Still liking the V but found a tough competitor (for my needs anyway)

Skoor, I can say for certain that the V drives differently than the regular prius.

The V feels larger, and smoother on the road, and quite a bit more quiet.
In terms of ride comfort, quietness, and smoothness, the V drives like a large sedan where the regular prius drives like a small sedan.

Right now, I'd say the Optima is somewhere in between.

I can honestly say for myself, my ideal drivers car, is based on smoothness, and comfort. I don't care about power, or handling as much as I want a plush, very quiet ride, with lots of highway MPG.

I originally started with the V as it has the MPG, front seat room and back seat room. I eliminated the regular prius because of that stupid console bumping against my right leg right on that bone that sticks off the side of your knee. The V is wide open there.

The Optima is not wide open, but is quite better than the regular prius in that spot and definately acceptable.

I also originally planned to sell my car when I started looking so I needed storage space to travel and tailgate after my Trailblazer was gone.

I have now decided to keep it for towing and heavy hauling.

So, with that in mind, I could live with space of the sedan if I'm enjoying the "plushness" of the luxury car feel (aka hence the Optima might fit the bill).

The V is very nice, and wins on space and MPG. But lets be honest, it does not feel plush. No cooled leather seats, no heated wheel, no rear heated seats. No power driver AND passenger seats (with the driver seat having MEMORY). That was REALLY nice! I didn't have to worry about sitting far enough back to swing my knees out because as soon as I turned off the engine, the seat slid back.

Now, If I went that route, and 3 years down the road that power seat breaks from all the sliding, I'll probably say, well, thats why the Kia had all those features for such a low price. The quality wasn't there. Or maybe any power seat sliding every day its driven will break. Maybe thats why Toyota doesn't offer one. These are all reasons why I'm torn in my thoughts and decison.