Does anyone have any insight on the 2015 Prius? From my reading here on the forum, it seems as though changes were made to alleviate the oil consumption problem. Are these changes actually preventing the oil consumption issue? Does anyone know if the EGR/EGR Cooler issues were addressed too? Also, what about the head-gasket problem? I'd really like to purchase a used prius, but all these issues are giving me pause. Is 2015 the magic year for the 3rd gen Prius or is still too early to tell?
I would guess it’s a little early to tell as to whether the 2015 is the “magic” year for the 3rd gen Prius. It does have “upgraded” pistons and rings - that’s good. But, it also has the gen3 EGR system that tends to clog and, as a result, needs to be scrubbed every 75-100k miles. That said, if I had to have a gen3, I’d buy a 2015. After my 2013 was wrecked, I seriously thought about a 2015... but, in the end, placed a lot of value on the new safety systems in a new gen4.
I kinda wonder how different the 2015 pistons and rings are. 2014 was a transition year, had the revised pistons but the old rings. Then 2015 had both. So the two pistons and rings must at least be dimensionally the same.
I think you're right - it's probably just too early to tell about the 2015 Prius. I don't really see many posters here with a 2015 to be honest. I've wanted to grab a used 3rd gen for a couple of years now and now that I'm finally in position to buy, it looks like the 3rd gen is not a good option. I remember it seemed like it was just the 2010 that had the oil consumption issues and now it seems all model years have it. Along with a head-gasket issue and EGR issue. haha. I guess it's hard to complain since most people seem to get 200k miles or more on their Prius in spite of the problems. However, for folks looking for one on the used market, they don't seem like a good choice anymore since most of the decently priced options have mileage well into the 100k's. I'd hate to buy a used Prius with 150k miles and have the head-gasket blow only 50-60k miles later.
I started a survey thread, 3rd gen year vs oil consumption, but didn't get much 2015 participation. 3rd gen model year and oil consumption | PriusChat FWIW, and this is changing the oil every six months, nowadays with a mere 3000~3500 kms going on the odometer each time, currently at 80K kms, I'm seeing NO movement of the dipstick level, 8.5 years since we rolled off the dealership lot.
I can't remember where it was, but someone posted an article about the difference. And showed photos. The holes for the oil rings were a little larger. Same with the pistons. Sorry I didn't save it..
Typically, the fastest we're going is an 80 kmh zone (50 mph), and we pretty much stick to that. There's a few steep hills in our route, so it gets wound up occasionally. And we're pretty careful to consolidate trips. Take if for a good run every so often. The car will sit for multiple days now, with me and my wife both retired. Days it's going to sit, I'll hook a CTEK smart charger, and just leave it on till we next need it. The battery's around 3.5 years old Optima, and behaving like new still.
Yeah, I see that only 1 or 2 2015 owners chimed in. I saw on a website that around 113,000 MY2015s were sold. 2015 was the least purchased model of the 3rd gen Prius - 33,000 less than the peak year of 2012. What's also interesting is that the Prius in general is the second longest kept vehicle among U.S. drivers. So even though there are a few serious issues with the 3rd gen, they don't seem to affect one's ability to achieve 200,000 miles. Hell, it'd take me 15 years or more to drive that many miles. 15 years with a car is a good run. I may have missed the boat on the 3rd gen since most of them are well past 100k miles by now. haha.
The list of longest kept vehicles has been published by a few different sites. One example is road and track. I can't post any links yet due to being a new member, sorry.
Cars That Owners Keep the Longest - Best New Cars for Long-Term Ownership Prius is #2 on the Road & Track list, Highlander is #1.
