Prius Prime vs Non Plugin Prius Storage do you miss it?

...and don't forget missing the spare tire!

If it was our only car, I would really miss the extra space, but since we still own a Gen 3, we have the extra cargo and people space when we need it.

That said, it really depends on your own personal situation when it comes to carrying cargo (human or non human). Despite the reduced cargo space, it's still much more useful than many sedans when it comes to carrying stuff, especially when the rear seat is partially or fully folded.

 

Have owner a 2005 and 2011 Prius before my Prime. Never used the 3rd seat and thought I would miss the storage space but so far have managed just fine.

 

No I don't need the 5th seat and cargo space. I only miss spare tire.

 

We traded in our 2015 Prius on our Prime. Could care less about the seat. Lack of trunk space got me good on the ride home from the dealership.

We were on our way home from a 3 day weekend and had a couple of backpacks and a carryon bag with us as well as a mobility scooter. I had to put down both rear seats and completely disassemble the scooter just to barely fit it in. It all fit in the trunk of the ‘15 but needed trunk and both back seats in the Prime.


iPad ?

 

I have a ‘14 PiP and previously an ‘06, and this is my hesitation as well. Love the design and tech of the Prime, but disappointed on these compromises. More so the loss of the 5th seat than the cargo, since there are always alternatives to address that (I.e. roof rack, or possibly hitch rack, for the occasional need). Otherwise, the Prime fits 95% of my requirements, as I drive solo a lot for work most of the time, but I do have 2 kids and a dog, so the 5th seat would be very convenient for my situation, as I use it now in the PiP.

That said, my ‘14 is starting to get higher in mileage (110K KM), and am considering upgrading to a Prime in the fall, maybe pick up a good deal on an ‘18 when the ‘19’s are released (unless the ‘19 magically gets the 5th seat back ). Then I can sell my PiP before the battery warranty is up (should be ~ 130K by then), and heavily promote the HOV privileges here in Toronto, LOL. I can also write it off for work, so there’s that too.

 

went into Bowling Green for dinner with my wife, on the way we stopped at Pier 1 and bought one of their hanging chairs for our covered porch. the dang thing wouldn't fit in the back of the prime. It was about 1/4 inch too tall on it's shortest dimension. Had to go back to the house and grab the Gen 3 (which had about 2" of clearance). Was very annoying (especially since it was an extra 80 min to get home and back (since of course Pier 1 is on the opposite side of Bowling Green from where we live).

 

Don't forget the older (used) PiP plug-in is an option will oodles of space (no spare).
If HOV is the goal, you would have to find a PiP that never had a HOV sticker (eg; out of state ).

 

I chortle (snicker) when I read many posts here. How the Prime suits your needs DEPENDS !! Do you carry 15 people, do you haul lumber? Then you should be posting on the LUMBERWAGON.com forum. Me, I'm a widower, kids are gone, and I REALLY want a VERY high quality 2-seater, ultralight, high performance, plug-in hybrid hatchback WITH a spare tire. The fact that I ended up buying a VERY large (for me) Prime is testimony to how truly GOOD this car is! And I knowingly delayed acquiring a spare tire! This is a reliable, luxurious, comfortable, exciting (techno-superior), fun-to-drive big car, and yes Martha, because it is so big, I can carry ALL my musical gear, including P.A. system, and large high back stool! Now if it were a bit smaller, I could stick one of my boys with hauling the crap around! Hey, the glass is always half full!

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AChoiredTaste.com

 

On rare occasions you may need the extra room. I once purchased a bbq and the box just barely fit in my 2012 Prius. It would not have done so in the Prime. Otherwise, I have been pleasantly surprised that I have not noticed the difference at all. Even folding wheel chair fits in back, which was an initial concern.
As for 5th seat, that was never a thought for me. It was a dealbreaker for my daughter with one child.

