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Toyota Camry Hybrid vs Toyota Prius
beachgirl1106
Member Posts: 7
in Toyota
I am looking at purchasing a TCH or Prius.
My new commute will be approximately 55 miles one-way, with the longest stretch of highway being 35 miles of the 55 miles.
I would really appreciate any feedback, insight, advice (price, comfort, cargo capacity, etc.) on what to consider when comparing these two vehicles.'
Thanks!
Jeannie
My new commute will be approximately 55 miles one-way, with the longest stretch of highway being 35 miles of the 55 miles.
I would really appreciate any feedback, insight, advice (price, comfort, cargo capacity, etc.) on what to consider when comparing these two vehicles.'
Thanks!
Jeannie
0
Comments
The TCH is just like a regular Camry that gets about 10-12 mpg more than the non-hybrid version, but otherwise has the same level of comfort and comparable (though not identical) handling as a Camry XLE.
The Prius is unlike any other car. It's roomy, sits much lower, and is designed for maximum mpg. Check out the skinny tires. That bothers some people. The payoff is about 10-12 mpg more than the TCH.
The Prius' hatchback style gives it a considerable edge in cargo hauling over the TCH's smallish trunk.
I chose the TCH for reasons of comfort and handling, and general utility in all driving circumstances. If I'd wanted primarily a commute car, and gas mileage was very important, the Pruis might have been my choice.
With both cars now in good supply at most dealers, you should be able to get a better price than early buyers. Good luck.
We were definitely impressed with the roominess and storage space of the Prius, and if for some reason we need to add a second car (neither the wife or I drive to work), we would certainly consider it.
Here in BC, Toyota lists the TCH at $32,000 (Can.) and the Prius with 'B' package (which gives you the many of the same features as the TCH, such as better sound system, bluetooth, smart key, etc. - lists at $35,360. The only thing the Prius had that the Camry didn't was foglights. Also, I don't believe the Prius had stability or traction control.
For me, it's an easy choice.
- Mike Freeman -
And just to add to this, a moonroof is not available on the Prius, for those who enjoy it, that is a dealbreaker.
That's weird, the TCH I bought in may 06 was absolutely loaded and MSRP was under 31,000. I just checked Edmunds.com and a loaded Prius in the states is only $27,865 or about $3000 less than a comparable TCH, not $3000 more as per your posting. I've seen Prius's advertised lately for a couple of thousand off so I assume that's around $25,500 for a loaded one. With the exchange rate that should be no more than $30,000 Canadian I would have thought.
If folks are paying that much for a Prius then I can see where some of the auto mag writters might be right in saying that the cost of going green may not be justified.
I live in Central Jersey where we see all four seasons and definitely need to take this into consideration.
Thanks for all of the great information I have received so far! It is greatly appreciated.
Jeannie
Comparing apples to apples, the "B" package Camry Hybrid is $35,000+ and the "B" package Prius is $34,000+. Pretty much the same price.
The Prius will return better fuel economy, has more cargo room, and is a little more adaptable, being a "hatchback".
The Camry has more comfort (like an adjustable drivers seat!), more luxury options. The "B" package has leather seats and the sun-roof.
Oh, and yes Americans, we Canadians are being "ripped off" price wise compared to what you pay. Compared to the rest of the world, not so much.
- mike -
I purchased a Prius package B because it is more flexible and gets better mileage. If I had wanted more comfort and luxury I would have purchased the Camry package B. They are both nice cars and the choice was difficult.
I don't intend to be rude, but what is your source for this information?
Hmmm, good question. The Highlander Hybrid doesn't have the system.
This is what is going to happen: The Camry Hybrid dissapears, the current Prius becomes Prius B, a smaller Yaris-size Prius A appears, and a larger Camry-size Prius C appears.
From many sources (too many to list), the Prius B will be turbocharged (increased performance), goes to Lithium-Ion batteries, becomes plug-in (but just 7 mile range in full electric) and gets up to 100 mpg. Really.
Hybrid versions of other Toyota / Lexus models will continue.
I didn't ready anything that suggested the TCH would be dropped. As hybrids gain in popularity, which they will, the number of models will likely increase. Few automakers drop a model that's selling well.
As most of you know the '09 Camry Hybrid is already on the street and Toyota has a pretty attractive Lease Deal available on it (36 months with a money factor of .00141), works out to about 3.35 percent.
I would either be getting a package #6 Prius or a loaded Camry.
The '08 Prius while doing great is a "bit long in the tooth" and it's replacement is "expected" by most of the Prius faithful.
My wife likes the "heavier" feel of the Camry as she feels it is a "more secure" ride. However my wife is a Real Estate Agent as well as a Grandmother. She puts on a lot of miles running clients around (especially in this market) and the hatchback of the Prius is much more functional for the "stuff" she hauls around for the GrandKids.
What she really wants is another Honda Pilot, but one that gets 35mpg! As we all know that is not possible I would appreciate your input and suggestions.
Thank you in advance :-)
If any of you folks that own the Prius or Camry Hybrid are Real Estate Agents, I would be very interested in your experiences vis a vie that occupation!
Speaking of wind, if you really want to compare the two cars, test drive both on a windy day with cross winds, you will find the prius can get knocked around quite well, while the Camry feels secure and hardly moves.
