Hatchback all its cracked up to be?

why would you carry a lawn roller in your car? in an accident that thing will kill you.

 

Not if you use the heavy-duty tiedowns and wait until you get it home before filling it with water!

 

A friend I used to hang out with had a lab for a service dog. He would go in the back seat. Since I have to fold down the 40 seat to get the wheelchair in the back (the hatch area is a bit too narrow for the chair back), he was tempted to go in the hatch area.

I prefer sedans myself, but I got used to the hatch, including the change in visibility.

As for turning radius, the 2G Prius has a much better radius than the Saturn SL2. The SL2's radius was huge!

 

My 95 pound rottweiler fits in the back. Admittedly she is more comfortable with the seats down. The hatch back is much easier for her to get in and out of than a sedan or the pickup.

 

140lb Newfs do not fit in the back well. They can not sit up, but have to lie down to travel well in the Prius.

 

Can the front passenger seat be folded down, or did you do something special with it, as shown in your picture?

 

The front seat slides forward and then the back is lowered to the rear.

Go to http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/...ersatility.html
and click your mouse over the ladder icon to see.

Very versitile indeed.

 

That's great! Thanks. Versatility is a major reason for buying my current car (Vibe), and it's the reason for not even considering the Civic hybrid.

 

Strong anti-IR tint could be the call here.

 

personal record for largest item in prius:
IKEA king size bed, including 2 side tables, plus rolled vacuum packed memory foam mattress, all at the same time. back seats down, front seat forward then down.

 

For me, I like hatchback because:

1. I don't have to guess how long is the trunk from the rear window to the bumper. Often times I can't see the trunk when I backup while driving coupes or sedans so I have to guess. And to be honest I did guess it wrong a few times in the past.

2. While the trunk size may be smaller length-wise, the extra height I got from a hatchback allows me to put in a larger cargo (e.g, I helped a friend to move an old-style 32" CRT TV using my Prius, which will be very hard to put into the trunk of a coupe or sedan)

Well I have to agree with you, I am not a big fan of the 2-window design of Prius. But I would say, newer designs of hatchbacks, eg, Scion xD, 2009 Matrix, which took out the little windows behind the doors, block more rear view than that horizontal bar would.

 

Same thing - different marketing.

... Brad

 

Who cares what they call it! We love the space, part of the reason we bought.

 

Maybe Toyota was considering all the world market, In Europe the market for this size of car is predominantly hatchback, they would have problems selling big numbers of the car if it was a sedan. The current Prius is a world car.
I love the hatchback principle because of the amount of uses the car can be put to - saves renting a van.

 

I live in the sticks and it works great as a light hauler for food etc. even with 2 adults and 2 kids in the car.

 

This was a huge issue for me too as I am short *and* have had a number of nerve and tendon problems in my hands that make it difficult to lift anything more than 5-10 pounds. On my old Saturn sedan, I had a roof rack for the bikes that was only used when my husband and I were both going out and he could heft stuff up there. But when I went for solo rides (which I do *a lot*) I had to put on a trunk mount rack. It was tough for me to lift the bike that extra distance off the ground, *and* on more than one occasion the trunk rack shimmied it's way out of position and almost ejected my Cannondale on I95! (One of the many things I sell at work are bike racks, so it wasn't like I didn't know how to use it properly!) With the Prius? NO PROBLEM! I fold down the seats, throw a dropcloth down, take the front wheel off my mountain bike (quick release, so not difficult), lift the bike to what, knee level? and pop it right into the hatch. Now, if my husband is going riding with me too, we just fold the dropcloth back over top of my bike and his extra-large, full suspension rig fits in, also, no problem. Plenty of room left for our helmets, shoes, Camelbaks, and all 6'2" of him!

I will never again not drive a hatchback with dual folding seats. Period.

 

I'm sure somebody out there hates the hatchback. But then, I'm sure somebody out there hates cute puppies, too.

 

You can put your dog in the hatchback. Can't do that in a trunk.

 

Or your friends....

I actually put myself back there for the occassional car camping trip. hehe I love my lil home away from home.