Has anyone imported a Prius+ (Prius V with the third row of seating) from Europe or Japan? If so, how would I search for 7-seater Priuses for sale? Anyone have any ideas?
Just a heads up, it will be very expensive. For example, a few years ago, someone inquired about importing a 7-seater Estima Hybrid and it ended up costing close to $45k after it's all said and done. You may have to import one from Europe (LHD) to minimise the cost of changing the headlights (RHD vs. LHD setup) and of course the inconvenience of sitting on the other side. Perhaps check craigslist and set it to a European city. Another is to check the Toyota website of the country you wish to import from.
I'm shocked it was that cheap to import an Estima. Considering that there is no sister vehicle (like the v and the alpha, for example), wouldn't you have to crash test the vehicle? There are some ways to get the vehicle in country and on-road for cheap, but there are huge limitations. I met a guy in the South Dakota Badlands driving a diesel Land Rover Defender wagon (w/ some crazy safari tent setup). He said it was very cheap to bring it over from Luxembourg but he was limited to only one year. Since he was vacationing for 6 months, it made more sense to just ship his vehicle over and get the temp registration versus renting for that time.
It's too difficult. I tried to get a smart back in 2006 before MB had announced they were bring them over here in 2008. It was ridiculous and even if you crossed your t's and dotted your i's, they would still say it's illegal for import until the 20-25 year exemption comes into play.
Wanted to revive this thread. Any guesses on whether the 2016 Prius v will have optional third row seating or will the Highlander be the only 5 plus seating hybrid in Toyota's lineup?
The 2016 v is now listed on Toyota's website. No sign of a third row, or any changes at all from 2015, for that matter (that I can find).
Thanks for the heads up. I can't find any mention of the third row or any changes either in MY16. The only 7 is the number of airbags.
Agreed. I also doubt Toyota can warranty the battery in the center console for 10 years/150,000 miles. Not that I will ever get it, but I want a Prius v PHV.
