Aussie Needs Help Deciding! Model S or Prius?

welcome!

cost is not the primary concern, and what will the second vehicle be?

 

Welcome!
A Prius prefers to be driven rather than sitting around. Being idle for long periods of time may cause battery issues.

I know @alanclarkeau is in Australia and has a 2016 Prius. He may be able to better answer some of your questions or direct you. I have tagged him so he will see this thread.

I believe Toyota's plugin, the Prius PHV ( Prius Prime in North America & here) is not available in Australia. I believe you may have a Corolla Hybrid, though.

 

Welcome - I'm in Sunny Queensland, south east corner (which I think has been cooler than you guys in the south).

If it was only for 10km/day + weekend, I don't think you could really justify a PRIUS (<$40,000). I do 16,000km/yr and I'm marginal with making it worth getting a PRIUS over say a CERATO, FOCUS, GOLF or i30.

If I were doing 120km/day 7 days a week, PRIUS would be ideal.

PRIUS is a HYBRID car, it has a large battery pack, it has 2 electric motors supplemented by a petrol motor driving the wheels through a very simple epicyclic gear-train - it effectively is a Constant Velocity drive-train, with the 3 power sources varying their speeds to seamlessly drive the car. The petrol motor runs maybe 70-80% of the time, but not driving the car alone, but assisted by the electric motors - which is why it is about twice as economical as say a CERATO or COROLLA.

PRIUS doesn't plug into the wall - they do have a version overseas which does.

But if you want a Plug-In HYBRID here, I think you've got Mitsusbishi Outlander PHEV truck, AUDI e-TRON, BMW 330e, MERC (??not sure which model - C Class I think) - or a VOLVO XC90 Hybrid which is close to the TESLA starting $$$. BUT - Hyundai IONIQ is due to be released in Australia mid 2018 - both in a HYBRID form as well as a PLUG-IN HYBRID. I looked at Plug-In Hybrids when I bought 19 months ago, but wasn't prepared to put up almost double the $$$ for one, or drive a truck (Outlander). I've got roof-top SOLAR at home, so will look seriously at IONIQ when it arrives. Reportedly, IONIQ is very similar in both economy and size to PRIUS, but with a Plug-In version.

TESLA is big $$$ - the new Nissan LEAF isn't here yet, but maybe late 2018. It has had good reports overseas, expected to be about 1/3 the price of TESLA and with nearly the same range as the base TESLA - NISSAN Australia's website has a bit of info I believe.

My PRIUS, with a mix of 65% motorway/35% suburban/city has averaged 4.1l/100k over 26,000km. I'm retired, so try to avoid peak-hour traffic which is where PRIUS actually improves - but a normal car gets worse. If I go for a drive in heavy traffic to Sunshine Coast return (250km), it will average about 3.6l/100.

(My wife with an Automatic FOCUS is averaging about 8.5 with a similar mix of driving. Brother-in-law, similar mix in a VW GOLF is averaging about 7l/100km.)

As a car, it is quite a good drive - but not ground-breaking - a little different from driving a normal hatchback - have a long test-drive, so you get used to the drive-train.

It has some great technology - RADAR Cruise, HeadsUp display, lane wandering detection Auto Emergency Braking etc. The top model (and extra $8000!!) has blind-spot detection and a few other extras. I find the seats aren't as good as some other cheaper hatchbacks (or new CAMRY HYBRID), and I don't like the RADIO/CD which is simply a piece of touch-sensitive glass, with no tactile buttons or knobs other than a couple of buttons on the steering wheel, and the "pseudo buttons" on the screen, which change position and function depending - like your smartphone, but unlike a smartphone, you don't want to be continually looking. TOYOTA has listened to the gripes about the "no-button/knob" infotainment, and put a proper outfit in the new CAMRY HYBRID.

Handling and roadholding, a little held back by the ECO tyres isn't as good as say FOCUS, but I guess on-par with CERATO (both of which were close-runners when I bought last year).

 

Hello @Chris_007b welcome to Prius Chat. There are a few Australian members on here, but I think with the Prius Hatchback there is a 1.8 litre internal combustion which charges the Hybrid Vehicle Battery without the need to ever plug into the grid to charge up.

