Regular Prius to Prime

- boot size - the boot looks a lot smaller but in day to day (shopping, diy store, Ikea etc) do you really miss it so much.

Not a problem for us and I do the weekly laundry. I typically load 3-4 large trash bags with all the laundry and found no problem.

- Fuel - I currently do about 700 miles a month but I think only about 100 of them are where I go above 25ish miles in one hit (I.e behind the charge) on a regular basis.

The EV is nice and depending upon your access to public J1772 chargers or an external power plug, no problem. The real advantage is using EV to get up to speed and then switching to hybrid mode for the warm-up. This avoids the 'cold engine' penalty and results in outstanding gas mileage. If you can do the whole trip on EV and get a charge for the return, do it, but the superior gas savings is well worth it.

- long distance cruising - I do one trip a year which is 2500 miles around Europe. Plug in opportunities might be zero. How will it perform in hybrid mode at 80mph for 2000 of those miles. The other 500 is normally shorter running about while on holiday.

The 3.3kW, built-in charger, 12A nominal rate of the portable EVSE, expands the charging options. Many hotels and RV parks have charging stations or power outlets that let you put a charge on overnight. It is easy with such a small, built-in charger. Then using the EV early trick to reach HV cruising speed, you'll get excellent mileage. The car also has a CHARGE mode so if your level is too low and you are approaching a city with strict EV regulations, you can within an hour have plenty of power to pass EV through.

Bob Wilson

 

boot size: if you're asking, other peoples opinions don't really matter. prime was at the top of my list until i saw the boot in person. now it's on the back burner.
other than that, and the lack of spare tire, some extra storage and the missing middle rear seat, it's probably a better car than the lift back in every other way, just as the pip was over the gen 3.
all the best with your decision!

 

take a test drive of each with your family and some luggage.

 

16A. The EVSE that comes with it is a 12A device but the charger is a 16A device.

 

The roof box will kill the mileage. You might consider the towing option if available. A small, lightweight trailer will be a lot easier to access and there might be a pop-up camper version.

Bob Wilson

 

Keep in mind just a regular fourth gen is producing mpg numbers well above 3rd gen. Add in the the temp spare (be careful: depending on location some levels have, some don't), the lower boot floor, and just the simplicity of not having to plug-in.

Personally, I'd have to hold my nose to buy one; I'm not enamored with the styling, outside or in. But that's another story, lol.

 

presumably you'e seen this trunk space discussion? There are pictures and dimensions in there to help guide you.

PRIME TRUNK SPACE | PriusChat

If you are insistent on using the cover you will be disappointed with the trunk. There is not enough room with the cover to put in a fabric/paper grocery bag. I keep the soft tonneau in place and fold it up when I go shopping. My previous car was a honda accord sedan (not a Prius) but the Prime hatch trunk is still more useful than the old car despite being short.

I'm disappointed the car doesn't have 6.6kwh charging, for me in the US this means it is not cost effective to use pay based public charging. That's unfortunate but gas mileage is still great hauling around an empty battery so smile that in comparison to a true BEV your 2000 mile trip will be not include any dose of range anxiety

 

great to hear that toyota isn't overcharging for the phev in u/k this time around.

 

1. everyday chore: OK. Weekend Costco run: OK to some sort. Moving some small furniture like nightstand from home A to home B: impossible. 5th seat: nada.

2. Fuel: no difference to me.

3. Long distance cruising: DRCC works great!

 

This is just not true. Fold down the seats.

 

Point of clarification: DRCC = Dynamic Radar Cruise Control....

 

i suppose it depends on the size of the furniture. mine can hold larger.