AWD XLE or Prime XSE?

How far are the trips you do take? If short enough that nearly all your miles are on electric, maintenance of the engine side is something to consider. Maybe even consider a BEV. Range loss is a thing for winter, but most available have well over 100 or 200 miles of range.

As for the AWD vs FWD Prius, I'd think you would be fine with just FWD between the winter tires, low need to be out in the snow, and second car with AWD.

 

I find it’s neck-and-neck, going from 17” Michelin Primacy MXM4 in spring/summer/fall, to 15” Michelin X-Ice through winter.

 

what are you driving now?

 

Here , 4 winter tires are mandatory , does not care if its AWD,FWD or propulsion. Major EV range hit is more important with outside temperature ..could be a 20 to 25% range reduction. (Heatpump working harder)
My 4 winter tires are mounted on steel wheels , being heavier than the original wheels and tire , I suffer an additionnal 8 to 10% range reduction.I live in a suburb and FWD is ok even in very dense snowfall .If you don't climb a mountain every day , you should be Ok with a FWD.
So january and feburary is tough for the Prime range but very good in spring, summer and autumn. For my needs , on a yearly base I drive 75% of the time on EV .ON very cold spells the ICE kicks in to keep me cosy , and keeping the windshield defrosted as the heatpump cannot deliever enough heat.

 

On another note, the Prime has significantly more horsepower, especially for the emoter. Is that something you can actually really feel in many situations?

 

I faced the same choice and went AWD HEV. For me it was the temps that made tipped the balance.

I live in ND and the average daily high temps are below 40 five months out of the year, and the daily low temps are below 40 seven months of the year. I know there's some set temp where the Prime will automatically run its ICE on startup no matter if the batt is full or not. That meant there was a good chance I would lose the benefits of the PHEV for a third of the year or more.

Plus, 80-90% of my usual trips are less than two miles(the remainder are 50+ miles). Normally that would be a positive for the Prime, but not if it's so cold the ICE ends up running for the majority of the trip anyway.

I will also likely do more winter highway driving than the OP, so the AWD is worth a little more to me.

Finally, I was able to find an HEV with the exact option/color combination I was looking for back in April. I knew it was going to be six months or more before I was going to have any real chance at finding a Prime fitted out just as well.

If I lived in a milder climate where I could have taken better advantage of the PHEV, I probably would have gone the other way and gotten a Prime. I lived over 10 years up here with a FWD gen3 and got around just fine with all-weather tires(Nokian WRG3 & WRG4), so the AWD is a nice bonus, but it's not something critical.

 

Neither! For a few bucks get the limited AWD! 2500 miles under my belt this is my third Prius by far the nicest quietest, comfortable, best looking and fastest I’ve had still getting in the upper 40s MPG and I like sport mode !The limited has features you can’t get on any others, only a suggestion do your research and get what you like! I’m in the same boat if the weather gets bad I don’t have to go anywhere and if I do, I’ll take my wife’s RAV4 hybrid! Hope you can find one. What are the dealers telling you about wait time or availability? I also thought about an EV, but with the weather here, just not worth it! I am in the upper Midwest temperature sometimes below freezing!

 

Traffic Jam Assist on the prime is a nice feature I don't think is available on the non prime. I have never really enjoyed sitting in traffic but the couple times I have used it really took the stress out of it. Something to consider.

 

Good point. Living in ND, it obviously wasn't a big selling point for me. lol. But for someone living in a more dense area, I could see the appeal.

 

We have two Prius' ('Prii?") and the 2017 is front-wheel drive and my 2021 is AWD. AWD is better, by a bit, on snowy roads but it really makes a difference on icy roads....huge improvement.
So if your area can get icy, I'd go with the AWD....and, no, I don't put winter tires on her, just all-season tires.

 

Picking up a loaded XLE AWD Wind Chill Pearl tomorrow morning! I’m getting out of a ‘23 F-150. Got the Prius for $36,239 + ttl. Found one dealer within 300 miles with no add ons or mark up aside from their doc fee with one in stock. Pretty excited to get into an economical vehicle.

 

My purchase of a Prius Prime was based on being to use it as an EV for commuting, and a hybrid for longer trips.

That's what we've been doing for the last 2 years with my rav4prime, and what we will also be doing with the Prius.

I can't speak to your utility rates, but running the rav4prime has been really inexpensive. I charge at off peak hours on a level 2 home changer. Pretty well the only time we burn gas is when we are more than a 40km radius from home, like when we venture out of town.

I honestly don't see the point of a Prius if you don't buy the plug in.... unless the utility rates are a big factor. In which case, maybe you shouldn't be looking at the Prius at all. The Corolla variants have essentially the same powerplant, are cheaper, and in the case of the Corolla Cross, have more cargo room.

So Prius prime or Prius awd? Prime, or get something else.

 

I totally agree and my Prius Prime purchase was based on the same reason as yours . But in my province choosing a Prime versus the hybrid version is kind of a no brainer because of goverment incentives makes the Prime cheaper the the regular hybrid...don't think that the OP has access to incentives , he lives in the USA
as for corolla variants ,utility rates I agree with you.OP is facing also above MSRP price scam in some USmarkets.

 

What year, condition, and is it paid off?