Trailer hitch on a 2012 Prius

+1 on the curt 11276. Thats what i have. But if u want one that isn't too visible, get the hidden hitch.

 

With due respect, the towing issue relates to 1) the chassis structure, 2) the chief engineer not wanting to "ruin" the fuel efficiency of his car by allowing towing and also the fact that Japanese don't tow anything. Europeans tow with small cars and Americans have a massive pickup to tow (I realise I'm using a massively broad generalisation brush to tar everyone with but that's how they think)

Each country (Toyota America, Toyota Europe etc) does their lobbying to the chief engineer to allow the factory to make provisions for bits to be added on like indentations on the door openings for roof racks attachment all of which add a few Yen to implement on all cars. Of course some are successful and some are not based on the business case and those countries either drop their request or work around it (e.g. pre-wiring for reverse camera) but all still need the chief engineer's group sign off.

Btw, it as nothing to do with the fuel tank because it is located under the rear seat. Towbars are only designed to transfer forces to the chassis and not to reinforce the body in any significant way.

Anyway, hopefully we'll see towbars or at least bike carriers on Prius as an official accessory and made available more widely than just Europe.

 

I have the Kurt, works great love the polished look. Install was easy and straight forward. I have a platform rack and my biggest issue is that i have a 29er and so do my friends, when i drive i swear that the bike is so big the tires cause serious drag out the sides and even the handlebars and seats.

 

Have u noticed any mpg loss while lugging your bike? I've noticed it with 3 bikes on my rack. But I think it's more with the weight of the bikes+rack+2 other riders in my car.

 

You're compromising the aerodynamics of the vehicle, both with wind impact and hatch effect. MPG will drop.

Since the reason for carrying the bikes is recreation & exercise, I don't care. Taking advantage of infrequent opportunities what life is all about. So, you shouldn't either. Enjoy.

MPG will still be better than traditional vehicles regardless of the load on back.

 

As above, I think if you're thinking about 1MPG difference in consumption, I think you need a hard look at what really matters in life. You're already driving one of the most fuel efficient cars in the world so just get out there, enjoy the driving the car but also enjoy everything else when you're not driving it too. If that 1MPG matters that much, then perhaps ride that bicycle more and drive less. 1 mile isn't that far on a bicycle. Should be able to blow that in 3 minutes.

 

I also have the Saris Bones for three bikes. Had it with my last car, an '07 Corolla, it works but isn't a great fit IMO on my 2013 Prius. So I've been considering selling it and going with a hitch and rack for 4 bikes since it would be nice to go biking with my 2 kids and gf. Only issue is the conflicting info and recommendations online about putting that much tongue weight on the hitch. Just hate to spend the money and cause damage to the new car or bikes.

Please let me know how the hitch and 4 bike rack works out for you please, maybe some pics if you could.

 

It depends on the bikes.

The 200-pound tongue will easily support 4 of the modern 35-pound bikes plus the weight of the rack itself.

Don't expect heavy bikes or carrying each with loaded bags though.

 

It's not a 1 mpg loss. More like 6 mpg. I'm not sure how much is contributed to extra drag bc I was doing 30 mph on surface streets. but I'm not worried nor am I complaining, was just curious.

 

Towball downforce is generally 10% of the towing capacity so 200lb is more that an average weight of a person. Three steel bikes and a carrier won't exceed that.

 

I tried out the new hitch & rack this evening. It's quite solid and the hatch can still be opened, even with a bike on and its handlebar sticking out. That setup should do well carrying 4 light to medium weight bikes.

I really don't care about a MPG penalty when it comes to recreation. Summer is way too short to let opportunity slip away. I have a plug-in model Prius too, so efficiency is kind of wash. Clearly there's going to be a big hit with 4 bikes on back, 4 people inside, and a bunch of cargo. Today's drive was 24 miles with about 4.5 miles of suburb driving, the rest on the highway. I also had 6 miles of EV available. The result of that one-way drive with a single bike on back was 65 MPG.

It's a nice alternative for those who want a handy 4-bike lockable rack that doesn't make contact with the car. It's expensive though, about three times the price of a 3-bike strap on rack.

 

FYI, Draw-Tite, HiddenHitch, and Reese are all made by the same company (Cequent) and are identical hitches.


iPad ? HD

 

If you are looking for a 2 inch hitch, the best hitch out there is one made by Torklift Central Stealth Hitch.

 

106 miles yesterday, my first long trip.

2 bikes on back were on back.

Since I have the plug-in and there was 5 miles of EV available, my resulting 51 MPG doesn't directly apply to the regular model. But I can comment on how well the rack itself performed.

It's definitely the way to go for convenience. Being able to easily load and lock the bikes while still having the option of opening the hatch is great.

The rack connected to the Prius via only the hitch mount works well. It's secure, doesn't impair visibility much, and won't ever make contact with the car itself.

It stashes away inside the hatch well too, an unexpected benefit I can take advantage of.

It is expensive though, nearly triple the cost of a strap-on rack. But I consider it worthwhile if used often over the course of many years.

Long story short, I pleased with the choice.

 

Keep in mind that this is still a Class I hitch.

 

I've also installed the 1 1/4 Curt hitch and I use it with the Thule 4 bike carrier. I also use a basket rack to carry suite cases when I go to Vegas with the family.
When I don't have the carriers on, I've also made a custom hitch cap bottle opener for daily recreation to open my beer bottles.

 

Are you that one guy (or gal) pushing the stroller down the strip that everyone looks at strange?

 

I saw a landscaper using a Gen 2 Prius pulling a trailer behind with a full sized riding mower, weed eaters, edgers, extention cords, etc on it. I guess the "don't use a hitch" stance is mostly because Toyota knows there will be nut jobs out there who think their Prius is a 1/2 ton truck.

 

Go boldly. Costs about 5 mpg. No worries. Not one mention at the dealership when in for service.

 

The trickest hidden hitch design I've seen is over at the GM-Volt forum where someone has designed a receiver hitch concealed entirely behind the rear " bumper " assembly. The receiver is accessed through an opening behind a hinged license plate bracket. Very clever. ( and no... a Volt is not " designed " for towing either )