Prius v launched in Australia, with 1 model to choose from

The new Prius v has finally been launched in Australia. (Where’s my invitation Bin?) I saw a few in Japan last October where I picked up a brochure for the Prius α [alpha], as it is known over there. (For the record, the surname of the very helpful saleswoman at ToyoPet Platinum Shop at Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo was Tsuzuki.)
In Japan both 5 – and 7-seater versions are available with different HV battery configurations. I guess that Toyota Australia couldn’t see the point of another 5-seater Prius on top of the Prius and Prius c (known as the Prius Aqua in Japan), so we are only getting the NVW40 7-seater, which seems a sound decision.
Here’s a comparison of the Prius v and the Prius base and i-Tech packages from Toyota Australia. In ACT, the Prius v and Prius base are close on price and specs. BTW, in ACT stamp duty is zero for cars with a green rating of 16 or better (Prius v scores 17) so the new price will vary in other states. That's the extent of rebates in Australia, though Victoria gives a $100 discount on annual registration for hybrids, but you must wear a hybrid sticker on each number plate to warn emergency services. And no, I don’t know why the i-Tech costs $10-12,000 more.

• Prius v RRP $35,990 Full Drive away $38,921.10
• Prius base RRP $33,990 Full Drive away $36,791.60
• Prius i-Tech RRP $45,990 Full Drive away $48,791.60

The Prius v weights 200kg more than the Prius base but can carry 310kg more. The Prius v has quite different dimensions between the Prius v, Prius base and Prius i-Tech:

• Length 4615 4480 4480 mm
• Width 1775 1745 1745 mm
• Height 1590 1490 1505 mm
• Wheelbase 2780 2700 2700 mm
• Wheels 16″ with 114.3mm PCD (Prius has 100mm PCD)

The engine specs, fuel tank, braking and suspension are the same. Fuel consumption is 4.4l/100km (64.20mpg(UK) 53.71mpg(US) 22.73km/l) compared to 3.9l/100km (72.44mpg(UK) 60.59mpg(US) 25.64km/l) for the Prii.
The tyres at 205/60/16 are midway between the 195/65/15 on the base and 215/45/17 on the i-Tech. IMO 16″ wheels are a good compromise of comfort and performance, but since the PCD is different you won’t be able to exchange wheels with a Prius.
Only 1 model is being sold so it is interesting to compare with overseas models. In Japan, it would be between the G and S if that came as a 7-seater. All Australian-delivered Prius have fog lamps, perhaps thinking that most would be sold/leased in Canberra to Government. The Prius v will have a “premium” steering wheel from the G, but not the LED headlights. In USA it is probably closest to the Prius v Two but with fog lamps. Hard to compare and harder to understand the reasons for the differences.
The Prius v has only 6 speakers, against 8 in the Prii, but the front speakers are 5.5″ squawkers instead of 5″. Moonroof, radar cruise control, parking robot and pre-collision are not options.
But worst of all, there’s no navigation package to go with the 6.1″ touch screen display, though there is a reverse camera. The Japanese brochure for the Prius α has a separate brochure for the 7 navigation systems it offers. Why no navi in Australia? Even the base model Prius could be ordered with navigation until the 2012 model.
No mention of accessories for the Prius v in Australia yet. Shall I mention the customise brochure included in the Japanese Prius α brochure? Modellista and TRD styling packages for interior and exterior. There’s even a premium horn set at ¥5250 plus 0.7 hours fitting.
I’ll try to test drive the Prius v this weekend (Bin? I'm waiting for your call) and report back.

 

Any idea how the UK Prius + compares to the Aussie Prius v? IMO the Prius + T4 is comparable to the Prius v. GBP26195 is about AUD41700, so maybe we are getting a bargain!
On the other hand, you'd pay zero road tax each year for the Prius? I'd pay zero stamp duty to buy the car, but $285 every year for registration. Swings and roundabouts.

 

Exchange rates have been wild recently. I honestly thought that Greece would leave the Euro and adopt the Aussie Dollar. (If you consider the size of the Greek population in Melbourne, you won't think that's so silly.) But the AUD hasn't changed much against the JPY. Maybe Toyota's contracts with Australia are in USD? The AUD has been riding high against the USD until recently.
But that can't be right. A Lexus sold in Australia is 50%-100% dearer than Japanese price based on the AUD-JPY exchange rate and that's before the Luxury tax at AUD75,000.
European cars have been getting a bit cheaper in the past 5 years and our diesel doesn't make them sick any more.

