Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Why our 2010 Prius will be our last, for the moment anyway

Arragonis · 02-26-2013, 03:17 PM

Mrs A has had a 2010 (11 plate in the UK) Prius for the last 18 months or so and the subject of a replacement has started to be discussed at work. Mrs A is unlikely to go for a Prius again so I thought I might list the reasons - the pros and cons. Firstly I have to state Mrs A drives for comfort and "getting there" rather than for MPGs, but she is a "real world" user.

So the good and the bad:

The Good

Good MPG - her previous Octavia (2.0 140hp TDI 6sp) would get about 10-11 miles per litre which works out at 45-48 MPG Imp. The Pious is doing 11-15 miles per litre (~49-55 MPG imp.) Petrol does cost less than Diesel (about 3-5%).
Automatic - she is convinced it is easier (few cars in the UK are autos)
She likes the information from the on-board computers - it seems less than accurate a lot of the time.

The Bad

Interior rattles - loads and loads and loads of them - and the dealers seem to ignore them when we complain. I removed a load but they are back now and worse. This is the major flaw. Seriously - every panel and surface inside rattles, buzzes or bangs on corners, the doors "clang" shut like a pacific rim hatchback. This car costs as much as a Merc-C-class here and they don't rattle or clang at all.
Ride quality - harsh, this has the optional 17s that come with a T-Spirit model - it might "feel" better if every bump wasn't added to by something inside banging or rattling of something else.
Handling - not entirely sure what each end is going to do at the limit, no tuck in on lift off mid corner even in B mode, press on understeer is not consistent, very sensitive to road surface.
Performance - Poor compared to the TDI - we followed a guy who was slow on the corners and fast on the straights last week but we couldn't pass as the overtaking performance is poor compared to the "wooosh" of a TDI. Even in "Power" mode.
Noise - very poor even ignoring rattles. Everything, tyres, wind, road noise are all very high. Even my Aygo (a 1.0 Litre economy hatch) is quieter. The engine screams like mad when stressed, which it is a lot of the time.
Toyota SAT NAV - I think TOTAL CRAP is giving it too nice a review.

So this will be her first and last, next choice is a Hyundai i40 Estate Diesel with a DSG style auto, or a VAG TDI estate with a real DSG.

We gave it a go.

On the other hand when her contract ends it will be a high mileage Prius so I might see if they will do a deal and buy it myself - I can ignore noise and like top MPGs

Although I may post more about my deafness brought on by excess noise...

02-26-2013, 03:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
Arragonis The PRC. Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Elsewhere. Posts: 5,304 Thanks: 285 Thanked 536 Times in 384 Posts	Why our 2010 Prius will be our last, for the moment anyway Mrs A has had a 2010 (11 plate in the UK) Prius for the last 18 months or so and the subject of a replacement has started to be discussed at work. Mrs A is unlikely to go for a Prius again so I thought I might list the reasons - the pros and cons. Firstly I have to state Mrs A drives for comfort and "getting there" rather than for MPGs, but she is a "real world" user. So the good and the bad: The Good Good MPG - her previous Octavia (2.0 140hp TDI 6sp) would get about 10-11 miles per litre which works out at 45-48 MPG Imp. The Pious is doing 11-15 miles per litre (~49-55 MPG imp.) Petrol does cost less than Diesel (about 3-5%). Automatic - she is convinced it is easier (few cars in the UK are autos) She likes the information from the on-board computers - it seems less than accurate a lot of the time. The Bad Interior rattles - loads and loads and loads of them - and the dealers seem to ignore them when we complain. I removed a load but they are back now and worse. This is the major flaw. Seriously - every panel and surface inside rattles, buzzes or bangs on corners, the doors "clang" shut like a pacific rim hatchback. This car costs as much as a Merc-C-class here and they don't rattle or clang at all. Ride quality - harsh, this has the optional 17s that come with a T-Spirit model - it might "feel" better if every bump wasn't added to by something inside banging or rattling of something else. Handling - not entirely sure what each end is going to do at the limit, no tuck in on lift off mid corner even in B mode, press on understeer is not consistent, very sensitive to road surface. Performance - Poor compared to the TDI - we followed a guy who was slow on the corners and fast on the straights last week but we couldn't pass as the overtaking performance is poor compared to the "wooosh" of a TDI. Even in "Power" mode. Noise - very poor even ignoring rattles. Everything, tyres, wind, road noise are all very high. Even my Aygo (a 1.0 Litre economy hatch) is quieter. The engine screams like mad when stressed, which it is a lot of the time. Toyota SAT NAV - I think TOTAL CRAP is giving it too nice a review. So this will be her first and last, next choice is a Hyundai i40 Estate Diesel with a DSG style auto, or a VAG TDI estate with a real DSG. We gave it a go. On the other hand when her contract ends it will be a high mileage Prius so I might see if they will do a deal and buy it myself - I can ignore noise and like top MPGs Although I may post more about my deafness brought on by excess noise... __________________ [I]So long and thanks for all the fish.[/I]