which is better a gen 2 or gen 3

Depending on the conditions, I think 30mpg would be possible in the summer. Winter would likely be around 20, though.

How many miles do you drive a year? If your commute is 2 miles one way, that means it accounts for about 1000 miles a year (4x~250 working days), 2000 if you go home for lunch. Add in the trips and it still looks like you would be under 3000 miles a year. Even if you could get 60mpg with your short commute, the breakeven compared to a regular car would probably be 10+ years from now.

If you want a Prius because you love the way it drives, then get one. If you want a Prius to save money, it probably won't for a very long time.

 

I missed this first time round. You drive 2 miles to work each day?

Is it up a steep hill or something? Why not walk or at least ride a bike? It'd be good for you!

 

Reconsider a Plug-In perhaps.

 

Understood. You may just find the Prius is not feasible for your usage financially as pointed out earlier then.

 

Your circumstances would make the PHV (plug-in model) a great choice to consider.

I fired up the engine on mine just a little bit ago, to provide a sampling of what to expect even when those 2-mile drives aren't exclusively EV. Taking the suburb route, to ensure getting hit by as many stops as possible, I ended up hitting 3 lights red and 1 stop sign. With the temperature at 36°F, the engine warmed up and shut off 1.9 miles into the drive. The MPG then was 39. It increased to 40 at the 2-mile mark. That's a pleasing outcome for a drive that would have been 999 MPG, had it not been for me forcing the engine on.

Back when I had my 2010, I clearly remember non-owners arguing MPG was horrible on short trips and have proven them misleading with actual data. The situation may be somewhat distorted with the online diversity now (wide diversity of experience and observation levels), but the blogs from back then are intact. Worse case with start-then-drive-away-immediately was around 30 MPG for short trips.

For longer trips, you'll do well with any model or generation Prius. I'm especially pleased with PHV when plugging in isn't possible. Results are actually a little bit better than the regular (non-plug) model... something many had insisted couldn't be done. They claimed the "dead weight" after depletion would be a penalty. Toyota managed to reduce the weight difference down to just 99 pounds. Combine that with the better performance from Li-Ion batteries rather than the usual NiMH, you've got a winner.

With my particular drive sample today, I ended up traveling 7.3 miles to my destination. That leaves 45% of the EV capacity available for the drive home later. The average, despite the engine unnecessarily running, came to 120 MPG. No complaints about that.


NOTE: I started the reply prior to you posting about not having a plug available and didn't get the update until afterward. But at lease others reading this will still benefit and the 2010 is still relevant.

 

If you like the looks of it and the features, then I have no doubt you won't be bothered by the MPG. Yes, during the summer your MPG will be better. But if you live in a cold climate, don't expect to come close to the EPA rating.

If I do short trips to the store and back I see numbers anywhere from 35 up. But I am also running synthetic oil, expensive LRR tires and hypermiling to boot when I can.

The Prius does great in stop and go as long as you are in stage 4. A two mile trip won't get you into that stage. The stages are explained in a link that you will find in my signature below.

It is a shame you don't have access to a plug as a electric car would be ideal for your purposes. The only thing that might hinder that would be those 100 mile trips you make on occasion.

FWIW, if you are serious about the Prius take the time to rent one for a couple of weeks from a rental company. That will give you a true idea of what you will get out of it and also allow you to learn more about how to operate it to get the best mpg you can. There are tricks to maximizing the MPG. If you drive it like a regular car, you won't see the good numbers, just fair.

Best of luck to you and I hope you find the car you are looking for. Let it be a Prius if that is your choice.

 

btw, I owned a gen 2 for 5.5 years (118k miles) and a gen 3 for close to 3 years (56k). The 2010 was a clear improvement over the 2004 in a variety of ways. Yet, I still relate to some of the praise those with gen 2 continue to offer. The differences are enough to appeal to a diverse audience. Not everyone has the same preference.

In either case, you'll be pleased with how well thought out the system actually is. Toyota certainly did their homework in terms of understanding real-world need.

 

Then per your original post topic, get a Gen III.

 

For what it's worth, there was a member here in Japan who's study showed allowing the car to warm up initially until the ICE shuts off before driving positively affected initial MPG. I can not verify for short hops like yours, but I do this anyway before driving after extended periods of 8+ hrs of non-use, or when it's cold. But that's me. Best wishes what ever you decide to do.

 

The Gen3 allows the ICE to be off at lower temperatures than the Gen2, right? That would give short trips a boost in mileage.
Is your current car paid off and reliable? If so, you'd probably save more money sticking with it. Ya, the Prius would lower your fuel costs, but would also have $250+ payments every month (depending on what you do with your current car and whether or not it also has $250 payments).

 

Yes. But not only that, the generation upgrade also provided improvement of the warm-up process.

 

You'll find that reduced significantly with a Prius. I go 4 at most, and that's on rare occasions exclusively to clear the windshield. The car itself has no need for warm-up and the heater cranks out heat faster when the engine is in use rather than idling.

Of course, with a 2-mile drive, the time is so short there isn't enough time to benefit from a forced-air heater. Heated seats are far more effective in that situation.

 

OP - looking at the posts it seems like you are leaning towards the Prius because you think it is cool, and that is just fine. You may want to do the math on just how much money you really would be saving on gas with it and compare that to what you will be paying.

Just based on what I have seen Ill throw out another suggestion - a Honda Fit. It is a terrific car that gets very good mileage. It has terrific dependability and is quite a bit less expensive - this means you can spend a fair bit less on a Fit in similar shape to the Prius you are looking for, or for the same money you can get one that is newer with lower miles.