Just purchased my Persona last year, but the more and more I look at the new '16's the more I like them. Thoughts on trading in now or should I wait??? I only have 10k miles. iPhone ?
At first I thought it was less attractive. The more and more I look at it though I'm changing my mind. I will say I don't see too many on the streets (not sure if it's because of the looks) the dealer lots are full of them and gas is still cheap so I could get a great price for one.
Seems like an easy extra 20+ mpg is possible going from a Persona (Gen 3 w 17's at 40-45 avg mpg) to a Gen4.. Among other things such as much "quicker" regen, a better ride, etc, etc. I will be heading to the dealership tomorrow myself and will test drive a 2016 Four, and a four Touring.... I was gonna buy an ECO the other day but the dang thing got sold from under me while I was out on the test drive!! Believe me, I hated the new design when it first came out! It has very much grown on me and you really have to drive one to appreciate all the upgrades..
I'm also checking out the Eco, but they are hard to come by. So is the Two in Blizzard White with black interior.
Funny you say that as my dealer has a two in Blizzard pearl with the black interior that has been sitting on the lot for months... The ECO I test drove that ended up being sold was the Hypersonic Red and had the rubber mats and rubber trunk mat, side moulding and the black interior, exactly what I wanted.. They do have another Hypersonic ECO but it has the harvest beige interior that I Dont think would work for me plus carpets instead of the rubber mats... I know I could order one but I'm pretty sure I would get a better deal from a car thats sitting on the lot. So it seems it's down to a four (with ATP but no PCP), a four touring with PCP or a four with no packages... Do I really need ATP / PCP and is it worth the extra thousands? It would be nice though.. I though about a Three but the color combos they have that I would consider have silly add ons I don't want thus jacking up the price considerably, In essence for just 1.5k more I can get a base four at that point..
Why did you originally want the Eco instead of the Two? The Four is priced way over what I would want. I rarely use Navigation and don't care for the rims. Why not just go for for a Two?
I just replaced my 4½ yr old car - about about 1½ yrs later than I'd planned to due to various reasons. I get people coming up to me "but your old car was only new". I tell them that I've replaced cars at about 3yr old in the past - some can't understand it. So it depends entirely on your point of view, your needs, and what you would like, and if you can afford it go for it. Yes, you'll lose some resale, but in another year or 2, you'll lose even more.
Yeah your right, a base two makes the most economical sense probably, plus it has a spare tire and a rear wiper! I might have to rethink this whole thing and see if they might blow out that two for cheap since it has been sitting and save a few grand in the process....Thats a whole heck of a lot of gas!! As we know the Nav does kinda suck at times and xm radio can be added at a later date so thats not a huge deal.. I guess I really just wanted the new and improved Li Ion battery that the eco has, 3 door SKS, better tires and nicer hubcaps, solar windshield supposedly, plus for some weird reason the full hub caps on the base two just are so darn plain. Trivial I know but I guess my thinking was go for the gusto and get the model that gets the absolute best mpg as proven by Fuelly.. The fours are nice because of the softex, better tonneau cover, etc, etc, But again no spare tire.. A three seems like a sensible compromise but cloth seats only unless you get a three touring.. See what I mean, confusing. If you know that you want a Two, then that definatly simplifies things on your end unlike my indecisive self..lol!
You could always wait for the midlife update and see if you like the changes. If not, go for a clearance model. That way, your car is a bit older and you've gotten a bit more use out of your initial outlay on the '15.
When I read into it more.....the Two Eco does make more sense actually because of the better lithium-ion battery. The Two still uses the old-technology Prius nickel-metal hydride battery that’s bigger, 300 pounds heavier, and less powerful than the lithium-ion battery in the rest of the 2016 Prius lineup. The longer I wait the more my car depreciates heavily. From what I keep reading the $500 extra cost of the Eco would take years to recover. The tires on the Eco might be hard to come by and expensive. The rear wiper didn't big me to be honest. Plus the rear seats don't fold flat on the Eco.
There was a lot of discussion about whether Li-ION battery is much better than Ni-MH, and I thought the jury was still out. I haven't seen any correlation between MPG with either battery. Most of the world doesn't have a choice - Japan can only get Li-ION, USA has a choice depending on model, everyone else gets Ni-MH. The Ni-MH is a new design for 2016. I don't know where the 300 lbs heavier was sourced? The new Ni-MH battery is 39lbs lighter than previous Prius. Car&Driver say "At 54 pounds, the new Li-ion battery weighs 35 pounds less than the NiMH battery." Which means that the NiMH battery must weigh 89lbs. The usable power capacity of both batteries is basically identical. TOYOTA says "New Lithium-Ion or Nickel-Metal Hydride Hybrid Batteries - The new Prius will be available with either a new lithium-ion or a new nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery. While the batteries use established technology, Toyota has succeeded in increasing their energy density, which means more power can be obtained from a smaller unit. This in turn has allowed the battery to be relocated beneath the rear seat, increasing cargo space."
I read about the 300lbs here. The Best Hybrid Car | The Wirecutter "The base model Prius Two with a starting price just over $25,0008 is configured quite nicely with popular features like an automatic climate control system (just set the temperature and it will reach and hold it), a 6.1-inch touchscreen in the dash, Bluetooth for phones and audio devices, a rearview camera, push-button start, and keyless entry on the driver’s door. But it’s not our top choice because it still uses the old-technology Prius nickel-metal hydride battery that’s bigger, 300 pounds heavier, and less powerful than the lithium-ion battery in the rest of the 2016 Prius lineup."
The 300lbs can't possibly be right - everywhere I've read has said that the Li-ION battery is 35 pounds less than the Ni-MH pack. The Ni-MH battery is only 89lbs itself. The old Gen3 battery was 93lbs - the Plug-IN Prius had approx 180lb battery. Overall weight of a Prius Two and a Prius Two ECO are 3075lbs and 3010lbs respectively (from TOYOTA's USA Specifications) - which isn't 300lbs extra. The 2 batteries in 2016 Prius are approximately the same power, but the Li-ION is lighter, smaller and is essentially worked harder due to different design.
What? It is not 300 lbs heavier. Look at the brochure. The weight difference between the Two and Two Eco is 65 lbs. The battery itself is only a 13-15 lb difference between NiMH and Li-Ion. Please fact-check your sources.