Prius V or Camry Hybrid 2012? Can't Decide!

ParDreamer – I also transitioned from a GEN II Prius as my personal daily driver. The Prius v is many decibels quieter than was the GEN II or GEN III Prius, and the extra size with air bags makes it a bit more safer than the smaller sized Prius Sedan, Prius PIH or Prius c. I have driven and evaluated both the Prius V and the Camry Hybrid. Trust me on this, especially with a new baby coming, buy the Prius v “v”onder “v”agon not the Camry Hybrid.

For openers, the v (vee) beats the HyCam on Hybrid Functions Instrumentation & Displays to facilitate you driving it Hybrid $mart and Max’ing your MPGs. The “v”ersatile v (vee) is a “Caddy In A Kimono,” which also beats the Camry Hybrid with its limousine-esque passenger cabin area room, which is very Child Seat Friendly & Accessible and driver, “Shot Gun” seat passenger, and rear passenger comfortable. Additionally, it has “v”oluminous “Washing Machine In A Box” Cargo (Trunk) hauling space in the back, which is suitable for that new puppy your may eventually get for your soon to be arriving Princess daughter.

I invite you to visit our “Caddy In A Kimono” group at: [caddy_in-a_kimono : Prius v ("vee&quot ]

P.S.: If, perchance, your ParDreamer moniker says you are a golfer, you can haul Mega-Tonnage of Golf Clubs in the cargo area.

 

Congratulations on the new baby! My wife is expecting twins in September, and our v is the answer to that. We wanted something that would not only comfortably fit two rear-facing child seats, but also have a lot of cargo space and get good mileage. The v is really the only option that fits all three of those criteria. (There are a couple other hybrid SUVs - Lexus, Highlander - that get relatively better mileage than their gas-only counterparts, but the absolute mileage is really not impressive compared to the v, and the purchase price is much higher...)
If you don't do any long trips, or if you really don't think you'll need the cargo space, the Camry might be a better choice: a recent thread here suggests that it's slightly faster, slightly more comfortable, and slightly better-appointed than the v. But the v definitely wins in terms of cargo space and versatility, and has a slight edge in overall gas mileage. If you weren't satisfied with the amount of space in your standard Prius, I think the v would be a better option for you. Check out the thread linked above for more details.
Have fun with your little girl, and good luck with your decision!
Andy

 

I test drove both. Each has different strengths/weaknesses. I felt the Camry Hybrid drove much more "car-like", had better handling, and acceleration, but also had less space, and I personally felt the styling was a bit too pedestrian for my taste.
The Prius V has much more space, better gas mileage, and I enjoy the styling more. I did have concerns about the "drive" but having purchased one and driven it for 500+ miles now, those concerns have been alleviated. I just focus on the things I love about the car: gas mileage, technology, space, which make me forget about the less than exhilarating drive. Good luck!

 

La seat, toujuors la seat. Seats in the Prius are uncomfortable for many. Lots of threads on it. So if "better ride" equals comfort, getting a Camry with power seats would be the ticket. Prius V doesn't have them. Prius III does have them.

 

Prius v was the answer to my "what do I do about the new baby?" question. We, comically, tried to fit the Chicco Snugfit 30 infant seat in our MINI. I'm definitely hoping that the v arrives before the baby does in Aug.

 

Fees tend to be Transportation costs, registration fees as you are having the Car Dealership register the car to you. License Fee for the license plate (I believe). This is generally what hikes up the MSRP at the end.

 

ParDreamer,
Hi fellow San Diegan! Congrats with the new addition. Both are great cars. We went with the v because of the extra room. We have 2 y/o twins and it works well. As far as prices... have you emailed Dianne Whitmire? I ended up working with her. The dealerships in San Diego made a lot of promises they couldn't keep. It was worth the drive up to Carson. Good luck and congrats again!!

 

I just purchased a Prius V Three with all weather mats, mud guards, and rear bumper protector about $324 in options. My price before tax, title, registration and doc fee was $27,000 off an MSRP of $28,399. The price of $27000 did include destination and TDA (regional ad fee). This is about $200-300 north of invoice. I thought it was a fair deal. If you're located in Cali, you might be able to do significantly better through Diane Whitmire. She regularly posts here and her prices look to be under invoice.
But to answer your question on trim level three, it seems fair to me if TDA and Dest Fee are in that $27k quote.
Good luck!

 

Color is very personal. I do have the magnetic gray and I like it. That was what my dealer had. I am not very pick with colors as long as it is not black or white. Is the sky blue the very light one? If so, it not a very common color and beautiful. I have only seen on Prius V on that color.

 

With the Prius v, I wanted Blue Ribbon, but my options were Blizzard Pearl or Silver, so I went Silver. I am not sure if you will like Sky Blue, as it comes off as sort of a 'baby blue' instead of a nice blue. I would say, look at it carefully. While you may not want another white car again, which I understand completely, consider also one more thing... You live in California, light colors are good with regards to sunlight, should be less light absorbing. At the same time, white and silver tend to show dust and dirt less unless you go out of your way to get it dirty like one person. But overall, normal buildup is not as noticeable on White and light colored cars over darker colored cars.

 

Having had silver cars forever, I went with the clear sky metallic. I love it as it is kind of chameleon like. In sunshine, it appears very bright, near silver like. But on cloudy days it does appear more blue in tone. I can't say it's the most masculine color, but I love it and so does my wife- the opinion that counts ;0). I will probably tint the windows to make it a bit more to my liking, but overall, I like the color. Considered the blizzard pearl too. It is a personal preference like others have said. Let us know what you decide!

 

Choose the car by the size of the stroller . Did you buy a crib yet? Change table? You may be able to haul all these in one trip on V.
Conrad’s and don’t lose good night sleep over the choice. Believe me, you will be asking for it.
Go for V

 

ParDreamer – Re: “haven't figured out where to get the exact number”…Give Pages 198-204 of the PRIUS v Owner’s Manual a quick read. Cycle the “TRIP” button on the steering wheel to have the ODOMETER MILES displayed on the MID. Then cycle the “DISP” button to show “AVG XXX MPG” on the MID. This will give you the nominal AVERAGE MPG (since inception) for your new Blue Sky Pearl Three since it rolled off the truck in Carson, CA.

Additionally, I suggest option “Black Box 1: Display All” setting for the Hybrid System Indicator (Per Page 203 of Owner’s Manual).

RE: “I thought they could have made the screen slightly larger” --- Yes, I also miss the large, high-resolution monitor screen of the iconic GEN II.

 

Yes.

iPad ? HD

 

i had a 2009 venza magnetic grey, didn't want that color, because it's too close to black, shows dirt easily. but i didn't have a choice. i wanted clear sky metalic in the v, and almost didn't get it. but i got lucky. love it , like Aixtrip claims it does change color. it's not what it appears to be. i love it !!

 

Congrats on the purchase!!