I have been stretching my old car as long as I could, but it's on it's last legs. I ordered a Prius IV w/roof and Nav a few weeks ago, and my dealer just confirmed its scheduled to be built next week, delivery in Mid August! I choose to order because I like getting the options (roof, IV, Nav) and not having to spend a few thousand more for a basic plug in. However, I love reading about the mileage that testers are getting on their plug-ins. Should I be waiting for the plug-in, or should I just be happy that I am getting a car now when these loaded models are hard to find? Thanks for your input.
Prius PHV is a well rounded car. If you tell us the nature of your commute and zip code near you, we can tell you if you are going to get the most out of PHV in term of cutting gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emission.
Temptation has a way of growing. If you're tempted today by the idea of a "Plug In"? I'm assuming that desire would only grow with the passage of time. Once the plug in is released, you are only going to hear MORE about how wonderful it is...if it is in your psyche today? However, keep in mind that purchasing a Prius today, doesn't necessarily preclude EVER getting a plug in...you could enjoy your Prius..now..and simply anticipate a point where you would trade it in...maybe once the initial euphoria dies down..and/or potential bugs are worked out... Of course those championing less consumption might question buying a new vehicle with the intention of short term ownership...but it happens...and is possible. Pretty much only you can answer for yourself what you want. But sometimes I believe the question itself is really it's own answer...
I think wanting a Plug In or a regular Prius is very dependant upon your driving habits like how far to and from work, can you run alot of small errands around 13 miles etc. Without more specifics from you we cannot help steer you in a direction. Also, options, packages, colors etc have not been announced yet for either vehicle.
The PHV is probably going to be more than "a few thousand more." but in the end....it's gonna be your call. Smart money says stay pat. However (comma!) there's more to PHV ownership than an ROI. If you're financially able to purchase a PHV, and you're into the whole stewardship thing, or you just want to be the first one on your block to have one----then you might just consider legging it out until they're available. They're (gonna be) out of my depth band, so I don't have any skin in that game. Like I said. Your call. I have a CPO coin if you need a binary decision maker---or you can use a coin of your choice. Good Luck!
If you have at least a 13 mile use 5 days a week. The Prius PHEV will save you a maximum of $ 150 a year with electricity at $ 0.12 / kwh and gas at $ 3.50 / gal. over a standard Prius.
I live in Buffalo, NY. Although you might think snow, it's in the 90's today! I don't have much of a commute (~1 mile). However, most of my miles come from being the father of 4, with three of them being hockey players. (2 are travel players.). I am at an ice rink 7-8 times a week. Each of these rinks is at least 15 miles. We wind up going once a week 30-45 miles to play a game. Then we go on road trips a couple of hours away once a month with my car. My wife picks up some of the other tournaments not mentioned here with her van, but we anticipate using the Prius as our "hockey car.". In the off months (June and July), I am driving enough around town that I need to fill my Nissan Maxima (23 mpg) more than once a week. Thanks for your help with this. Larry
I see what you mean. I have been waiting for a long time to buy a Prius, and it is probably like the situation with electronic items (cell phones, tv's, etc). that there is always something better right around the corner. I like the idea of not jumping while the bugs are being worked out. Thanks for the input.
Well, the good thing would be use all the 13 miles of EV each day. The bad news is that you'd not even be able to complete one leg of a trip in EV and that really wouldn't give you a good return for the extra money. It's also a shame that a LEAF wouldn't cover your 2-trip days, especially given the winter weather. On the positive side all those minimum 15 mile legs will allow the Prius plenty of time to warm up and if a lot of those hockey miles are suburban or urban you should get some great mileage. Enjoy your Prius IV.
The good news is that only 43% of your electricity is from fossil fuel. 28.6% are from renewable and the rest are from nuclear. Using Prius PHV should cut down more greenhouse gas than the cordless Prius. The 13 miles battery range should also cover your short trips and you'll still have the world's cleanest and most efficient gas engine for those long trips.
Let's talk about the bad: 1 Prius PHV goes about 15 miles on all electric, which doesn't meet your travel hockey needs. And in Buffalo, NY, you will get even less miles on electric once the weather gets really cold below freezing. So, most likely, you won't even get 15 miles on all electric mode. 2 I have a hard time figuring out how you or your wife will be getting hockey gear for three or four hockey kids in ANY Prius. The hatch space is ample, but not enough to haul huge hockey bags for 3 or 4. Personally, I find it very difficult to justify Toyota's decision to produce a PHV that ONLY gets 10-15 miles in all electric mode unless you are only using this vehicle as a commuter car. And if you are only using a car for 10-15 miles per day anyways, ANY vehicle (including a gas only powered vehicle) would work for anyone. The Leaf is a start...at 100 estimated miles per charge. More realistically is the next gen Tesla, which will have around a 160-300 mile range per charge. Of course, you will pay a premium for that technology and range. I can't believe all the hoopla for a vehicle that gets 10-15 miles on all electric power. It's a start, but this isn't some huge breakthrough that is going to revolutionize driving. It's a Prius hybrid that happens to go the first 10-15 miles on electric. If and when Toyota extends the all electric miles into the hundreds, then we will talk.
History shows us that most people who order a car with special options. More often then not the dealer will get them to take something less then they wanted. With this in thought......I would cancel the G-III and wait for the PHV Prius, since this is what you want. I'm thinking that unless you get the PHV you won't be happy with the G-III
You'll definitely benefit with the 1 mile commute, esp. in the winter (unless it's too cold and the engine starts to run the heater... or you could bundle up more and don't use the heater ). For the hockey games, you'll benefit from a one-way trip but the return will be in hybrid mode (and judging by those that have driven the PHV for a week, it's still a 50mpg or better Prius hybrid so no losses there). Even to the 30-45 mile games, you still benefit from the first 13 miles of electric driving. Just because you can't do a 13 mile round trip, doesn't mean you don't benefit from the PHV. Remember that the short range also means short recharge times. From "empty", it'll take 3 hours to charge the PHV on a standard 110V or 1.5hr with 240V. So that means you can charge the car anytime you're at home (or a place that allows you to charge) to keep the battery topped up. It's not a "charge-once-a-day" thing. Short trips hurt mileage on any car. The PHV allows you to by-pass that by doing it in electric mode with the advantage of fast recharge times.
I share your concern about the small range of the Prius PHV. I think it is a good thing and can be practical in a lot of situations (like our almost daily trips up to the mall-(10 miles round trip), but am thinking that they will boost the range in the next 3-5 years. As for the hockey bags, we usually don't have all the kids at once. They are on different teams. When we do, we take the van. My Nissan Maxima has less room than the Prius and it works out for our situation. I am usually going one way with one child, and my wife is going another way with a different child. Hence, with our crazy schedule and tons of miles, I have been yearning for a Prius for awhile. Thanks for the input.
