If I end up letting go of my Gen 2 Prius, I'd be seriously in the market for a low-milage Prius V. Always wished I'd gotten one. I know almost nothing about the V other than basic storage capacity specs -- what is the difference in feel? What's important to know? Any years to avoid? Etc. Tell me what a new Prius V owner should know.
It rides better than the hatchback with bigger tires and pitch and bounce control. It has a larger ac system and a lower numerical final drive ratio. The transaxle has more cooling. The rear seats slide back and forth like the front seats and can recline. The rear seat room and comfort along with effective ac made them popular taxis in Europe. This model was sold overseas through 2021. The front passenger seat reclines and folds forward for additional space. It is possible to carry a few 10 ft sticks of lumber or conduit and close the hatch. It is a good highway cruiser but is noisy just like the hatchback. The rated mpg is lower at 42 mpg. In 2015 the v came with better pistons and rings. Crash test results improved with the 2015 v's. The 2015-17s had a slight styling refresh which was an improvement but sales slowed due to the popularity of the similarly priced Rav4 hybrid with a better engine. I would get a 2016 or 17v if you can find one.
Bigger and slower and gets worse MPG... But if you got a family and need way more room inside the car for passengers & stuff it's the best option to keep your Prius love going.
Great highway cruiser with ample cargo room. Replaced a Dodge Grand Caravan at triple the MPG. Install the TRD rear sway bar for an even better experience.
I'd say you already missed this party. They were nice big highway cruisers, but the good days are past and now most of these are worn down and getting closer to money-pit status. There are still some in nice condition with reasonable future utility, but those aren't the ones that are for sale. They had a few more reliability/durability issues than the 2nd generation car you are looking to get out of. As far as years to avoid I'd say all except 2016 and 2017.
Earlier this month I bought a one owner 2017 Prius v 5 with the Advanced Technology Package. It had 114,020 miles on it. It was a trade in at a Subaru dealer in Riverside, California. I found that this car was regularly serviced at the Riverside Toyota dealership since it was new. I told the saleslady I wanted to do this in "modules". By that I mean I want to go one step at a time, the first being an inspection by me. If that was OK, then we'd do a test drive. If that was OK, then we'd go to the Toyota dealership to get it inspected (cost $190.00). If they liked it, then we would talk price, no trade in. It came with both key fobs and all the owner's manuals. It was detailed, inside and out. It had new 215/50R17 inch tires, a four point alignment, new windshield wipers, all filters were changed and it had a fresh oil change. We negotiated price. I did not want any extras added to the final negotiated price except Tag, Title, Tax and Document Fee. And I was paying cash. They said $16,995.00 was the "Internet Price." I said, "No and offered $13,000.00." We went back and forth. I went up to $13.5K and the Sales Manager got involved and came down to $13,990.00. I said, "Let's split the difference." "No." I finally said, "If you drop the price $100.00 to $13,890.00, I will give the saleslady $100.00 cash right now." (The saleslady was stuck with me for over 2 hours at Toyota for the inspection and she also picked me up at the train station when I went the next day to pick up my car.) Right in front of her, the sales manager said, "No." What a crappy way to treat their own employee! The final out-the-door price with Tag, Title, Tax and $85.00 document fee was $15,666.38. Anyway, the next day when I picked up my Prius v, the saleslady walked me out to my "new" car and I gave her $100.00 cash anyway. She was pretty speechless and quite happy. I told her NOT to tell the sales manager about this. She did admit I got a good deal. The car runs perfectly and I love it! The Subaru dealer didn't know anything about the Advanced Technology Package, just that it was a Trim level 5. I got lucky, I think and I'm quite happy. - I got 50 MPG on the 70 mile trip back to Los Angeles! Thomas Also, I plan to change my water pump and thermostat to keep ahead of that potential problem. I ordered an Aisin water pump from straight from Japan. Shipping was free and it took about a week. Cost was $122.00 plus some tax from eBay. Replacing it shouldn't be too hard after watching a couple YouTube videos. I picked up an Aisin thermostat and housing for $40.00 as well. Might as well change that while I'm in there. Everything else, maintenance-wise should be up to date. We'll have to see about that.
