Can you believe it! Here’s my long winded saga for those who are interested and have been following along. I was so stressed by the state of things here in the US that I couldn’t wait any longer. I bought a Corolla Cross hybrid because I was afraid the funding for this car was going to evaporate. I found an online AAA discount for $4000 off a 2025 silver CCH XSE at a sleazy dealership an hour away. No discounts like this on a Prius. Turns out True Car had a mapping issue so the discount was miscalculated. Dealership was pissed off and they negotiated somewhat otherwise this car was above my price range. Bank check was delivered before I was forewarned to examine the hatch alignment. Sure enough it was crooked. They refused to fix it (hoping I would walk away from the deal). I couldn’t leave the dealership without a car at that point due to the funding situation. I drove home in a blue CCH XSE after negotiating my butt off to get the same add ons from the silver one. I immediately regretted my decision. Love a lot about the CCH but the gas mileage was terrible on my normal routes and seat turned out to not be that comfortable. Plus the few things I initially didn’t like way back when had obviously not gone away. I walked into my local dealership and told them what happened…well not the details of the dealership transaction. That I made a huge mistake due to waiting so long. They gave me a good trade in value for the CCH and found a 2025 Prius that I picked up last night. I had to push for the 2025 to be discounted $2300 in order for the deal to work without me needing to contribute any more. They actually can pull a vehicle from another dealership while it’s on its way from Japan. This Prius has a much stronger chemical smell than I recall from other test drives. More than the CCH for sure. So she hasn’t been on a joy ride yet. I guess I’ll be driving with windows down for a while! I’m attaching a photo for proof she exists. Not the greatest pic but look at that sky! Thanks to all who supported me thru this process. Couldn’t have done it without all of you! Oh and the 2024 Prius is still stuck at the NJ port. I had the car added to my app and Toyota is struggling to remove it. The data says Vehicle Stability Control system malfunction and malfunction in the Intelligence Clearance…. Hmmm…
Congrats! Any “new car smell” when away very quickly, too quickly, on my Prime SE. Mind you I have the cloth seats which could make a difference.
Regarding the Corolla Cross, they said that it is slightly lower than the RAV4. How is it different from the Prius 2025? Is it convenient to park and get out?
Thanks. I will. I just entered to open the windows and noticed there is a section of Softex on driver side headrest that looks like it’s bubbling up. I’ll have to address it at next trip to dealership. Ugh!
I still have it. I posted it on FB marketplace a while back with a very low offer. Posting on Craigslist next. I need to air this new one out for a week or so. Very strong.
Yes fairly easy to get in to. I’m only 5’3” so I had to adjust myself a little due to the raised edge on the seat. I didn’t find the seat to be as comfortable as the Prius. I have a pros and cons list I can provide when I have time. Parking was something I had to get used to. It was too big for me. Felt like I was driving a truck. I only drove it about 700 miles total over the 6 weeks because I needed to keep miles low and didn’t want anything to happen before trade in.
It’s weird because when I was test driving over the past year (s!) I tried a Prius with cloth seats and it was so strong I couldn’t drive it. I thought maybe they treated the seats with something at the factory because seats were still in plastic. The Corolla Cross had softex but didn’t have this strong smell. A few hot sunny days will hopefully release some of it. The pop up ads on here are getting aggressive!
I forgot to mention back seat area is very cramped compared to Prius. Obviously if you’re really tall the head space is an issue with Prius. I don’t typically have back seat passengers but reviewers point this out as an issue.
Yes, I am tall. I am currently moving around in a Prius V and I don't see any suitable cars with a nice spacious interior yet.
I get it! Neither the CCH or the Prius are ideal but I went with the better gas mileage and driving experience.
I am also tall which made the v my choice back in 2011. I bought an "extend a seat" rail extension but found I did not need it. The new Prius (and Camry) are both too low and cramped for my frame. The rav4 2.5L hybrid has plenty of passenger room and v like mileage. We got it in late 2022. A far superior design while maintaining v mpg. So we have the Rav4 and v. I looked at the Corolla Cross at a dealer last year and found it to be a viable v replacement and much more like a v than expected - but with the advanced 2.0L engine. Hopefully time is kind to the 2.0L engine. Gen3's 1.8L did not show its ugly side for about 5 years in terms of chronic issues. The 1.8's ring issue was only covered by the 5 year 60k powertrain warranty which I blew by in two years and the vast majority did not experience oil burning and its results on the egr and hg until >125k miles. Toyota figured it out by 2016 so our newer cars are fine on that one.
My son found his RAV4 Prime a good replacement for his Prius V.As a bonus, his work commute is all EV. I would class him as taller than average, but not tall.
