Choose 2012 Prius Five or 2012 Elantra Limited?

I need some advice. I have driven rental Prii for over 10k miles the past 3 years. I like them but the cheep interior in the rental Prius II is all that I have experienced. Same with the low end audio systems. Is the Five that much better that it will be a no brainer decision to own one come June 2012, when I get to pick out what new car my wife is buying for me? I am retired so she is bringin home the bacon now

I sat in a 2011 Elantra Limited the other day. The 2012 will be the same with very little changes. Awesome leather seats, quality feel to everything but the visors, which seemed like cheep plastic. Awesome audio system. Stellar looks just like a Prius Five has The people on the Elantra forums tell me that I will easily get 47 mpg on the highway with it. I am renting two 2011 Elantra GLS's in a few weeks to get some time to see what I can do for fuel economy or not. Also those test drives should tell me if I like the car's handling and ergonomics. Those two will get driven at least 3k miles cross country Interstate and city driving. I know what I can do in a Prius. 43 mpg worst case hauling butt down the Interstate or 50+ mpg running the speed limit driving normal. In town the Prius gets Wahoo mileage with careful driving, but we all know that here

Prius Five has no sunroof option. The wife says the sunroof is mandatory even though it is not her car to drive. She is paying for it. We do not drive each others cars, no exceptions. I would not buy anything but a Five in a Prius, no exceptions. Elantra Limited has the sunroof. Both cars have real close cargo capacity & passenger room. Both cars have nice 17" alloy wheels. Elantra has heated front & rear seats. Elantra has mirror turn signals The Elantra supposedly can get 29 mpg city. My driving is summer only and 7k miles max with country road driving as I live in the boonies. A good example of my driving is my current summer car is a 2006 with 10,500 miles on it. That's a bit over 2k miles per summer.

I am thinking of the total cost of ownership. The Elantra Limited is about $8,800 less than a Prius Five with options (no advanced tech) to make it about $32k. Elantra Limited options out at about $24k. That's with a 7" Nav display & rear camera. Bluetooth and aux audio/USB port is standard on Elantra.

So, see my dilemma? $24k loaded Elantra Limited or $32k Prius Five with no advanced tech option. I have no interest in lane keep assist or radar cruise or parking assist. I would never park my summer car in a parking lot or parallel park it. My summer car is my car for driving for pleasure (hence the real low mileage on my current summer car), not a grocery getter or shopping car. I have my SUV for any trips to town for shopping or other places where some idiot may bump it.

I want some good advice. I will be buying one or the other, new. I do not buy used cars. The car will get financed. There will be at least $10k in trade in credit to lower the out the door cost. I hope I listed enough info to help others help me out of this dilemma

One final note, both cars come in Pearl White :rockon:

Thanks much,
Mike


The verdict is in

These are MY observations, yours may be different. Your mileage will vary as to how heavy your right foot is :car: My ears may be shot and yours are perfect. This is just my opinion and take it with a very tiny grain of salt This is comparing a 2010 Prius II to a 2011 Elantra GLS. If you don't like my findings, go rent both cars and do it yourself :twitch:

Elantra gets 32-33 mpg in town, 43-48 mph highway, all with the A/C on and driving at or slightly above speed limits, includes some right foot to the floor passing This is loaded with 3 people, luggage for two weeks, and some other stuff in the car. The Prius loaded similar and driven by me, will get 43-50 mpg. No special skills needed, just driving normal across the country.

Elantra can carry just as much cargo as a Prius but it has a much softer suspension and suffers on bumps with a rear steer effect. The Prius does the same but not so much so. Might be the Mr Donut tires. I have not driven a Five or a Limited which have much better tires. Tires are inflated to 45 psi on all 4 corners.

