Keep my Gen 3 order or wait for the plug in?

Prius PHV is a well rounded car. If you tell us the nature of your commute and zip code near you, we can tell you if you are going to get the most out of PHV in term of cutting gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emission.

 

Temptation has a way of growing. If you're tempted today by the idea of a "Plug In"? I'm assuming that desire would only grow with the passage of time. Once the plug in is released, you are only going to hear MORE about how wonderful it is...if it is in your psyche today?

However, keep in mind that purchasing a Prius today, doesn't necessarily preclude EVER getting a plug in...you could enjoy your Prius..now..and simply anticipate a point where you would trade it in...maybe once the initial euphoria dies down..and/or potential bugs are worked out...

Of course those championing less consumption might question buying a new vehicle with the intention of short term ownership...but it happens...and is possible.

Pretty much only you can answer for yourself what you want. But sometimes I believe the question itself is really it's own answer...

 

The PHV is probably going to be more than "a few thousand more." but in the end....it's gonna be your call.

Smart money says stay pat.
However (comma!) there's more to PHV ownership than an ROI. If you're financially able to purchase a PHV, and you're into the whole stewardship thing, or you just want to be the first one on your block to have one----then you might just consider legging it out until they're available. They're (gonna be) out of my depth band, so I don't have any skin in that game.

Like I said.
Your call. I have a CPO coin if you need a binary decision maker---or you can use a coin of your choice.

Good Luck!

 

If you have at least a 13 mile use 5 days a week. The Prius PHEV will save you a maximum of $ 150 a year with electricity at $ 0.12 / kwh and gas at $ 3.50 / gal. over a standard Prius.

 

Well, the good thing would be use all the 13 miles of EV each day. The bad news is that you'd not even be able to complete one leg of a trip in EV and that really wouldn't give you a good return for the extra money.

It's also a shame that a LEAF wouldn't cover your 2-trip days, especially given the winter weather.

On the positive side all those minimum 15 mile legs will allow the Prius plenty of time to warm up and if a lot of those hockey miles are suburban or urban you should get some great mileage.

Enjoy your Prius IV.

 

The good news is that only 43% of your electricity is from fossil fuel. 28.6% are from renewable and the rest are from nuclear. Using Prius PHV should cut down more greenhouse gas than the cordless Prius.

The 13 miles battery range should also cover your short trips and you'll still have the world's cleanest and most efficient gas engine for those long trips.

 

Let's talk about the bad:

1 Prius PHV goes about 15 miles on all electric, which doesn't meet your travel hockey needs. And in Buffalo, NY, you will get even less miles on electric once the weather gets really cold below freezing. So, most likely, you won't even get 15 miles on all electric mode.

2 I have a hard time figuring out how you or your wife will be getting hockey gear for three or four hockey kids in ANY Prius. The hatch space is ample, but not enough to haul huge hockey bags for 3 or 4.

Personally, I find it very difficult to justify Toyota's decision to produce a PHV that ONLY gets 10-15 miles in all electric mode unless you are only using this vehicle as a commuter car. And if you are only using a car for 10-15 miles per day anyways, ANY vehicle (including a gas only powered vehicle) would work for anyone.

The Leaf is a start...at 100 estimated miles per charge. More realistically is the next gen Tesla, which will have around a 160-300 mile range per charge. Of course, you will pay a premium for that technology and range.

I can't believe all the hoopla for a vehicle that gets 10-15 miles on all electric power. It's a start, but this isn't some huge breakthrough that is going to revolutionize driving. It's a Prius hybrid that happens to go the first 10-15 miles on electric.

If and when Toyota extends the all electric miles into the hundreds, then we will talk.

 

History shows us that most people who order a car with special options. More often then not the dealer will get them to take something less then they wanted.

With this in thought......I would cancel the G-III and wait for the PHV Prius, since this is what you want.

I'm thinking that unless you get the PHV you won't be happy with the G-III