An interested outsiders review

Dear chatters,
I currently drive a Subaru Forester 2010. I cross shopped the forester with the prius, but found it too cramped after driving a Mazda MPV, which honestly, I miss a lot. But I like the Vrius. I haven't driven in it, but have sat in it for quite a bit at a local dealer and am thinking through the plusses (cheaper on the fuel) and minuses (back seats aren't as supportive as the SF10).

So here are my thoughts for those shopping. People have said it's similar to the SF10. It's true in a lot of ways. The back area feels the same height. Both cars fail my "can I sit and work in the back with the seats down without hunching over" test, which requires about 27" of height. Widths felt similar, though I think the Forester has the Vrius by an inch or 2, but the Vrius has the Forester in length by more than that.

I was sad to see that the back seats don't fold flat. That's frustrating for me, as I'd like to know I could camp in it at a trail head if need be.

The rear seats, as mentioned, don't quite have the thigh support of the rear seats of the forester (which are much better than the front seats, which seem to be made of plywood planks--I have hamstring issues and the seat is only comfortable with a foam wedge--that's in the SF10). The seats scootch back nicely and recline nicely (the sf10 reclines but doesn't scootch), but it's odd that the front seats are very low and you can't really stick your shoes under the front seats of the Vrius, mind you I wear size 12 shoes. It's not uncomfortable in the back, but I'm not sure how it would be after hours back there. Like the SF10 there are no rear vents in Vrius (points here would go to the Mazda 5, which I know people are comparing it with).

That's okay, the front seat is where I live, and the dog will settle in the back seat. The seat felt narrower, but very supportive. I didn't drive it, but will report on that when I do. Good lumbar support (much better than the sf10) and I like the layout of controls a lot, though it will take some getting used to no displays in front of the driver. The center arm rest is well placed and hides a huge cavern for nick nacks. Not as great as dedicated captain chair armrests, but better than most suv chairs I've tried. It's very high, feels like the great wall of china between the passenger and driver. I'm delighted that the flying buttress is gone. I'd love a larger flatter passage between passenger and driver, but c'est la vie (I swear I read somewhere the center storage could be removed and used as a pass through, but maybe I'm thinking o some other vehicle). One odd feature is that the very thoughtful holder for the iphone is kind of buried under the center stack. It's almost not visible from the drivers POV. Not sure how accessible it will be there (esp. since I plan on using siri not toyotari primarily as my voice control system).

After the SF10 the Vrius felt like I was sitting lower relative to the front window. It wasn't uncomfortable, but people should just know it's not as high up as the subie, which has 1st class visibility. This feels like much improved visibility from the Prius 3rd Gen, however, in all directions.

Will have to price it all out, see how the seats feel after a 20 min drive, and think about whether it's worth the quick turn around on my vehicle... But I am tempted!!!

From Tacoma, WA,

Matthew

 

Yup! This isn't a complaint, just a comparison of riding position relative to the subaru.

 

Yup it's on my list. I've heard mixed things about subaru's cvt. but definitely very attractive, THOUGH the Privs with it's forester sized capacity remains a strong contender! The new impreza wont be at dealers until late november according to my dealer.