We have have had German diesels for years, 4 mercedes & 5 VW TDi. With all the epa crap going on we are starting to look toward electric or hybrid transportation. I no longer require a car for commuting due to needing a truck for our business, but my wife commutes aprox 50min towards Atlanta aprox 35 miles each way. She has a Jetta tdi that gets 550-600 miles per tank which is 2weeks normally. Aproching 300k miles on the 06 jetta(which we will keep as a spare). Her commute is around the lake so speeds usually stay 50ish max which ive read is ideal for great mpg in a Prius. I know this is a Prius chat so most are pro Prius but do you think she will be happy in a Prius? Which year or model would you recommend? And is there one that has more luxurious features?(leather, heated seats, nav, sunroof) We've considered other luxury brands (Lexus, Audi, BMW) but want quality and reliability without having the high dollar service bills! Thank you for your time, Mark
Welcome! The Prius excels at fuel economy for those that do not start like a jackrabbit and speed. The newer Prius generation (2016 & 2017 liftback) seems to have better fuel economy. The upper trim levels of the Prius have more luxury features. If she needs more space than the Liftback, there is a station wagon Prius v or the RAV4 Hybrid SUV. They are less economical and are the Generation 3 system The RAV4 has AWD. The new Prius Prime plugin is a 4 seater. It can be much more economical, especially if she can plug in at work to recharge. For mainly city driving, there is the smaller Prius c which is also currently third generation. It definitely pays to do your research. Some people do not like the look of the newer Prius or the Prius Prime.
We got 3big dogs so seats folding down flat is a want also. Did not know that the Rav4 came in hybrid. That may be an option to consider too.
I don't think you'll go wrong. I drove TDIs and traded the last one in on a Prius, before the sheet hit the fan.
Here is a thread with a picture of their "overweight Prius". (RAV4) So happy with the Prius.... | PriusChat
My son has had 4 small Papillons along with dog show supplies & luggage for 2 people in his 2015 Prius v station wagon.
and welcome! I think she would be happy with a Prius/other hybrid is she gets the right one. I have the v wagon. It has tons of space. Actually slightly more than the older bigger and boxier ford escapes! I love driving it in the city with its smooth acceleration and great gas mileage (46 mpg in town) but I'm honestly not a big fan of the lager wagon out on the open road, and up hills and such. It has the same engine as the regular Prius but the wagon is lager and heavier. So you hear the engine a lot. So that might not be the best for her, especially since diesels do well with hills. I personally think the RAV4 hybrid is fantastic. Compared to the regular RAV4 it's faster, gets better gas mileage, smoother, and it is heavier and feels more substantial. I also had a 2012 Prius two lift back. It was fantastic. I got 57 mpg from Nashville to Cincinnati with the cruise control set to 72 mph. If you want a sedan, I'd look at a used 2013+ Ford Fusion hybrid. They have decent power and feel very heavy and German in my opinion. They use the same style hybrid system as Toyota and get around 40 something mpg. They even make a Fusion plug in hybrid that can go 15-20 miles before the gas engine turns on. After that it's a hybrid. The only problem is they truck is small on the 2013 + plug in. They are cheap though! On cars.com starting around $13,000-14,000 A lot of rambling.. Hope this helps!
Also! Lexus makes a sporty handling hatch with the same drivetrain that is in the Prius. It's called the CT200h
If luxury is a priority, I would definitely take a look at the Lexus CT200H, ES300H, and Toyota Camry hybrid. It was and still is difficult for me moving from an econobox Civic to a Prius. It's not like I am used to luxury but even from a Civic, the noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) was a tad higher on the Prius. The most frustratig thing is rattle noise. Anything in the cup holder causes rattle. There's NVH and then the nearly $10k price delta just made the pill harder to swallow that I am not getting more luxury for my money. It's the hybrid premium and I'll pay it. It doesn't mean I'm happy about it. The 3 cars I listed above trades in thriftiness for comfort. Your call.
I would expect nothing less from Lexus. Im a Lexus fan, just not wanting Lexus price tag. The LS400 is one of my all time favorite cars. My wife does like the Lexus SUV's but im thinking our current search is focused on a nice 40+ mpg commuter/travel car. And really hoping on her slower commute she could get upper 50's.
We do put the dogs in the 06 jetta with the rear seat folded down(It has a good size trunk). But the seat does not fold completely flat so when we accelerate they start sliding towards the trunk
I bet a regular style liftback back would get fantastic gas mileage on her commute. Also, have you considered a Chevrolet Volt? Since she is coming from a TDI she is used to the low end torque. I recently drove a 2017 and at 30 miles an hour it could still make the tires screech! Absolutely wonderful. They have a very good track record for reliability. Some owners say they can even get 60-70 miles of on one charge is it is driven easily! Just putting ideas out here for you, as I would hope someone would do the same for me.
