The Hybrid Premium

I had a 2011 Honda Fit that got totaled few weeks ago. In search of a new car, I was planning on getting 2018 Fit since I like how you can fit a lot of stuff inside this car when the rear seats are folded. I was looking at 2018 Fit Sport or EX and cost about $22k before tax. The Prius Prime is about $26k before tax but with all the rebates and incentives...it will be cheaper than Honda Fit....and will save you a lot of trip to gas stations. The only drawback for me is the cargo space (with seats folded) is not the same as the Fit.
Overall I'm happy with my purchase of Prime.

 

Fortunately - LEXUS UX improved on the original Show Cars - which were aimed at "Ugliest Car Ever" title:


The final release is somewhat improved - but still Ugly - and has 5 doors:


That said - I'll check it out when it gets here. Lexus have better warranty than TOYOTA here.

 

Yes, the styling is a bit much and the grill way too much.

We may consider it for our other vehicle (i'll keep my Prius). If so, I'll be tempted to have the grill painted body color to soften it a bit.

Pricing will be interesting with the hybrid system and eAWD bundled together. I hope that those features together don't add too much to the price.

 

Looks like the RX450H:



Just look at it from the side.

 

This is a cogent comment. Think of the differences in "maintenance and repairs" between a Prius and ICE-only cars.

• The Prius has no clutch(es) which exist in even automatic transmissions.
  
• The Prius has a very simple power transfer system (the ingenious power split device). It's not a CVT as some suggest, and is highly reliable. It is also very simple when compared to the multi-clutch automatic transmissions (even on other hybrids, like the Hyundai Ionic with it's four clutch system)
  
• The Prius has no puny starter motor to break or malfunction. It uses MG1 to start the car. And weight is reduced due to the absence of a flywheel.
  
• Prius has no serpentine belt to break or replace due to age or mileage
  
• Prius has no alternator -- a typical ICE failure.
• Prius is easy on the brakes due to the regen feature. It is not uncommon to hear about Prius' with over 100,000 miles on the original brakes
  
• The Prius ICE runs at very modest RPMs, except in very rare circumstances, thus preserving the engine
• The AC unit is electric -- no strain on the ICE even in the desert mountain passes of SoCal

 

Nice .

I like how they tie it together. Better than the chrome for the RX .

Still can’t pry the keys to the RX out of my wife’s hands though.

The cooled seats are a nice touch this time of year.

 

I clicked your [LIKE] Button - what I wanted was a [EEK] button. Why are cars getting so weird lately? What was wrong with "balanced and ... well, staid"?

 

Originally Consumer Reports was the big complainer about hybrid premium, just about every month's issue they kept saying Prius made no financial sense but they sold like hot cakes anyways. Now I feel Consumer Reports is more "pushing" green cars so they do not throw as much criticism of hybrids/plug-ins, more kid gloves treatment.

 

Herd mentality?

 

Uh oh, watch out for the stampede!

 

LEXUS was a "brand new" BRAND here when it was released - must have been '90 when I saw my first while on holiday in Sydney. I thought it looked like very balanced styling - for Japan which tended to have some idiosyncrasies in most of their designs. At the next Motor Show, I saw one close up, and comparing with a couple of EU brands, I thought it was better made. But, they weren't handing out brochures - unless you looked rich, I guess, which I wasn't.

Though, soon after when Dad bought a SV21 (?) Camry - I could see a lot of similarity in the styling - again one of Toyota's cleaner designs.

 

back in the late 80's early 90's, my partner and i were walking back to his lexus in the parking lot after lunch.
he walked over to a green camry and couldn't figure out why the door would not unlock.
he was very impressed that they washed his car whenever he wanted though.

 

I was thinking of this one - I think we were a couple of years behind the rest of the world, as the Australian plant got tooled after the others for a new model:


Dad bought it in '91, and we sold it (to be wrecked) just after he died last year .

Had been a great car - he'd been a Holden (GM) owner for many years - since his '59 model, he'd had 4 of them - and I steered him to at least check out the Camry (still hesitant to buy Japanese) - that night he rang me to say he picks one up in 2 days, and it served him well for 26 yrs.

 

Here’s a California spin on the Lexus LS:



That was at a local toyota dealer no less.

 

We only saw a few "grey market" ES250s come in - LEXUS was exclusively selling LS400 at the time. The CAMRY was a very well regarded car at the time when some cars on the market at the time were less so. The ES came here a few years later.