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Question for Prime Owners

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by tedjohnson, Oct 29, 2019.

  1. tedjohnson

    tedjohnson Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2010
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    Location:
    Greenfield MA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    As a 4 previous Prius's owner: I ask - has the Prime been worth the giving up of a spare tire, the under the back storage space, having a flat back to sleep on when needed, and the strangely complex and soon to be broken front bumper? Unable to afford even a used Tesla model 3 , so am wondering about a Prime and what the experience has been. Thanks, Ted
     
  2. Jamesb93612

    Jamesb93612 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2013
    133
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    Location:
    Clovis, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I like the Prime. It’s a great car. I work out of my car and drive a little over 22,000 miles a year. Not having a spare tire is not really an issue for me. In my 24 years of driving, I have never had the need to have a spare tire. I never sleep in my car so the uneven floor is not an issue. I will say that the low front bumper seems to catch everything. I have had vehicles throw up objects that hit the front (tire pieces and a hubcap) so much front is looking pretty beat up. Good thing is that most of the front is modular so replacing parts is not bad, just expensive. This is my second Prius and am looking to go full electric very soon.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    don't forget the 3" raised hatch floor
     
  4. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2019
    575
    595
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    Location:
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    It really depends on your situation. My daily commute is within the roughly 20-30 mi all-electric range of the Prime, so I've been driving it like an EV. The last time I filled the gas tank was April.

    As for the raised hatch floor, you can make do some workarounds to get a flat sleeping surface:
     
  5. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    2,306
    1,328
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    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I sure as heck love our ‘Prime!

    I wouldn’t be concerned about the lack of a spare; I personally haven’t had to change a tire on the road for ... 25-30 years, best I can recall.

    The raised trunk floor is probably the most unfortunate part, but it’s not a huge concern, all in all.

    The most important value to me, other than using almost no gas, is that I’m putting so little wear and tear on the engine, meaning that this car could potentially >300K miles. (I may or may not personally put all 300K onto it myself, but...)
     
  6. CraigCSJ

    CraigCSJ Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2004
    287
    144
    0
    Location:
    San Bernardino, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I was able to make a plywood board that evened the back for sleeping. It hooks on passenger headrest and raised cargo floor, and stores on cargo floor when both back seats are up.
     
  7. evpv

    evpv Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2010
    689
    337
    8
    Location:
    West Coast
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    My Prime is vastly superior to my old Gen 3. Handles better, quieter, smoother, much better seats, 1000 miles on 9 gallons, and electric mode feels much more zippy.

    I lost some storage but I bought an organizer that works well. The trunk is bigger than it looks.
     
    Chrisgen1, bisco and mikey_t like this.
  8. Prim.e.xample

    Prim.e.xample Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2019
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    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XLE
    I came from a 4Runner and am surprised how much I can fit in my Prime. Of course you have to work a little more, but I wasn’t concerned about the lifted back. I have a short commute (7 minutes) and the EV range is perfect for me. I don’t sleep in mine. YMMV


    iPhone ?
     
  9. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 26, 2017
    710
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    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    What has been most important to me is having the opportunity to drive an EV without the cost and range anxiety of a pure EV; at least compared to what was available in 2017. A couple of years down the road I may trade it for a Tesla, or possibly a RAV4 PHEV.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
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    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Far and away the best car I've ever owned. Probably the best I've ever driven or ridden in. And at 66 years of age, I've been in plenty of cars. There have been numerous times when I've had to change a tire on the road, so I bought and carry a donut spare fastened to a D-ring I mounted in the cargo area.
     
    mr88cet, noonm and bisco like this.