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Prius vs other Toyota hybrids

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by MayCaesar, Jul 8, 2018.

  1. Sooner Al

    Sooner Al Active Member

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    FWIW around town in our 2016 Prius v Three we get 45+ MPG and around 39-40 MPH on the interstate highways. Of course we do 95+ percent of our driving in town. You can't beat the cargo space in the Prius v...
     
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  2. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    Well, if for some reason you end up considering a Prius C, you can buy mine. 2016 C, two that is still under factory warranty with almost 23k on the ODO. If the location in your profile is correct, I'm only a few hours south of you. Welcome to drive it anytime you like. People often mention the cargo space, but I honestly don't find much of an issue with that at all. I rarely have the back seats up, because I love to fly my RC planes. Typically I have at least two of them in there at any given time along with the accessory gear it takes to fly them.



     
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  3. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Totally agree. I just thought I could do better with 'skillful driving'. Turns out physics said forget that! (y) Also, it looks like new tires cost around 3 MPG. Oh well..we need better tires for our MN winters...and our teen kids.
     
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  4. MayCaesar

    MayCaesar New Member

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    Really impressive numbers all around! (y) Do you typically drive "normal", or do you do hypermiling regularly?

    This sounds absolutely fantastic, and I love the orange Prius. :) I would say that the C is still too small to my taste (in the long-term perspective, at least), but I might be persuaded otherwise. I will keep your offer in mind, and when it gets to the shopping part in around November, I will shoot you a message.

    Nice to see a fellow RC enthusiast as well; RC helicopters here, albeit many years back.

    I remember reading a report from someone who tried their best to get a Prius MPG to as low as possible by driving intentionally "bad", and even so they could not lower it below... was it 32 MPG? The Prius doesn't allow much room for playing with the energy conservation principle in either direction, it seems!
     
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  5. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    I'm one who actually owned a Prius 2011 2 bought new and dumped it for a new 13 Avalon hybrid. If you ignore the sleeping in the car issue, hands down the Avalon is a quieter far more comfortable ride and with the power drivers seat, you can get very comfortable for a nice nap. For me, if I was going to drive 25k a year it is a no brainer.
     
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  6. Sooner Al

    Sooner Al Active Member

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    @MayCaesar I don't hypermile at all. I'm just careful and let the car computer do it's thing so to speak. As noted the vast majority of our driving is in town except for an occasional road trip on the interstates.
     
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  7. MayCaesar

    MayCaesar New Member

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    What is the typical gas mileage you are getting in the Avalon? Is it comparable to the regular Prius, more or less? Also how much less comfortable it is than the Prius, would you say, on long trips - is it just a bit of a stiffer sitting, or is the ride itself also significantly more "bumpy"?

    With regards to sleeping in the car, I have several ideas that might work in a large sedan. One of them is putting something like a small ottoman in between the backseat and the front seat and resting legs on it, while laying sideways on the backseat - with some extra cushioning (a soft sleeping bag, maybe?), it is probably possible to stretch legs and sleep somewhat comfortably in this position. There are also inflatable solutions, such as those Amazon sells, that include the seat gap fillings.

    So maybe I am overthinking this issue, and using the cargo space for sleeping is not essential?

    Ah, I see. This is truly impressive for a V!
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the larger the hybrid, the worse the fuel economy. prius>camry>rav4>avalon>highlander
     
  9. MayCaesar

    MayCaesar New Member

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    Is this always the case though? At least, according to the EPA ratings (and for Toyota vehicles, they tend to be pretty close to the reported mileages), this is what we have for the 2017 models (combined MPG):

    Fuel Economy Trip Calculator

    Prius Eco - 56
    Prius - 52
    Prius C - 46
    Prius V - 41
    ES300h - 40
    Avalon Hybrid - 40
    Camry Hybrid LE - 40
    Camry Hybrid SE/XLE - 38
    RAV4 Hybrid - 32
    Highlander Hybrid LE - 29
    Highlander Hybrid - 28

    The Lexus, the Avalon, the Camry and the Prius V all seem to have essentially the same MPG. Maybe they have different drivetrains, and the difference in shapes also plays the role?
     
  10. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    depends on city v highway. more relevant than 'size' would be weight and cd.

    i'm not sure how up to date the epa is, but you're right. prius and camry have newest hybrid drivetrains, not sure about the others.
     
