Inspired by the lack of 7 seat v's (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) in the U.S. ... and Toyota having no intent in offering the v in a plugin, I was just wondering if available - would v owners choose one over the other ? Thoughts? .
A Prius PHV v would suit me best, only one set of back seats to fold down. Perhaps they could use Both the 7 seat console battery space and the 5 seat battery space in the back to get the needed capacity.
I think they'll leave the option to a Rav4 plugin or 7 seater. Giving more weight to the v would translate into lower mpg. given the 2 choices, I would choose the plugin, 7 seater would be too tight of a fit.
....like to see the choice. Right now we need to fit a bunch of car seats 3 in there, so 7 might be good. Gotta say I love the v concept not sure how long I can hold out but a while.
No interest in a 30 mile plug in. Too much trouble/cost for too little impact. Half my driving is 65+ MPH and longer trips than typical EV range trips to areas where I've never seen a charger. If I needed to seat 6-8, I needed luggage room or packages room or golf clubs room or just stuff room. So a 7 seat v would not attract me, I'd have to have a van. (As we did when that was appropriate. 600 to 1100 miles a day trips with a single driver to colleges loaded to the top. 60k+ miles doing just those trips. Comfortable for hours at a time in a way a v just isn't in any form. 23 MPG isn't 43 but the utility won.) Only time we have more than 3 in the v now is with bikes, bags and other kids paraphernalia. Yesterday is was that way plus 2 large freezer boxes as the local Costco is 50 miles away and a run is made every 6 weeks or so. My son with 3 kids has a van for the family plus whoever and a Prius for his 50 mile one way 50+ MPH commute. A 7 seat v would not help them at all either as he'd be giving up 10+ MPG for little added utility if it replaced his fastback and giving up enormous carrying capability if it replaced his van. So my answer is neither.
I would prefer a Prius v PHV although to be honest, I don't see enough distinction btwn a PiP and PiP-v from a marketing perspective at this point in time. A 7-seater Prius v is more easily marketable if they can get the right blend of power and mpg. As a first attempt, the Prius v isn't bad - take advantage of scales of economics by using the Prius' powerplant but I always wonder if mpg would be similar using the 2.5HSD setup but I suppose weight is an issue. tl;dr Would like to see a Prius v PHV but we'll more likely see the 7-seat version first.
But for one thing - i'd agree. However - The phev Outlander SUV is so popular - that Mitsubishi can't produce 'em fast enough to keep up with demand. Just saying, from a marketing perspective there seems to be enough distinction between the pip & regular prius, & enough distinction between the non-hybrid Outlander and the phev alternative to justify both. So, why not the v? .
Chassis restrictions. The Prius v is based on the Prius chassis to save cost and it's pushing the limit of the chassis (both Prius v and PiP have similar weight increases, no?). It's a specialized vehicle. The Outlander is designed to carry a heavier diesel engine and the chassis would've been reinforced anyway to carry out off-road duties. The Outlander PHEV costs £33,249-£44,999 (there's a £5,000 government grant for plug-ins so you can subtract that off the price). It's pricey. The Prius PHV is £33,395 plus £495 for metallic paint (seriously Toyota GB??) or £650 for Blizzard Pearl. It's the Prius PHV vs. Volt but substitute Volt for Outlander. A different vehicle class all together is obviously a more enticing proposition (giving up some features for an AWD SUV although the Outlander PHEV GXh3 is pretty well equipped). A Prius v PHV will probably be a bit more costly than the PiP but against the Outlander PHEV, it has no chance. If Toyota keeps the same 134hp output with 15 miles (less since the Prius v is heavier), the AWD, 32 mile range and similar performance, it's a no-brainer. Toyota will need something special if it were to offer a Prius v PHV and possibly on its own chassis so that it can be competitive. AWD and 7-seats (and if it offers 200hp with the 2.5HSD), it will sell like hotcakes even if mpg stays near 42mpg because there isn't a 7-seater AWD vehicle that'll come close. The 2WD 1.8HSD can continue on and offer 45 or 50mpg (if it can use whatever enhancements the G4 will bring and incorporate it).
I'd be very interested in a PIPv retrofit kit (factory or not) for my project car. Then i can add inductive charging and the Coverdant Power-out system to have what I really want. Bill the Engineer
....... it'd be a shame if Toyota didn't beat GM to the hybrid small SUV / Crossover market. Maybe it'll happen with the rav4? Here's to hoping it doesn't take a Volt-esq version to build a fire under under Toyota. .
The Prius v should have used the Camry hybrid engine from the get go. It would have still gotten about the same MPG but with way more oomph. If both versions are available and I was looking to buying a v, I would choose the PiP v. 7 seat v won't fit me because I already have an 8 passenger mini van.If Toyota revised the Pirus v with a Camry Hybrid engine and a battery pack large enough for 30miles of EV, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Hill, you should have added a poll.
A plug-in v with a 20-30mile range by loosing the spare tire plus some redesign in the sub-floor area to fit a 9-ish kWh battery would be awesome: Mid-30's mpg for the occasional hwy trip and infinite gas mpg the rest of the time. Basically my CMax Energi with better hatch space management. Or a hybrid Venza (sans silly 20 in. wheels and using the latest hycam drivetrain) that got solid 39/35 city/hwy would have been cool too.
No hatch or trunk space, but Hyundai has something coming! 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid Sets New Electric-Range Benchmark - HybridCars.com
Wasn't the RAV4 Hybrid revealed in April at the NY Auto Show? Or are you talking about a RAV4 PHV to go up against the Outlander?
