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. :rolleyes:

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 :D

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

In spite of the newer Diesels featuring some devices that reduce their fuel-savings, at least for me they're still a reasonable option instead of a comparatively-sized gasser hybrid. Well, if I remember correctly the Octavia would be slotted in a size class closer to the Camry Hybrid, and some newer Diesels feature idle shut-off, which increases their inner-city efficiency...

The Camry is 10cm longer and 3cm wider than the Octavia we had before. The new Octavia is pretty much the same size as the Camry, and there is a new model - The Rapid - in between the Octavia and smaller Fabia.

I'm cautious about going with another Skoda as the dealer turned out to be totally useless. VW equivalents are more spendy but you end up with less stuff too.

It may even end up we have another Toyota - they do reasonably good Diesels here - but only if we can be sure it doesn't rattle, and definitely not a Prius again. The Auris Hybrid is too small.

Not sure, we will ponder the options next June.

Thanks for the review. I'm still holding out for a 3-pedal version :p

Wait, you got a 98 HP hybrid and you're disappointed in the performance because you couldn't overtake someone? The car preformed as it was supposed to, in the most fuel efficient way as possible.

Good luck with the wait, I doubt it will appear. Go for a CRZ which has 3 pedals but only 3 doors and 2.5 seats and needs the ICE (or a hill or a push) to move. Also make sure you get the petrol cap rattle fix.

True, but I have no doubt we could have made the overtake in a 1.6 TDI or HDI with 105-110 HP which is about the same as the Prius in PWR mode - and probably matched the Prius for the MPG vs Speed for the trip. Other than that the performance is fine for every day use.

You also missed the bit where I floated the idea of keeping it - for me :D

Interesting. I didn't realize they offered a manual. I've just been doing some research since I saw your post, and I like what I see. I may have to test drive one.

For a car in that price range, why not go for a Mercedes CLA and then service it at a reputable independent mechanic? It will be cheaper than an C class, as economical as a Prius, very safe and it will go over bumps like a Mercedes and not like a shopping cart.

I find it very hard to forgive some car makers for awful ride quality these days. But I guess it`s the consumers own fault, maybe they like a beating, who knows.

my golf rattles, but its running 30% veg, and cost a week's wages:)

Thanks for the hands on review- certainly sounds like its a good concept, jsut poorly executed in the instance of this particular car.

I'd have had the dealer dragged over hot coals, but then again, I'm not as tolerant as you..

Maybe a CLA wagon if they ever do one - CLA saloon would be too small I think - we carry quite a lot of gear. It will probably be a lease car so servicing is paid for but I suspect it will be outside our spend range anyway.

The Prius boot is just about OK but a bit cramped for some loads. If the rest had been OK we might have considered the bigger Prius people carrier thingy instead.

The list will probably consist of anything roughly Golf Estate to Passat Estate sized - and definitely an estate. The choice is better now - Hyundai i40 looks good as does the Kia Optima estate.

The only make I won't consider at all ever is Volvo.