If only price is considered, is the prime a better deal?

I had the same debate before getting my prime premium.

It was either a Prius 3 or 4, or the Prime premium. The prime was actually cheaper than either option even before the $4500 federal tax rebate. I also got the prime without intending to charge it on a daily basis.

I think the biggest drawbacks of the prime are what you mentioned. No 5th seat, small cargo area, and I guess the visibility isn’t that great out of the back because of the weird hatch window. Those weren’t really an issue for me, and were offset with the better looks (IMO) and better price.

 

Yeah, the disadvantages mentioned are pretty much all the Prime has compared to the Prius. There is also a lack of a spare tire, which depends on the exact Prius trim being considered. That is minor if the cargo space and seating is acceptable though.

 

You do not mention how far you drive in a typical week, but I think a Prime sounds good for you. In the next ten years, more chargers will be built.

 

it depends on where you shop. if you buy in the northeast, most definitely.

if not, you have a lot of math to do.

 

In 2016, I was interested in a Prius ECO with TSS-P which did not exist. That was the one Prius that did not have it so after trying to sell me a Prius Level Three with TSS-P and a useless moonroof, I bought an end of lease, BMW i3-REx and kept our 2010 as backup. Then in December, the BMW i3-REx broke a motor mount bolt and I had to revert to the Prime.

I so hated the lack of dynamic cruise control and automatic braking, that I found, bought, and drove the Prime 1200 miles back home. I sold the 2010 Prius to another PriusChat member. Notice that four seats, it is just my wife and I and lack of a full-size spare played no part in the decision. I carry the full size spare in the rear seat, passenger-side with the seat folded.

But these are our requirements and one size does not fit all. FYI, I also had a 2" receiver installed to carry my wife's wheel chair outside the car. I have thought about carrying the spare on an external, carrier but then what do I do when I have to bring my wife and her wheel chair?

Bob Wilson

 

a car industry dilemma

 

visibility out of all prius is bad. not sure about prime vs lift back gen 4

 

Let's face it the Prime is not the first choice for camping/sleeping in the rear.
Prius Gen2-4 and PiP has histroically been great for camping but not Prime, unless there are some threads I missed.

 

Either fold the rear seats down or remove the head-rests.

Bob Wilson

 

Some states/counties charge a premium to register plug-in veh's to recoup lost gasoline tax revenue. In Colorado, it's $50/year.

 

Visibility is a personal issue, since we aren't all the same shape or like the same seat position. There are lots of complaints about the split rear window in all Prii. I personally never had an issue with that in the gen2. I found the A pillars could block cars and people while I was making a turn though. You'll have to sit test the cars for yourself.

While to loss of cargo space may not be an issue in terms of volume, the loss is due to the cargo floor being raised in the Prime. When the seats are down, there is several inches in height difference between the seat backs and floor, which would likely be an issue for camping.

Most tire punctures can be fixed by a plug kit, and they aren't that hard to use. You'll need to supply at least pliers and a utility knife to go with it for road side use. Plus a good compressor, since I think the one that comes with the car will only work with the goo.

The rear head rests are an issue for visibility in many US spec cars because of our whiplash standards. If you are willing to spend the money, the Euro spec ones are low profile.

Rear seat Prime.


In Europe.

 

Even my minivan has that issue with headrest visibility...I am always taking them off and have to remember to put them back for PAX.

 

If you can live with 4 seats and less cargo space, and you can get tax rebate, then Prime is a better deal.

 

Remember, you can "tip" down the headrests on the back seats, and thereby get considerably better visibility out the back.


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AChoiredTaste.com

 

Wow, I had no idea haha. Thank you!