Hi Prius chat. TL;DR: is it a good time to buy a gen 4? Do you like yours? I’ve owned a Gen 3 and very early vin Gen 4 but traded it. I have a Model X now. I love Tesla, and autopilot. However, the range is becoming an issue for me. when it was new, things were fine. When charging the car to 90% as they suggest, I get 256 miles of every day driving range. I thought it would be fine but I live in Chicago and after I went through my first winter last year with it, it was rough. Driving to my sister in a snow storm 90 miles away, I used more than half my range. It was kind of unnerving because as I visited my sister I watched as miles fall of my range estimate from the app because the car sat outside in the cold. when I left her house, I barely made it to the closest supercharger, and I had to stay there over half hour to make it home. So my question for you all is, is thins a good time to buy a gen 4? Do you still like yours? Would you buy it again? I ask because I didn’t have my old gen 4 that long. Do you think Toyota will move to gen 5 soon or significantly update it soon? Thank you in advance.
Still love mine after 3½ yrs. But I probably wouldn't buy another - mainly because I selfishly would like something different - I've updated cars every 3-4 years, and buying one exactly the same (update) wouldn't feel like something "new". But, for someone who doesn't have that hangup, I'd be getting another one. You've got a Model X - there are some equivalent format Toyota hybrids - eg RAV4 hybrid to consider, and I think you get a Highlander hybrid over there too?? Some in USA have said that some areas it almost works out as good to buy a PRIME PlugIn Hybrid if that interests you, with various concessions. If you have a lot of snow, there is the e-AWD PRIUS in USA - it doesn't come here, but there have been some good reports on PriusChat about it. I think your RAV4 is AWD too.
256 mi range ..... that sounds like the 90 kwh pack. The newer 100kWh pack is rated for over 320 miles - w/ better chemistry's nowadays, so even in frozen temps you're still good for over 200 miles. That said, we traded in our model X for this Beast; similar seating & seating height - lots of safety goodies, similar length, features, & cargo capacity as our X ..... & sad to say, WAY better fit & finish then our X, even to the untrained eye. less then ½ the price of the X, too. You might notice, with our adapter, the new plug-in still charges with our Tesla high power wall charger. The plug-in Chrysler gets 33 electric miles, which in freezing temps will drop down to low 20's EV. We bought it just before Christmas last year, & got $5,000 off MSRP, Plus the $7,500 tax credit, as well as a state rebate which made it practically priced like the non plug-in. END of year is great fir new car shopping because way way fewer people are in the auto showrooms & so the sales Critters are much more willing to wheel & deal.
Interesting - we rarely see TESLAs here - maybe one a fortnight if we're lucky - there is a charger at my local Shopping Centre near where I park. There is rarely one parked there. but an X was there recently. I wandered over to have a closer look, never been that close before. You mention "fit & finish than our X" - I was astounded at the poor panel gaps of the one there. Couldn't see inside due to the darkish tint.
I recently went from a Gen 3 to a Gen 4 (2019 AWD XLE) and couldn’t be happier. To get 50+ mpg out of something with AWD blows my mind. Might be a bit of a transition going from a model X, but everything has traded offs. I plan on increasing the ride height and tire size a hair which would actually put it right where the model X is at in regards to ground clearance. Might be something to consider. End of year is definitely the time to buy.
Gas prices have been very low for nearly a decade in the USA so YES it's always a great time to buy a hybrid, plug-in, bev, etc. as all are niche sellers now as the market shifted to CUV, SUV, and trucks. End of the year sales pushes happen during each holiday season. Yes, the Gen 4 is an improvement over the three. EV is stronger and the drivetrain is more refined/smoother but nothing compared to a full EV. A suggestion: look at a Prime instead. It's very hard to go back to a HEV after a PHEV or BEV. BTDT
hold out for model y and a larger battery next gen prius probably fall of 2021. improvements? who knows what and how significant
Never thought I’d see another Tesla convert. It’s a P100D MX. Mine is from 2018 so I don’t have the raven motors which bumped on the range on the 2019 models. Which leads me to my next complaint about Tesla is that their cars outdate themselves so fast. Like they introduced V3 supercharging and my car can’t do it and it’s barely a year old. So lame. You’re very right about fit and finish. I rented a Pacifica (gas only) to try it and my partner and I agreed that it was built way better than the X. Felt ‘tighter’ and more solid. That said he isn’t that into mini vans. For me I see it as a matter of practicality. My Jeep is my fun car. This thing I plan to use for road trips, days I don’t want to have a super active driving experience and comfort. For errands, work, and dads doctor visits.
what sucks is how the Tesla community and Tesla themselves misrepresent winter driving range. Between that, the flimsy build and the fact that less than a year into ownership they have a new one with more range than mine and faster supercharging. On top of it they expect us to pay 120/year for “premium connectivity” when I distinctly remember my delivery specialist saying I had it for the life of the car. I’m pretty sure I’m ready to dump it. just not sure if I want the RAV4 hybrid or Prius.
Until charging stations become more prevalent and abundant, I will never go full electric. And yes, I love my Prius. It is my second; my first being a Gen 2.
ah okay. Did you have to do anything special with Tesla? Right now I’m thinking dealer trade or CarMax. I don’t want to meet up with people given the value of the car.
Agreed. Tesla’s supercharger network is good but not perfect. As an example when I visit family there is only one in the area and in the winter the range gets hit so hard we can barely make it. I don’t like having to think about the range constantly.
If you wanna wait a year, the RAV4 Prime looks enticing. 302-HP, 0-60 in 5.8 sec, 39 mile range and Toyota reliability. that way, you have the EV range for short trips and the hybrid efficiency for long range. And it’s electric AWD and still spacious for passengers and cargo.
Same here - I can't see it for maybe 8-10 years here. I went to diesel - had 2 (2008, 2011) which were great fuel savers. Now PRIUS, better still - lining up for a 2nd Hybrid sometime.
The best time to buy ANY vehicle is the last day of the month, last day of the quarter, last day of the year, last hours of that day, especially in lousy weather. Dealers are hungry to meet their quotas and will no doubt come up with their best prices.
