Chicago Tribune LOVES Volt's Range, but Not Prius PHEV

Yea but Prius came out a decade ago in the US. It has MSRP of $19,995 half of the Volt. It was rated at 41 MPG (2008 rating), higher than Volt's 37 MPG. Emission was super ultra low (SULEV) but Volt is ULEV. Prius did not have a plug but it could seat 5, instead of 4. Again, all this after 10 years later.

Lower cordless MPG, higher emission, double the price and smaller interior for the ability to it plug in. Should we not criticize those Volt's anti-progress?

Prius PHV made a step forward with the plug without taking any steps back (keeping the standard bar high).

 

I went shopping for a Prius back in 2003 when it first came out. It was not $19,995k. Dealer wanted no less than $25k for it. Using the approximation at (Historical Currency Conversions), 25000 dollars in 2003 had the same buying power as 30557.88 current dollars.

 

Was it fully loaded? It started at $19,995. A fully loaded Volt with a 220V charger can go over $45k.