Opinions about Prius Prime from other owners.

You’re going to get 1000 differing opinions.
The Prime does not have Scout GPS.
The supplied GPS is OK and doesn’t require a cellular signal.
Consumer Repprts recommends the Premium trim level as most cost effective and recommends the larger 11” screen.
The standard safety features are excellent.
Personally I went with the Advanced trim level because it has a heated steering wheel. That alone is worth the $4k uptick. (Just kidding)
Good luck in your quest.

 

I have had mine since March, 2017 and I am very happy that I bought it. I recommend the Advanced as you don't want to skimp on the safety items; particularly if you are going to enjoy the car a long time. I didn't buy mine because it is a "green" car. In fact, I put an NRA sticker on it so people won't automatically assume that I am a "progressive" person. However, I have come to really enjoy driving it without using gasoline. Last time I filled it was three months ago. I mainly bought it for the safety items. A couple times I was backing out of a Costco parking lot between two huge SUVs and it warned me that a car that I couldn't see with the backup camera was quickly approaching. The dynamic cruise control and blind spot monitor are also helpful. I use the GPS and it is OK for me; similar to my Garmin but with a bigger screen. But the electronics are complicated and not always intuitive. For example, I just returned from overseas and the clock needs to be changed back from Daylight Savings Time. I haven't done it yet as I will have to break out the owner's manual and look up how to do it. But if you are buying it mainly for the safety aspects, you will not be disappointed.

 

I have my Prime Adv. since Nov 2016. My wife and I got another one in April 2018 as we loved the first one so much. Both of us can attest to the effectiveness of the safety features mentioned by schja01 and Washingtonian. I have no issues with the on board GPS, especially using it withe the Entune App called Destination Search and Saved Destinations. The Prime, with any trim level, is the best Prius ever made even if you never plug in, IMHO.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

1. It is a love or hate thing. I hate 11.6 inch LCD. If I could have had PRIME Plus cheaper than Premium, I would have bought that. Yes, at the time I purchased, Premium trim I bought was quoted less than Plus trim.
2. I use Garmin. The safety feature of Toyota Navigation system (or maybe of all of built-in nav for other makers as well?) makes it impossible to change or add or look for destination while car is in motion even if passenger is the one operating it. That alone made me to stick with Garmin.
3. I'm not sure what upgrade TSS 2.0 brings, and I don't know the answer to this question.
4. My guess is no. But I wish they will bring them in.
5. If strictly cheaper, Corolla might be less even with your fantastic state rebate and federal credit. And off course, any number of cheaper used cars are out there. If safety is the number 1 concern, Subaru (any current model except BRG) are rated better than PRIME by IIHS. Within Toyota brand, Avalon, Camry and Prius V are better rated than PRIME.

 

Found this on a dealer site re:TSS 2.0 (emphasis added by me) not announced for the 2019 Prime
For the second-generation of the driver-assistive and semi-autonomous safety tech that is the Toyota Safety Sense suite of systems, Toyota has added some new and exciting features to further enhance driver attentiveness and overall safety. The Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 adds a full-speed version of the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) that was previously available in the TSS. This Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (Full-Speed DRCC) now works at speeds from 0-110 mph. In addition, Toyota adds a new Lane Tracing Assist (LTA). This system monitors the vehicle’s position in the lane and can emit an audible and visual warning if drivers start to drift. It can also autonomously correct the vehicle’s course if necessary. The second addition to the Toyota Safety Sense package is the new Road Sign Assist (RSA). This tech identifies certain Stop, Yield, Do Not Enter, and Speed Limit signs. The system then displays them on your vehicle’s Multi-Information Display. It can give visual and audible warnings to increase driver attentiveness and alertness.

 

The version of TSS on the current (2018) Prime is pretty weak. I'd wait for TSS 2.0 or consider a different vehicle. Specifically, Lane Departure Assist doesn't do much to keep you in the lane. It steers a little, but it's as if a slight gust of wind pushes you back towards the lane. The automatic high beams have a slow reaction time. At least half the time I can switch them off before the automatic system. The radar cruise control also seems to have a late reaction to stopped traffic (if I come up to traffic that's already stopped), which makes me wonder how well automatic emergency braking would work.

The LED headlights look cool, but they are actually a little disappointing. There is not enough light above the cutoff. Below the cutoff is great. The high beams are very focused in the center which is not helpful if you're going around a corner. And I don't think they have auto-leveling, so they might not be optimally aimed all the time.

If you do go with the Prime, if you don't like touch screens go with the Plus trim which has the smaller screen. It has physical buttons for climate control, and it has a volume knob.

All wheel drive does relatively little for safety. Save your money for snow tires. I was driving my Toyota 4runner (4WD) this weekend and almost crashed into a Subaru Crosstrek (AWD) that spun out ahead of me. The road was ice, so I couldn't stop, and the Subaru couldn't get out of the way. They were perpendicular to the road in the center lane. I was able to move over just enough to avoid crashing, and somehow the traffic to the left was able to avoid crashing into me. I would have rather been in my Prime with snow tires than my 4runner with (mostly worn) all-season tires. But I took the 4runner because there was a chance of getting snowed in if they didn't plow the road to the trailhead while I was parked overnight, and the 4runner is better for deep snow.

