Thank you to those who responded to my question about the lack of spare tire on the new Prius. I'm following up with another question. We've had a 2011 Prius that we bought certified-by-dealer in 2013. I really like its quirky style, the hatchback for larger loads and the mpg but it's time to get a new car and we're trying to decide if it should be another Prius or a different make/model. I should preface this by saying that I am 75 and my husband is 77. This car is primarily for me although my husband drives it a lot when we travel. Observations about the 2024 Prius: I had a test drive of the 2024 Prius and had no problem getting in/out of the car. I could easily see the screen over the steering wheel. My husband got in and out and could see the screen but I'm not sure that he will be able to do that as easily in five or more years. It was quiet and drove smoothly It gets great MPG Nice acceleration compared to 2011 I'm sure I could get used to the smaller rear window which I read was better than some suv's. Assume I will also get used to the blind spot warnings Our 2011 Prius had good cargo space for our needs when we travel with one of our sons to visit our other children and grandchildren compared to the 2024 No spare tire and I've read about people having difficulties finding 19" tires when needed...or maybe get the basic model with 17" tires although I'd prefer XLE I'm sure I could get used to the smaller rear window which I read was better than some suv's. Assume I will also get used to the blind spot warnings Not sure about how vision is at night or in rain. Felt a little closed in when the sunroof window was covered It would be nice to have AWD but not deal-breaker I read that the Honda Civic Hybrid hatchback is now competitive with the Prius and maybe there are others? Observations about Civic: larger cargo area more comfortable seating spare tire however, gets more than 10 MPG less than Prius No AWD less ground clearance less covered by warranties don't know if I should be confident about reliability and experience with hybrid in this model Since I really liked by older Prius, someone suggested that I look instead for a more recent dealer-certified Prius from 2020-2022. I could even look at small hybrid SUV's but they have less MPG. Thanks so much for any insight you can share. I obviously have minimal knowledge about cars but greatly appreciate your observations and suggestions.
Get a Rav4 hybrid. More room, more cargo space, awd, easier access, more ground clearance and more visibility. Long 10 year 150,000 mile hv battery warranty. You get a spare tire. They sell many trim levels and the lower trims ride better than the higher XSE with "sport" suspension. I would get a Rav4 Hybrid XLE with standard Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert which are clearly the most useful day to day safety features. The XLE also comes with the Smartkey system. Lane keep assist keeps you in the lane with beeps and a nudge if necessary unless you use the turn signals. The rear camera is large, clear and works in low light or rain. Tire pressures have a direct psi readout if desired. The 2.5L engine is smooth and powerful when you need it and is far better engineered than your old gen3. The primary speedometer screen is clear and easy to read and includes simple fuel and engine temperature gauges. Shared with all all new Toyotas is wireless Carplay for Apple phones or Android Auto for the rest. You leave your phone in your purse but still get superior voice control navigation. Use Google Maps and you have realtime route alternatives for slowdowns you can simply trust. Download offline Google maps to your phone for the rare times you are out of cell coverage. Text messages can automatically read through the car stereo and can be responded to or originated by voice. Get the color you like and it is a can't miss choice.
What the miles on the 2011? If it's mechanically sound and not rusting out, and considering your "demographic", you might want to stick with it, due to: higher seating spare rear visibility "marginally" better greater cargo capacity sensible tires Our situation is somewhat similar, I'm 73 and my wife's 69. Our 2010 Touring (CDN level, near top-tier) is low miles, over-maintained, and more-or-less rust free. May be our sunset car. For you guys I think it'd hinge on the 2011's condition. Another thing to consider: how much are you driving, say yearly? If it's less-and-less, gas cost becomes irrelevant, and if it doesn't have to be hybrid that opens up the choices.
I am 70, and was forced to replace my 2017 Prius Two due to an accident. For us aged people, ride comfort has become more important. I looked at the 2025 Camry since they are all hybrids now. I ended up getting a 2025 Camry XLE along with the Premium Plus package to add a bunch of safety features. I chose the FWD instead of the all wheel drive. It rides like a dream, has a huge trunk and gets reasonable mileage, although not quite Prius level fuel economy. This will likely be my sunset car. The drivers seat can actually be raised to improve visibility for those of us who are short if stature. For multiple drivers, it memorizes the driver's profile references, including seat adjustments. My son bought a 2023 RAV4 Prime XSE to replace his aged Prius V. That is also an excellent choice. He uses the EV range for his work commute. If that is not needed, a comparable RAV4 Hybrid should be a good choice. One BIG caution on purchasing ANT new Toyota in the US. You will get inundated with emails you cannot stop. When you unsubscribe from marketing emails, they just change them to transactional emails saying it is because you own the car. For some reason, they include an unsubscribe link but that is only for the marketing emails.
Our Prius has about 174,000 miles and we are replacing it due to pricey gasket issue. I just found Priuschat within the past month and learned that gasket has been an issue with that year's model. My husband is concerned that after spending the money for the repair, other more expensive issues will come along due to its age. We take good care of it and have it serviced regularly. We travel about 15,000 miles a year We really like size/space of our Prius, the fact that it is a hybrid, the MPG and having the hatchback when more space is needed. I just saw someone write very positively about the Rav4 MPG on another thread so will look at that or maybe a more recent Prius model. Very grateful that you all take time to respond with your thoughts! I was developing some anxiety about this decision but realized it was likely due to change itself plus we haven't bought a car for more than a decade
I have spent the evening online looking at reviews of RAV4 and a few of its competitors and all of their features...very confused! I am really tempted to look for a 2020-2022 dealer-certified Prius as bisco suggested! That is how we bought our current car that served us well. Just not sure that my husband will agree.
If you are considering new, consider the 2025 Camry. They are all hybrid now. I have been really enjoying mu 2025 Camry XLE for the past month. The Camry has a better feature selection than the Corolla.
I was considering this route to replace my Prius v, until I saw cablegate. Many of the repairs and future repairs to my only 9 year old v are related to rust since I'm in upstate NY. Toyota's solution to "fix" the issue is to just expose the cable more ... I am very skeptical it will actually fix the issue. I'm not sure if NJ sees enough road salt or not to warrant concern, but something to think about since initially, Toyota did not consider the cable as part of the power train or hybrid system, so told people they were outside the bumper to bumper warranty and please cough up thousands to replace the cable. The newer Rav4s with the "fixed" cable don't have an extended warranty on the cable. The Rav4 hybrid may be a great choice, just something to think about and look into in my opinion. Personally, I decided to go a different route to replace my Prius v.
