Test drive

if you wait to test drive one, you'll be waiting years. most here already know and trust toyota, all the reviews are positive, and most of the deficiencies known.
personally, i'm waiting for a test drive, but i'm in no hurry

 

I wouldn't have bought our 2023 without an opportunity to get in, sit in it, fuss with the adjustments, test some stuff, check visibility in all directions, and drive around several blocks. Some people will. We are not average size individuals, and we're not getting any younger, so ease of getting in and out was important. So was headroom and sideways room. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of testing this car to anyone who has issues about getting in and out of a car in general or for anyone who is going to be moving kids in and out of carseats on a regular basis. Even if you don't get a chance to drive it, ask someone if you can sit in theirs. I've let a few people sit in mine just to see what it feels like.
We were on a list with a dealer who took a $1000 refundable "earnest money" type of deposit from us with the understanding that we'd get to drive the first car they received and decide if it would work for us. There were many others on that list who made that deposit, but we responded to the call first, and we decided to buy it after the test. We love the car, by the way.

 

I will be test driving mine after it arrives in July/August. I’m going to feel some anxiety due to my personal circumstances but dealer knows I have to feel comfortable in/with the car in order for me to purchase it. Can’t determine this until I test drive it. We are 15 mins from a highway so they will have to be ok with a longer test drive.

 

You can probably get a test drive if you go to a dealership that puts such a heavy markups on their vehicles that it'll sit long enough to give potential customers a chance to test drive before purchase. MSRP dealerships, or even low markups in the $2k-3k around here are presold pretty much on allocation day.

 

I’ve purchased a lot of cars sight unseen in the past and am very comfortable trusting reviews especially when they’re nearly universally positive. When I found our 2023 Prius that hadn’t been spoken for, I immediately went in and paid for it and finished the paperwork even though the car wouldn’t arrive for several more days. I left for a work trip and my wife picked it up and went on a cross country road trip, so I never saw the car in person until it had over 2k miles on it haha. I knew the chances of getting a test drive were essentially zero, and I figured if we hated the car it wouldn’t be too hard to sell and recoup our money. We love the car though my wife was not happy when I floated the idea of getting her a Prime to replace her Model Y - she definitely prefers it even though she’s cool with the Prius.

 

What I did was find a 2023 used Prius locally at the dealer. Luckily there was one. They pop up here and there. Keep and eye out on cars.com. Then go take a look at one and test drive.

 

how many miles and what price and model?

 

yep. Still waiting to test drive a 2023 LE. And yes, I'm not expecting to ever get behind the wheel anytime soon. But I just could not get comfortable in the previous gen and not surprisingly, I'm hesitant to buy without a test drive. Plus the markups are off putting, to put it mildly

 

i'm waiting for a prime test drive, dealers have no idea how far away that is.

 

I had the opportunity to sit in a couple of 2023 Priuses (non Prime)... didn't drive them.

It at least made me feel comfortable with the seating position, ergonomics, confirmed the negative comments about the inside rear view mirror, etc.

Dropping thousands of $$ without a test drive seems to be the way it is at the moment, at least up here in the Toronto Ontario area

 

It was a FWD XLE. It has less than 1,000 miles and was priced at $39,999. So, that is good that they priced it so high so I could test drive it and not somebody buying it right away. Just like somebody mentioned find a dealer that has high mark ups so the car will be sitting when they get it. Then go test drive it.

 

we don't even have any to sit in that i can find. every dealer that lists them in inventory says they are coming in when you call, but they don't know when.
they have so few cars available, i think they list everything that's allocated to them. and everyone has a waiting list. i haven't found anyone above msrp yet.

 

Given even the dealers did not have any and still dont have, I had to order blindly. I had the chance to look and sit in one in Japan but no test drive. But with the good feedback everywhere, I am not really worried. There are some small annoying details or changes only european models seem to have that I was not aware of earlier but its not like I have a choice anyway unless I take a different car.

 

Sure, I test drove mine before I bought it but I basically had to reserve one to do so. If I had hated it I would have declined to purchase.

 

thanks. putting down a deposit seems about the only way to line up a test drive.

 

I bought without a test drive. But I'm about average in all ways so never met a car that wasn't comfortable, and have rented quite a few different makes and models. And have been in other Toyotas and like them. The dealer offered to call me and let me drive a rental or loaner they had, when it was on the lot (unclear why they were using one for rental and loaner...) but wasn't worth the hassle. When I got my car, had a couple miles on it, waited a few days before picking up so I suspect they let someone else test drive it. It was clear however that if I really wanted to test drive, they could arrange it, and it just required some flexibility.

 

I’m buying my Supersonic Red Prime XSE sight unseen and driving roughly 250 miles each way to pick it in the next couple weeks (apparently it hit the port a couple days ago)..

I’ve owned a couple Gen 3 Prii and a Gen 4 in the past and have no worries that the Prime will be a vast improvement. Literally all the reviews are raving about the new Prime and the new Prius with only very minor nitpicking here and there, so I’m confident I will be more than happy.