Why I Didn't Buy A Prius ...

[Desmond22]

As you can see I'm not a Prius owner so you can disregard my opinion if you want but - I did consider a Prius very carefully before getting this diesel Avensis.

Why did I choose the Avensis? Well apart from having had a petrol Avensis before, I felt the ride in the Prius was not as good and the space was obviously smaller. The main reason was though that the economy promised wasn't in my opinion worth the sacrifices in driveability. I'm a great believer in using a car for its purpose and not doing something alien just to prove a point. Therefore I won't drive at 55mph on a motorway or 40 on an A road regardless of traffic conditions just to get the maximum mpg out of my car.

What I look for in a car is one that will give me decent performance and decent mpg in normal driving. The Avensis diesel gives me almost 60mpg on an A road run, 54/55mpg on a motorway run and 45/46mpg round town. So far it has averaged just over 50mpg in 6000 miles of mixed driving conditions with no attempt on my part to improve it by artificial methods.

That's why I decided against the Prius because I'd read on here and elsewhere and heard that the mpg was in real life not a lot better than a diesel unless you were feather footed. Plus - you weren't getting as much car for your money. A weekend test seemed to confirm all this.

My apologies If I'm upsetting Prius fans but I'd be interested to know if anyone with Prius experience has similar (or dissimilar!) views. :)

[Braindead]

Strange...I did the opposite. :D

I tried an Avensis diesel and they offered me a great deal but I went for the Prius. Part of the decision was logical and part emotional.

The logical part was that I already had a diesel and it was OK but that was about it. I always felt a bit guilty about all the muck they put out and they do tend to make more noise. Also I rejected the Avensis because it had less passenger space than the Prius. I put my teenage son in the back of both, adjusted the driver seat to suit me and he had more room in the Prius. Same when we tried a few other rep-mobiles - the Primera and Mazda 6 also had less leg room than the Prius. Headroom in the Prius was better than anything else we tried. Not usually an issue for me in the front but the rear seat passengers can suffer in some cars. Not the Prius. However, the luggage space is far from best in class in the Prius by a long way but I've had no real problems on that score after over 18 months of ownership. I’ve been on family holidays with 3 adults plus teenager and managed OK…with careful packing .

From the emotional point of view I felt I really had to own the technology - the Prius is amazing. Also I found the Avensis cabin very dark and enveloping - almost claustrophobic whereas the Prius was open and airy. I found the Prius more relaxing to be in – similar to the open layout of the MPV I was driving at the time. Lastly it was different, at the time you rarely saw another on the road. Now I see one or two a month but still think I have something a bit different from the crowd.

I guess you pay your money and make your choice. I am enjoying every minute of the Prius experience and would only trade it in for another. Sounds like you have the same experience with you Avensis.

[asfafa]

I haven't had the chance to test drive an Avensis, but it was one of the cars I would have been interested in, if I had been put off by the Prius' performance.

But I was interested in the technology: the start-stop mechanism of the petrol/electric engine, and that it could run on the electric motor at low speeds and in city traffic. If I only used fast A roads and motorways, then I wouldn't have chosen a Prius. But I commute between Bristol and Bath, and most of the driving I do isn't on motorways.

So, commuting in my S40, I would do about 350 miles and have to fill up every two weeks. With my Prius, it's every 3.5 weeks. That does make me think about the waste in fuel and the pollution generated sitting in traffic, etc. Naturally, I think all cars should have start-stop technology as standard. It's not quite fair comparing a diesel to a petrol either.

We Prius owners don't all adhere to speed limit :) I have seen a few other drivers on the M5 go at least 85mph. I'm happy to put mine at cruise on 75mph, but I do push it up when needed. The fuel economy is still pretty good.

Also, the Prius, I feel, is like a Tardis inside. For such a car its size, there is so much space, and compared to my old Volvo S40 (so big on the outside, but where does all the room go?) or even a Ford Focus, it's fantasic.

So I'm biased here. I'm not thinking much about cost of the car or technology, nor the fuel saving and MPG. It's not wasting fuel, and thinking about the environment. And I don't worry about getting to work a few seconds earlier or jostling with other drivers on the roads.

I don't know if other Prius owners are tree huggers or not :P

[Desmond22]

Interesting. :)

I suppose it is horses for courses when you buy a car. There were some posts on Prius threads where owners mention the economy and performance being disappointing though and it was these as much as anything that swung me away from it.