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  12. MayCaesar

    MayCaesar New Member

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    Unfortunately, all of rental locations that I could find (including these two) are pretty far away and hard to reach on public transport (and taking a taxi/Uber on such distances would be very expensive). Lake Shore Toyota dealers do seem okay with you just coming over there and test-driving the cars they have on the lot, however, so in the future I might rent a car and drive there for a few test drives. Thanks for the suggestion!

    With regards to the weight, from what I can see, these cars' weights do not differ all that much - surprisingly so. For the base models:

    Prius V - 3,340 lbs
    Camry Hybrid - ~3,500 lbs
    Avalon Hybrid - ~3,650 lbs
    ES300h - ~3,600 lbs

    And Prius V does seem marginally more fuel efficient than the other 3 cars, which makes sense.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    from what i'm reading, v gets somewhere in the 40's, but new camry le is low 50's. but there are only a few people here reporting on the new camry. have you looked at fuelly?
     
  14. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Prius V - 1.8 L 4
    Camry Hybrid - 2.5 L 4
    Avalon Hybrid - 2.5 L 4
    ES300h - 2.5 L 4,

    The smaller engine accounts for that, I suspect.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure how that helps.:unsure:
     
  16. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The Prius v is no longer available as a new car in the US. :(
     
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  17. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I live near Lake Shore Toyota and bought my 2016 there, I couldn't believe how low pressure they were.
    If you buy a newer Prius you still should be under the battery warranty. I bought my 2016 new in November of last year and it was still on the lot and just turned two years old when I bought it. The Prius is capable of getting way better gas mileage than what the epa says.
    So far I am averaging over 67 mpg by looking at the computed mileage and so what if it is off a couple of miles. Good luck with your search, I can't help you with the other choices except I would guess the warranty is the same on all Toyota hybrids.
     
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  18. lostinheadguy

    lostinheadguy Junior Member

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    Honestly, I feel like it comes down to how traditional you want your car to feel in day to day use.

    A Camry, Avalon or ES hybrid will, in every way but the powertrain, pedal feel, and lack of trunk pass-through, effectively work like every other Camry, Avalon or ES of that era. You'll have a familiar steering wheel, gauge cluster up front, regular old shift lever and center console, screen in the middle, normal control arrangement... You'll also likely have more availability for parts down the road, as you can replace a whole lot of parts if necessary using non-hybrid same model donor cars.

    A Prius liftback is designed to be futuristic and modern and it sure does its best to show it. The center-mounted gauges, interesting cupholder arrangement, lack of a real shifter, and all sorts of other stuff... I always get so many questions when one of my friends or colleagues sits in my car for the first time. If you're into the futuristic design it becomes normal to operate and use, but if you want a traditional car, a Prius isn't it.
     
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  19. MayCaesar

    MayCaesar New Member

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    I just learned that Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has a pretty wide cargo passage, definitely suitable for sleeping. This is a model I looked at for a while and then discarded for Lincoln's questionable reliability, compared to Toyotas/Lexi - but the cargo pass-through could be a major selling point for me. Is that car any reliable?

    I have, and the relative picture there is similar to what EPA states - but Fuelly (from my understanding) puts all types of driving together, which might cause the results to be different from what a given driver sees in the real world.

    Unfortunately. :( It seems to be all about SUVs and pickups nowadays!

    67? Wow! Do you drive in the Eco mode? What types of driving do you usually do?

    Well, as a new driver, I haven't had much experience driving different cars so far, and it's hard to tell how traditional I would prefer it to be. The only car I've had any significant amount of experience with is Ford Focus, and it suits me fine - but I think I could do better than that with my budget.

    Indeed, a part of the major appeal of the Prius in my eyes is its futuristic design and looks (yes, I am one of those people who like how the Prius looks, albeit the 4th gen Prii feel a bit over-designed); this is definitely something that excites me in a car. However, after years of driving the car, I would imagine all those traits become mundane and unnoticeable, and it is more practical elements - such as comfort, economy, utility and reliability - that define how you feel about the car. It could depend on the driver though.

    I would say that the other cars from my list mostly appeal to me for their spacious interior, low cabin noise and overall comfort. The Prius wins over due to its cargo space and the ability to comfortably sleep in it, and also slightly (in case of V) or significantly (in case of the regular Prius) better fuel economy. It is the battle of these factors that is likely to determine what I end up buying.

    Ultimately, it probably isn't wise to select one model and buy it no matter what. I want to look at what is for sale in November-December first. Even if I start strongly leaning towards one particular model, a great deal on another model could be a decisive factor. ;)
     
  20. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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