Opinions on Prius vs. Camry Hybrid

We just went through the same process and ended up going with the Prius, although it was our second. I originally bought our first Prius to drive as my commuter. After eight months or so it was commandeered by my wife, who was 8 months pregnant and hauling a 2 year old around. It became clear pretty quickly that I wasn't going to get my Prius back, even after the baby came which I was none too pleased about. When we first bought it I never would have believed that I would come to genuinely prefer driving the Prius to either our WRX Wagon or our Land Rover Discovery. Unfortunately (for me) she had also come to the same opinion

It was clear the only way I was going to get my Prius back was to get her a new car. We sold off the WRX, and went to trade in the Land Rover on a Camry Hybrid. We just kind of assumed that the extra passenger room and power would make it a much better family car. Much to our surprise, test driving the Camry Hybrid really brought into focus how much we really like our Prius. While the back seat is a little wider in the Camry, its still not wide enough for one of us to sit between the two car seats so its not of much use. The more traditional sedan shaped cabin also felt smaller and kind of claustrophobic to us. The amount of trunk space also was pretty disappointing, particularly as the pass through would generally be of no use to us because of the car seats. Lastly, while the ride was nice and the extra power was noticeable, it just didn't seem worth the big drop in fuel economy we would be taking (we're frequently running in the mid-50s now). So we ended up buying a second Prius instead, and couldn't be happier.

In my opinion its just about the perfect vehicle for a family of four. It takes a little getting used to the idea, but it handles our needs perfectly including family road trips. The only real difference is now we can only bring twice as much stuff as we need, instead of four times as much like we used in the Land Rover My advice is go with the Prius, you might just end up using it a lot more often than you plan

You definitely want to do a little homework before buying anything right now though. The redesigned '10 Prius is coming out in April, and is pretty impressive. It will have more interior room, and a peppier 1.8L engine but still get better gas mileage (50mpg EPA combined). There will probably be a wait to get one though and I wouldn't count on any discounts for a while, so you'd have to be a bit patient. Meanwhile there are some great deals out there on the current gen Priuses, which is part of the reason we went ahead with our purchase. Toyota has announced that they will continue the current gen at least in a base model for about $20k to compete with the Insight 2 and help with any initial shortages of the '10s. That combined with the big inventory buildup at dealers is creating a lot of downward pressure on prices. We paid $20,800 for a package 4, certified pre-owned '08 with 10k miles at the first of the year. There are probably even better deals out there now, since the '10 details and '09 continuation were still unkown at that time.

Good Luck,
Rob

 

With respect to your height/comfort question, I'm 6'6" tall and find the Prius to be comfortable to drive on long rides. My other car is a Dodge Charger and I get more tired taking that for long rides than the Prius.

 

I'm 6'2" and find out Prius uncomfortable on longer drives. The seat/steering wheel configuration just does not work well for me. IMO, it is built for smaller people. Like my wife who is 5'5" and loves the car. I can hardly pry the keys out of her hands.

Ii find the Prius is great for shorter trips and commutes, but would rather be in the Explorer for long highway trips.

 

FWIW, I'm 6', 220 and have had no comfort/fit issues. I've done 1800 miles solo in 2 days, and multiple trips from Phoenix to Socal with the family.

Rob

 

I think a lot of it has to do with your individual body configuration. Long torso - shorter legs, short torso - longer legs, arm length, shoulder width, etc. I have had this discussion numerous times with local Prius owners, and we all have a different take on the issue. I think you just have to sit in one for a while to see how it fits.

Or do like I did and just take a leap of faith a live with the consequences. Nothing is perfect, but the Prius for all its small shortcomings certainly is a long way down the path to excellence.

 

Hard decision...... We have both. An '07 Prius package 6 and an '08 loaded Hybrid Camry. The Prius gets better mileage.. 44-48 compared to 33-37 for the Camry. The Camry is much more comfortable on a trip but I like some of the controls better on the Prius. The Prius seats are not very comfortable and no power adjustments so you can't get it exactly right... even with leather, but DON'T get the cloth. They are even cheaper. The fold down seat makes for lots more cargo space. The one in the Camry is almost useless for extra cargo space with the storage battery in the way of the opening. The Camry is really nice and we got a real deal. Loaded Prius versus loaded Hybrid Camry, we paid $1800 more for the Camry and a LOT more car. But... as far as which one over the other, it's a toss up between mileage or comfort, take your pick.

 

If comfort is your primary concern, get the HyCam. It is much more comfortable than the Prius for long drives. The seats are much better and more adjustable. The ride and linear stability are also much better. From personal experience, long highway drives in the Prius will wear you out, while the Hycam will leave you refreshed.

On the other hand, since you already have a Sienna, and you say you'll only drive the 2nd car 10K miles per year, you may just want to have the 2nd car be a runabout (at which the Prius excels), and use the Sienna for the long trips. Also, the comfort and highway driving for the new 2010 Prius is much improved, with better padded, fully adjustable seats, tilting & telescoping steering wheel, and much improved handling.

 

From what you've said, if I were in your shoes and can afford to wait until April, May or June, I would get the 2010 Prius.

IMO, the driving position and comfort of the 2010 Prius is greatly improved over the Gen II's because:

1. The front seats are much more comfortable and supportive all around, including lumbar support. IMO, and certainly for my back, the Gen II has no lumbar support whatsoever -- I think the seat back is just shaped funny.

2. The driver's seat is height adjustable.

3. The driver's seat (and maybe the passenger's too, I don't know) has optional lumbar adjustment.

4. The driver's seat has 3 or 4 inches further backward travel. I think the main problem with the Gen II seat was that it had 3 or 4 inches less backward travel than what I would consider standard. For instance, I'm only 5'6" tall, yet I can drive comfortably with my Gen II seat pushed all the way back. I'm not aware of any other car where that's possible.

5. The steering wheel is telescopic. IMO, the fixed position of the Gen II steering wheel seems about 1/2 or 1 inch further away than standard.

 

have you messed around with the seat adjustments? push the seat all the way back, and the steering wheel adjust it higher. you shouldnt have any trouble as im 6'4" with long legs and have no issues

 

I took a Prius for an overnight test drive, see if your dealer will allow you to test each car overnight so you can go for a drive for an hour or more in each, then decide. No one else can determine if you will be comfortable in a particular car or seat, only you have your bum.
Other than this I can't comment, I'm short and have a height adjustable seat.