Tell me about it. It's tough to believe that the original 1st gen SWB Caravan was only 176" long! That's some very clever (or just unapologetically boxy) packaging. Great cars, I drove one for many years and many miles. Yeah, but it gets twice the MPG of a 1st gen Caravan.
Well I like it. I think it would be great to get back into a station wagon again. Don't get me wrong, I love the space in a Prius but a little more would be great for those camping trips or running around with loads of stuff. Think the soccer mum with 4 kids in the car and a heap of gear to carry. Holidays, picking up stuff from the shops, body bags, it all goes in easier into a V! Could make a nice hearse!
First thing to worry about is: Will it even be exported to Europe..... The below quote comes from the Dutch Toyota Blog (http://blog.toyota.nl/updates/hoera-gezinsuitbreiding-twee-nieuwe-full-hybrids-zien-het-daglicht/): Translation: Though it was drawn up in the Toyota European design centre in southern France, it is as of yet unclear wether the [Prius V] will come to Europe... Its consumption (40MPG avg) translates to 5,88 l/100 km, which will surely categorize it one or two economy categories lower than the regular Prius. In the Netherlands this means no road tax exemption, no 14% "bijtelling" tax for leasing drivers. This means that it will have to compete with a lot more cars, amongst which the spectacularly roomy Skoda Superb Wagon 1.6 TDI Greenline. As much as I like my Prius, if the Prius v would cost me as much as the Skoda, my choice for my next leased car in 2012 would be Superb any time. :redface: Bottom line: I think Toyota will either try and shave on the consumption numbers of the v or not bother with trying to sell it in Europe.
My calculations were a bit different : if 50mpg (US) translate to 3.8l/100km, then 40 mpg translate to 4.75 l/100 km, which should produce about 111.25 gr Co2/km. (89/3.8*4.75)
A standard mile equals 1,609 km and a US gallon equals 3,785. 50*1,609 = 80,45 --> 50 mpg is 80,45 km/3,785 l = 21,25 km/l or 4,7 l/100. 40 mpg results in 17 km/l or 5,88 l/100 and 138 g CO2/km. But I now see what you mean. The US fuel numbers are indeed different from the Europe numbers and we cannot compare EPA to ECE numbers. There actually is hope for Europe. Prius III: 51 MPG City, 48 MPG Highway 50 MPG Combined. Prius v: 42 MPG City, 38 MPG Highway, 40 MPG Combined. Based on these numbers, a Prius v would score 4,75 l/100 on the ECE routine but it is very likely that this number differs, based on the difference of emphasis on city or highway consumption. Toyota will have to fight for every gramme of CO2 since the bar in the Netherlands lies at 110 g and is likely to go down in january 2013...
Some people are really bummed that the Prius v is not a true, 7 or 8 passenger minivan. If they did build such a thing that happened to need about 2.4L of gas engine and it averaged only 30 MPG, would you still buy it? I don't think the 30 MPG figure would be far off considering a 7 passenger hybrid minivan would certainly weigh quite a bit more than a Camry Hybrid which averages something like 34 MPG.
Given that the Sienna gets 19/24 EPA, yeah, why not? Consider replacing a minivan with this hypothetical MPV hybrid and driving 10k miles/year (a bit on the low side). Sienna: 22 mpg = 455 gallons Hypothetical Prius MPV: 30 mpg = 334 gallons Save 121 gallons @ $3.35 (current LA gas prices for regular) = $400/yr. The baseline Sienna starts at ~25k but lacks some safety accessories like PCS, VDIM, and SafetyConnect (which aren't even available as packages). Those features are only available on the Limited grade, which starts at a bargain price of $38k. Yeah, I think there's a market for that kind of vehicle.
C-Max hybrid will be a 5 seater unlike the c-max ice. I wonder how Prius v compares to C-Max hybrid. Looks like C-Max hybrid might get better mileage .... ofcorse the Energi plug-in will easily beat prius v. Unless Energi is significantly more expensive why would anyone buy prius v ?
For another comparison, the overall dimensions are close to the Jetta Sportwagen TDI, which gets 41MPG highway. Interior cargo is comparable too (32.8 w/ seats up)...
Note that the US EPA's rating after 2008 has been more aggressive. Their 50mpg combined = 4.7L/100km combined. In Canada, the older testing method yields a combined rating of 3.8L/100km.