 

I had a 2006 and 2015 Prius before the Prime, and the earlier models did fit our manual (non-collapsable) wheelchair without taking off the wheels (with the 60 side seat down), but with the Prime I did have to take the wheels off and put both seats down. My wife recently got an EZ-Lite Cruiser (power chair that folds) and it fits great in the Prime without folding down any seats. The reduced trunk space is noticeable when getting groceries as well, but everything always fits, just not as cavernous feeling as before.

With just the two of us we haven't missed the lack of a 5th seat, but have really noticed that we've gone almost 1,000 miles with just one pip down from full on the original tank of gas from the dealer.

 

I have a big family with many relatives, so yes, sometimes I miss the fifth Gen 3 seat (which I suspect was pretty unconfortable, BTW) while the reduced trunk size is not an issue, my mother weelchair has removable wheels and predellas. then requires the same room allotted by the Gen 3 and fits well. I have also a bigger (and a lot thirsty) hybrid car with five seats and a large trunk, I suppose this element makes a difference vs. having the Prime alone.

 

Squeezing someone between 2 adults has never been a consideration for us. Travel for 4 comfortably is all we've needed.

2 long road trips, several shorter ones, and the usual stuff has all worked out fine. Never an issue. I've carried a few large cargo loads too.

 

While I love my car, the new size is a double whammy. On the one hand, i find the raised floor in the cargo area and lack of internal storage areas inconvenient. And at the same time the car grew in width compared to my Gen 2 so I now have a hard time parking in my narrow space in a shared garage.

 

I guess it all depends upon how you look at it. There are a number of folks who perceive the Prime as being a compact SUV missing its fifth seat and with seriously impaired cargo space. And then there's those of us who think of the Prime as a little two-seat fun car with the bonus of a back seat and a handy place to transport the week's grocery shopping when needed.

 

With all the kids grown up, missing 5th seats in rear was non-issue for us. Smaller cargo was a big concern first, but surprisingly I am managing to utilize the hatchback storage to its maximum extent, and so far my PRIME has been functioning pretty well. With seats folded, I was able to put 4 bales of straws in the back. Our Sienna minivan, which I had to get rid of recently, was able to haul 12 bales at a time with all rear seats stowed and removed. Now, I have to make 3 trips to get 12 bales with PRIME but Sienna with 20 mpg compared to PRIME's ~60 mpg gas only, it's not costing me anymore, better yeet probably saving some, since the store is within EV range.

 

Except its full name is Prius Prime.

 

I don't have a Prime but would have one in a heartbeat if it had a 5th seat. We have two kids and a few times a year have out of town visitors... Without a 5th seat we'd need to rent a second car for those occasions.

Storage is less of an issue, although I'm amazed at how much the Prius can swallow. We're on a road trip at the moment and it took 3 large suitcases, one smaller suitcase and miscellaneous other items! All while getting 62.5 mpg over 80 freeway miles today

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Yep, a Prime would be frustrating for you at times if that's your only car. My Gen 3 can hold five people and all that stuff without a problem. With a Prius Prime, you'll struggle to fit all that stuff in the back. In fact, I can't fit two super-large 29" suitcases in the back of the Prime - I have to fold down a back seat (though three smaller suitcases will fit).

As awesome as the Prime is, the standard Prius is still a more harmonious package maximizing both efficiency and utility for a larger number of real-world use cases.

 

That is precisely the reason I picked up a used PiP when my ‘06 died 2 years ago.... a secondary factor being the Prime was not available in my area yet.

I love the design and all the tech in the Prime, but it does bug me a bit that there are now compromises in buying this Prius, which was never the case with prior Prius models (my descending ranking: no 5th seat, reduced trunk storage, loss of upper glove box, loss of rear wiper due to curved glass). The 5th seat is the only significant one for me, the others are minor annoyances, as there are alternatives (roof rack, etc). Even still, I can get by with 4 seats as we are a family of 4 so it is not a deal breaker for me. Anyway, not trying to hijack the thread with this topic that has been beaten to death. Lol.