Prius+ - It's the Prius v that you wanted but can't have

I'm kind of glad they didn't offer the 7 seater. I'd have bought it and then, later discovered I disliked the revised console that went with it. I'm also nervous about having another car without a spare tire (I also own a smart), but if it's true that they offer a spare tire option, that would have satisfied that concern. Anyway, I'm happy with my 5 seater and the HUGE amount of legroom my rear seat passengers enjoy.

 

They start delivering in May iirc (in Netherlands).

They are undoubtedly Euro-spec'd. If I buy an American car I know I will have to sometimes change the headlights (different beampattern), the flashers have to be orange, we have to have a fog-rear-light and on Xenon an automatic height-adjustment is mandatory. If you go the opposite direction, there are probably similar details that need changing too.

 

From what I have seen, Toyota Euro/UK(?) decided that the Euro version of the Prius v/+/Alpha won't have the spare tire option like the Japanese market gets for the seven-seat version (as in it's optional in the seven-seater version in Japan to have the spare tire kit, or have a bigger floor bin in the back). Maybe because of the extra weight that the tire and jack kit has, which would lower the city economy number a bit when they submit a unit for government testing... Has anyone read otherwise?
To those in the UK/Europe- does it seem like a big deal there to not have a spare tire? With excellent mobile phone coverage in most areas and smaller spaces, I would think that it would not be missed. I would think that most people don't experience a flat tire more than once a decade or so. I think that in the US, it's less of a concern these days, since a few models are shipping with no spare tire kit now.

 

Unfortunately, there are a LOT of parts that are different between the 5 and 7-seat models- the front center console is different (where the seven-seat pack goes, as opposed to the battery in the back deck on the five-seat model), the battery cooling parts and method, the wiring harnesses, the back deck parts, the wheel-well top parts (cup-holders, etc.), seat-belts, maybe the side-curtain airbags, since they have to cover the third-row (I suspect they would use the same for both), different second-row seats, since they need the fold-partially forward for back entry, the third-row floor (carpet, etc.?), probably different programming in the computer and (since the pack's electrical characteristics are different), maybe different charging system parts, etc. And these are just the obvious parts, so I don't think that anyone will make a conversion kit. Building either model in the factory is no big deal, but after-the-fact, it's too much.

 

I'd disagree with the above. This is probably not a complete list of flats I've gotten but I can remember these off the top of my head. I don't have all the dates. All cars below were bought new by me except the Camry.

- at least 1 flat on my 91 Camry (sometime between 1997-1999; car was a hand me down in 97, I don't remember how miles it had when handed down to me, but I sold it ~90K miles in late 01 or early 02)
- at least 1 or 2 flats on my 02 Maxima (sold it before 40K miles)
- at least 1 or 2 flats on my 04 350Z (sold it before <54K miles in mid-2011)
- at least 3-6 flats on my 06 Prius now @ ~61K miles (1 was unrepairable due to being at the edge, another was either a tire failure or hitting due to hitting a road hazard on I-5, 150 miles away from home, near Coalinga (aka middle of nowhere w/the strong odor of cow dung) when I was a passenger)

Some flats were in WA state and others were in CA. Fortunately, out of all of the above, I can only think of 2 times where I had to use the spare, on the Camry and once on the Prius. The other times, the leak/damage wasn't so bad that I was able to overinflate the tire and drive home and/or to the tire repair place.

 

Many cars don't have a spare these days. I'm sure it's just a way to improve the mpg numbers on the official test. A spare tyre, even a space saver weighs a heck of a lot and most go unused in the cars entire lifetime. Virtually all our roads here are paved, mobile coverage is pretty good even out in nowhere (with the odd dead area) and there are also good national recovery services, the AA and RAC (similar to your AAA). I have had about 3 flats in over 20 years and millions of miles travelled. I guess if you live on a remote island up in Scotland or in the middle of nowhere, then it might be prudent to purchase a spare just in case, otherwise they're really not needed. But our middle of nowhere is nothing like someone living in the outback in Australia.

Even the taxi standards which one insisted on a spare tyre have now amended their rules as so many cars now don't have a spare, let alone room to put one. Saying that, the taxi rules still insist that I carry a first aid kit that I'm legally not allowed to use or administer!?!

 

Brilliant! Did they need help from the EU or did your government come up with that law all by themselves???

 

you really need one . I also have only ( if you can speak of only ) 5 times a flat and al of those time it was at the worst time.... if I had no spare I would not be happy at those times.
it always happens in the worst case senarios. law of Murphy

 

Wow, that's a lot of tire damage. I wonder if someone has done a study on the average number of tire damage incidents per car per time in various countries. Of course it should vary wildly by area, type of vehicle, type of tire, etc.

