I recently bought the 2012 Prius and at least in Europe it has features that not many 2024 cars have here. HUD, backup camera, regen breaking, automatic transmission, multiple digital displays, Bluetooth, stop-start at lights, EV drive mode on the tiny battery for a few minutes..
The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
11–20 of 292 posts
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#12Hope Toyota get their mojo back for EVs.
I'm kinda OK with them just dominating hybrids; especially plugins. I own a 2024 Prius Prime (PHEV) and the setup works great. No range anxiety, no special charging infra (I just plug in on a normal 120v overnight). I got the car in Feb 24 and maybe pumped gas a total of 8 times? If I didn't make two longer trips, it would have been 6. But also, the power output is pretty great and an upgrade over the hybrid only mod…
A regular EV also requires no special infrastructure. Just your regular house electrical system (e.g. 120v wall outlet in the US). Only on long trips do you need fast chargers or does range anxiety kick in. If you do a lot of long drives I can see that being a problem. But if not I'd be willing to bet you'd lose less time charging than taking your vehicle to the mechanic for maintenance and repairs. Because the EV, when built well, requires a frighteningly low amount of maintenance.
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#13Hope Toyota get their mojo back for EVs.
The Sienna is a great hybrid if you are wanting something larger for families or hauling stuff. Tons of space, really nice cabin, and far more practical for 90% of uses than a huge pickup or any of the large SUVs. I can haul groceries and my large dog in the back cargo area w/ the 3rd row down, or put the row up for seating seven.
Oh, and mileage is 30-34 mpg, at least when its not the middle of midwest winter.
I do wish they'd release their PHEV vans over here (https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/toyota/41970489.html), which also look like something out of Blade Runner.
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#14Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Kinda doubt it. They also suffer from large company inertia where their hybrid powertrains gave them a market leadership, similar to German cars and diesel engines, making difficult to pivot to a market where there's much stronger competition and they don't have the crown anymore.
My German EV was introduced a decade ago, and it’s still great! I think a better comparison is to the Italians. Stellantis bought up a bunch of iconic brands when they got Chrysler and then integrated a bunch of new technology from Fiat. Since then, they’ve focused on creature comforts and margin expansion, but neglected everything else. They recently realized their sales projections are headed for a cliff and uncere…
What EV model would that be, out of curiosity? I wasn't aware the Germans were making EVs back then.
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm kinda OK with them just dominating hybrids; especially plugins. I own a 2024 Prius Prime (PHEV) and the setup works great. No range anxiety, no special charging infra (I just plug in on a normal 120v overnight). I got the car in Feb 24 and maybe pumped gas a total of 8 times? If I didn't make two longer trips, it would have been 6. But also, the power output is pretty great and an upgrade over the hybrid only mod…
A regular EV also requires no special infrastructure. Just your regular house electrical system (e.g. 120v wall outlet in the US). Only on long trips do you need fast chargers or does range anxiety kick in. If you do a lot of long drives I can see that being a problem. But if not I'd be willing to bet you'd lose less time charging than taking your vehicle to the mechanic for maintenance and repairs. Because the EV, w…
Problem is that because it's a full EV, it might leave me at a deficit charging only on 120v.
On the other hand, two days a week I make a drive that's just beyond EV range and the hybrid just kicks in afterwards.
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm kinda OK with them just dominating hybrids; especially plugins. I own a 2024 Prius Prime (PHEV) and the setup works great. No range anxiety, no special charging infra (I just plug in on a normal 120v overnight). I got the car in Feb 24 and maybe pumped gas a total of 8 times? If I didn't make two longer trips, it would have been 6. But also, the power output is pretty great and an upgrade over the hybrid only mod…
A regular EV also requires no special infrastructure. Just your regular house electrical system (e.g. 120v wall outlet in the US). Only on long trips do you need fast chargers or does range anxiety kick in. If you do a lot of long drives I can see that being a problem. But if not I'd be willing to bet you'd lose less time charging than taking your vehicle to the mechanic for maintenance and repairs. Because the EV, w…
>> If you do a lot of long drives
>> the EV, when built well
Home charging at 120v for an EV is only practical for the most minimal & predictable use. And I'll add "as long as you don't want to sell it used..."
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#18Absolutely love my 2014 PHEV Prius, will do about 7 miles on battery which will get me to the shops and back. Never had a problem with it, about to hit 200k miles and still pretty much perfect
Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#19The new Prius is really good-looking (to my eye at least), especially in person: I don't think the photos (I've seen) do it justice. Fun comparisons to the car Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit: Compared to the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am:
- The Prius is as fast 0-60 (~7 seconds)
- The Prius has nearly the same top speed (~115 mph)
- The Prius is 4x(!) as fuel-efficient (57mpg vs. 12-16mpg)
- The Prius has all the modern stuff: air conditioning, antilock brakes, airbags, crumple zones, information display screen, backup camera, proximity alerts, etc. etc.
- Adjusted for inflation, the Prius costs almost exactly the sameRe: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry
#20Hope Toyota get their mojo back for EVs.
I'm kinda OK with them just dominating hybrids; especially plugins. I own a 2024 Prius Prime (PHEV) and the setup works great. No range anxiety, no special charging infra (I just plug in on a normal 120v overnight). I got the car in Feb 24 and maybe pumped gas a total of 8 times? If I didn't make two longer trips, it would have been 6. But also, the power output is pretty great and an upgrade over the hybrid only mod…
The downside of plugins is that it has both systems (more things that can go wrong, added cost, weight) and they're not amazing at being an ICE car (small fuel tank) or electric car (small battery).
In your case it seems that a pure EV would be fine? Maybe not one with a small battery, but 300-400 miles of range isn't that uncommon these days.
In any case, the important thing is that it works well for you.