Is Prius an Econobox?

:I think of the Prius as an econobox body over a high tech, innovative and expensive drivetrain.

 

Prius is not overpriced IMO. 4 months ago I got to make a choice between a plain Prius III and an Accord Coupe EX 4cyl AT.

Plain Prius III 50 MPG, Smartkey, fabric, PB start, 4 door, - $25,010
Coupe EX 26 MPG, 190 HP, fabric, USB audio port - $26,005

One of the big differences between the two (besides FE) is the wheels - really nice wheels on the Accord and man do they hold air, I check and check and they don't lose much air at all. quality.

Prius III wheels - not so hot. plastic wheel covers, not so handsome underneath to me. Forget the aftermarket on wheels, I've looked and doesn't add up - would I get 16's, 17's? where would FE go? How much to spend? Are they OEM quality or better? What to do with stock wheels? Wait til original tires wear out? ah forget it.

Even the Civic LX shows an option to upgrade to 16 or 17 alloys as an accessory.

But on the Prius, on no, you're on your own pal. Find your own wheels, aftermarket.

I call that lack of customer service!

 

Quote your sources.

 

Keep in mind it has to be shaped that way to achieve Cd of .25. Has to be smoothed too so air doesn't break up when flowing over vehicle.

 

Wow I am sorry, I have 40k miles on mine and it has never been in for other than normal service (even the brake update came during regular visit).

 

9,500 and once.

A person's perception of reliability and quality is based on a lot of different things. This is why the "legitimate" "experts" take in a lot of data to quantify their opinions. Some of them are honest. Some....not so much.
When I worked for the Naval Research Lab, we used to say that if you have to throw away less than half of your data to validate your hypothesis, then it's a valid study...

My opinion: (current value < $0.02)
My last 4 vehicles were GMCs. None of them ever left me walking in the last 10 years, and none have had any non-maintenance work done except one GMC which suffered the famous Evaporative Containment System solenoid failure (self corrected for $1.97 worth of card cleaner.)
"My" 2010 G3 has broken down once, requiring a tow and some song and dance by a mechanic about a 12V battery failure. This is a fleet vehicle, so the only thing I know for sure is that it failed on me 35 miles from the office, and it had to be hauled away. Had this been a personal vehicle, it would have been covered by warranty (less towing and inconvenience, I'm sure!) but there would still be (and there still are) lingering doubts about whether or not the mechanic found and fixed a problem----or just threw a likely part into the car, hoping that it wouldn't come back.
Something else for me to think about on a 0300 maintenance call in a rural town, 40 miles from home. All I really know is this:
The interior is sub-adequate for a $25,000 car, and the drive train while being above par in terms of quality...now has a big black mark in my copybook for "reliability".

Ecobox?
Heck yes. Toyota has (for now) the number one eco-friendly car on the planet!!
Econobox?
Heck no. All of my Econoboxes (86 Spectrum, 94 Metro XFI, 95 Protege) were more reliable---and the interior on the Mazda was better.

I actually like the G3!
I thought about sticking one in my driveway! I don't bash Priuses, and have squashed more than a few bad Prius rumors.
However (comma!)
Toyota had better start doing a little more QA work with these cars, or they're going to find themselves in the same spot as the number one car manufacturer that they replaced.

Like I said....JMHO....and only worth a little less than 2 centavos.

 

... and "100% of surface-air-missiles hit their targets" if you don't count the ones that missed.

 

Thanks ETC(SS) I forgot to mention that my car was almost 2 weeks in the dealer to repair the violent start and they only changed the fuel injectors 3 weeks after in the winter time the car did the same rattle knocking at start!! the break calipers or pads were not changed so I still have sometimes the knock noise! other stuff I don't compain to dealer anymore

What really piss me off is that Toyota wasted the opportunity to have the best car out there design/energy wise, better Q/A and some changes will do the trick

I just hope our voice can help for future customer if Toyota takes more notes and actions for future vehicles!

Thanks ETC(SS)

 

And yet I bought an 03 Cavalier for next to nothing when it was 3 years old for my kids to drive. Have put over 100,000 km on it since (now approaching 200,000 km) and have done NOTHING to it other than (sometime irr-) regular maintenance, brakes and a new serpentine belt. With the standard transmission it's actually quite zippy and fun to drive. Now the interior on the other hand, has all sorts of rattles and broken trim. An econobox - Yup - but for my purposes it has been a great econobox. I think that is the point that a lot of people miss. Even an econobox has it's place, and it this case, it is not a derogatory term...

 

If you want to have a voice for Prius future - call toyota corp at 800 331-4331, not to complain, but give suggestions. They always document suggestions.

 

How do you use a rear de-icer on a Yugo? It's used as a hand warmer!

 

Hi Cycledrum I did call and they gave me a CASE# which I used in the dealer, regarding the source of how Toyota droped in quality and reliability is coming pretty much from a bunch of opinion websites, consumer report and JD power

 

Civic EX-L nav, $24,205 MSRP - Loaded with leather, nav, 32 MPG combined.

Sure, it's no Prius, but look at that price, and the looks. Question is, how is Prius going to compete so it will also sell in the top 10 consistently? (Who here wouldn't want to see Prius a top 10 seller?)(Prius family thing will help)

 

So, what has become an overblown mess of what used to be an economy car is now what we are using as the bench mark of what isn't an economy car?

Im so confuzzled.

 

It is an all new model. They've got so many in the lineup - hybrid, nat. gas, coupes, sedans, Si's ... only seen one interior - light tan EX, it was alright.

 

Don't be. Its ilk sells 30k+ units a month here. Question is, how's T going to sell 20k units / mo. of Prius?

Just so you know, Prius is selling higher numbers in Japan than in US. We seemed to have cooled a bit to it. US Prius sales peaked in 2007 (around 180k). Japan bought over 300k Prius in 2010.

 

I find it hard to believe that people on this forum call the Prius an econobox, and even harder to believe there is a thread this long on it. The only explanation that I have is that the people who want to label it an econobox are creating their own, revised definition of what an econobox is.

Forget the price vs luxury argument. Here is a standard definition (very short and to the point) of econobox:
"a small economical car" I believe the two key words here are small and economical . Usual references to econoboxes are compact or subcompact cars, and cheap, like in REAL CHEAP. Current models of econoboxes might include the Ford Fiesta, the Toyota Yaris, the Chevy Aveo, and the Nissan Versa.

Another website explains econoboxes well:
"The typical econobox is a subcompact car, usually with a three-door [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchback"]hatchback[/ame] format with [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_engine"]transverse engine[/ame] mounting and front-wheel drive, to maximize interior space despite overall small dimensions. They are usually outfitted with vinyl [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket_seat"]bucket seats[/ame], basic [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_radio"]AM radio[/ame], a rudimentary heater, foam-cushioned plastic trim, two-speed wipers and painted steel rims with a chromed wheel nut cap." (from Wikipedia)

Neither site does anything to place Prius in the econobox category. So, invent new definitions if you want, but the Prius is not an econobox. I wouldn't even call it an economy car, because the price is not economical, even though it may be cheaper for daily expenses.

Victor

 

That is exactly what my wife said when I get to buy my Prius next June. She said no way am I getting it unless it has every available option as she doesn't want to hear any whining later on that we should have gotten this or that I'd rather skip the parking and lane keep assist options as I don't need it She says were gettin it Oh well, I still like driving the Prius Two rental cars.

BTW, it was funny seeing you guys still hashing things out on this eco car thread :rant:

Mike