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Safety of Prius v wagon?

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by Pragmatic, Sep 25, 2011.

  1. Pragmatic

    Pragmatic New Member

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    I'm considering buying a 2012 Prius v wagon (let's call it what it is, as "v" alone is not clear given the problematic nomenclature of "Prius v"!). I love the abundant cargo space, really good fuel economy, etc, but I am nervous about getting a vehicle that has no published safety ratings by the NHTSA or IIHS. I know the Prius hatchback has great safety ratings, but is it a stretch to assume the larger "v" will perform as well? Are there any other sources of safety info on the Prius v?
     
    #1 Pragmatic, Sep 25, 2011
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    How would some one get a vehicle that does not exist yet?

    Every new car has the same problem, until you start production, you are not testing production vehicles, only cars that are the same as the previous year have true production data.

    No 2012 Prius is identical to the previous year. Prius v, Prius c, and PIP did not exist at all last year, and the Prius Liftback got a refresh,

    Neither the Leaf nor the Volt have a previous year in 2011.
     
    #2 JimboPalmer, Sep 25, 2011
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  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No, especially since it's designed with families in mind and safety would definitely be at the top of each prospective buyer's mind. However, the Prius v has not been launched so there has not been any tests yet done by the IIHS or NHTSA.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Sep 25, 2011
  4. Pragmatic

    Pragmatic New Member

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    Thought so. Lack of safety info is one of the drawbacks of buying a first production year vehicle (I was also considering the Subaru outback and VW Sportwagen which have both been around for awhile and thus have a lot more info to base a decision on). I have found so much helpful inside info on PriusChat that I was hoping someone here would have info on pre-production model testing. I know I'm expecting way too much so I'll have to rely on Prius' great crash-test track record (and Toyota's for that matter), and the fact that it's aimed at families, like you pointed out Tideland.

    Now I have to somehow wait patiently for the Prius v to come to Canada!
     
    #4 Pragmatic, Sep 26, 2011
  5. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    I'd suggest that the Prius v would be slightly safer than the regular Prius simply because it is both larger and heavier than the regular Prius.
     
    #5 ItsNotAboutTheMoney, Sep 26, 2011
  6. CPSDarren

    CPSDarren CPS Technician

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    Toyota's track record is not all that great in the updated 2011 NHTSA testing, particularly for the smaller passenger dummy in the frontal crash test. Prius did well, of course, and you'd hope the design is similar enough to carry over. The NHTSA and IIHS will carry over results to essentially identical vehicles, but even small changes to the structure or restraint systems will merit a new test.

    Sienna is squarely aimed at families, too, and it didn't get top ratings. Hopefully Prius V will get results more like the standard Prius, though. I don't know if the V was marketed first in Japan or Europe and of course, models there can vary somewhat in their designs, too, but you might get some information if they have crash test results already.
     
    #6 CPSDarren, Sep 26, 2011
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