Quote:
Originally Posted by JSH
Not according to the EPA ratings. The Prime does better both combined and highway even in gas only mode.
In real life would it do better cruising at 75 mph? Maybe. The Prime has a bit more weight to carry but it also has a more powerful motor so it can regen more and feed in more electric torque. It is probably a wash.
The Prime is also more powerful, quicker, stays in EV mode much easier, and the larger battery means that it will last longer with normal hybrid cycling. The Prime can also recapture MUCH more electricity with regen which is very handy if you live in mountainous areas. (That was a big downside to my two 2nd gen Prius - they would fill the battery and stop regen before I was even 1/4 of the way down a grade and then I had to switch over to engine braking mode to keep from burning up the brakes.
Subjectively the Prime was less ugly than the regular Prius.
So pretty much better in every way and Prime was slightly cheaper to buy after factoring in the $2,500 tax credit. Yet the regular Prius outsold the Prime 5:1.
(This is personalized to have 100% highway driving)
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I always wondered about that too. The prime didn't do it for me though because I would only save $10-15/mo over the regular model in fuel cost but have to lose a seat. That kinda sucks. I do think they finally added the seat back in though.