Prius vs other Toyota hybrids

Hey guys,

I am a new driver (I know, it is long overdue given my age, but hey, it happens) and will buy my first car around Christmas. My budget is around $15-20k, and I mainly need a car for regular long cross-country trips. I also need the car to offer very low maintenance and fuel expenses, since, as a grad student, my funds are somewhat tight.

I've been looking at the used Toyota hybrids for a while. I definitely want a Toyota hybrid for their reliability and gas mileage. Mainly 4 models are under consideration:

1. 2016 Toyota Prius Two Eco
2. 2014-2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE
3. 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
4. 2013 Lexus ES300h Hybrid

Now, the Lexus may be a bit too expensive to repair in case something breaks, and the 2014 Avalon doesn't have folding seats, which is a big deal for long trips (I'd like to be able to comfortably sleep in the car). This leaves out the Camry and the Prius.

Now, initially I wanted the Camry for its roominess and comfort. However, recently I've been looking at the Prius more and more. While the Camry looks like a more rounded car, the Prius seems to be a better long-term investment. You can't beat the mileage, and as a single person I might not need the size of the Camry to feel comfortable while driving. The huge Prius' trunk space is also a boon, as a lot of camping supplies can be fit in that big guy.

I absolutely do not mind Prius' inferior handling and acceleration: my idea of a fun drive is cruising leisurely and enjoying beautiful landscapes, not racing the roads. However, I have several concerns with regards to Prius which, I hope, you guys can lift.

1. Road noise. I've heard a few people say that Priuses are pretty loud compared to, say, the average midsize sedan - but other people said that it is a non-issue. Is the road noise a real annoyance on long trips?
2. Interior size. Now, as a single person, this probably isn't something I should worry about. From various reviews, it looks adequate. However, the Camry still has a roomier interior. How do you find Prius interior in terms of comfort, compared to larger cars?
3. Winter performance. I live on the Midwest, and it gets pretty crazy here in winters sometimes. How does Prius perform in deep snow? I'd imagine the low ground clearance would be an issue, even with winter tires on?

I really love an idea of owning such a technologically advanced vehicle, and unlike the other 3 options, the Prius really excites the nerd inside of me. Should I just go for it and grab the little guy? How does it compare to the Camry?

TL;DR: Prius or another Toyota hybrid (Camry) for long road trips on a tight budget?

 

Thanks a lot for the replies, they are extremely helpful!

I would expect to drive around 25,000 miles per year for the first several years, at least. From my calculations, buying a hybrid over a non-hybrid would save me approximately $1,500 a year, and moving from a regular hybrid like Camry to the Prius Eco would set it at around $500 a year. The latter doesn't seem to be much - however, I would like to keep the car for a long time, at the very least for 10 years, and the total savings would be pretty significant.

Now, moving from the regular Prius to Prius Eco lowers the yearly savings to less than $100, which is insignificant. I am not sure why my mind is set specifically on the Eco model; maybe this is something I should reconsider.

Regarding the maintenance, there is quite a few repairs shops in this city, and a lot of people drive hybrids and seem to have no trouble getting them repaired - I still see 1st gen Prii on roads regularly, so, I suppose, they have found a way. Granted, in 2-3 years I will probably move to one of the southern states, so I can't be sure about the maintenance there.

My thinking is that the lack of the spare tire increases the trunk space, which is a decent compensation. Regarding the rear wiper, my impression was that Prii don't really need them due to their shape that prevents the water droplets from sticking on it - is it wrong?

Ah, I see... I suppose then that all the options other than the Prius won't be very comfortable for sleeping. People seem to still be able to sleep on the backseat even in compact cars (I saw a video of someone sleeping in an old Honda Civic), but the Prius definitely wins in this regard.

With regards to the Prius V wagons, I was turned off by the fact that they offer (officially) only marginally higher MPG than the hybrid sedans under consideration: if we are looking into that MPG range, then it might make sense to buy something like the Camry. Given what you pointed out about the Camry's folding seats, they could be worth considering as the compromise between fuel efficiency, roominess and utility.

And I'm definitely of the same mind with regards to the older/newer models: I would rather buy a 2014 Prius Five, than a 2017 Prius One. I can see quite a few offers on Cargurus on 2014 Prius V Fives set at around $14,000, which in my eyes is a great price.

 

I was also thinking of possibly renting a Prius for a couple of days to see how it holds on lengthy trips - but unfortunately, I can't find any rental companies nearby that allow you to rent the exact car you want, and especially hybrids are very difficult to find for rent. Thank you for the advice on CarMax, I will give it a try!

From what I've seen, sleeping sideways isn't very comfortable; definitely not something I'd like to do on a week-long trip. It might be a bit more comfortable in the Avalon or the Lexus, I suppose, given their size. I cannot find any information on this, but is there any chance the Camry, the Avalon or the Lexus offer also folding front passenger seats?

