Is Gen 5 Prius really better-looking than Gen 4 Prius Prime?

The aerodynamic design of the Model Y is impressive. And I should be very happy about it. And maybe one day I will be.

But I'm an old sourpuss, and right now the car market is pretty sad. It's sad because on the one hand everything is very expensive and only getting worse as it caters to richer and richer people, leaving the rest of us without options. And at the same time, it's sad because it's ruining the environment. As a result, buying a car that feels reasonable in things like price, practicality and impact on the environment just seems impossible.

 

Common sense dictates that questions of subjectivity and taste can not be shoe-horned into an objective discussion.
It's foolhardy to try.

For the record, I dislike the looks of a Tesla, especially from the rear; the narrow passenger area sitting atop the wider wheel base looks like wasted space. But in the words of the Dude, "That's like my opinion man."

 

Oh man! That brings back memories when the Prius Prime first came out with the Prime name. I wanted one so bad. There were discounts, federal and state, that dropped the price a bunch. And, while those rebates were factored into Colorado pricing, there were Prius Primes that were much cheaper in states over on the East Coast. But I figured that 1) I probably wouldn't get the whole incentive, since it was based on taxes owed that I don't make enough to owe, and 2) I kind of needed 5 seats. So that's how I ended up getting a used 2013 Nissan Leaf, then gave up on that and traded it in for a 2013 Toyota Avalon hybrid. My first EV and first hybrid.

Yeah, they sound like good ideas: more safety, more better. But then again, everything costs money, and here we go into that conversation where everyone judges you because you could go make more money elsewhere and be able to afford health insurance, and nicer cars, and nicer homes, and this and that, but in my own personal situation, no, I cannot. I cannot afford a new car, I cannot afford a new Tesla Model Y, period. And in reality, if I suddenly needed a car right now, $5,000 would be my budget, and I would have to stick to that budget as best as I possibly could.

And I don't care if someone on this forum comes in and starts judging me for my work choices, because I work from about 7 a.m. to about 11 p.m. at least 5 days a week, and at times I still have to get up in the middle of the night and go help fix some other problem, and I just simply cannot do anymore. Maybe I don't get paid for it all, not even most of it. But it's what I got to do, and I cannot afford a nice new car with the latest safety, period, unless I dump my family that literally depends on me and go make the big bucks just for me.

Yeah... I'm not that kind of guy. I have a Nissan Pathfinder that's roomy. I don't really like the vehicle personally. The Avalon feels roomy. But I'd be happy in an old VW Beetle or VW Rabbit, as far as space goes.

What does bother me about space and makes me feel kind of "claustrophobic," if you will, is how cluttered cars feel these days. The Teslas are a bit better, but then again, get rid of that center console please. There is no transmission down there, no need to cover it up. I'd love to have the Beetle or Rabbit interior once again. No touchscreen, no center console, dash is about 8 inches from top to bottom, and if I want something on the dash or between the seats I can add it myself.

 

At $20 a pop, don’t get me started.

I always get a kick out of it, when someone thinks they have me pegged, btw. You take the cake.

 

As good as current cars are, this gap in the market is painful.

An inexpensive but good car without a lot of frills, a poor fellow's car, is the market most young people learned to swim in unless they had well above average mechanical aptitude. My first Golf had a radio "kit" by which VW meant speakers, but not a radio, and no AC. Somehow, VW managed to include a spare, a jack and a wrench. It didn't tell me to look at the road, or steer for me or brake if I got close to the car ahead, or tell me the tire pressure from the driver's seat which did not give me a massage and wasn't heated. I could change the oil without jacking it up, and the oil and filters were cheap, so I changed it often.

It was great.

 

Even though the Gen 5 has been out a few years, now, I rarely see one....I see more Gen 3'd than 5's and a whole lot of Gen 4's.

It seems like the sedans are a dying breed....SUV's and trucks. (Might be where I live, though.)

 

Yeah, I'm glad you got something you liked. I can dream, and maybe someday I'll be the one getting something I like.

The Gen 4 Prius Prime just looked awesome in my opinion. Better than the Gen 5. But the Prime also looked better than the normal Gen 3 and Gen 4 Prius.

Man! If I had a plug-in style Prius, that would be so awesome! Maybe someday.
Make it a plug-in Corolla or Camry, and I might sell a kidney to get one.