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Prius Prime vs Rav4 Hybrid

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by idahohacker, Jul 13, 2019.

  1. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Speaking as a parent who's Son did College and has been out of the house for a little over a year now...get the RAV4 HV. It tows, has more interior room, is AWD and gets great mpg. You likely will keep neither for 35 years, but a very reliable 10-15 years is doable. By then, your life and needs will be nothing like they are now.
     
  2. t_newt

    t_newt Active Member

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    The prices are very close, though the purchaser may be able to get a federal tax rebate with the Prime, making it cheaper. You'll spend less on gas with the Prime. Some colleges have cheap or free electric charging. There's more room to carry stuff with the Rav4 and it has AWD.

    It all depends on your needs.
     
  3. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    I think the Prime.
     
  4. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    It’s not about whether you or an ADAS device can do something better. It’s about:
    * Reducing stress, and
    * Increasing the number of fractional 9s in what might be called your “driving safety percentage.”

    In our Prime, my commute is considerably less nerve-racking with DRCC and PCS.

    In terms of “adding fractional 9s,” I have not had an accident in 42 years of driving. So, by some calculation, maybe my “driving safety percentage” is something like 99.999%.

    However, the Prime has occasionally prevented me from departing my lane, has prevented me from bumping into things in the garage, and may even have prevented me from bumping into somebody once (although I’d have chocked that one up to the bad design of the infotainment system if it had happened). So, it probably raises my percentage to 99.9995% Tesla Autopilot could perhaps raise it to 99.99995%.

    Many people do not have a 42-year no-accident record, though. Autopilot can bring them from 99.99%, say, to 99.9995%. Huge value there.
     
    #44 mr88cet, Jul 13, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2019
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  5. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    The stress reduction was quite easy. I disabled all the “aids” that can be disabled, returning control of the car to me.
     
  6. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    What happens when large cities mandate autonomous vehicles in 10 years?
    Take public transportation or change vehicles?
     
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  7. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Now that's funny.
     
  8. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    I recommend the RAV4. There will be times when you will need to haul something that will not fit in the Prime but will easily fit the RAV4. For those occasions I have a 2002 4Runner that I bought used with 160K miles on it. I don't care about the gas mileage as I drive it no more than 100-150 miles a month.
     
  9. Roy2001

    Roy2001 Active Member

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    Cars manufactured in recent years have a lot of electronic devices. They are expensive to repair and would be hard to find parts after 15-20 years.
     
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  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I’d take the RAV4 Hybrid. Here are my reasons.

    • Smaller hybrid battery therefore when it comes time to replace it (and you will replace it at least once in that 35 years), it’ll be cheaper to replace and gives you more incentive to keep the car when the battery goes kaput
    • AWD-i is nice to have on snowy roads - as is the ground clearance
    • Latest Toyota Safety Sense P 2.0 is a generation newer than the one on the Prime
    • Has Entune 3.0 which will have Apple CarPlay and is more likely to be upgradable with AndroidAuto when Toyota comes on board soon (2020 or 2021) if you’re an Android user.
    • Larger cargo capacity will come in handy for college (moving, trips home, vacation etc)
    • The extra passenger space will allow for you to have a family in the future with the same vehicle
    • I think the XSE Hybrid looks cool

    Downsides?
    • More expensive to purchase than the Prime
    • Larger tire size and SUV tires are more expensive than the Prime


    For the Prime, I’m worried about the higher cost of replacing the carbon fibre hatch in a rear accident, or the fragile acrylic grille area in a frontal collision that may offset the savings from the lower cost of operation. Also, the hybrid battery is larger so replacement cost down the road will be higher than the RAV4. There will be more RAV4 Hybrids than Primes sold so there’ll be greater availability of parts (salvage) if need be.

    For longevity, I’d recommend avoiding the models with blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. The radar is hard mounted behind the rear bumper and a slight movement of the rear bumper (even if it doesn’t touch the radar), can send the radar out of alignment and cause the car to send an error code (and an annoying reminder on the MID).
     
  11. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    1. I don’t think this will happen.

    2. If it does, I won’t go to those cities by car, or at all.
     
    #51 jb in NE, Jul 14, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2019
  12. triggerhappy007

    triggerhappy007 Active Member

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    I can't believe you guys are replying to this troll.
     
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  13. JL 327

    JL 327 Junior Member

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    This story is more than 35 years old, but a friend told me about someone she went to college with (in the late '70's) who paid $50 for an old beater to get around in and he did nothing but put gas in it for a couple years and upon graduation, sold it... for $100!
     
  14. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    About 15 years ago, my brother in his early 20’s bought an old ‘70s Lincoln (Mark IV, I believe), just for kicks. $800, and it was older than him, but he still lived at home and had no responsibilities. It still ran, drank gas like it was water (in Quebec, with very high gas prices!), but would drive it around just for “looks”, LOL. Put nothing into it while he owned it but gas (though LOTS of it, lol, but only drove it maybe 1000km while he had it), then sold it back to the guy he bought it from 2 years later for the same price. Apparently the guy sold it because he couldn’t afford gas for it, but the wanted it back...

    He did something similar after that with a late 80s Jeep YJ, where he drove it for a couple years, then sold it for only $500 less than he bought it for. Basically, almost a free car.

    If you are into driving old cars and willing to accept some (lots) of risk, you can drive for cheap. :LOL:
     
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  15. idahohacker

    idahohacker Junior Member

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    I guess it's the Rav4 hybrid you guys seem to be saying?
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you really haven't given us any parameters except cost and your parents desires.

    if that's all there is, prime is cheaper, and rav4 will keep mom and dad happy. your decision
     
  17. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    If your argument of keeping a car for 35 years is depreciation savings, please consider getting a slightly used car. Most depreciation happens early in a cars life. But since this is a gift get the new hybrid Rav 4. The primes 25 mile ev range will not be worth charging unless your parking spot has an outlet. I have the prime as my small car, but want to replace our larger car with Rav 4 hybrid.
     
  18. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    My son bought a 1985 VW Golf diesel from my Dad for $500, with lots of miles on it. Did some home body work on a dent, put on some alloys from a junkyard on for $90, drove it for two years in high school. When he went to sell it (asked $1,500), two buyers were interested and he ended up getting $2,100 for it.
     
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  19. idahohacker

    idahohacker Junior Member

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    Actually lets add that I would like to make cross country road trips frequently.
     
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  20. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    The Prime is fine for that. I've driven mine from Silicon Valley to Nebraska, Nebraska to DC, then up to Canada, etc. Excellent mileage on the road. Not a bad road car, and with the slippery shape it will get significantly better mileage than the RAV 4. Also, plenty of cargo space for two people with camping gear and normal travel luggage.