There's no rebates or incentives for EV or HV in Australia, apart from minor tax concessions that don't send a price signal. (There was a rebate of $1000 to $2000 for retro-fitting LPG or buying an LPG car. Australia has heaps of LPG.) No transit lane or free parking. The Better Place Charging point in Belconnen (Canberra) can't even reserve the 2 parking spaces in front of it. The commonly heard phrase, "but you'll never save enough in petrol to pay it off" is a reflection of the high price of a Prius, the moderate price of petrol and the lack of cost of ownership incentives.

Anyway... it looks like these cars are more or less the same:

• Aussie Prius v
• UK Prius + T4 (without Navi or Leather)
• JDM Prius α (somewhere between G and S)
• USA Prius v Two (if you add fog lamps)

Now to see if the dealer has one to look at.
EDIT: Just saw one at Fyshwick Toyota. Something I only noticed after I looked at the pictures was the rear fog lamp integrated with the driver's side cluster. And I just confirmed that the fog lamp is standard on the JDM model, which is unusual for a Japanese car. Do LHD Prius v / + have a rear fog lamp?

 

Coriolis Effect. Swim out too far at Bondi Beach and you end up at Perth. Cheaper than driving or flying, but you'll have wrinkled fingers for the rest of your life, so people don't do it any more.

I just confirmed that the rear fog lamp is "maker option" aka factory option on the Japanese Prius α. Refer to page 37 of the brochure. Whoever determined the spec for Australia must have ticked that box.
Rear fog lamps are unusual on cars in Japan, apart from the recent Nissan 370Z. I can't remember seeing cars with rear fog lamps, even in Hokkaido. Korean cars in Australia have them all constantly (blinding!) In Japan front fog lamps are de rigueur and are sometimes yellow. (I bought 2500K H4 lamps at Autobacs to fit my Citroën with its odd combination High-Beam/Fog Lamp since France used to have yellow headlights.)

After chatting with the dealer in Canberra, it seems that they are in the dark about what options are available. He said that there's been a lot of interest in the v, but he'd only driven it from the truck to the lot and couldn't answer all of the would-be buyers' questions. Every Toyota hybrid in Australia (even the Prius c) has base and i-Tech/Luxury variants, so why not the Prius v?
But the price is good when compared to the Prius base model and for that matter the new locally-built Camry Hybrids. The new Camry has a bigger boot than before, but a tiny ski port, so the Prius v will get some interest from anyone who wants to carry big things that don't weight much.
But since I would be upgrading from a base Prius I would want Navi and Dynamic Cruise Control in the next car, which the v seems to lack. For now. EDIT: I forgot to check if the noise-maker is included (I think it is standard). Travel at under 25km/h in EV mode and there's a switch-able noise-maker to alert wayward pedestrians.

 

The Prius Alpha in Japan is available as 5- or 7-seater. The 7-seater has its Li-ion HV battery at the front between the driver and passenger. So if you hacked out the rear seats (and registered the vehicle as a 5-seater) you could fashion a fairly deep storage area solution. The 5-seater has its NiMH HV battery at the rear behind the (middle) seats, so it will take up some space that you can't easily recover.
Toyota builds factory-fitted mobility cars known as the Welcab range. None of the wheelchair lift models are available as hybrids. There are two Prius Alpha welcab models; one for a wheelchair passenger and one for a wheelchair driver.

The simple answer is to buy a Škoda Superb Combi (wagon) TDI. More rear legroom than a Holden Statesman, but not quite as wide but heaps more load space.

 

From the Japanese brochure...
Interior Space
Length from dashboard to rear of headrest:
7- seater 2690mm
5-seater 1910mm, but can be extended to 2000mm if rear seats are pushed back (and reclined?)
Head room
Front: 950mm
Middle: Centre 965mm, right or left 995mm
Rear: 900mm
Maximum floor to roof height 1220mm (or 1230mm with the panoramic roof)
Maximum width 1520mm
There's no measurement for leg room. The rear seats are probably wide enough for an adult, but there's not much legroom.

The 5-seater has the Ni-MH HV battery at the rear, so there's less luggage space.

In this photo of the 7-seater, the middle seat has been shifted forward slightly. There's not much leg room at the rear, but you could see how ripping out the rear seats would give a fair amount of luggage space. Putting the lithium ion battery at the front helps.