Why would one goes with a "regular" Prius and not a Prime?

Now you’re asking us to guess

 

Not likely. I got the lowest 2017 trim level with the spare and rear wiper.

 

I wouldn't consider getting the Prime unless I were able to charge it at home.

Range Anxiety!

 

I don't understand.

 

I replied to the OP's question "Why would one goes with a "regular" Prius and not a Prime?"

 

With a pure electric vehicle, sure you can have range anxiety. But with a Plug-In, c'mon.

 

Most likely to maximize fuel efficiency by not having extra weight. Is there a flat repair kit in lieu of the spare tire back there?

 

Or that the battery occupies the space directly above the spare tire depression?

 

You'd be surprised how adamant some Prime owners are about never using a drop of gas! They hyperventilate at the thought of burning gas!

 

Not me. I run twice as much miles on gas than on electic for my first PRIME 40K miles. For my second PRIME now I plan to do the same.

 

Hey, you're still burning mpg doughnuts 'round the regular Prius, and sleep at night.

I think makes for a happier engine too.

 

He probably means the fact that it only goes 600 miles on a tank

 

I would have went with the Prime but I was needing a car in 2016 instead of 2017. Also unfortunately for the East coast peeps like in Florida, they are over 30k at a mimimum unless they are flooded or totalled or something like that. I would definitely say for 2 or 3k more out of pocket, I would have surely went with the prime instead of the regular prius. If you are in an area like me and would have paid 10k more, its simply not worth it. I believe right now there are maybe 2 or so available to me within the state of Florida brand new and I am sure they will not be willing to wheel and deal. Also with the prime, I am pretty sure if you go a long downhill, you can put all that EV energy back in the main prime battery pack as well. Not that I go down much hills in Florida, but I saw this on the prime forum I believe.

 

Why would a HVAC Heat Pump be more complex. Should be similar - there is less coolant running around for a start - it's only cooling the engine.

 

Problem is - triple the battery range, you need to triple the battery volume and weight - oh, and many more $$$$. TOYOTA have come up with a reasonable compromise.

They'll join the BEV Rat Race when it's fiscally viable to do so.

Hopefully, with spare tyres. Full Size.

 

Not this owner.

I'm getting triple the mpg of the 2010 gen3 Prius it replaced.

And I get free electrons at work. What a deal.

 

The Prime has not just reduced cargo volume, but also reduced cargo weight rating, by about 155 pounds.

Because my household tends to use the full rating of a regular Prius, this reduced load weight rating is very significant.

All that ICE-driven battery charging does nothing to save fuel. Thus, while that extra hardware and complexity is put to some use, it brings essentially no benefit, thus is effectively wasted.

To get an true energy efficiency benefit, it must be plugged in. Or be used on a route with long downhills where it can recover energy of descent that a regular Prius must throw away and waste.

Efficiency also. The higher MPG trims exclude the spare tire to save weight too.

Absent plugging in, some CA drivers select a Prime in order to get HOV lane stickers, for which the regular Prius is not eligible.

 

Makes sense because the battery is heavier. Total gross weight is the same, but more battery means less cargo.