Odyssey Minivan vs Prius v (lowercase v)

There really isn't any comparison. If you want the space and comfort of your van, then get a van. Although a better choice is the Sienna.
There are compromises to be made for the high MPG. Its up to you whether its worth it to you.

 

keep the odyssey, you like it, and you'll never save in gas what you'll spend on a new v.

 

How much do you think you will save in mpg? From what I can deduce, 25k miles a year means mostly highway driving at 28mpg in the Honda versus maybe 42mpg in the Prius v. Quick calcs shows 300 gallons a year saved at $3 gallon is $900 a year. Unless you are also saving on car payments, dollars alone may not be the deciding factor.

 

Then you are getting the 21mpg combined that the Honda is rated for. Still the Honda is an expensive vehicle to start with so the ride and luxury (and sound system) is likely to be much better. The Prius MFD screen is fine, some complain about the navigation but my "standard" model 3 nav works when I need it and the voice commands on it and the phone interface work as well. Prius models sell like hot cakes when gasoline hits $4 and typically don't get much discounting at the dealer. Right now it's opposite. Finally you can't tow with a Prius v (at least with Toyota's blessing).

 

Actually, the stated purpose for this purchase does not really call for a van. But I'll repeat my suggestion that the Sienna is a better drive than the Honda, and might improve on the MPG just a bit. That said, there are a number of small wagons that will meet your needs, even a RAV4 would do that. And any of them will improve on MPG.

 

I live in NC where it has been in the hundreds several times in the last few weeks. I don't find Softec particularly hot. I do have a white car and light grey seats but I drive in shorts most of the time in the summer and have never experienced anything odd, in fact I paid extra to have the Softec put into a v three.

I have a v, son's family has a Sienna. But he has a 6 person family and occasionally 8 in the van so the added room helps. That said he also puts 25k plus miles a year on his Prius hatchback.

My suggestion: run the Odyssey until your family changes or it gets unreliable. Depreciation is usually lots more than fuel cost differences. And fuel costs are only going lower according to the pundits. You also speak fondly of Odyssey options/features you aren't going to get on the v.

 

Our solution is a minivan (VW Routan) and a Prius. Sienna or Odyssey are better but that's another story. We put many more miles on our Prius. I like the minivan for quickly putting my Kayak inside the van, and then I drive off to my favorite fishing spot. If you put a Kayak on top of the the van, man that's high up there so you need a stool and such, which I have done. A roof top box on a Prius can rival minivan carrying capacity, did that for a couple years. But I do not know.

 

A Prius v will never have the people hauling or cargo room that a minivan has.. And a minivan will never get over 30 mpg. So it's a toss up. Do you need 3 rows of seats?? If so then you need a minivan. If the answer is that you can get by with 5 seats and you want better mpg then go for it. The cargo room in a Prius v is pretty impressive...

last week my family and I went to ikea and bought my daughter a new daybed. We got all 3 boxes to fit into the hatch with the front passenger seat fully forward, wife was not thrilled with her knees into the dash but we got the bed home without having to rent/borrow a pick up truck.

 

actually, that's a great article, and spot on to the conversation. if she were looking at buying one or the other, in my mind, the only question is, does the v have the necessary volume for your personal needs.