Keep Prius v or trade for Prius?

A lot depends on the condition and mileage of the cars. If you like the better ride and room of the v, keep it. Financially the existing v is sure to be the best bet. The 2016 and 2017 v's were the best years.

If there are significant safety features in the proposed Prius that are not in the current v, that could be a factor. MPG would not be a decision maker for me.

 

Switching will cost. The v is a versatile people/cargo mover; give it a chance.

 

Out of curiosity, I checked Fuelly.com to see the MPG reported for a 2016 Prius v as compared to that reported for a 2016 Prius liftback. The difference is actually 13.5 MPG, 38.1 vs. 51.6, which is more than I expected. On the other hand, both are probably more fuel efficient than 90% of the cars on the road, so there is no reason for you to feel guilty, and trading in a newly purchased vehicle is never a winning proposition, financially. I'm betting now that you've had the more spacious car for 4 weeks, the minute you trade it in, you will regret losing the extra space.

 

The v has bigger tires and a feature called pitch and bounce control for a better ride. It has more interior room and a much nicer back seat. Financially, you are likely to lose money trading the v even though you have had it only a month. The v is not an appreciating asset although all decent used cars are in demand right now.

Safety features mean things like automatic braking and lane departure that were standard on the 2018 trim 2 but not on the 2016 Prius v trim 3.

So the 2016 v should be less cost and a bigger car with a better ride, but the 2018 will be newer and include advanced safety features along with higher mpg. The 2018 is a newer gen4 design versus the older gen3 2016 v. The 2018's big improvement is in the engine even though they are both 1.8L. Essentially the gen4 engines have resolved some common high mile reliability issues of the gen3s and the newer design improves mpg.

Overall the 2018 is a more advanced and more reliable version. Plus the advanced safety features and higher mpg. The 2016 v is bigger, better ride and already yours. If you asked before you bought the v, I would say buy the newer 2018. The price difference may be the deciding factor now.

 

How many miles a year do you drive?

The V is also wider than the standard Prius.

 

If environmental concerns are the primary factor, you could go BEV, notwithstanding the charge power is not universally ‘green’, although not without switching costs and possibly, compromises on range and convenience.

 

Hello fellow Tennesseean! Once the cold weather goes away, and you learn how to drive the v efficiently you can easily get into the upper 40’s mpg. I loved my v!

The combination of room and fuel economy is honestly amazing!

 

Some time back I queried McGeorge Toyota Parts website for piston and piston ring part no's, for various years of the Prius v. As far as I can see, the model year 2015 was when Toyota switched to revised pistons/rings, the ones used as remedy in the 3rd gen Prius oil consumption TSB:

 

Right, as I suggested, the 2016-17 v were the v's best years but still had a slew of reliability issues at high miles (>150k). When someone asks, I prefer not to sugar coat it. The old egr remains in the 2016, the intake design was questionable, inverters, brake actuators and other engineering flaws were recognized and redesigned. Meanwhile gen4 advanced safety features were standard in a 2018 along with better mileage.

 

Figure out how many years will it take you to drive to 150,000 in the v. If you financed it, determine if it will be mostly or entirely paid off in that number of years. If so, your good, keep and drive the v. It will still be worth enough for a good down payment on the next car. At that point you can buy a new or almost new car. Probably a nice Rav4 Prime with full electric around town or even a full EV.

Now for the good news. The v is a good solid car - you treat it right it will treat you right. And it won't talk back to you unless you push the voice button and tell it where to go. Brakes are likely to last until you sell it. It has great ac and heating and an easy touch on the pedals will give you 42 mpg.

The ride is better, the back seat and cargo room are great, good tires like Michelin will last 90k miles, there are no belts to fail AND it still has a Toyota battery, inverter and abs warranty.

My 2012 v still has factory fresh paint and interior with absolutely no rust. A neighbor recently asked if I bought a new car. I just polished the headlights and washed the car. Yours will be the same four years from now.

You are highly unlikely to have any problems until sometime after 150k-200k miles. Assuming you change the oil every 5k miles - no matter what. At 100k-120k. you might find an independent Prius mechanic and have him change the fluids, spark plugs and clean the egr cooler. Do the egr cooler first and get the rest done by 120k miles.

Even though I know the problems that can happen, its because my 2012 v has 250k miles on it, I have had high mile failures and I have monitored this forum and other Prius resources since 2008. I have easily saved enough gas and maintenance costs to pay a mechanic to fix my car's "senior" moments. With savings left over. The seniors over at Consumers Reports call it a very good car from a cost of ownership standpoint. I am going for 300k. But I can take an occasional Prius tantrum every now and then and I live in a cheap labor state, primarily because of hard working immigrants.

Plus the brakes are original and insurance is reasonable.