Prius+ - It's the Prius v that you wanted but can't have

The Prius + UK prices have been released - and it ain't cheap!

£26,195 (US$41,998) but includes 10% import duty, 20% vat and delivery.

Toyota Prius + | Toyota UK


It's a LOT of money as other similar sized 7 seat options start at about £19,000 - £20,000 upwards with similar spec.

I guess they think the hybrids demand a premium, which they do - to a point, but I doubt I'll be buying another Prius despite the mpg benefits.

 

I registered on this forum just to post my disapointment with the lack of 3 row seating in the US market. We are a family of four, and might go to five in the next two years. Additionally we often desire to cart around aditional adult family members.
My next car will be something with three rows. However, I really want that vehicaleto get better than 30MPG, preferably 35-40MPG. Nothing on the market fits that bill right now.

The Mazda 5 interests me, but apparently it's heft and Mazda's priority on "zooom-zoom" means to can't expect better than about 28MPG out of the thing.

Toyota! Bring us the third row! There is a whole segment of mid sized - large families being killed by gas prices who would jump at the chance!

I would buy one tomorrow if it was offered at 30k in a basic package.

 

I think you may have ignored the earlier reason why it was not brought here into the US, TekkieRich...

The third row was abandoned for the US market because the car would require the Lithium Ion Battery Pack, shrinking the size of the battery compartment to make room for the third row seat, but it will up the cost of the car somewhere between $5 to 7k, which means even at the base model - MSRP would be at $32k... 2k above your wants.

 

That would be pretty darn close to my requirements. 30k is the price needed for me to run out and trade my current car in tomorrow. At 32k it would still be darn high on my list when it is time to replace the car, or when family size absolutly dictates it's nesesity.

I read all about the LIon battery as well and consider it a plus.

 

Not really, as the capacity is reduced, so it isn't that much better than the NiMH in the current one. Which is probably the reason they opted not to do it to get it to sell in the US. They believed the cost would not sell well in the US to justify it. And to be honest, looking at some of the pictures for the 3rd row... Unless you plan on sticking your little kids or midgets in the 3rd row, it looks a bit cramped. But whatever floats your boat.

 

It would NOT cost $5 to $7k more. The plug-in costs $5k to $7k more and that has over 3kWh more in the battery.

They simply didn't bother selling the alpha here because the perceived demand for small, front-wheel-drive vans in the USA is much lower and because they can use all the lithium batteries selling the alpha/+ in Japan and the PiP around the world at higher margins.

Even if the alpha did sell reasonably well in the USA it would be stealing sales from minivans and SUVs. Those are high margin vehicles and it could make every cannibalized sale costly.

I can see them selling it in the future, but not in the next few years.

 

I distinctly recall that it was the cost as well as the small market made it not viable for the US market. The cost of the Plugin was shrugged off due to the actual aspect change of the vehicle and what it is offering, and to my understanding the lithium battery pack is about the same size, not necessarily bigger as well as a redesign of the car to incorporate an external charging system.

 

I have a three year old, a one year old, and we are in the planning stages for number three. My kids will be little for the life of the vehicle. Additionally, my wife is pettie and 5 foot tall. So in my family we have plenty of customers for the thrid row.

I am the odd ball in the family at 6 foot even, but then again I do the traditional dad job of driving 95% of the time.

 

The cost was probably the lesser of the factors. Didn't they state that the low adoption rate of the similarly sized RAV4's third-row seat option being a factor in why they didn't offer it (the also similarly-sized Mazda5 isn't exactly a big seller, either)?

That said, if Toyota offered the third-row option, we definitely would have sprung for that. It's always nice to have those seats just in case you need them.

 

[see updated post below the next]

 

That IS a lot of money (with a lot of tax)- it looks like they are only offering high-end trim in the Euro zone.

 

I am not sure where people are getting the $5-7K price premium number number of seven-seat over five-seat... I think that was an old estimate from before production. Earlier in this thread (page 4), it is mentioned that on Toyota Japan web site, the price listed for the 7-seater is only about $2.5K more than the 5-seater in the same model class (class G). I am thinking that the wholesale price difference is about that much (seats, belts, battery pack type difference, etc.), but who knows? Assuming they are not losing money on the deal, the $2.5K price difference is what they could offer wherever they want to (lots of variables there, of course). I am thinking that ItsNotAboutTheMoney is right about other political factors (like dealers wanting to sell other higher-margin vehicles, not taking sales from min-vans or SUVs, or selling the cars in other higher-margin markets, etc.) Imagine if Toyota USA announced that they were going to sell a Prius v model with the a third seating row starting at $28,995 (v Two, current $26.4K plus add around $2.5K). I think that there would be some excitement about that, and they would get some free press. They can head off the "small seat rage" by calling the third row "jump seats" if needed. As far as the actual usability of the third-row seats, I have found a couple of mentions where they say that they are tight but usable by 6-ft people.

Also, see page 5 of this thread for the cargo difference between the 5- and 7-seat option- it's barely different, congrats to Toyota Engineering.

 

Does the 3 seater have a higher weight capacity than the regular v? I believe the v is limited to 800lb. If so, this is another area that would cause a price difference.

 

I would doubt that the weight capacity would be any higher for the 7-seater model- the US Consumer Reports website puts the US v's weight capacity at 915 lbs/415 kg. The Toyota Japan website states that the Alpha's 5-seater capacity is 605 lbs/274 kg, and the 7-seater at 847 lbs/384 kg., if I am reading it correctly: toyota.jp ƒvƒŠƒEƒXƒÂ¿ Âb ƒXƒyƒbƒN Âb ”ŒÂ³•\ (If you use Google Chrome to browse to the site, it will offer to translate the site when you go to it).
Therefore, if the US model is maxed out for the 5-seater, I doubt that the 7-seater would be any higher...

 

i would venture to say that 5 Average Americans probably equal the weight of 7 average Japanese

 

Didn't mean to dig up the old thread but didn't want to start a new one either. My sister sent me a picture of a Prius v promo banner from Hong Kong. The 7 passenger Prius v Starts at $359,845 HKD. That's about $48,000 USD

 

It is €35,000 here in Ireland which is US$48,000 too.

Very few on the road here, with any I see being fleet/company cars

 

Can anyone in the provide a link to a UK-spec part number or parts supplier for the recent Prius + front combined amber turn / LED DRL indicator lamp housings?