Had family visiting us and had to drop them at the airport. Here are some pictures that might help answer the luggage capacity question. 8 suite cases, 2 carry on and 2 backpacks so you don't have to count
Had to make two trips with the Prius V and one on my Lexus CT200h so total of 3 trips to the airport on 2 cars. 10 people including the driver. We did not have to drop the seats on the Prius V the second time
We get similar volumetric performance on back to and return from school trips. The v is a stealth moving van.
A limiting factor in carrying stuff in the v for us has been the height of the rear hatch opening. That the cargo floor is not completely flat when the 2nd row seat backs are folded forward is also a problem. I had planned for the v to be our "hauler" but quickly found that it doesn't work for that far too often. When my wife and I went on a "wedding weekend" with friends last year, I was surprised that I just barely got two rolling maximum acceptable size carry on bags, two rolling medium size check-in bags and two small carry on bags in the luggage area when the entire rear seat was in use. The four larger bags had to stand up for them to fit and I couldn't see out the back window. Fortunately we were only going to the airport. My wife loves her v but we ended up buying a Sienna 18 months later to meet our hauling needs. It's got more luggage space in "six passenger mode" than the v has when carrying only two people.
My son has a Prius hatchback, wife a v and family a Sienna also. A family of 5 for a week in the mountains, the v. To work, the hatch for 150K+. For when grandma and granpa are with them or for the lids and their friends, the Sienna with 120k now. I have 2 other here, son who is 6'5" and built like a NFL lineman and a normal size wife. The one time I needed something bigger I rented a van for a trip to the beach for a week with 3 kids, beach umbrellas, rafts, chairs, etc. Every other need the v has been big enough. Every one has its uses but, with east coast gas up to $2.65 today, I sure wouldn't want to be driving that Sienna into town to get a haircut even if I was going to the recycle center and the grocery store on the way. I noticed as I passed those with huge vehicles desperately filling up. I'll rent for the rare times I need a bigger vehicle.
