New Prius or New Camry Hybrid?

What does he regret on the Honda versus the Toyota?

I had one Honda in the past and was disappointed by it but I came from a wildly different car. The reliability was overhyped the parts were more expensive than my old car before that.

 

He went from a 2010 Corolla to the Civic. From what I understandm,it needs more maintenance & servicing compared to the Corolla.

 

As of 2 weeks ago, my husband and I have both. My Prius (Limited, 2023) is a full year old on November 1. His HyCam (XLE, 2025) is two weeks old. Each of us will argue for the care he/she has. I love my Prius. It is just sporty enough that it appeals to my sense of fun. I love the adjustable seats (including the lumbar support), but the HyCam has all of that. My husband will argue that the Camry is more comfortable (a little more leg room and a tad wider). He and I both say that these will be our last cars (we are both in our 70's). If you have a chance to drive (or at least sit in) both cars, do so. They are both terrific cars with amazing electronics. The lane assist is nothing short of amazing and nothing like what was in these (and other) cars in the past. I came from a 2012 Prius, and his previous older car was a 2005 Honda Accord just to put it in perspective. Given a choice, I would keep the Prius, and he would keep the Camry. Differences of opinion (as my Grandfather would say, that's what makes politics and horse races).

Not much difference in the mileage. Just what fits your body the best.

 

How does the ride compare? I would expect the Camry XLE to have a much more comfortable ride. I know my 2017 Prius 2 (predecessor th the Limited, I think) had a pretty harsh ride for long trips.

The end of November we hope to get our XLE.. We got the Premium Plus package since we have enjoyed enjoyed the 360 view in our son's RAV4 Prime XSE.

 

That is a great question. Our XLE is similarly appointed. We got the premium plus because that is what was available in the supersonic red my husband wanted (I know, but it is gorgeous) and the safety features and the 360 cameras. You can't begin to compare the 2017 Prius (gen 4) to the new build (gen 5), really. The gen 5 '23 is much better. My previous one was a 2012 (gen 3) (IV - the one with the lumbar support), and the ride of the current one is MUCH better. That said, the XLE is much quieter and smoother, though not much. The driver's seat is about the same as the one in the Prius with the same ability to save a couple of driving positions.

I'm not a large person (5'4 about 130 lbs), so the seat positions that are great for me are not so much for my taller, heavier husband. If/when we do a long trip, it will be the Camry that we drive if only because it is more comfortable for him.

You didn't ask, but at this point the MPG's are quite similar. I'm getting 51-52 on the Prius (summer, driving 55-60 on state highway most of the time), and the XLE is getting in the upper 40's, but it only has a couple thousand miles on it. We are expecting it to level out around 49-50 by the time it is a year old (like its predecessor, a '23 HyCam.

 

Thank you for the update.

For reference, the 2017 Prius 2 (lowest end trim) had EPA combined of 52 but with quite a bit of highway driving, it ended up with an average of 55.4 mpg.

Does your husband like the Heads Up Display? I have never experienced that before. Due to the black interior, we plan on getting the windows tinted to the maximum permitted in Virginia.

 

He loves it, I ignore it mostly. On the Prius, it is sort of a fake heads up that is part of the information display, and I like it there. We got the gray (in Kansas the sun in the summer is punishing, and I didn't want tinted windows. If you haven't had ventilated seats, you will love them in summer. I thought they were a silly idea, but I use them all the time in both cars both as driver and passenger. I hope you enjoy your XLE as much as we do ours.

 

How do you know—you never owned a Gen 4?

Gen 4 was more comfortable than Gen 5 in terms of roominess and ride. Some say Gen 5 has a slightly more comfortable driver's seat. I test-drove Gen 5, and it is very similar to Gen 4 really—less comfortable than Gen 4 but slightly easier to drive in terms of pedal smoothness. Gen 5 trades off some comfort for more aggressive looks.

 

Didn't own one. Sat in one on the lot for a bit. I was mostly commenting on appearance (I didn't care for the 4's) and technology, but you are right, I've never driven one for any length of time. Across the lot probably doesn't count.

