Considering leaving TDi for Prius......

Hip001 · Mar 22, 2017

bhtooefr said: ↑

As a TDI refugee myself (although I had a base model 99.5 Golf, and went to a 2016 Prius Three), here's what I'd suggest of the Prius line:

2016-2017 Prius Four with Advanced Technology Package (has all of the equipment you're looking for)
2016-2017 Prius Four Touring (has everything except the sunroof, but you also get slightly stiffer shocks and 17" wheels)
2011-2017 Lexus CT 200h (can be had with all of the equipment you're looking for, less efficient than the others, smaller)

If she's used to a 2006 Jetta, I don't know that she'll be happy with a Gen 3 (2010-2015) Prius or a Prius v. Given the dog hauling duty, I also don't recommend the Prius Prime, but it might be worth taking a look at anyway - the cargo configuration is seriously compromised by the battery location, but if your dogs fit anyway...

I rather strongly disliked the 2017 Volt that I test drove, between suspension calibration being far, far too soft, the extremely poor outward visibility endemic to almost everything GM's making nowadays, and the cabin ergonomics just not feeling right. Also, the interior is rather cramped, with an unusable back seat - that didn't bother me much, my other car's a Miata, but it would rule the car out for a lot of people. Cargo room's decent, though, at least.

Regarding the Bolt, make sure that the seats are comfortable for her on a longer test drive on the exact car you're planning to buy - apparently seat quality is fairly variable, and some of the seats don't have stiff enough padding. If that's the case, the plastic frame of the seat will dig in, and it'll be very uncomfortable.

You might look at the Ford C-Max Hybrid, too. The Energi has bad battery packaging (maybe worse even than the Prime), so it's harder to recommend for your situation. It'll be a fair bit faster than the Priuses, at 188-195 system horsepower, but it's taller, reducing efficiency.

If you're a glutton for punishment (if you own four Mercedes diesels and five TDIs, yeah, you might be) and don't care about getting crap mileage when the gas engine fires, she might like the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron - it's basically a plug-in hybrid Golf. You're looking at about 35 mpg on premium when the (1.4 turbo) engine's running, and about 16 miles all electric range, though. (Compare to 25 miles all electric range on the Prius Prime with the same size battery...) Battery packaging is far better than the Prime, though, with basically as much cargo room as a standard Mk7 Golf. It's also quite a bit faster, at 204 system horsepower instead of the 121 system horsepower of the Gen 4 and Prime. If your wife doesn't like the CVT behavior of the Prius, C-Max, or Volt (although the Volt will behave slightly differently), the A3 has a 6-speed DSG (actually, if your Jetta has one, it's the same transmission family).

There's also looking at the Ioniq line, but I've got no familiarity with them. 6-speed DCT there, too. 130ish system horsepower, but their DCT actually makes them slower than the Priuses. Note that the hybrid system ends up only having 60 or so hp in electric mode on the upcoming plug-in hybrid version, whereas the other PHEVs have significantly more (at least 90ish for the Prime and C-Max Energi, 102 on the A3, and full (150) on the Volt).
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Thank you so much for all the info. I was just a casual Prius admirer till now and am trying to process all the info. We just found out the the TDI not only dropped a valve, it also holed the piston so repair is not likely gonna be something cost effective. I may go drive the 2017 Prius today while the wife is at work so i can get a handle on the differences. May also look at the Rav4 hybrid (if the have one) cause she has mentioned suv a few times. My wife is currently driving my 1997 F150 getting 17mpg. Being use to the 40+ mpg in the TDI, im sure she would love the mpg in a Prius. Again, Thank You all so much for replies!!!

Aaron Vitolins · Mar 22, 2017

Hip001 said: ↑

Thank you so much for all the info. I was just a casual Prius admirer till now and am trying to process all the info. We just found out the the TDI not only dropped a valve, it also holed the piston so repair is not likely going to be something cost effective. I may go drive the 2017 Prius today while the wife is at work so i can get a handle on the differences. May also look at the Rav4 hybrid (if the have one) cause she has mentioned suv a few times. My wife is currently driving my 1997 F150 getting 17mpg. Being use to the 40+ mpg in the TDI, im sure she would love the mpg in a Prius. Again, Thank You all so much for replies!!!
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I'm sitting in the waiting room at the Toyota dealership right now (getting the reverse beep turned off.. thank God!) and just checked out the Avalon hybrid. Beautiful car! Smells like a Lexus inside too!

HPrimeAdvanced · Mar 22, 2017

Prodigyplace said: ↑

I would expect Prius reliability from that too.
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Yeah but service is MUCH more expensive and it just doesn't handle as well as the Prius Plug-in (at least in 2012). I was frankly stunned by the difference between the two cars and came away with the feeling that the Prius was a much better car than the Lexus CT2500h, and a much better price, and HOV sticker, and incentives!
Depending on how big your dogs are, I would take a serious look at the Prius Prime Advanced. You may find your dream car here.

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Considering leaving TDi for Prius......

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Considering leaving TDi for Prius......

Hip001 Junior Member

Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member