Elantra has a very high quality interior. Absolutely zero squeaks or rattles, even on gravel roads Plastic doesn't show scuffs or rub marks. Prius has a lower quality interior. HVAC display lens is super soft and will scratch. Other plastic shows rub marks easily. Some squeak & rattle, some don't. Elantra seats have nice side support and strong looking fabric. Prius seats have a flatter softer feel and fabric quality seems high. Both cars give a very comfortable ride with zero back problems. Elantra has a single glove box, Prius has a awesome duel glove box. Elantra has 4 cup holders up front, Prius has 4 cup holders up front. Both cars have tons of pockets and other areas to store gadgets

Elantra has a killer base audio system that sounds incredible. It will rattle the mirrors Audio is not muddy at all, crisp highs, wicked clear midrange, strong base. Prius has a decent base audio system but it just is nowhere as good as the Elantra. I can't say anything about the JBL system as I have not seen one yet. The Elantra Nav audio system is stellar

Both cars handle as they should for the class of car they are; transportation and looking cool going down the road. Looks are up to personal tastes. I like both of them. Both cars come in Pearl White :thumb:

Elantra interior lighting at night is super cool blue. Everything is backlit. No overhead LED. Prius night lighting is cool with that overhead LED. Elantra dimmer goes from super bright to dim. Prius dimmer goes from super bright to off Prius headlamps are projector and super bright. Elantra headlamps are old school regular bulbs. They have good reflectors but not as bright or focused as the Prius. I have not seen the Five or Limited headlamps in action yet.

Both cars have killer strong brakes. Prius regen's and Elantra wears brake pads.

Elantra runs a bit quicker down the quarter mile than the Prius. Both cars have ample passing power. Elantra 6 speed tranny functions flawless. Prius is always in the powerband when using the ICE (gas engine). Both cars are glass smooth to drive in town or highway.

Elantra Limited is about $24k with Nav. Prius Five is about $32k with Nav. Note the options, no radar cruise or AT package available in the Elantra Limited. Both cars would have Navigation & rear camera optioned as listed.

Elantra GLS with auto tranny MY12 is $18,205 and a Prius Two MY11 is $24,280. These are base models as a rental company would offer to rent.

My personal ownership of a summer car is about 5-6 years. I buy something else after that time as I tend to like newer technology cars. The Prius or the Elantra would be my summer only car. I drive a Saturn Vue AWD in the winter, and for Costco trips

I think that is about it. Which one would I like to own? Honestly, I really like both cars. I have a bit over 10k miles in the Gen III Prius and 2400 miles in the Elantra GLS. Both cars were rentals and driven around the Great Lakes States. It all comes down to how much a person wants to spend, and how many miles per year a person drives. Think total cost of ownership over the period you would own a vehicle of this class.

I hope others will come up with comparison's of other cars. I have no interest in other vehicles at this time, so I only compared these two vehicles. Read further to see the comments from others and my day by day observations.

I hope you enjoyed this thread as much as I enjoyed traveling and taking notes to post here. Thank you Prius Chat for allowing me to post this on your forum :tea:

Mike

 

I really appreciate advice & comments good or bad I don't like the looks of Acura or Honda products though. No wagon's either yuk

Mike

 

More info:
Both cars have the proximity FOB & the button on the door handle to get it or lock. I absolutely love how the Prius shuts off when it comes to a stop. Elantra keeps running Hyundai is implementing the shut off at stops on all their vehicles in 2015, I believe. Don't know what they are gonna do for starter systems to keep them from wearing out. Hyundai bumper to bumper warranty is longer than Toyota 3/36k.

The rental driving will tell me a lot. Wish the days would hurry up June 26th is when I pick up the first Elantra to drive for a week. The next one is going on a two week trip.

Mike

 

Her summer car is a Sky Redline. Mine currently is a Ion Redline Competition. Both eat 92 octane like there is no tomorrow They are fun to drive, no doubt, but I am now thinking sensible, and good MPG is smart, with high gas prices. The wife doesn't care, so she is on her own what she drives. I just change the oil and keep my mouth shut My SUV only goes to Costco and for hauling the family to the relatives on those occasions. Otherwise I am sitting at home or occasionally heading out in my summer car for a little fun driving time I have had my fare share of cool sports cars. Now I am interesting in high tech and something that looks nice. Both the Prius & Elantra are that. If money were not an objective, I'd have both sitting in my garage looking pretty

Mike