If/when they bring the seven seat option to the US market, I am thinking that maybe they should be equipped to take the spare tire kit but make it a dealer-added option. This would result in a smaller underfloor bin, but it would not make a problem for people that feel that they could not do without it, and Toyota would not have to worry about a poorer fuel mileage rating for the car due to the extra weight of the kit because of it's dealer-added option status?

 

On the flipside, what do people in the UK/Europe think about the current plan where Toyota will only sell the 7-seat option there? Would anyone there have preferred to have the option of spending 2000 Euro less to get the 5-seat version, or would there be no market for that?

 

Would it be €2000 less to have 5 seats? Not sure the official price has been released yet. But no, I personally wouldn't care for 7 seats but such an option IS very popular here.

Toyota Prius + | Toyota UK

There was a slowly diminishing market for 7 seaters because of high fuel costs. Back in the 1990's there were many people carriers/minivans on the market (including the 3.7 litre Chrysler Voyager) but due to high costs of type approval and relatively low sales less and less have been sold.

In the UK there is quite a large market importing second hand Japanese spec minivans (Nissan Elgrand, Toyota Estima) over here as you get way more for your money than buying new, but that is not an option in a lhd Country in Europe. Also, there has been a trend with the manufacturers of a one size fits all mentality, so despite the UK and Albanian markets being completely different, the range of vehicles sold are the same.

Personally I think the Prius+ would be a great idea but fear it will be over priced because of what it is. As such I think sales will be lucky to hit 500 a year.

 

That's the approximate price difference of the 5-seater vs. 7-seater models on the Toyota.jp website, so if the powers that be wanted it to be, that's what it would be for the UK/Euro market.

I would love the seven-seat model to come to the North American market, because we do badly need a seven-seat vehice that has good fuel-efficiency- every other vehicle in this market (that I can think of) that has seven seats has very poor fuel-effificency.

 

There are many, many cars that get sold with the 5 seat option instead of the 7. My Volvo V70 being a prime example: I doubt even 1 in 10 is sold WITH the option.
But if you look at Hyundai Trajet, I think 50% (guesstimate) IS sold with the 7 seat option.

So it may depend on the shape of the car... V70 being an estate, Trajet being a van/people carrier.

Same goes for Mercedes estates (hardly ever as a 7 seater) and less for e.g. Peugeot estates (7 seaters in 30-40% of the cases, again guestimate, but the body shape is between an estate and a people carrier).

Going by this, I'd expect there to be quite a market for the 5 seater. About 50/50 rough guess.

 

So, it sounds like maybe Toyota USA and Toyota Eruope may want to consider giving people a choice on seating, like they do back in Japan... if they want to sell more cars... (hint, hint, Toyota reps.)

 

I would have almost certainly bought one (and still grumble at Toyota USA every time I need it and don't have it, and end up taking two cars - yeah, that's efficient) unless I saw it and found it to be a real piece of garbage. As it is, I stopped even looking, and have never seen a v on the road or in a dealership. I suspect by the time they finally bring one here, I won't need it anymore since my toddlers will be in college by then.

 

Indeed, with seven seats one can have that reserve capacity for when one or more is needed when needing to ferry someone else around (like taking a relative or two to/from the airport, etc.) and save having to take two cars sometimes, even if one does not normally need that many.

 

I gave that a lot of thought as we traded in a Sienna for our v. Over the last two years, the third seat was used only three times and even then, it was for relatively short trips around town. The only features my wife misses are the power seats, the power lift gate and AWD. If there was a third seat option, I probably would've passed on it. Not enough load capacity. 900 lbs isn't much.

 

In your case, indeed you did not need the extra seats an did not need a Sienna (at least for seating). We have a Sienna and use the third row seats, and we think that the v would work for us if they had the option available.

 

About once or twice a month, we take two cars somewhere because my '04 Prius is only a 4-seater when there are two car seats in the back (even a little kid won't fit between them). So, in two years, I'd use the third row perhaps 40 or 50 times. On the other hand, I'd probably use the extra cargo room over my '04 about once a year. That's why I don't have a V, and why I haven't even gone to see one. I need the seats, I don't need the cargo room, and I don't understand why Toyota hasn't given me the choice.

Oh well, on the plus side, I've kept all that money I would have spent on a 7-seater.

 

According to this article: Report: Toyota to limit U.S. Prius V to five seats, other markets seat seven
someone at Toyota was thinking that the Li-Ion battery pack necessary to make space for the 7-seat option would push up the cost to more than $8K, but currently the 7-seat option is costing around $2.7K in Japan, and of course, in Europe, they are only selling the 7-seat version, so with that volume, hopefully that will push the price lower and we can get the option soon. To compare with a non-hybrid vehicle, on a RAV4 7-seat option, just the seats, belts, and other items necessary add up to a $1,090 option.

The article also mentions that they may bring the option to the US market at some point.