Newbie Question: To Hybrid Or Not To Hybrid?

[StuartB]

Hi,

Just registered as I could do with some advice. I'm about to replace my Company Car, BMW 520d 08 plate that gives me a good 50mpg. I've narrowed down to the new VW Passat 2.0 TDI or the Hybrid Prius... The VW saves me about £100 from where I am now and the Prius about £200.

I drive about 27,000 miles pa, about 75% motorway and 25% town, I'm sensible, never even taken the BMW above 80mph.

I'm really tempted by the Hybrid Prius because it is cheap to own, cheap in BIK tax and has good MPG.... So, two questions.

1) Is it really a car that someone driving 27k+ miles pa should be driving? I wasn't sure if it was made for a lot of miles per annum, for me, a round trip to work is 150 miles all around the M25.

2) Driving sensible, i.e. cruise control at 65-70 on the motorways and sensible town driving, am I likely to better the 50mpg I'm getting from my BMW... I know they say 72ish, but I really don't believe that.

I was erring towards the Passat which I've test drove and is really nice, spacious and not too much of a step down from a 5 Series... At 6ft and 15st, I like a bit of room in my car... However I keep coming back to the Prius and would appreciate some advice from people who actually own one.

Thank you

Stu

[kithmo]

I would say, with 75% of your driving being motorway, stick with a diesel. The newer BMWs with stop/start technology would probably be the same as the Prius on mpg for you, but you would save on BIK and the company would save on VED with a Prius.

[Jan&tone]

Hi,

Just registered as I could do with some advice. I'm about to replace my Company Car, BMW 520d 08 plate that gives me a good 50mpg. I've narrowed down to the new VW Passat 2.0 TDI or the Hybrid Prius... The VW saves me about £100 from where I am now and the Prius about £200.

I drive about 27,000 miles pa, about 75% motorway and 25% town, I'm sensible, never even taken the BMW above 80mph.

I'm really tempted by the Hybrid Prius because it is cheap to own, cheap in BIK tax and has good MPG.... So, two questions.

1) Is it really a car that someone driving 27k+ miles pa should be driving? I wasn't sure if it was made for a lot of miles per annum, for me, a round trip to work is 150 miles all around the M25.

2) Driving sensible, i.e. cruise control at 65-70 on the motorways and sensible town driving, am I likely to better the 50mpg I'm getting from my BMW... I know they say 72ish, but I really don't believe that.

I was erring towards the Passat which I've test drove and is really nice, spacious and not too much of a step down from a 5 Series... At 6ft and 15st, I like a bit of room in my car... However I keep coming back to the Prius and would appreciate some advice from people who actually own one.

Thank you

Stu

Firstly, welcome to TOC

Ok, your questions....

Where I live, and where I drive, the M25, A3, A13, M11, M20, M2, A14, A1 - all figure in my motoring.... all are dual carriageways, 70mph limit, plus some 7 or 8 trips to the Isle of Wight a year. The car is out of my pocket-not a company car and I do around 8-10k a year (we use the Aygo for anything less than 15 miles)

So, I was on the A13/M25/M3 on Friday last (Good Friday) the trip there and back 170 miles returned 68mpg with the a/c on and the cruise control set at 67mph (probably actually 65) but a nice easy speed, no worries about plod creeping up behind me or cameras anywhere (average cameras on the M25 now btw) - so your comment about 50mpg - crap! I used to get close to that in a 2 litre petrol Avensis!!!! - anyway the Prius chucks out far less pollution than even the cleanest diesel (no NOX)

I'm 6'6" and 14 stone, the Prius is in the same class/size as the Avensis, not perhaps as well appointed, but if your company is footing the bill then go for all the options - I had to watch what I spent as the wife was with me!

Reliability? There are a few cabbies on here that drive Prius, Vancouver and Toronto are nearly all Prius cabs - apparently subsidised purchase by their Government... some of the Canadian cabs are over 1 million kilometers already so your 27k a year is chicken feed....

