which is better a gen 2 or gen 3

welcome to priuschat! neither, they're both great. if you want to save money, go with the 09. if you want the look of the '10 inside and out, and want a few more mpg's, and one more year of warranty, go with that. i would test drive both and buy the one i liked most. all the best!

 

It really boils down to personal preference IMO. The 2009 was the last of the Gen II's therefore it would be logical to think the bugs have been worked out, versus the 2010 being the first of the Gen III. Some folks say it is best to skip the first model year of any generation.

We have a 09 which has proven to be a good car and reliable so far. With all man made products it is given that at some point or another repairs will need to be done. That does not mean that the 09 or the 10 will be any better or worse than one another. Depending on your length of ownership, you may get by with just the basic maintenance only. On the other hand, whatever you get could give you a problem of one sort or another. With used cars, it sometimes seems like the luck of the draw.

As bisco said above, drive both cars and decide which one you like the best. If it were up to me, I would buy the latest model available for the price that I could afford to fit my budget.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat".

 

When the gen3 was first introduced many preferred the interior of the gen2, it was simple, open and friendly, lot's of discussion, so get in both, relax and look around, and drive them.
I have both and although I love the gen2, and have it set up to drive very tight, (17" wheels, all the add on stiffening bars) I prefer the gen3, it get's 62+mpg in the summer, the gen2 with stock rubber got 52-53mpg, with the 17's it get's 44-48mpg's.
10-12 mpg is what lot's of pickup trucks get, the gen3, "for me" makes me go to the gas station less, and that's why I drive a prius.

 

I have both. They are both excellent autos.h

 

I've had a couple of Gen IIs and now drive the Gen III plug-in, which feature is why I traded. If you're not interested in the PiP, I've found little reason to prefer the III over the late II. And one great (and one really stupid) reason to prefer the II.

Great: The Nav display on the II is vastly superior to that on the III (base version), so much so that the III nav is virtually unreadable during the day and mostly illegible at night.

Stupid: Due to a gratuitous change in the design of the III steering wheel, I have to be careful where I put my finger when I want to spin the wheel quickly. Some of the spokes meet the wheel at an acute angle and I can get friction burns if I'm not careful about which spoke I use for turning.

But - really, and apart from the display - they're both great cars.

Richard

 

I have a gen 2 that I am very happy with. One thing I really dislike is the touch screen controls - they are a bit cludgey and also you always have to look. You also have to stab the screen over and over to do things like raise or lower temp or search for a radio station - some things you can do with wheel mounted controls, but you still have to press for each unit change - give me the controls of the gen 3 any day. With every other car I have owned I have quickly learned where specific controls are and never needed to look away from the road.

 

Just something to consider when you test drive it. Again I really like my 09, but it is one of the 3 main beefs that I have with the car - the touchscreen, the terrible driver's seat and road noise, but that is just me.

 

It's a pain (and maybe dangerous) to control the heat and air from the Gen II touch screen (while your driving). Same with the radio.
I own both and find the 2010 to be the better car. Except for the dash (and other parts) that rattle. Better stability on the road, better MPG and better seats.

 

It has all the support of a park bench. On short drives it is not a problem, but 10 or so times a year I drive about 350 miles each way to visit family and the seat is pretty miserable.

 

Can't say about the Gen III seat, but on our Gen II I do take breaks regularly. Old man here with arthritis. If I drive it more than 150 miles I get real uncomfortable. I usually take a break about every 75 miles or so, and yes after a few hours the seat does get hard.

As steve said above, around town I have no problems. It is the occasional out of town trips where I will take a break.

In reference to the touch screen, I find the steering controls to be most helpful. I have memorized the buttons on the side of the MFD (touch screen) but don't use it much for climate control when driving. I usually keep it on the energy settings to monitor the traction battery and the instantaneous MPG. If I do use it for the climate control, it is only used to confirm the temp setting.

Both cars have different features, so take the time to familiarize yourself with them. Not all of the Gen III's will have the touch screen, only the higher package units.

 

there have been a few complaints about prius seats in general, both generation II and III. it is difficult to find this out in a test drive, unless you can take it overnight or rent one. unless you plan on taking a lot of long trips or have a really long commute, it shouldn't be a problem. if you have a bad back or other medical condition, you might want to be cautious. that being said, 99% are happy with the seats.

 

i thought the gen II interior was good, but could have been improved by utilizing the space between the front cupholder and the dashboard. i don't think the gen III is an improvement, but i have gotten used to it. it does feel a bit more cramped, and some storage cubbies were lost. and the cupholders are more difficult to use and the rear cupholders now preclude a third person in back.

 

I am going to post a "who should not own a Prius" link that is mostly about the Gen 2, I never owned (or even ridden in) the Gen 3 so I have no first hand comparisons to make. I drove my 2009 for 118,000 miles in 3.3 years including to the east coast and Minnesota with no seat issues, but that is just me.

considering a Prius | PriusChat (I liked my Gen 2, but no car is for everyone)

 

2 miles one way commute is NOT for the Prius. You will get very poor MPG using it that way. I hate to say this, but you will be better off with a conventional car like a Corolla or Camry.

The Prius does not give good MPG until it is in stage 4. It takes a good five to ten minutes to reach stage 4 in warm ambient temps. In cold ambient temps it takes even longer.

Read what JimboPalmer posted above and make sure you study the link he posted.

Sorry to say, the Prius is NOT for you if all you are going to do is drive it 2 miles one way and then 2 miles back each day. You could expect to get anywhere from 15 to 20 MPG driving your Prius like that. Possibly even less.

 

Gen2 = Rock solid workhorse
Gen3 = Thoughbred

Both will be fine for normal commuting and normal average miles. The gen3 appears to be a bit less hardy - anecdotally.