Gen4, is it worth it?

I just bought our Prius Two with all weather mats here in San Jose, CA for $18,225+TTL which put it at about $20.5K out the door (yes we have a lot of taxes/registration/etc) This was about $7K off MSRP including a $3K rebate in CA. But you have to realize they sell a ton of Prius here, the dealer I bought from sells more than 100/month and there are probably 35 Toyota dealers within 50 miles of where I live (not all sell that many).

 

$3k Rebate, is this Toyota rebate in CA, or some kind of CA state rebate? The price quoted here includes the $2500 Toyota rebate, but not including TTL.

 

Toyota incentives vary by region, right now its $3K (or 0% interest) in CA but I know its as low as $2K in other states. There is no CA state rebate for hybrids, only EVs or Plug-in hybrids

 

Then, I guess, there is still room for negotiation.

 

Well, I took my 2004 in for service. The brakes are at 80% of original. The wheel bearings are in good shape, as is the belt which I had changed at 100,000. I bought new spark plugs for the first time. The 12V battery checks out okay after one replacement a while back. They checked out the car as much as they could and told me they thought it was in great shape. In 15,000 I'll do a brake flush and transmission fluid, probably.

So, I think my choice for now is to just keep my 2004. I'll go look at the 2016s when they come out, but if there's no US 4WD option and with all the storage losses inside, it looks to me like the generation 4 is a dud for me. Too bad too, as I was pretty much dying to buy one. But Toyota has managed to screw up this purchase and my last car purchase when the 7 seat V didn't come to the US (I bought a Mazda 5 instead and saved a good $20k - thanks again, Toyota).

In about 4 years, I'll need another car. Maybe by then the 4WD version will be in the US, there will be some after-market ways of putting back the underfloor storage Toyota took away, and I'll be able to put up with the other mysterious downgrades on the interior of gen 4 if they don't fix them.

It's too bad too as it looks like the technology folks did a bang up job on the car - better suspension, better handling, quieter, more engine stops, faster warm up, better mileage, 4WD, under-seat battery location, etc. It's a mystery to me as to why they messed up the interior and marketing so badly.

 

In 4 yrs, you'll be driving an all electric car, I hope.

 

I really can't see that happening. Batteries are just not even close to good enough for BEVs to be practical for all purposes for which I used my current car. They'd need to improve as much in the next four years as they have in the last 25.

 

Improvements are geometric, not linear. Might happen.

 

The exponent is less than one. So, without a paradigm change, it won't.

 

hard to know if it's worth it until the pricing is available.

 

Gen 4 is a car that will appeal to some and not all, that is why you as a buyer have choices. Toyota can't make everybody happy, but for the majority they do.

 

really? mazda makes everyone happy.

 

Zoom Zoom!

 

sells a ton of cars for 'em. toyota needs a memorable catch phrase.

 

Oh What A Feeling!

MERGED orenji

Mazda does sell well, in California, but Toyota sells a ton more in California. I have had over the years a Mazda B2000, Mazda CX7 and a Mazda 3, all nice cars and truck.

 

LOL, CX7 lost its A/C a too!!!

 

Toyota has been working on Lithium-air and solid state battery. They could provide enough energy density but not the recharging speed.