 

I have had my Advanced since January and I still love it! My husband gets tired of me talking about how much I still love my car. The big screen only bothered me at the beginning when I couldn't figure out how to do something but once I figured it out it really hasn't been a big deal. I did not buy this car to save the environment, although its great if it helps. LOL I bought it to save on gas. It now has a little over 10,000 miles and I am averaging 70+ miles per gallon. I have to go out of town every weekend and its 5 hours round trip. If I didn't make that trip I think my mileage would be a lot better but I am happy with 70+ MPG. I have really learned to love the heated steering wheel even though I had no desire for it. I love being able to turn my heater on in my car from my phone and I really like the cross traffic alert. It was the reason I went with the advanced to begin with.

 

That's my quandry too. As Stephen King is want to say in the Dark Tower series: "the world has moved on". That doesn't necessarily mean it's improved, just that it's "moved". With heating/ventilating controls for example, my ideal would be a base model Honda Fit:



Go to the higher (or maybe just top) level, and you get this touch-screen "improvement":

 

I've owned a $28k, 2017 Prius Prime Plus since December 2016:
Prius Prime Plus in my hands | PriusChat

• 13,400 miles (turned over tonight)
• 3 stop EV around town
• ~3.3 kW charge rate, no fast DC charger
• ~56-58 MPG pure gas, regular
• 1,200 mi longest day long trip

It is the backup for our $28k, 2014 BMW i3-REx, bought in May 2016:
Why the BMW i3-REx | PriusChat

• ~30,000 miles
• 10 stop EV around town
• ~7.2 kW charge rate, uses CCS fast DC charger
• ~40 MPG pure gas, premium
• 700 mi longest day long trip (more possible)

Bob Wilson

 

Let us know what you decide. I love my Prime Adv. Best car I have ever owned.

 

I found the touchscreen mostly a pain and the navigation not as good as Waze on my phone. Can’t help on the other stuff. If safety is tops, you should probably have a heavier car, honestly. New RAV4 looks cool. If you want the tax credit, Chevy Bolt is heavier.

I put 48k miles on a 2017 Prime Premium then sold it cause it’s kinda small for me. But I’m probably going to get another one cause 22MPG < 67MPG.

Make sure you’d be able to claim the full $4502 tax credit. I overshot in 2016 with maxing IRA and 401k contributions and only was able to claim $2100.

 

wait for 2019. 5 seats and CarPlay

 

thanks! it has been brought up so many times, i must have convinced myself it was happening.

 

As somebody that didn't really want a techY net connected vehicle, but thought that I was getting the Safety Features with the Premium... whatever features were there did not help me avoid hitting the flagpole in my driveway backing up and also turning the longer front end into the flag pole and somehow snagging it and then ripping off the bumper halfway while there was no warning whatsoever by my car to inform me that I was ripping off the front of the car because I was busy watching the screen while backing up.... I think you have to go to the ADVANCE model to get those types of safety features... the full protection for the safety features seem lacking in the Premium... If I knew now what I know in hindsight, I'd have spent the extra money on the ADVANCED model seeing it was a leftover anyways... plus the fact that it will have more value in the long run as well over time being the top model line... I use the GPS but it's not intuitive or impressive ... and I agree with the comment regarding the clock not being able to reset itself like most smart devices do these days... oh and the thing I really miss since I thought I was getting it with the Prime, was the ability for the remote app to use for pre-conditioning the climate control as well as the lack of the steering wheel heater that you get with the Advanced too! If you are concerned with the safety features, you pretty much have to go with the Advanced, as they must be better than what comes standard in the Premium package, as it did not warn me about the flagpole I clipped and took the bumper off in the process... not a peep from the warning systems about that impending mishap nor when it was in process of being ripped off.... nor is there any blindspot warnings either... still similarly as bad as in the prior generations with the Premium line... again another feature I thought I was getting but is apparently lacking in the middle model...

 

I agree that the Prime feels very "light" and I feel the difference when I go back to drive the Gen2 Prius around.... that one feels like there is something more substantial to it vs the Prime that feels so light.... I have wondered about if there is enough built in safety structure in the Prime versus the Gen 2 which when I drive it again, makes me wonder how safe the Premium truly is when the framework seems so much lighter....

 

Not sure I am following you. Are you saying that the heavier a car is the more safe it is? I used to drive a 5000 lb. 1963 Thunderbird. Was it safer than my 2500 lb. Mazda Miata?

 

“Ceteris paribus” = all else being equal. Clearly a 1965 car isn’t as safe as a 2018 car. However, the heavier car is likely more safe, in the same year group for example. I’m sure one can find exceptions, if one wants to use obvious rhetorical fallacies.

 

I'm like Heiwa, bought a 2017 Advanced in Dec 2016, another 2017 for the wife in August 2017 when I found out the solar sunroof would not be available on the 2018. We are happy with both cars. AWD would be a nice feature, but down here in NC, it is not a dealbreaker, since I still have a 4WD 4Runner for the few icy days. I bring a Garmin on long trips, since you are locked out above 15mph unless you already have an address in the destination list or are just going home, but the GPS is much better than Toyota's older DVD-driven system in the Gen 3, which was almost useless. The safety improvements were the primary reason, but the amenities, including heated steering wheel, auto-dimming headlights, rain-sensing wipers, self-parking, etc. made the upgrade from gen3 a much easier decision.