On my trip last Friday on the M25 there were 2 x VW's (no idea of the model and frankly don't care), a Mini, a Mondeo and 2 Citroens (sorry for swearing guys) broken down on the hard shoulder, the Mini I'll forgive 'cos it was a puncture, but no Toyota's and certainly no Prius.... when was the last time you saw a Toyota waiting for a tow truck?

Stu, At the moment the Road Tax is Nil, the London Congestion charge is something that others pay and your visits to the petrol station will be so rare that the staff there won't remember you! The choice is obviously yours and I'm biased, this Prius is the 2nd one I've had and finances permitting I'll have another one when this is 3 years old...

Have another test drive, and then another, and then go buy one pal!!!

[StuartB]

Our new company car mob have priced the BMW out... It really is just a choice of the Prius vs the Passat.

The Prius will save me about £50 per month over 3 years compared to the Passat, just on tax and personal contribution, including fuel I believe it will save me £90/month over 3 years. That's assuming I get 90% of the advertised rate from both the Prius and the Passat.

I'm estimating I'll get circa 63mpg (advertised 70mpg) out of the Prius and 55mpg (advertised 61mpg) out of the Passat.

Its just what the Prius is like to drive when you're stuck on the motorway, whether its cruising at 65mph or the infamous M25 car park at 5.30pm.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

If I was going to be honest I'd say stick with your BMW.

The Prius will get 50 - 75 mpg out of a petrol automatic and yes it can and easily does get this economy (obviously depending on how you drive). If you get less than 50 mpg out of a Prius you're doing something wrong! Also, there is no road tax, as well as beneficial tax terms BUT it is no way as luxurious as a 5 series BMW and to save £200 a year is probably not worth it. Diesels are great for motorway cruising and the Prius comes into its own in town.

If you were doing 75% town and 25% motorway I'd say get the Prius.

Regarding whether the Prius can hack 25k miles a year I'd say I'd hope so as I put 35k hard miles a year on mine

[Jan&tone]

Stu - on the M25 at 5.30 if it's travelling at less than 29mph, you can - if you're careful - do more than a couple of miles on electric using no petrol at all!!! done it regularly in both my Gen2 and the Gen3....

No diesel will beat that one mate

(you may have gathered I don't like diesels - expensive to buy, expensive to run, loiads of black smoke out the back occasionally..... ugh....

[StuartB]

@Jan&Tone...

Thanks for your advice, thats really good. I get £525/month from my company, so I can get a T4 with the Style and Protection pack and I keep under my limit, so no personal contribution. All I'm paying then is BIK, which is £80/month for me on that model.

I don't see any benefit in going for the Spirit personally, as it gets much closer to the Passat then in price. So it really is a T4 & options or Passat.

Thanks for the advice, better get down the showroom.

[StuartB]

If I was going to be honest I'd say stick with your BMW.

The Prius will get 50 - 75 mpg out of a petrol automatic and yes it can and easily does get this economy (obviously depending on how you drive). If you get less than 50 mpg out of a Prius you're doing something wrong! Also, there is no road tax, as well as beneficial tax terms BUT it is no way as luxurious as a 5 series BMW and to save £200 a year is probably not worth it. Diesels are great for motorway cruising and the Prius comes into its own in town.

If you were doing 75% town and 25% motorway I'd say get the Prius.

Regarding whether the Prius can hack 25k miles a year I'd say I'd hope so as I put 35k hard miles a year on mine

Cabbie - its not £200/annum, its £200/month cheaper than my existing BMW. To re-fresh my BMW now, the Prius would be over £300/month cheaper...

The Prius would be £50/month cheaper than the Passatt.

[Seamaster73]

Get the Prius, if only to future-proof yourself against future rises in BIK tax.

[StuartB]

Get the Prius, if only to future-proof yourself against future rises in BIK tax.

Interesting you say that, that is why I've suddenly veered away from the Passat. The BIK tax rises from 13% to 18% and then 19% over the next 3 years, where as the Prius stays static.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

If I was going to be honest I'd say stick with your BMW.

