oil change but that’s it.[/QUOTE]

Lol, dealer is Wow-Toyota.com. And just to be clear this is not a free hybrid batteries replacement for life , but a standard battery.
Btw I am still on the original one.

 

That is still a big perk.

 

Lol, dealer is Wow-Toyota.com. And just to be clear this is not a free hybrid batteries replacement for life , but a standard battery.
Btw I am still on the original one.[/QUOTE]

: ) Thank you for the somewhat local CT resource in case I end up needing to look for a used Toyota certified Prius. I figured it was 12v battery but still a great deal. They have manicure Mondays too…$250 value…must be fancy! : }

 

Since we are on this topic where do most of you get your tires? I usually go to independent tire store because it’s less expensive. I’ve never been able to time it right for the “buy 3 get one free” tire promos at dealership. It would be more convenient to combine services at dealership but tire store does free rotations.

 

If Costco has the tires you like - then Costco all the way. Just wait for their $150 off for 4 tires promo for your tires.
Costco will honor the mileage warranty and the hazard warranty as well. Free tire rotations….
if Costco doesn’t store tires which you like - then probably Town Fair Tire in Ct. But TFT gave me a hard time in the past for premature tire ware….
I don’t know any good local tire shop to recommend.

 

I buy online, Discount Tire last time, and go to a tire shop around the block for mounting.

I rotate the tires, plus oil changes and the rest, myself. Didn't worry about TPMS readings being for the right corner with the Sonic nor Camry, and the Outback auto adjusts the sensor location.

Costco has fair prices for the brands they carry, and the included hazard warranty is nice. Just heard they will only set tire pressures to the placard though.

 

I’ve been getting mine at local City Tire. They’ve been decent. I asked Toyota about the repair kit and it looks like any tire issues with new car will require tow (flat bed). Can’t imaging AAA trying to patch tire. Guess it depends on the AAA drivers experience and condition of tire. Oh well…

 

just watched the video. not a bad review. sure he's biased and admits it, but i thought he was honest, and most of his nits are personal.
everything has to be taken into consideration by the buyer before making a decision. reviews are helpful, but don't replace that necessary step.

 

It's time to get back to the thread topic. I finally test drove today Prius Xle Awd.
I took my 20 years old daughter with me. And she drove the cars as well.

Positives:
- Hud like instrumental cluster positioned perfectly for me. It has a great contrast and clarity.
- 12 Inch upgraded multimedia is great. Probably best ever form what I owned or tested.
Interface is simplistic and well designed. Kudos to Toyota Texas software team!
- Basic sound system is better than I expected. It actually sound acceptably well and with an inexpensive speakers upgrade can be actually nice.

Neutral: the car still drives like Prius. Way better than any previous Prius. Finally good power, but not great.
The ride is composed. The steering is light at low parking and turning speed but tightens at higher speed.
This is good, but not what I expect from a good drivers car. There is almost no feedback from the steering.
It is better than other Priuses but not even close to Vw, Mazda or Civic.
Road manners over pot holes and rough road are not bad, but not as good as Subaru.

Negatives:
1. The car looks smaller and feels smaller than any other Prius.
2. I was not able to find the “right” position as a driver.
I am 5’ 10 but I felt pressed too close to the ceiling even at a lowest seat position.
Same “small space” feeling for a front and back passengers. I.e “no one had a good seat”.
I know it is subjective, but this was a biggest complain for me.
And my daughter complained about claustrophobic feeling even more then I.

3. The car is not quiet at all. I measured noise level during whole test drive. And it was from 62 to 67DB.
I know this is subjective, but engine and ecvt making a vey noticeable noise and it does not sound “happy” to me. Same character as in my Prius C. This is nothing new or unexpected for any Prius owner, but not an improvement either.


Bottom line - this is significantly improved version. If you considered Prius in a past the new one is probably a no brainer. Especially if you drive a lot. Like more then 15k miles per year.

My personal take: Prius is now on the bottom of my next car list. I m planing to keep my next car for 3-5 years. And I am driving 12-13k miles per year since Covid started and still working mostly from Home.
So today, fun factor is more important then practicality and long term reliability for me.
I.e. my current 2019 VW Golf Sporttwagen S makes perfect fit. I average 40+ mpg on this car without hybrid.
And it drives nicely. Too bad VW does not sell base Mk8 Golf in Us.
So Golf GTI 40 anniversary edition with DSG is at the top of my list.
Excellent drivers car. Still good commuter with hatchback amenities for my dog and fishing gear.
It is built in Germany and comes with 4 year 50k miles b2b warranty. 30+ mpg avg is very acceptable for high performance car.
Huge negatives for GTI are the extremely over complicated multimedia interface and use of touch controls instead of normal physical buttons

 

You are confirming my experience but I was only able to sit in the XLE AWD. I thought it was just me…something about the layout of the dashboard and the lowered roof makes the cabin feel claustrophobic and I’m only 5’3. So disappointing. Gen 4 feels spacious compared to Gen 5.

I’ve been practicing a little hypermiling with my 2009 over the past couple of chilly days on an alternate route and managed to consistently get 51-52 mpg. I know it’s not completely accurate but the increase of 3-4mpg was nice to see. Might be practicing for Corolla Cross Hybrid instead of Prius. : }