I took delivery yesterday of a 2013 Prius Four, Blizzard Pearl/dark gray with the solar roof package. This replaces my nearly identical 2011 Prius Four (it had light gray leather) which was killed in a rear-end collision 3 weeks ago . My husband has a 2012 plug-in, which replaced his 2006 Prius that was handed down to our daughter, and our oldest son has a 2007 Prius. So this makes the 5th Prii purchase in our family overall, with 4 surviving. Middle son is still a holdout with an Audi, and my old VW Eurovan still serves, mostly for the occasions when we have to haul a crowd or pick up a piece of furniture or the Christmas tree. My husband was the 1st convert in the family and when it was time to replace my 2004 VW Touareg, he insisted I get a Prius too. I didn't think it'd be big enough but as I'm sure you know, the interior is deceptively spacious and worked out beautifully for me and my weimaraner, as well as the odd times when all three 6'+ kids are with me. After the untimely demise of my 2011, I thought about what other car I might prefer--I really don't drive a whole lot anymore so the gas $aving$ isn't a huge issue, but there's really nothing else out there that interests me. Space for the dog, the conveniences I'm used to (keyless, nav, etc.) plus the infrequent need to stop at gas stations made another Prius the clear choice . I drove the Touareg for 7 years and never put a mark on it--it had 1 tiny ding that someone else did with a shopping cart. My last Prius, however, was a scratch/scrape/ding magnet from the start so now that I'm starting fresh again I hope to keep this one pristine (not to mention alive). Wish me luck! Kim
The size always throws my brothers when they get in. They are all set to give me the gears over buying "a small stupid car". Good luck with your new prius! I see a PiP in my future.
I park a ways out at shopping center which has spared me dings so far, knock on wood Yesterday was in an older car and parked near Wells Fargo ATM. Bit of hassle getting out as many cars coming and going, so I'm fine with parking a ways out and walking. I've also seen the 'backing into each other' collision in crowded lots where many cars are coming and going. To this day, I don't think there's any other car on market close to Prius liftback. Hyundai Elantra Touring seemed to be a pretty roomy hatchback, but is replaced by Elantra GT hatchback which appear to be smaller. I wonder if Honda is going to make a virtual copy of liftback Prius in their next generation Insight: larger Insight with full hybrid drivetrain. They're starting into full hybrids now with Accord Plugin and in a few months, Accord hybrid. Even if Honda makes a Prius copy, it won't sell anywhere near Prius numbers unless it's very reliable and competitive and that will take several years to prove.
