I have attached a comparison of the internal dimensions, price, and MPGs of some vehicles. I did this so people could get a feel for the size of the v in terms of cars that they may already be familiar with. Prices were gathered from a cursory look at the web. Except for some cases, I didn't try to option out vehicles to get the price right. The numbers are as accurate as I could get them with minimal effort. Summary: the Escape Hybrid is closest in size, within an inch on every dimension except rear hip room, where it falls short by a lot. The Equinox is also close, but has more rear seat leg room and less rear width. The Camry Hybrid gives slightly more horizontal passenger room but far less cargo area. The CRV is larger in all dimensions, Sportwagen TDI is smaller in all dimensions. And there are other vehicles.
and the MPG, if I read it properly, of all other cars is abysmally lower...compared to the v and the Prius Gen 3...
Yep, there are very few cars on the market right now that can touch the v, MPG-wise. I guess that's to be expected when you start with a Prius. The C-Max hybrid should provide some good competition, though. This car should appeal most to people who want a high MPG vehicle but find the Prius to be too small. Perhaps even Fusion hybrid and Camry hybrid buyers would be attracted to this.
I'm disappointed that they put the same powertrain from the Prius Gen 3 into the Prius v and the Lexus CT 200 when they both are heavier. They both are underpowered AND too thirsty compared to a Prius Gen 3. Especially in the Lexus which pretends to be sporty, they should have given a power boost (bigger engine?) so it would handle the extra weight with less strain and easier acceleration. The Prius v could use the extra power to carry a full load of passengers and cargo.
I must admit, I have never wanted more power from my Prius. It is WAY quicker than my last Toyota. (1989 Corolla All-Trac wagon) What are you doing with yours? So far as I know, the next ICE/HSD combo up in size gets 31/35 MPG in a Camry, so you are talking as big a MPG hit again as the v is from the Prius.
I'd add the Lexus CT200h in to that, also. Similar MPG, but more space. That's why I'm looking at a V.
Is there really that much more weight to drop the mileage ~13% to 20% from the Gen 2 & 3?? Unless you need the extra cargo space frequently, better avg MPG over time would be achieved with a Gen 2 or 3 and the occasional car top carrier or cargo tray trip.
I don't follow. 2009 Prius: 48/45/46 combined 2010+ Prius: 51/48/50 combined Prius v: 44/40/42 combined (46-42)/46 = 8.6% drop (50-42)/50 = 16% drop
It's not just the extra weight. The v is wider, longer and taller than current Prius models. The dimensions have an impact on the MPGs.
I'm looking at a Mazda 5 brochure right now. The Mazda has about 1 inch more headroom in the front and back seats and nearly identical shoulder room. BUT, with the Mazda's 3rd row seats folded down, the Mazda 5 has 10 cubic feet more cargo volume (44.4 cubic ft vs. 34.3 cubic ft). What I don't "get" is this: - The Prius v pictures I've seen show two sets of golf clubs laying on the rear floor. - But I just came from a Mazda dealer and could not fit two sets of clubs on its rear floor, despite the Mazda's much larger cargo volume. Curiouser and curiouser.
Did you check the width of the cargo floor? Maybe the Mazda5 is taller than the Prius v. Also, remember that the Prius v has the battery and under floor compartment. If you take those out, I wonder how much more height you would gain (and thus more cargo volume)
Thanks for sharing, great info. I too am shopping for a new family car to replace a Chrysler minivan and also have the Prius v on my (short) list. It is not easy to get all the specs for those cars and you have done a great job to consolidate them all. At this point I am still hopeful that the v will deliver what I need. We need to sit in it to really find out if it will. We also own a gen II and would love to stay within the Prius family. My thoughts on its competitors: Mazda5 would be perfect if the second row sat 3 instead of 2. We are a family of 5 and want to use the cargo space 95% of the time. That only leaves 4 seats useable. I also like the TDI VW, but most of our driving with this car is City and the v gets us twice the mileage per G. Diesel is also more expensive. I use 8 years and 100,000 miles as a basis to calculate the cost. It will be key for the Prius v not to require too much of a premium for its purchase price in order for it to make sense vs. diesel. I regard the Ford C-Max as the biggest competitor to the Prius v. Even in its non-hybrid version scheduled for this Fall, it will get great MPG for a versatile vehicle (I guess we should no longer call them minivans ). I expect the purchase price to be much lower than a v, and interior to be more spacious than the v. The C-Max hybrid will be too small for us. I saw both the v and C-Max at an auto show, but they did not allow us to see the inside. Can't wait to try them! Fred
Have you driven the Prius v or the CT? The sum is the total of all of the parts, not just the engine. Both cars do quite well with the 1.8 HSD system out of the G3 Prius. From an MPG perspective, no doubt, the G3 Prius is king. However, if you are a family that does a lot of driving, the Prius v is a much more comfortable car to drive. There's a reason Autoblog mentioned in their review that the Prius v is now the Prius that potential buyers should look at first, then the G3 Prius. Aside from the MPG, dare I say the v is a better car than the Gen 3.
All things considered, wider is better than taller, IMO. Most people don't (can't) stack stuff all the way to the ceiling. Also, wider can better accommodate three car seats. Has anyone tried it?
I had missed that announcement. It's confirmed now that the Grand C-Max will never come to the US. I am guessing that the weak dollar must have had something to do with it. Being built in Euro countries, the C-Max has become way too expensive for the US market. That plan was a good one a year ago, but they did not deliver on it. Ford now says that they will keep the C-Max name for hybrid and plug-ins only (built in the US), like Toyota did for the Prius name. Problem is, their C-Max hybrid and plugins are quite small. That leaves the door wide open for the Prius v in my opinion, no more C-Max with Ecoboost to compete against...
I'm thinking he means if there's a potential 2-3 month waiting list for the CT, he'll get a v and I think in some places, there is a waiting list.