The Prius will get 50 - 75 mpg out of a petrol automatic and yes it can and easily does get this economy (obviously depending on how you drive). If you get less than 50 mpg out of a Prius you're doing something wrong! Also, there is no road tax, as well as beneficial tax terms BUT it is no way as luxurious as a 5 series BMW and to save £200 a year is probably not worth it. Diesels are great for motorway cruising and the Prius comes into its own in town.

If you were doing 75% town and 25% motorway I'd say get the Prius.

Regarding whether the Prius can hack 25k miles a year I'd say I'd hope so as I put 35k hard miles a year on mine

Cabbie - its not £200/annum, its £200/month cheaper than my existing BMW. To re-fresh my BMW now, the Prius would be over £300/month cheaper...

The Prius would be £50/month cheaper than the Passatt.

£300 a month? In that case it's a no brainer. That's £3,500 a YEAR!

You'll get 55 - 60 mpg with ease (more if you take it easy on A roads) and as others have said you'll be smug in the knowledge you're not polluting when crawling in traffic.

I'd suggest taking an extended test drive to see if you like the Prius. Coming down from a luxury 5 series to what is effectively just a Japanese family hatch might take a little getting used to. What about the Lexus ct200h? It's the Prius but with Lexus luxury added and it's not much more than the Prius, still gets the same sort of mpg's etc. Just a though.

[Seamaster73]

GC is right, a test drive is essential — ask your fleet to organise an extended one with Toyota. They'll let you have one for up to four days.

[Gmac70]

I was just going to suggest same as sea master. I had 4 day demo and was well pleased. Just worried now it wo t arrive this year with the terrible events in Japan

[r04drunner1]

GC is right, a test drive is essential — ask your fleet to organise an extended one with Toyota. They'll let you have one for up to four days.

Seamaster beat me to it. Go for the extended test drive, Toyota will arrange a 4 day trial for a prospective company car user.

Aside from the BIK issue, the trend in fuel costs is inexorably upwards at the moment, so any climb in fuel costs will put the Prius at an even bigger advantage against the Passat.

I had a diesel 2.7 litre Jaguar S-Type before I got the Prius. I was getting 33 mpg on the Jaguar. With the Prius I am currently looking at 62mpg indicated. That's all short journeys. As you do longer journies you should be even better.

I personally don't like diesels:

1) I hate the noisy clatter - true you don't hear it yourself when driving, but others outside do, try winding your window down when stuck in stop-start traffic

2) Smelly

3) Diesel is more expensive than unleaded, no thanks to the Taxman for that

4) NOx emissions

5) Turbo lag

6) Diesel Particulates Filter (DPF) - don't make me start!

The Jaguar interior / comfort was superb, better than BMW IMHO (and I've had three of them, two 3 series, one 5 series plus a test drive in a recent 320D). The Prius suspension is firmer than the Jaguar so you don't get that opulent "wafting down the road" feeling. But it's fine for me and much less firm than a Honda Civic (which I road tested). The interior is fine, I've gotten used to it and like it. The technology and gizmos help my street cred with my teenage son.

If you horse your cars on and look for big acceleration and torque to match, then you would need to adjust to the Prius. While the T4 performance is fine for me, when pushed the engine noise becomes a loud "moo" which is unattractive and it lacks the low down grunt of the diesel. I would have been into hard acceleration (I had a Jag X-Type 3 litre AWD, 0-60 in 6.6 seconds wow that was a car ) But with the Prius I've adapted to having less of the rocket thrust and I can still beat most cars away from the lights if I need to in city traffic.

I like the outside look of the Prius, the engineer in me really appreciates a Cd of 0.25.

The practicality of having a hatchback is wonderful, I just transported a recliner chair plus other goodies home from the furniture store. No way a saloon could have managed. (I am assuming you are looking at a saloon Passat, if estate then that will admittedly be more practical than the Prius.)

Last but not least, I have a theory that the Prius is (like the BL Mini) a classless car. that is to say, it appeals to both the very wealthy and the less well off. So the image it portrays is a bit different from the chattering classes (of "me too" diesels). I like it.

HTH

R04drunner1