Prius C definitely looks interesting, but I think its space might be a bit small for relatively long trips, when you have to carry a lot of supplies with you. I am somewhat set on buying a used car, since depreciation makes them much easier to afford with all the bells and whistles. How would you say Prius C compares to a regular Prius?

I assumed that Prii are very reliable, and some people seem to rack up as much as 300k miles before any major repairs need to be done. Would you say that a 2016 Prius V at around 80k miles is a decent choice?

Honestly, the lack of available top-trim features in the Eco bothers me quite a bit more than the lack of a spare tire or the back wiper.

 

Thanks a lot everyone for the replies so far; a lot of the questions and concerns I had are much more clear to me now. For now, in order of preference, this is the list I came down to:

1. Prius V

• Pros: roomy interior, extremely large cargo space.
• Cons: none that I can think of.

2. Prius

• Pros: incredible fuel economy, sufficiently large cargo space.
• Cons: some features (sunroof, for example) are not easily available, at least, on the used market. Smaller interior and cargo space than in Prius V.

3. Avalon Hybrid

• Pros: very comfortable and roomy interior, for an affordable price.
• Cons: much smaller cargo space than the Prius, less comfortable for camping.

4. Camry Hybrid

• Pros: quite a bit cheaper than the Avalon, and in the XLE trim most Avalon features are available.
• Cons: same as Avalon, a bit more so.

5. Lexus ES300h

• Pros: most comfortable ride of all.
• Cons: same as Avalon. Also might be very expensive to maintain.

Ultimately, I think any one of these cars will do, and in the end the choice will depend on what deals are available on the used market - but overall, Prius V seems to be the best choice by a large margin.

Purely in theory, I suppose the Prius should cost about as much to repair as any other Toyota hybrids, shouldn't it? Since the hybrid system is the same, and most of the parts are the same or similar, I see no reason for any significant difference to be present. I didn't really factor repair costs in my choice, with the exception of the Lexus which features similar parts to the Avalon, but increase service fees significantly.

Yes, I'm starting to leaning towards non-Eco models for this and other reasons. Thanks for the advice! It seems the difference in prices between different trims for 2+ year old models is relatively small, so it makes sense to aim at the highest level trim available for the given model. Both Prius Five and Prius V Five from 2012-2016 look very attractive.

Regarding the noiseness - just how much noisier is the Prius compared to, say, the Camry with a comparable trim level? Is the noise tiring in long distance highway drives?

Oh, we are definitely on the same page here; I do not find the infotainment features that important. What I am more interested in, however, is practically noticeable features such as leather seats, panoramic sunroof, sound isolation and security features (ABS, LDA, etc.). This is one of the few aspects where I am leaning towards the non-Prius Toyota hybrids: what in Prius is available only in the highest trims, for example, in the Avalon is present even in the low-end models. That said, Prius V Five seem to have all the features one could ever want.

From what I can see, the C has similar EPA MPG estimates to the regular Prius, despite being a bit smaller in size. Does the real world MPG reflect the EPA ratings? I would expect the C to be a bit more economical...

 

Thanks for confirmation!

That's good to know. I am generally pretty sensitive to noise, but my small experience in modern compact sedans left me perfectly satisfied with the amount of noise - and if the Prii aren't much noisier (they don't seem to be according to the published cabin noise tables, at least), then this is a non-issue.

The mileage is really impressive! Do you generally drive in the Eco, or in the normal mode? I'm also curious as to how the MPG will be affected by the snow when the time comes.

To be completely honest, had it not been for the larger cargo space of the Prius and how the seats fold down (for most trims/models) in line with the trunk, I would prefer one of the hybrid sedans over it, even despite the slightly inferior fuel economy. Are there any technical reasons as to why sedans tend to have such a poor integration between the cargo space and the interior, compared to hatchbacks/liftbacks and SUVs - or is it simply a manufacturing tradition?

Keep in mind, however, that as the MPG increases, the returns become lower and lower. What I mean to say is that at the mileage level the Prii populate, the differences between the fuel costs between different cars are much lower than, say, between the Prii and non-hybrid cars. 40 MPG over 30 MPG results in exactly as much yearly savings as 60 MPG over 40 MPG. So the fact that you are getting a few MPG below the regular Prius shouldn't be too concerning.

Thanks for the insight! With the Camry, it seems that the seats can be laid flat, but there is a very narrow passage between the seats and the cargo space. It seems to be different for the latest 2018 Camry, but that one is quite a bit outside of the budget.

We have quite a few Prii in the area (they seem to be very popular among students), and they seem to be able to keep up with the traffic during winters overall - but we have very heavy snowfalls a few times over each winter, and the snow is only really plowed around the downtown. Of course, in those conditions even SUVs struggle, so regular front-drive cars can be excused.