 

It might depend on the Gen 4 trim level. My 2017 Prius 2 was definitely not as comfortable as I would have liked. In hindsight, I probably should have paid $3K more for a Prius 3.

 

Prius LE 5th gen
23.8 cu ft trunk (Camry 15.5)
Front seat leg room: more than Camry
Rear seat legroom less than Camry
Front and rear head/height space to roof, almost negligible. 1 inch more in rear on Camry. In front almost identical (pretty positive

In cabin noise LE Prius 5th gen: 55 db ish. As quiet as some Lexus' and barely quieter than the Tesla 3 (including the new one)

MPG, personal experience after WAY too many miles. 61.6 (can get more if that was the goal. someone got 93 mpg Going across the United States.

Woops, if I repeated anyones responses.

Those are the things I focused on when comparing.

Honda Civic hybrid gets almost 20 less mpg, correct? That's a lot.

 

In the Camry XSE (heavier than the LE) with 19 inch wheels, somebody just went 714.2 miles on a tank at 61.5 MPG.
2025 Camry XSE with 19-inch got 61.5 MPG after 714.2 miles | Toyota Nation Forum

 

That's pretty amazing, still 30 mpg less than the 5th Gen Prius can get

https://www.motor1.com/news/733560/toyota-prius-93-mpg-average/

The trunk space difference between 5th gen Prius LE and the new Camry is what stands out to me a lot. 23.8 to 15.5 cu ft is a pretty big difference.

Considered trading in the Prius for a Camry myself, until I looked further into the new Camry. Maybe one day.

What's wild too is that some people with that new XSE Camry are reporting 40 mpg. So many different driving styles and variable of road/etc conditions to account for.

 

i think trunk space is debatable. prius is versatile with rear seats up or down, and cu. ft. is measured to the ceiling.
camry trunk is shallower but much wider. rear seat folds for long narrow objects.

 

If you don't stack stuff, the camry will fit more. If you do stack stuff, the prius will fit more. Common in hatchback and liftback vehicles. The 5th gen prius has a bigger (longer) floor than my old matrix did, but I can fit much more stacked up in the old matrix because of how the hatch is shaped and how wide the opening is. So that is worth something too.

I find the prius has been easier for groceries, for example since I can actually put more than just two bags front to back.

The dropoff in the sides near the wheel wells were odd at first, but it's actually kind of nice to be able to put stuff like a watermelon there without worrying about the thing rolling around, and its a great place to store all of our empty reusable grocery bags since we don't do plastic shopping bags here anymore.

 

can you stack groceries?

 

Good question. Just looking at and using a grocery cart tells me grocery stacking is not only doable but normal to maximize space.

They even have grocery stacking contests which reminds me of the grand Orea stacking competition of 1998.

Just imagine the space utilization of stacked Oreos in the new Prius vs the new Camry. The difference in the amount of hungry children able to be fed in an Oreo emergency is staggering.

My advice for any Oreo stacking competition between these two vehicles, get a LE Prius and thank me later.

 

Well, yeah you can stack groceries. But if I have groceries in bags, I find I prefer to have as many not stacked precariously on top of eachother when they're in their bags or plastic bins as possible so stuff doesn't fall over.

For example, since we have small kids we do grocery pickup fairly often to make life easier. There is the option of a plastic bin program where you take bins you buy for $5, empty, and they give you your groceries already in bins. With the matrix, I could fit 3 bins in the back side by side. In the prius I can fit 5. Given the bins are sometimes filled past the brim, they end up hard to stack without squishing food in the bin. They also have to be stacked perpendicularly if you want the plastic bottom to sit on top of the plastic brim of the other one. So the bigger space to not have to stack is nice. And If the Camry could fit, for example, 7 unstacked bins, that would be great for grocery runs

 

I hear you, completely makes sense. Personally, I figure if/since the groceries get stacked in a shopping cart and everything ends up fine, then having more space to stack means more groceries to fit.

But yeah, everyone has different preferences