General CommentsLeaving my BMW wagon to find the best cargo hauling wagon with the best fuel economy led me to the Prius v vs the Jetta TDI Sportwagon (unfortunate they stopped selling the Passat diesel with more cargo space). Though the Jetta drove more to my (Germanic) liking, dollars an sense said the same mileage but with regular gas rather than diesel fuel prices, a multi class beating awesome amount of cargo space and likely much lower maintenance costs turned me Japanese.
The model Five already had 17" wheels so I added a set of Tanabe progressive springs, a Cusco rear sway bar and some modest wheel spacers front and rear and turned my little golf cart into a go cart and rid it of it's wandering ways at 60+ mph speeds and in crosswinds.
Now with over 47,000 absolutely trouble free miles on the clock, I love the car! It holds all my work paraphernalia and a fill up is $35 of regular gas vs nearly $70 of premium in the BMW to go the same number of miles (often more). And with the light mods and the vehicles light weight (compared to the BMW), it's quite nimble in the New England twisties as well. The Prius is an economically sound choice for truly mixed driving, too many highway miles diminish mileage considerably drawing on the little engine to maintain speeds through hill and dale. Secondary roads running between 45 and 55 mph with occasional town driving at 25 - 35 mph seem to kick the mileage up nearing 50 mpg consistently.
I'll also mention that, with a set of decent snow tires, the Prius pulled me through some crazy winter weather without missing a step. More than once it slowed to a walking pace going up the steep hill to my house but rather than trying to finesse her, I learned that putting my foot to the floor and letting the traction control do it's dance at 2-3 mph (while the speedometer said 20 mph) literally walked the last 30 yards through 5" of un-plowed snow to my driveway.
For this little sweetheart of a utilitarian gas miser to win over a 59 yo man who races BMWs and Porsches at road tracks throughout the Northeast is quite a feat... It's not without flaws, Toyota Entunes stinks, no actually the whole computer system stinks as it is not user firendly and doesn't understand speech very well (maybe it likes Japanese?), but I use my smart phone through blue-tooth for everything anyways. The back up cam is nice, it's nonsense to have no rear cargo interior light (nothing rear the rear passenger seats), the speedometer is optimistic by 2 mph through the entire speed range (I think that's intentional so it exaggerates your mileage as well), the interior is less than warm and inviting though it is comfortable for my 200-300 mile days and what no one tells you is the mileage drops like a rock when the temperature drops below 40 degrees - the colder it gets, the worse the mileage gets. For 7 months a year I average 46-49 mpg and for 5 months it's hard to hit the 40 mpg mark.
Warts et al, the Prius v is a brilliant execution of functionality, capacity, reliability and economy which no one else has even come close to (though the ROW Ford Transit diesel not sold in the states can kick sand in it's face for utility). Until someone has the sense to market a small mini-van hybrid the v is in a class of one with no competition.
General CommentsI bought my car in June and now have 4800 miles on it and I average in every day driving 39.2 miles per gal. However I took a trip from Branford CT to Portsmouth VT, locked the car cruise control at 65 miles an hour, up and down the mountain sides and average 49.7 miles to the gal (roughly 3 gallons of gas for a 200 mile trip. My old Lexus RX 300 was never getting better than 20 miles to the gallon only when I used high test gas so this car was worth every penny. Thanks Toyota.
General CommentsJust put 200 miles on the vehicle and avg. 37 mpg so far. After driving a BMW for past 3 years I thought about a more fuel conscious car. More first impression was the lack of power and luxury but after a while things change. The ride and seat are more comfortable and the cargo space is vast and functional. The entune system is great when everything is working right. The most frustrating part is the inability to use the system when the car is moving. Overall a great car if you're not expecting power and luxuries. I wish it meets the clean pass vehicle requirement in NY.
100% of people, (1 of 1), found this review helpful.
Overall rating
5/ 5
Yes, I recommend this vehicle.
General CommentsI traded my Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer for a new Toyota Prius V and couldn't be happier. My last 5 autos were E.B. Ford Explorers, so this decision didn't come lightly, but with a little research and rising gas prices I'm happy to say it was a great choice. I need plenty of cargo room for my 5 Golden Retrievers. The seats lay down nicely, a big plus. Back seat passenger room is amazing and comfy for 2 legged family too! The Bluetooth and audio systems are great, with access to both on the steering wheele. The ECO mode doesn't hamper the performance at all. My husband and I are currently looking at the Newest Prius, the "C" model as our second car.
