Prius v or Prius for my needs?

Even though the 16-17 v is still gen3, Toyota improved a few key issues such as piston rings and head gaskets. There is no doubt that a v will hold more and ride better than a standard Prius of the same year. It has bigger tires and a feature called Pitch and Bounce control. Plus you get better ac and more load capacity. But the gen4 Prii get better mpg and have better engines.

You might shop for a conventional 2019 Rav 4 since the prices I see on the later v's are high. Very few 2017 v's were made for the US adding to their scarcity, probably because the Rav4 hybrid was available by then. But the 2019 Rav4 is a better design and careful driving of the conventional versions can yield close to v mpg. The hybrid versions match the v's mpg but are at least $30k new.

Just so you are aware, a new hybrid only Toyota Venza has been released with a v's slightly enlarged form factor and luxury interiors. However it is around $38k to start if you can find one. Plus the Rav4 Prime is also in limited release as a plugin hybrid with over 42 miles of ev range along with good hybrid mpg as well. Also expensive.

 

Musician ...... v

V make it easy to transport amps, drums, keyboards et al.
Plus if "starving musician" traveling on the road, there is room for a sleeping bag to take a nap in a v.
Also there is room for your groupies and your fiancé

Truly, the space in a v is perfect for a musician.
That's my strong vote as the car for you.

FWIW I am very happy with my 2016 v.
No issues with the motor or anything.
Driving everywhere (hills, highway, commute) expect 40 mpg IMO.

Good luck in your hunt

 

Don't do it...... get a mini van.....when problems arise all the gas saving will disappear and there will be other very costly things unless your a hybrid mechanic

 

We have a 15 Prius V and an 08 Odyssey. It's too bad that a minivan doesn't suit your tastes because the Odyssey is much quieter and more comfortable on the road. We get about 27 mpg on our annual Winter trek to Florida in the van. Considering it is a much bigger box with more glass, girth and frontal area is pretty amazing. The van is our Winter daily driver for four months and the PriusV is our Summer daily driver.

The PriusV is a great car around town but the road noise gets to me on the highway. It is not surprising since it was built to maximize economy and soundproofing adds cost and weight. You should test drive one on the highway which is something that we didn't do to see if you find it acceptable.

 

I have not found a good future replacement for the Prius v. All of those taxi companies and drivers can't be wrong. I'll keep my v as long as I can.

 

The new Toyota Venza is essentially the new second generation v. Same mpg in a slightly bigger, much nicer and very quiet package. It is hybrid only.

 

Hey I’m from Nashville! My boyfriend of 4 years lives in Atlanta, so I make that drive often. For the first two years of our relationship I had a 2012 Prius V. I loved the car driving around in Nashville, but it wasn’t a fabulous highway cruiser. Something about the shape of the cabin made the road noise kinda boomy like a in a drum, and with it’s different final drive ratio vs the standard Prius the engine ran at a higher RPM on the hills and highway (the extra weight didn’t help!)


I also had a regular 2012 Prius before the v, so I feel pretty confident in the comparison. The v finally started burning oil at 125k so I sold it and got a Ford C-Max. The cmax takes the hill and high speed like a champ, but gets a lowly 35 mpg on the highway.

I sometimes want my V back because it was larger and got better mpg! If you get a V get a 2015+ since they got new pistons and rings, they shouldn’t burn oil.


Both the regular Prius and v are great choices, so pick the one you’d be most happy with

 

I owned a Prius v for maybe 7 years (all good but it was low miles). I replaced it with a 2019 Rav4 hybrid. Nothing wrong when I sold the v at 55k miles. 41.7 MPG

Why: More cargo room, faster, quieter, more up to date safety assists, definitely higher entry into the seating than the more sedan like entry of the v. More fun. Can fit things in the cargo area that would never fit in a v (Dishwasher the other day). But I get at least two or 3 less MPGs just because it has so much pickup I tend to drive it as opposed to babying it like I did a Prius v. Plus the v had an instantaneous MPG display that really trained you to get the best MPG without ever inconveniencing other folks. The Rav4h lacks that kind of training aid.

Cars are always a trade off. Good luck.

 

Hey! I live outside of Nashville and have a Prius V touring. bought it used here and love it. Reach out if you want to do a little sound deadening I have left over material and know how. You’ll love the V.

 

congrats, all the best!

 

Congratulations!! That’s my favorite color on the Prius

 

I am an Uber driver in Philly. The V is a great Uber vehicle for a lot of reasons. One that has not been mentioned is that the back seat can be moved back and forth. For picking up passengers, I keep the seat all the way back giving best in class legroom and headroom. And the widest rear doors. Easier loading and unloading of gear or passengers.

However, the movable seat really can come in handy. I have picked up passengers going to the airport with a lot of luggage. Four Adults worth of luggage did fit by moving the rear seats a smidge forward. This smidge forward meant that nobody had to ride with a carry-on bag on their lap.

Each side of the split seats move back and forth independently of the other. Also, the rear seats recline! The Rav4 hybrid and the other "substitutes" do not have this feature (I don't know about the Venza).

Since you are a musician, I can picture you may need to squeeze a small third person (a kid?) into the car. With the V, you can put them in the left rear seat, pushed as far forward as they can tolerate. With the center + right portion of the rear seat down, you have not lost much cargo space. This can make the difference between all the gear fitting, and having to tie stuff to the roof.

You can tell I am a big fan of the V. I recently bought a 2017 Prius V four to be there when my 2013 reaches the rideshare retirement mileage of 150K.

 

A lot of people complain about highway noise in Prii.

As the owner of a 2013 two and a 2017 four, I can attest that trim level makes a huge difference. The two cars I own are mechanically identical except for the engine and front grill. But if I park them side by side, and compare closing the doors on the two vehicles, there is a huge difference. The 2013 two sounds like a tin can, and the 2017 four is a nice quiet luxury car. I am sure the difference is only sound absorbing materiel installed on the four. The experience is the same while driving the two cars.