New Prius Owners - Give Us Your Report

joyce_m

I recently purchased a 2011 year-end close-out Prius to replace a 2006 Prius that I purchased new and handed down to my son. I am not using my new car any differently, but I am seeing new scratches show up on a regular basis. I didn't have this problem with the 2006 Prius; the paint job on it looks practically new. I just asked the service rep at the dealer about this, and he was incredibly dismissive about it, saying it is the same as the 2006 paint job and nothing has changed. I worked in the automotive industry for 12 years and know that things change all the time. And something has definitely changed between the paint job on my old Prius and this one. If I had it to do over again, I would not buy this car. I will probably not buy another Toyota if this one continues to scratch up and turn into a rust bucket.

bobw3

Is the new Prius a different color? Sometimes scratches show up differently with different colors.

Mr_Shiftright

Darker colors for instance.

Also, how the car is washed and who is washing it (are they trained and what materials do they use) can make a huge difference.

3219

MPG suddenly dropped on a trip. Toyota checked car computer and found no problems
Local dealer says he can not fix it without help from SE Toyota
SE Toyota refuses to help
Problem has lasted for 3 months and have made 4 trips to the dealer
Car, bought new now has 20,000 miles, has had only one driver and has used many different gasoline brands Before this problem, car always got 50+mpg

Mr_Shiftright

Were you traveling at higher speeds than you normally do? With a Prius, the best MPG is often city driving.

jayrider

The best mpg in my prius is creeping along in a 15 minute traffic jam. The dash pegs at 100 mpg. 46 isn't that bad. Short trips and cool weather take a toll. I leave my trip meter alone and after 2-3000 miles I average 51. I've been in the 40's when I was always checking but no more. 27k total miles and probably in the high 40's overall.

snowboarder4

Factors affecting fuel economy:
cold temperatures, new tire tread, low tire pressure, vertical, hard acceleration and braking, speed.

When I first got my Prius, I was patient and slow on all of my trips, had original small factory tires, and drove in summer with fuel economy 50 MPG. After the first winter, the cold temperatures gave me an average of 48 MPG. Purchase of heavy, all-season tires cut fuel economy five percent. Over-inflating tires is a trick used to increase fuel economy, operating in the light of day leads to warmer temperatures, and getting the luggage and excess junk out of the vehicle potentially offers higher fuel economy. Kick your spouse out of the car for higher fuel efficiency.

Mr_Shiftright

I have two friends and I'm always bugging them about MPG, and over the course of a few years, they both seem to average right around 46-48 mpg.

k5ldb

I got a 2015 Prius 3 on Saturday 8 days ago, 9/5/15. I've put about 100 miles on it so far, all short drives as everything is 1 to 3 miles from home. I've had from a worst of 39.9mpg one time on a cold start to 65.6mpg on a 9 mile total drive from a luke warm start. I mostly see in the 50's. Overall I really like the car. It replaced a 2014 Mazda3 HB because I learned of the solar roof option, the best car accessory since the windshield wiper.

punu055

With current gas prices, I don't think it is worth spending money on Prius. Please check other cars. I am current owner of Prius, I regret for buying this car. Sorry for disappointing you.