Jalopnik: Prius Prime

I am a fan of Jason Torchinsky who had the good sense to use a cell phone video to record a maximum acceleration of the Gen-4 Prius. I searched and didn't find his review so here it is: The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime Is A High-Tech Pretend Tesla That Gets Incredible Mileage

. . . the Prius Prime is the plug-in Prius designed to sort of quench Tesla-lust for half the price.
. . .
The Prius Prime is about $6,000 less than a Chevy Volt, and about half of what a Tesla Model S costs. If you’re really taken by the pure Silicon Valley-ness of a Tesla but just can’t quite swing the money, or perhaps you still want to take a road trip that doesn’t require planning everything around where the Superchargers are, then the Prime does make a sort of sense.

The Prime is the ultimate current expression of Prius. There’s a good number of people out there who find that concept very compelling, and this car will be fantastic for them.

It’s easily the best Prius available right now, and I’m sure it’ll be a relief to many people who want a Prius but just can’t even with that new Prius front end.​

The irony is:

• lack of TSS-P in the 2016 Prius Two ECO led to test driving a 2016 Prius Three with TSS-P
• price, $28.5-33k, of 2016 Prius Three with TSS-P led me to buy a $29.9k BMW i3-REx
• the broken motor mount of the BMW i3-REx led me to test drive a $29.9k Prius Prime Premium
• the bait-and-switch of a local dealer led to buying a $28.4k Prius Prius Plus in Rhode Island
• a 1,000 mile road trip in 10 days

In 2016, we replaced our 2003 and 2010 Prius with a 2014 BMW i3-REx and soon a 2017 Prius Prime Plus. The new cars have collision detect, dynamic cruise control, gasoline cross-country, and EV capable. Together, these cars provide reliable, flexible transportation at an affordable, operational cost.

Jason suggested the Prius Prime might be 'Tesla wanna be'. Truth is no electric-only car has any attraction. Chargers are too few; fees can be too high; too far between, and; too slow. They have a place when one can recharge while asleep, working, or shopping.

On cross-country drives, the BMW i3-REx can hold 65-70 mph @40 MPG but the 2 gallon tank, 80 mile range, means the block-to-block speed is barely 50 mph. In contrast, the Prius Prime Plus should have block-to-block speeds closer to 60-65 mph with +52 MPG. With dynamic cruise control, the car will be a dream to drive long distances on the Interstate and around town.

Once home, a motel, or at our destination, we can use EV to get around. If it runs out of charge, the gas engine takes over and we're still moving. This is a feature not available in the older Prius or even the Gen-4. So I agree the Prius Prime is the Prius we've all been waiting for.

Is the Prius Prime Plus perfect, it doesn't have to be because it meets all of our mandatory requirements and has high scores on the optional. As for the BMW i3-REx, as long as it ain't broke, drive it. But come January 2019 the warranty comes to an end and we'll have to revisit if the BMW i3-REx can be kept running at an affordable price.

Bob Wilson

 

These are my requirements:

	model	dynamic cruise control	collision detect	1000 mi any route	EV w/o gas
1	2014 BMW i3-REx	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2	2017 Prius Prime	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
3	2017 Volt	No(*)	Yes	Yes	Yes
4	2016 Prius ECO	No	No	Yes	No
5	Tesla	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

• Last week I visited the local Chevy dealer and the Volt they showed me had some sort of collision detect but NOT dynamic cruise control. Did they hire the same Toyota employee who thought the "Level Two ECO" did not need TSS-P?

You may have a different set of requirements but I live in Alabama and most of my family live in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Washington State, and Connecticut. I can't afford to own a car that doesn't help me drive long distances taking any highway or route including State and secondary roads.

Bob Wilson

 

It was an artifact of the table tag. I had an extra comma in a header. I think the table renders correctly now.

Bob Wilson