Losing one of our Prii

[Chippy01]

I've been driving different versions of the Prius since 2010. My other half liked them as well, and eventually joined my in getting one herself a couple of years back.
So at the moment, sitting on our drive, are two 2011 Gen III T-Spirits.

All that is changing in a few weeks though. I have been seduced by another vehicle. So much so, that one of our Prii is being taken as a trade in.

I won't be moving too far from Mr T though.

I will still be hybridised.

I have been tempted, and have succumbed to one of the new 1.8 Hybrid Corolla Saloons.

I'm going to think of it as a Prius in a saloon suit. Same familiar running gear, just a different top coat. (To be honest, I prefer a saloon to a hatchback anyway)

Those who are interested, you'll have to go to Toyota.ie and chose the Luna Sport grade to see what I am moving to.

But, I will still have one Prius on the drive ……..

[kithmo]

The boy racer in me was tempted to go for the 2.0 Corolla hybrid hatch, but the sensible me said no. I can't justify buying a new car when mine is only 3 years old and has less than 9K miles on it, I just don't do enough miles.

[Catlover]

TRAITOR 😃  the saloon looks ok from photos I seen, the estate also. It’s the hatch I not too fussy about, and I have seen one in the “flesh”.

Keith, good to see you posting, not seen one from you for a while. Agree with you, the cost would be too much to change. You have a nice car anyway - I certainly enjoying mine.

[Duffryn]

12 hours ago, kithmo said:

The boy racer in me was tempted to go for the 2.0 Corolla hybrid hatch, but the sensible me said no. I can't justify buying a new car when mine is only 3 years old and has less than 9K miles on it, I just don't do enough miles.

It's a helluva long time since I was a boy racer, but, like the OP, I generally prefer the look of a saloon over a hatchback. It would be a lot of money to Shell out though when I'm more than happy with my current machine.

[PeteB]

I've always preferred hatchbacks (another of my many idiosyncrasies), mainly to get the rear wiper.

Over the years many saloons had had rear wipers too (Ford Orion, Vauxhall Belmont, Honda Prelude, some Mazdas, Toyota Corrolla (pre Auris - may have been elsewhere in Europe I saw these), but they're pretty rare.  Even with cameras and sensors, I like the added security of visibility when reversing in heavy rain, or being able to clear spray, dirt etc on the move.

The one time a had a Volvo I got the estate just to get the wiper!  In fact, I delayed getting my first Gen 1 Prius by 2 years partly because I didn't want to be without one, but also because it lacked heated mirrors, although eventually the Hybrid system won me over enough to compromise, but I never stopped being annoyed by the absence of these two features.  At least it had a full size matching alloy spare wheel.

[Duffryn]

Well I've owned 2 Toyota saloons, a 1998 Avensis and a 2007 Avensis, and can honestly say I never really had a rear view problem with either. No rear cameras either, although I did have rear sensors fitted to the later model (at Mrs Duffryns' suggestion -  even so she was never really happy driving it cos "it's so big"!).

[Catlover]

1 hour ago, Duffryn said:

Well I've owned 2 Toyota saloons, a 1998 Avensis and a 2007 Avensis, and can honestly say I never really had a rear view problem with either. No rear cameras either, although I did have rear sensors fitted to the later model (at Mrs Duffryns' suggestion -  even so she was never really happy driving it cos "it's so big"!).

I think a saloon does not have the same problem with the rear window getting very dirty like a hatch or estate does. A lot to do with the air disturbance and what happens to it, and remember the air can be dirty, very dirty.

[Chippy01]

On 4/23/2019 at 9:25 PM, Catlover said:

TRAITOR 😃  the saloon looks ok from photos I seen, the estate also. It’s the hatch I not too fussy about, and I have seen one in the “flesh”.

Ha ha, …… but I can't be a traitor with still one Prius on the driveway ….. or can I?

The hatchback is tiny compared to the saloon, and I'm not enamoured by estate cars …. though herself thinks the estate is the dogs gonads. It'll be another couple of weeks before I get my hands on it, so the waiting game is being played. 

On a side note, we dropped into another dealer and had a look at the new Camry. The €40 grand price is way out of my humble reach, but that Cobalt Blue (Galactic Blue in the UK) is much, much nicer in the flesh than the pictures show. Although the interior is nice, there is a copper/black stripey section on the centre console that (I think) cheapens the look of it. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

9 minutes ago, Chippy01 said:

The hatchback is tiny compared to the saloon, and I'm not enamoured by estate cars

Toyota are targeting the three versions of the Corolla towards different customer groups. See an extract below from Toyota -

"Each is designed to fulfil different customer needs. The compact Hatchback is aimed at young couples; the versatile Touring Sports for families; and the comfortable Saloon targeting young professionals who want more prestigious styling, on-board space and comfort."

The hatchback and Touring Sports are UK built, whereas the saloon continues to be built in Turkey, as was the last generation Corolla saloon.