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Toyota RAV4 vs Prius v - a technogeek's perspective

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by Stamp, Jul 29, 2015.

  1. Stamp

    Stamp New Member

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    I've always been a huge supporter of Prius, and I'm super excited to be able to get one!

    It all started when my Yaris started to really show its age. Got it in 2007, and loved every moment. But the family is bigger now (Bernese dog, almost 3 month old boy) so we began our quest to look for a larger vehicle.

    We started with the Dodge Journey (horrible longevity), to the Rav4 (Test drive was really nice) and also the CRV (not as good as RAV). But the cost of fuel is going to be quite the bump.

    So I did some research, and recalled the announcement of the Prius family back in 2011. I looked up the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) and to my amazement, it's practically a more efficient CrossOver for the geeks! Horsepower isn't a huge factor, as long as I can get to speed on the highway. Considering I was able to do that with just over 100 hampsters in my yaris, having 30+ more HP will probably result in a small HP benefit.

    Up here in Manitoba Canada there aren't any Gov't financial incentives anymore, which is suprising and saddening. At any rate, I did some calculations on fuel savings:

    Based on:
    • 22,000km/year average (177,000km over 8 years)
    • Current fuel cost: $1.10/L (today's price)
    Code:
    Vehicle           | Price   | L/100km | vs base | Fuel Cost
    Yaris 2007 (base) |    n/a  |  8.1    | 100%    |  $1960.00
    Rav 2015          |  29,858 |  9.8    | 121%    |  $2371.60
    Prius v 2015      |  34,192 |  5.3    |  65.4%  |  $1282.60
    *diff*            |  +4,334 | -4.5    | -55.6%  | -$1089.00
    
    So, based on this table, would be a somewhat guesstimate that I would start to benefit from the fuel savings at 4 years in? If so, that's pretty exciting!

    Yesterday me and my wife did a test drive, ran through a bumpy parking lot, drove a faster highway (100km/h) and a slower weaving highway (80km/h). I have to save that the cabin noise is MUCH better than the yaris, and almost on par with the RAV. The "moaning" engine doesn't bother me, i'm not a gearhead. I want a vehicle that can safely get me from one place to another, and the added gamification of fuel efficiency is a huge plus to me (and I am a huge fan of the quantity of menus and buttons!).

    So, I'm going to wait till the 2016 models are released, and see if Toyota pulls through with its $500 safety package for all trims on the Prius v. Does anyone know if Gen 5 of the Prius will also be available on the Prius v as well?
     
    Silver bullit likes this.
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hello and welcome to PriusChat!

    The Prius v was introduced in 2012 and updated in 2015 (with a lower price in Canada) so it will be a one or two more years before a full redesign. The Prius Liftback and Prius v will have offset introductions (probably done on purpose so that there's interest in the Prius lineup every few years) so not everything in the Gen 4 Prius will make it to the Prius v until the Prius v is redesigned. There hasn't been any mention of offering the Toyota Safety Sense on the Prius family. So far, the only confirmed vehicle is the Scion iA (We'll see it as the Yaris Sedan in Canada) which will come with Toyota Safety Sense-C as standard equipment (But no mention in the Canadian press release about it being offered in the Yaris). The 2016 RAV4 will offer Toyota Safety Sense (P I think) as an option.

    Speaking of the 2016 RAV4, I'm not sure if you're aware but Toyota announced in April at the New York Auto Show that the 2016 midlife update of the RAV4 will see the addition of a RAV4 Hybrid with electric AWD (similar to the Highlander Hybrid and RX450h)

    TOYOTA CANADA: Future Vehicles - 2016 RAV4

    If you want a blend of SUV, AWD and fuel economy.

    Of course, the Prius v is a perfectly good vehicle :)
     
  3. Stamp

    Stamp New Member

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    Ah, so then is there any benefit in waiting for the 2016 models? On that note, does anyone have the typical deal schedule? Like, if I were to wait till September, what sale could be running?
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    In my educated guess? No because the car was recently updated. There may be minor additions or package rearrangements (like how the 2012 Luxury package included the panoramic roof but the 2013 Luxury package didn't).

    Toyota Canada runs "Red Tag Days" sales throughout the year. Typically there's one in the Spring (around May I think?) and one in the Fall (Anywhere between Sept and December).