My wife decided to go for the mileage and we bought the '08 Prius on Saturday.
As we had to travel to find a "deal" we drove it home 680 miles and I did notice the car moved a bit when the large trucks would zoom by the opposite direction on a two-lane highway.
Perhaps my wife will change her mind as time goes on... but she felt the ability of the hatchback to swallow more items, unusually shaped items, and the fact that she can lower the back seats one at a time or together made the decision for her.
Personally I think the her daughter telling her the Camry looked like an "old person's car," may have also held some sway! :-) (although we have seven grand-kids we try and pretend like we are still in our 20's...)
So hopefully my wife and her Real Estate Clients will both like the Prius!
Whats funny is you mention a grandma car, my mom smashed her Grand Marquis a week or so ago and asked me to find her a grandma car. I did, a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. She loves it! Now that is a real estate sales car for sure!
Sorry I didn't see your post sooner. She could have gone for a Ford Escape Hybrid, which is rated at 34 MPG in the city. That is decent for an SUV, and the driver and passengers sit high up, which would be an advantage when cruising to view real estate.
My wife put 55,000 miles on our '08 Prius then we traded it in on a '10 Prius and put another 55,000 miles on that car.
As they have made a significant change to the Camry's MPG we thought we would give it a try. So we traded our '10 Prius IV in on a Hybrid Camry. To get the color my wife wanted (White) our only choices was a base model and one with every know option... guess which one we took. Trade in amount was too good to pass up so we are now driving a loaded White Hybrid Camry.
Interestingly enough the MPG reported on the cars computer is actually less than I calculate by filling up to the same amount on a level surface, then repeating the process and doing the simple math. Computer is reporting that we are averaging 42 - 43 mpg, while the math says 45.
We have only owned the car for about 10 days and already have over 1000 miles on it!
The car handles quite well and as you might expect as a much heavier vehicle it is more stable on the highway. So far we have been able to fit everything into the trunk and single fold down rear seat that we used to cram into the Prius, but the Prius is set up better for unusually shaped items with its hatchback design.
The way my wife drives I figure it will probably cost us an extra $300 a year in fuel, but so far it seems to be a reasonable trade-off.
As far as how the Prius worked as a Real Estate Vehicle for those of you that might be interested it was terrific! As you would expect the gas mileage made showing property (running people all over town) much less painful, but what I was surprised at was that no one... I mean no one no matter what their financial status felt demeaned by being chauffeured around town in the Prius. It she had clients that were very well to do they were impressed that my wife was taking a "green" approach to her business while folks at the other end of the spectrum simply thought the car was cool-looking.
We had selected the IV model with the solar roof, which turned out to be fantastic here in Las Vegas. We would have bought the new Prius V when it came out, but they did not offer a solar roof option and you could only get the "smart-key" system (on all doors) on the top model 5 of the Prius V... which also gave you those stupid (my humble opinion please forgive if you disagree) acrylic panels which cannot be opened and simply cook the interior here in Vegas.
If this thread survives we will post back later, but like the guy who jumped off the 100 story building was heard to say as he passed the 90th floor... "so far so good!"
Trying to persuade her to Camry, although I know Prius has way more "hybrid appeal" to her. Will be great if you can give me your takes on this... thanks!
In the end, we went with Camry Hybrid XLE. So glad with decision, been 3 weeks since we took delivery of car.
When you need it, Camry has the muscle. Been averaging 38 MPG, now 2nd tank of gas but I am lead footed.
I seem to get better MPG while on highway than city however, wierd.
I paid $30K exactly for XLE model, fully loaded to the brim.
Refused every add-on they offered in Finance.
5 year @ 2.49% with credit union.
Bottom line is to have her test drive them all and see which she likes. The Camry Hybrid seems to run about $3,000 more than a non-hybrid Camry, so it will take about 10 years to make up the difference in gas savings. The Prius comes in-between the two Camrys, so she'll make up the price difference in the Prius over the regular Camry in a few years.
http://www.cars.com/go/compare/selectTrims.jsp?&myids=13502,12937,13469&selected- =3
That said, from your numbers I guess Prius is the cost king among them! So Camry wins in passenger space, size (safety), power, quietness (not sure how much), but Prius wins in overall cost and the intangible hybrid appeal...
You can put more in the Prius than the TCH, but I believe you can carry more in the TCH with 4 people in the car. Our '12 TCH normally does about 38-40 mpg on the above trip. Just driving around town we normally average around 44 and if I am careful around town I can get over 50. The TCH is a bigger heavier car and more comfortable to drive on long trips, but there are times when I think fondly of the 52+ mpg we were getting on our gen 3 Prius.
I agree that the payback time on the TCH is going to be much longer than it would be on the Prius. I was looking forward to purchasing the Plug-in version of the Prius, but was disappointed that it only gets 13 miles on the battery. It is still a great car for folks in Calif that can use it to get access to the HOV lanes, but for the majority of us I think it was a "swing and a miss" by Toyota.
IMHO of course!
I love my TCH and will keep it until the wheels fall off or become to expensive to maintain. For those who are considering a hybrid and can wait, take a look at the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. From the looks of it it is rated at 47 mpg.
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