SW17LS

I’m good lol, I’ll take your word for it!

FrankReynoldsCPA

Never heard "prius" and "effortless power" in the same conversation before.

asj2024

LOL...well, the 5th gen Prime has 220 hp, so it is better than previous gens...but I have yet to drive that.

Striker223

So almost no power?

Lwerewolf

Plenty for what it is, and way better than what it used to be. Still relatively high rev 4pot noise that's not silenced too well. And, of course, a bit of a case of "too little, too late" at this point. Not sure what the value prop is in the US, over here you can get the corolla 2.0 wagon hybrid and... it just makes a ton more sense.

Try an LS or a GS. RX even.

SW17LS

Ooooh…220 hp lol

Margate330

That's pretty good for a car built for max mpgs.

I don't think a V-8 would work too well for a Prius. Lol

SW17LS

Oh it’s perfectly fine…just still going to get a cacophony of nasty 4cyl droning whenever you need strong acceleration.

BayeauxLex

0-60 in 6.4-7.1 secs depends on if you get hybrid or the prime

and 57mpg (hybrid) or 127mpge if you get the prime

Its good for what it’s meant to do, save on fuel.

SW17LS

Worlds better than what the Prius used to be…mine was ~ 10 seconds to 60.

BayeauxLex

Absolutely. Mine is 10 seconds as well. My wife used to hate driving it but since I added an aftermarket CarPlay screen she will drive it. She now understands why we keep it around. She even takes it on short business trips.

asj2024

Since Toyota has added hybrids to most of its models, the case for the Prius has gone down, and this along with the general downtrend in non-SUVs is reflected in the lowering sales figures.

The price is also higher than a Corolla or Camry I believe, so again another negative mark against it, since it's not a luxury car.

The Prius had been moving towards a kind of boutique role as time passes, catering towards loyal previous customers and living off its name recognition. Before the gen 5, sales were in the low 30k annually, and I was thinking that might herald its demise.

With the coming of the 5th gen and the pivot of Toyota to a car that is more conservative in styling, with significantly higher power but still great fuel consumption, Toyota managed to create a resurgence in the brand. This is reflected in all the awards it has received as best car of the year from different sources (Motortrend, Kelley Bluebook, North American Car of the Year, etc), and sales have surged and might rise beyond 50k this year (sales were 138% higher yoy in q1 I think). Being crowned the greenest car in the nation in its PHEV form probably helped as well.

Saying that, I expect it to languish in the long run, living off its name recognition, unless it somehow finds a new rapidly growing segment of consumers, which i doubt. It was a major part of car history, and loyal owners like myself will continue to support it and more, but the odds are against it in a time when all cars are already going hybrid and hybridization is becoming a de facto standard and the new norm.

Comparison looks of 5th gen to 3rd gen. Personally, I prefer the quirky looks of the 3rd gen to the sportier look of its descendant. You stand out more. But for many, the 5th gen is hell better (except for interior space)

SW17LS

Priuses are ubiquitous, you don’t stand out in a Gen 3, nobody notices it at all. There was a time in 2004-2006 when the Prius was really hot that they got a lot of attention, ours got a lot of attention…it was kind of weird. Those days are long gone though.

My wife used to go to Prius meets…there was a Prius wave…everybody wanted to drive it…there were 8 month waits and huge markups over sticker…it was like driving a Tesla in 2012.

LexBob2

I chuckled out loud when I read this. Good one.

asj2024

I mean, stands out from a distance due to its shape. I can easily pick out the older gens from the quirky shape, but the gen 5 can be mistaken from far away....the enormous PRIUS sign in back nails it though lol