PS, my post was interupted by prolonged family phone call coming in.

 

TRUE - we don't get the Plug-In version.

 

did someone shut chris down?

 

Do you know of another Aussie here who might be closer to the OP ?

 

@bisco Last seen 7hrs 2p mins ago.....

 

Chris_007b I am in North America so actual model numbers won't match but the fundamental cars are similar.

The more you drive, the 'cheaper' the Prius will be. If you are only going 10 km, the engine will still be warming up, and not in the most economical mood. No matter how cold it is outside by 30 km the engine is warmed up and driving economically. from there until infinity (or you run out of gas) you get very good fuel economy. (I have a graph that starts at 0 MPG and climbs to a 50+ MPG plateau, You would start at a infinitely high liters/100Kms and sink to a very low plain of liters/100kms over time. 10 kms is not going to be enough to reach that plain year round, I would be surprised if it was not JUST reaching the plain in Summer.

For the 10 kms every day driver, I would not hope to ever make back my hybrid investment. The 120 kms weekends will prove it CAN be economical, but not happen often enough for payback. I would get the cheapest car that she enjoyed. (buying her a car she does not enjoy is always a bad plan)

120 kms 6 days a week is much more a range where you will spend plenty of time on that low plain of low fuel usage. I drove 55 miles each way, which I am translating as 180 km a day, and paid for my Prius in 3 years versus buying a cheaper car that got normal fuel economy. (I am skipping the math as almost all the units are different between the US and AUS, I will convert badly, I just know it)

For you the green line would descend, rather than climb as I use distance per volume (MPG) and you use volume per distance. (L/100km)


For many drivers, this graph is hopelessly complicated by elevation gain, speed limit changes, etc. I live on an alluvial plain where I gain 30 meters in 250 km of driving at 90 km/h, so my graph is simpler.

 

no, sorry.

 

me neither.

 

Unless he drives a lot more than he stated, a Hybrid may not be in his best interest.

 

Welcome to the forum!
Great questions, unfortunately I know little about the grid or direction of energy in Australia.
There are a number of thing to consider. First, double check the availability of chargers where you travel. There are a number of Superchargers by the coast that may meet your needs.
Second, are you considering new only, or also used?

Off hand, your best bet may be getting a Prius (is a Prius Prime an option?). That may allow you to accelerate your long term solar plan. Then when it is time to retire the Prius, or Prime, the Model 3, along with other options may give you many more choices.

Alternatively, if the expenditure wouldn’t delay the solar panels and the grid is cleaner than, or the same as the gasoline for you, the Model S is a game changer.

The Prime may be a nice intermediary. As most days you could be under electric power. On the longer trips, you will use some gas, but you have the flexibility.

The priority of solar panels depends a bit on the amount of renewables that are part of your grid. If the grid doesn’t have many renewables, the solar panels become a higher priority and the Prius/Prime looks like a clearer winner.

Clear as mud, right

 

Sadly, PRIME isn't in TOYOTA's sights - they've said NO to us. Probably because there is very little interest in EVs, PHEVs or indeed Hybrids here - absolutely no concessions or incentives, and very little infrastructure.

There are almost no EVs available - TESLA and i3 (and i8) I think is about it. LEAF and iMiev stopped coming about 4 years ago.

BUT - there are some other PHEVs coming - IONIQ is coming soon, and VW is talking about the PHEV GOLF. And the new LEAF is coming but not for another 12 months, and maybe the RENAULT EV.

 

Sorry to hear that. How clean is the grid power in Sydney?

 

Sorry, not sure, but getting greener by the year. I believe traditionally it has been primarily Black coal - with some hydro. In recent years, there has been an expansion of SOLAR, both in farms and rooftop, Gas, Biomas, wind, landfill biogas and a new hydro scheme proposed - etc. The tricky bit is that there is a grid connection to Queensland and Victoria which could mess up any calculations.

 

and with model s, make sure you are comfortable with supercharger locations.

whoops, i see that you said public chargers are few. how much do you pay for electricity and petrol?

 

@hkmb is a Prius owner in Sydney, I think. Perhaps he can add some local perspective.