2013 Prius

[barrycoll]

a few words about the new Prius that arrived yesterday...

firstly, I had better say that I like the car very much, and I am aware that I am probably buying engineering quality rather than fit and finish, and it is the bullet proof aspect, plus the genuine interest of the local Toy service people in our IQ, that made me consider a Prius as a VW replacement

the first thing as that as I ordered the car with a £££-sunroof, I was expecting, and half hoping for 15" wheels.............but, unexpectedly, there it was in the showroom with 17" T Spirit wheels, AND a sunroof..

the dealer didn't realise that they had changed the spec in Japan, and whether the engine specs have changed to keep the slightly heavier car under 89 grams, even with the 17's is a ???

anyway, I am sure that it has a bonier ride with the bigger wheels, but am slightly relieved that it looks a lot better as it is...

fit and finish are a disappointment after a well appointed Golf, and the hard plastics, and lack of any rubber mats in the glove boxs is a bit stingy and low rent....especially after looking at an Audi A3

..maybe this is distinguish the Prius from the CT200 Lexus, as VW is to Audi

on the other hand, the 62.1 mpg for 200 motorway miles at 65-80 mph was very heart warming, but in my experience this doesn't ever tally with a brim to brim fuel fill up...

the road noise on UK motorway can be a bit wearing at times, especially as everything else is so quiet, but will be fine on French and Spanish road surfaces..

I think that it is a bit mean not to include lumbar adjust and seat height adjust on the passengers front seat, and the steering wheel could still do with some more in/out/up/down movement....but it is quite easy to get pretty comfortable as the driver

again, it is a shame that the mirror retract button is not illuminated for night time, as putingt the mirrors out after dark is a real faff

the nav screen is very reflective, and the detail is nothing like as clear as my cheap Garmin....but the seductive female voice makes up for that!....I am not sure that she even said "you have reached your destination", and am convinced she said "WE are home now"!

I dont know whether I have 7 digit post code or not, as there was too much to take in at the time, but the get-me-home routing was spot on...

stepping out of a 140bhp (Superchipped to 170 bhp ) diesel into an eco prius is a non-accelerating culture shock, although, as they say, slow is the new fast...

the car gathers speed, rather than accelerates, would be my description, but maybe that is partly due to the long accelerator pedal travel, and POWER would give it a minor boot up the bum to join a M-way

but all in all it suits my advancing years, and has a non-back-to-front-baseball hat image that appeals.....and in pure white ( with a bit of chrome garnish and BIG WHEELS !) reminds me of a wafty old Citroen DS23 Pallas

cheers folks barrycoll

[r04drunner1]

Nice pics Barry. The car looks well on the 17 inch rims and I think the Pearl White really suits the lines. (But I could be accused of being biased there! )

I have a long history of vee-dubs myself, Golf GTI and Scirocco, so I totally agree the Prius feels a bit tinny in comparison. But the MPG and the style makes up for it!

As you get better used to the car, you will find your MPG goes up even more and it DOES have a calming effect on one's driving style. Having said that, I agree acceleration is much less than a turbo car when the latter is on song, but the 0-30 acceleration of the Prius in PWR mode is a hoot. The electric engine applies maximum torque from zero revs and you can really notice that if you floor the accelerator in PWR mode at the lights. I have embarrassed a BMW and a Golf GTI myself!

Enjoy the car and if you issue an update after a month, I suspect you'll have found even more to like.

[wass]

Nice looking car Barry. Yes the wheels improve the looks. A friend of mine once said of my old Volvo 740 estate." With comfort like this, who cares what it looks like? After all you dont see it from the outside as you are driving it ; only the casual onlookers who didnt pay for it have to put up with the fact that its an ugly car!" I took the point and I think that although the car wouldn't look so nice from the outside, I would have asked for the 15" wheels since it improves the ride, lessens road noise and replacement tyres are cheaper. White just seems to be right for the prius.

[cuius]

"...but will be fine on...Spanish road surfaces"

True a few years ago, but the EU money has run out, and they're rapidly deteriorating unfortunately

[ToyotaAurisHybrid]

the white looks sweet, I agree......good choice

[kithmo]

the white looks sweet, I agree......good choice

+1, especially with the chrome bling and the black top of the sunroof.

[nespresso]

It certainly looks classy in white :smiley:

I saw one today in a blue/grey colour, that also looked good.

[barrycoll]

didn't have any choice re the wheel size really...as far as I could see, the size was governed by EU CO2 levels, and Toyota's R&D...

I couldn't really reject the car because it came with unexpected spec. as even the service manager didn't realise that the wheels were not 15's...

...and yes, smaller wheels are smaller costs and smaller noise levels........................but?