Why are there so many 2012 Plug In Prius leftovers, and...

I'll take the Base Model at $2700

 

Not quite correct on the volt. Its EPA on the highway is 40, Gen 3 prius is 48 Highway (which is really all that matters for "long drives". If you can get 50 in your prius, then you can get better than 40 in a Volt. The trade off on long trips, with a single charge, is more like 120miles, not 40. If one can charge at work, its double. If you are driving that far every day, the fit/comfort/quality may be the real deciding factor.

Time will likely show that what is best depends on the driver's need. If you are doing lots of very short trips mixed with long weekend hauls (or need 5 seats) the PiP may be the better choice. If you have a modest commute (20-100 miles R/T) with no way to plug in at work, the Volt may be better. Both demographics exist and both cars can fill a need.

PiP's sales last month showed a bit better but still sluggish. It seems a lot of people cannot do the TCO and/or are not willing to pre-pay for the fuel savings. The PiP is a tad expensive but not outrageous. But Toyota has not started using lease deals as a way to get people into them -- the residulas for Leaf/Volt leases are higher than for a comparably priced car in part because with such good fuel costs their resale as used will likely be higher.

 

interesting. it wasn't an easy decision between the pip and the volt for me. i live in PA, and the weather where i live ranges from high 90s on the hottest summer days and single digits on the coldest winter days. i will never be able to plug in at work. i considered (maybe incorrectly) my 42 mile daily commute (both ways) to be a stretch for the volt during the winter months without significant gasoline use. i also occasionally have to drive on much longer trips. i got way more than 50 mpg in my 2010 gen 3 prius V, even in the cold weather. that, along with my positive experiences with toyota (i've owned several toyotas in the past) and specifically my positive experience with my gen 3 prius were the deciding factors. that being said, my wife never drives more than 40 miles a day, and her next car will be a volt.

thanks for the info.

michael

 

Your advice paid off in spades. Went to different Toyota dealer this morning who had 13 Base PIP's in stock and he now has only 12! Made the deal for $3,000 down and $285 OTD (36 mo lease 12,000 miles/yr) including Gap insurance. So at least in North NJ if you shop around great deals are still available even with Hurricane disaster. Would have cost me about the same to lease a 2012 Gen 3 Model III. Even if I never plug in the PIP I still got a great deal. Thanks for the advice bisco!

 

congratulations! that's a great deal, welcome to the club. you're going to love it. even when i don't plug in, i get great hv mileage. all the best!

 

Congrats! You will love it!!

 

My commute from work last night, 17 miles, 40 minutes, 115 mpg. Yep, you'll like the PIP.

 

Even I would buy it then.

Dealer charged it up before I took delivery and my trip home (less than 10 miles) showed as 162 mpg. That's like three times better than my Gen 3 ever gets so I'm a very happy camper. And it says I can still go 4.4 ev miles. Next I have to see how much an electrician will charge to run dedicated line into garage. If it's too expensive, regular Prius mode for me. If not, >100 mpg here I come. One question for you PIP owners, I thought it came with Parking Assist but can't find out how to use it. Maybe only Advanced model has that feature? Doubt I would ever use it but part of convincing my wife to let me buy it was that feature. First thing she asked was how does it park itself. Hope I don't have to tell her "same way our other cars do".

 

Parking assist is actually missing from all trim levels of the PiP.

 

Oooooops. Better find some other unknown feature quick before wife has time to call me a dumb a$$. Heated seats are nice but even her Mazda CX-7 has that so won't be impressed. Then again she gets about 20 mpg with premium gas so maybe I can call her a dumb a$$ back. Then again, maybe not.

 

Lets see...back up camera, fuel prices app, prime EV parking at some malls and shopping centers, no gas used on local trips.

 

Dealer on-line info for car I bought shows it so even they are confused?

Lighting, Visibility and Instrumentation

• Delay-off headlights
• Front reading lights
• Low tire pressure warning
• Outside temperature display
• Parking sensors: rear camera only
• Rear window defroster
• Rear window wiper
• Trip computer
• Variably intermittent wipers

 

How so? It says "rear camera only" for parking sensors. Looks pretty correct to me…

 

My current Gen 3 Prius has a backup camera and never said anything about "Parking Sensors". So what is so special about the PIP camera that makes it sense anything? I thought it meant Parking Assist that actually helped park it in the spot for you. Does it do anything more than a regular Prius backup camera does?

 

No. I think what they mean is that the "parking sensor" is just a camera, that's all. it is mildly confusing but yeah. it's just a camera.