Must agree about the versatility of the interior but my needs are simple, good seats and a biggish boot space so it was wasted on me.

The technology is amazing. Is there a snag here though? What about when the technology moves on a notch, what happens to resale value? I just wonder if the Prius is the equivalent of the Sinclair Spectrum before PCs came along and it's a lot of cash to part with to be at the cutting edge.

The diesel is noisier than petrol at low speed but quieter over 30mph. Yes it is mucky but getting cleaner, The performance is good and the mpg excellent - plus it has a reasonably reliable resale value. Having said all that it isn't as overtly environment friendly. Maybe by the time I'm ready to swap the Avensis, Prius technology will be mainstream. :D

[pa_sound_man]

Interesting. :)

I suppose it is horses for courses when you buy a car. There were some posts on Prius threads where owners mention the economy and performance being disappointing though and it was these as much as anything that swung me away from it.

Must agree about the versatility of the interior but my needs are simple, good seats and a biggish boot space so it was wasted on me.

The technology is amazing. Is there a snag here though? What about when the technology moves on a notch, what happens to resale value? I just wonder if the Prius is the equivalent of the Sinclair Spectrum before PCs came along and it's a lot of cash to part with to be at the cutting edge.

The diesel is noisier than petrol at low speed but quieter over 30mph. Yes it is mucky but getting cleaner, The performance is good and the mpg excellent - plus it has a reasonably reliable resale value. Having said all that it isn't as overtly environment friendly. Maybe by the time I'm ready to swap the Avensis, Prius technology will be mainstream. :D

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Desmond,

interesting how small differences in emphasis can alter ones decision. Prior to becoming a Prius owner I had driven an Avensis Estate (petrol) for almost 5 years. I had often hankered after a Prius but until the Hatchback came along it was a clear no-no as I needed the capacity and verstility. When I came to look at the new Prius I found that the cabin felt actually roomier than the Avensis and to my surprise I found I could fit all the gear I usually loaded in to the luggage area of the Estate almost as easily into the Prius (without seats down).

As far as fuel economy goes, I easily get 56mpg driving on Motorways just as fast as I ever did in the Avensis but on occasion IF I so desire I CAN get much better by slowing down a bit, but 56mpg still knocks spots off the old Avensis. Also of course as a result of the cleaner engine, the road tax is less and I'm London Congestion Charge exempt for those few occasions that I need to drive into London.

Once I had weighed up all the pros and cons I plumped for the Prius although I did seriously condisider an Avensis as an alternative.

Vic

[LEXUS]

hi everyone.i'm really fascinated by prius .i bought new COROLLA 1.4 VVT-I,because i had old corolla/1987/1.3 12v :D and i was surprised about how reliable those cars are :) ,and also that small engine is so dinamic with great acceleration and max. speed/180km/h/ ;) .that was the reason to buy new toyota and i was wondering what model toyota to get.i like very much PRIUS--it's technological masterpiece ,it's so quiet,clean,economical,dinamic.....but i couldn't afford it--the prise of the prius here in Bulgaria is about 22000 euro and the corolla /1.4 VVT-I/ is 15000euro.i recommended the prius to my uncle,but he said it's not a buisness car,so he preffers AVENSIS .,but first he have to sell his unreliable peugeot 406 HDI :censor: :ffs: but maybe my next car would be PRIUS ,i really like that car. /sorry for my bad english/ :!Removed!: :hokus-pokus:

[ecodoc]

Hello and welcome Lexus! :D

Not everyone on here bought their Prius brand new.

I bought mine second hand in March 05 for £14,000.

It might be possible for you to do this too,but I don`t know if it would be better to buy in another country and import??(depending on your exchange rate relative to the other country).

All the very best to you my friend! :group-cuddles:

[spwolfx]

large advantage in mpg is in the city driving. I get 40% better mpg in Prius than our Avensis 2.0d4d (5l/100km vs 7l/100km in mixed cycle). On open road, it is about the same, give or take. However, I dont live on the open road :-), so in mixed driving, Prius is really nice!

Avensis is more luxurious while Prius has more gadgets. Prius is quiter at any speed, unless you are really gunning it. It is also a lot quiter during cold mornings.