Who would buy another PIP and when?

i will by the next gen. expecting more range, better mpg's and etc. i love my pip, not sure if i will early buy again, or wait for the bargains. plus, 4-5 years is my limit on cars. i drove enough clunkers when i was young. also on my radar: 200 mile bev, at least as large and versatile as pip.

 

electric only, i figure it should be good for 120 miles in winter with heat. not sure if they will be available in a year at the right price though.

 

If they ever make a Prius v PHV, it will be VERY tempting

 

As they say YMMV, and with a plug-in hybrid that is huge. For my purposes, I see no reason to upgrade to a new generation PiP if it has significantly greater EV range. My usual trips are short. So I am getting as much as 75% electric. My last tank was over 1,800 miles over three months. And I would not want to go much longer than that. In checking my record since getting the car, I am averaging 220 WH per electric mile and 55.5 MPG! (Both are way better that what the EPA says.)

 

Wife is due for a new car in about a year. Also thinking PHEV like the next gen PiP or a 200+ mile range BEV. Will probably hold onto my current gen PiP for 2+ more years.

 

There will be lots of new choices in 3-4 years. I might lease a Chevy Bolt for a couple of years in spring 2017 and then buy a Tesla Model 3 in spring 2019 after they have had a year or so to shake out the bugs but while they still have full tax credits available. That still gives other car makers time to tempt me with alternate wares.

 

By the time I replace the 2012 PiP, I expect many other plug-in offerings from many other manufacturers. It's a logical step to include a plug for any vehicle that has usable EV range.

That said, I choose the Prius for the utility and efficiency when running in gas mode, it just happened to be a PiP that was a great value when I was looking to buy. The Ford Energi products just don't offer the utility I'm looking for.

 

I am a very happy PiP owner. However, it's not likely I will purchase one again. I chose the PiP because it was more cost efficient than a Volt on a single charge for my 103 mile commute. My calculations show the cost advantage to the 2012 Volt between 11 and 70 miles on a single charge. The new 2016 Volt shows cost advantage between 11 and 125 miles on a single charge. So unless they decrease the PiP price significantly, I'm eyeing a Volt 2.0 or a well used 2011 Leaf that can be had for a song when 200 mile EV's become widely available.

 

There is no way the next PiP will command the same price premium over the standard Prius. It was Toyota's first plug-in, but their 3rd generation of Prius. The first and the newest always debuts at a much higher price than the established product.

There is no way I would buy a PiP at full retail over the standard Prius based on the current generation, but the future promises better range and likely a smaller price difference. Once the incentives such as tax rebates and HOV access are phased out, the PiP will have to compete with all of the other available models on an equal playing field, and that should drive the prices down. It will either be worth the extra money to consumers, or be discontinued.

 

My 2012 Prius PHV has been great. The 73.0 MPG overall average over the past 3.5 years (64,000 miles) speaks for itself, especially driving here in Minnesota.

This weekend included a 176-mile drive. With 80% of the plug-in capacity still available, the average was 62 MPG (displayed). So, it holds it's own without even needing to plug in. That makes looking forward to the gen-4 improvements even more enticing. It already outperforms what the so-called "clean" diesels deliver.

Errand running is great. We live only a few miles from grocery, hardware, and retail shopping, as well as recreation & entertainment. So, that's usually done entirely using electricity (during the warm months) already. Increased capacity isn't really necessary, though it could come in handy and there's an obvious benefit for other travel.

The plan is to upgrade right away, when deliveries begin next year. I'm looking forward to refinements in the technology. Each of the other 3 upgrades over the years were certainly worth it. The plug adds a dimension to the already practical Prius platform.

 

I'll put the PiP back on the shopping list when it becomes available.

 

imagine the next pip with more range and the increased efficiencies and other improvements of gen IV? i get shivers just thinking about it.

 

Probably not. Still enjoying my 2012 PIP. My future cars will most likely be ALL electric.

 

I would buy another PIP if and only if they still hold the carpool sticker. Our end in Jan 1, 2019.

 

By the time I'm done with my pip there should be used Teslas available in my price range.

 

used tesla batteries are going to be very interesting.

 

I would buy a new PiP if they offered AWD. Other than that I'd probably wait to see what else is out there. Might be coming up in about the time my wife may start looking for a new car. Not really in any hurry though.

 

My next purchase will likely be a used Spark EV in 2 years to replace the Acura. They ought to be cheap after the Bolt, new PiP, new Leaf, and the new Tesla come out.