I was excited about the new prius. My family is the demographic for this new V model. We own the Mazda5 and were hoping that the the V would be a better executed version of the Mazda5. I put up with alot of shortcomings from the Mazda5 b/c of price and that it was the only micro-van that really fit our needs. I was on board with sliding doors and the 3rd row of seats (I know only good for kids; but that was the point of new family needs.) Now it's a wagon and I dont feel an overwhelming feeling to go trade in my Mazda5. Ford is coming out with the C-Max; which could be a contender if Mazda doesn't sort out their sub par suspension linkage issues on the Mazda5. I'm thinking a microvan from the new Prius brand would've dug in to the market that buys the Sienna. Maybe that's why Prius didn't go the micro-van route. Mazda quit selling their miniVan in favor of the Mazda5 after all. Oh well happy with my Prius "classic" just not super jazzed about the new V. Less milage, no 3rd row seating, no sliding doors. Has the potential to compete, just not with me right now; we'll just have to see.
THINK - Mazda5 hybrid. That's what we wanted the V to be. :rockon: A well excuted hybrid micro-van (people mover). When the kids get older we go to the Sienna or Odessy.
They have already been building two such things and selling them in Japan for the past several years now, the Alphard Hybrid and the Estima (Previa) Hybrid. (Darn. I can't post to other URL's until I make more than 5 posts. But look up on Wikipedia: Alphard Hybrid and Previa Hybrid) The Alphard Hybrid is a large minivan like the Sienna which Wikepedia states gets approx. 42mpg. I don't believe for a second that it would get that in real world driving but even if it was closer to 30mpg, I would buy it over a regular Sienna. Why can't Toyota convert a few of these hybrid minivans to left-hand drive and sell them here?
Dead on. I LOVE this car and CAN'T WAIT for it to come out - surprised that so many have been underwhelmed here, but maybe you weren't in the market for this kind of car? This past summer we set out to replace our aging other car, a Honda Element. We wanted something that would have good cargo room (we're very spoiled with the Element), ideally be not too big for city driving and parking (the Element actually has less length than the Prius) and would have decent mileage (we're spoiled by our Prius). We also would prefer to stick to the Honda/Toyota family for reliability reasons, and long-standing habit. We were sorely disappointed. We HATED the CRV (horrible ride, one of the things we're trying to improve on from our Element) and we'd rather not have an SUV. The Crosstour was fugly and weird, and too sedan-y for our taste anyway. We decided on a station wagon - but the choices in the market were lacking, to say the least. I don't like the way the Matrix rides, and we're looking for a more high-end car than that anyway. Our choices came down to two non-Honda/Toyota options, because Honda/Toyota completely are missing the ball (until now) and have NO offering for a nice, mid-market high-mileage station wagon. These were the Subaru Outback and the VW Jetta Wagon. The Subaru was just too bulky for me (almost a foot longer than our current cars) plus I'm not convinced about their reliability - they're everywhere in New England where I live and I've known too many people who are constantly in the shop with them. Same issue goes for the Jetta, which in my mind is the ONLY contender on the market for a not too huge, decent mileage wagon. But, it's a VW, which means crap finishings in the interior and also crappy reliablility. Plus, I'm not sold on diesel, and would much prefer to wait for a hybrid to come on the market. And, finally, here it is! I'm soooo excited. In the end we decided to wait, we've been holding out with the Element (which, being a Honda, will run forever anyway). In my mind, Honda totally dropped the ball on this market segment (that's another post, and probably for a Honda board) but I'm glad to see Toyota stepping in and giving us a non Subaru/Mazda/VW option. Where do I sign up!:cheer2: Plus, I noticed they moved the joystick back to a similar positioning as the second gen Prius (which we have) - I hated where they moved it in the third gen.
After looking at the Prius V and it's brother the Lexus CT200H I like the CT200H better including the differences you get on the CT200H such as independent rear suspension and interior appointments. Also, the CT200H will be availble in March Vs mid summer for the Prius V.
if they expect it to haul more don't you think 0-60 in 11.5 is a little weak? i waited 2 years for the gen 3 to come out just because of the 10 sec. 0-60. i hope the prius c will do 0-60 in 9 sec.
no thanks.....i'm happy with my gen 3......thought the plug in would be ready by 2012.... can't see why anyone would settle for at least 10 mpg hit for a little more space.... think the engineers may have been smoking some strange stuff
