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2010 Prius - Next Generation
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Comments
Still it may be roomy enough for 4 if you pile them high. Worth a try.
It depends on the lengths of the drivers ( not the human ones ). I can fit both my clubs and my wife's clubs in my 2005 Prius and I could prolly stack two other sets on top of those but I think I'd have to take the drivers out of the bags and stow them separately. 4 guys inside for a normal trip to the course is no problem whatsoever.
Some stories from the last 5 yrs...
I've had in my 2005 Prius
..a 43" Flatscreen from Best Buy
..my clubs
..briefcase and two pizzas
..my wife and I
A friend has had inside his 2004 Prius
.. twelve 6' folding tables and
.. 40 folding chairs
A friend has had in his 2006 Prius
.. 3 guys ( 2 + him )
.. SIX surfboards
I've had in my 2005 Prius
..a 43" Flatscreen from Best Buy
..my clubs
..briefcase and two pizzas
..my wife and I
A friend has had inside his 2004 Prius
.. twelve 6' folding tables and
.. 40 folding chairs
A friend has had in his 2006 Prius
.. 3 guys ( 2 + him )
.. SIX surfboards
What is this? A new take at how many people can we stuff into a phonebooth or a Volkswagen?
Odd marketing.
For example, in the US, the sunroof is only available bundled with remote air conditioning and solar panels that run vents to cool your car while it is parked. Nice if you live in Phoenix, but a waste of $3600 if you live in a tiny temperate market like NYC or Chicago.
It is the opposite of the D3 method of offering literatlly 10's of thousands of variations. I believe that Fords had over 100,000 ways to order a Mustang. Toyota and Honda try to limit the choices to less than 100 ( colors x option packages ). The options you mention like wheels and standalone sunroofs are all available aftermarket. This gives the buyers complete freedom to build what they want while keeping the manufacturers' costs as low as possible. It is a different way of doing business and one that works. The customers don't seem to mind apparently by the rate of growth of the two brands.
However nothing is carved in stone. If there is demand for say the solar sunroof as a stand alone option without the navigation then it will be offered that way sometime in the next year or two. These initial shipments are the result of pre-launch decisions on orders that had to be given to the factory last January, well before the first vehicle was ever purchased or driven.
Eventually the market will speak its mind and the 5 or 6 most popular packages will be decided.
To keep car makers honest they must keep all cars within 500lbs (approx number - can look it up) so that the numbers are valid. This keeps them from making a super light stripped down version that gets great mpg and then selling most of the cars with hundreds of pounds of mpg robbing options.
Sure the Prius wouuld still do well, but if it weighs too much they have to rate the heavier cars seperately.
Here are the differences:1) You'll get at about 3 mpg less with the V, based on the difference CR found in Prius/Prius Touring. 2) The Turanzas will last about 30k miles (my own experience with an 08 Touring). The Ecopias are warranted for 50k in some sizes, but not in in the 195/65/15 case. 3) Were you to replace the tires today, buying from tirerack.com, you'd pay $340 a set for the Ecopias and $600 for the Turanzas.
Here are my estimates for the added cost of the V over 30k: gasoline 38 gallons@$4/gallon=$150. Assume the tire wear is the same but I'd think the Ecopias do better than Turanza. Cost to replace tires is currently $260 more for the V. Total added cost over 30k miles is about $400. Plus the V costs about $1,000 more than a non-V and you'll not get much if any of that back when the car depreciates, I think.
CR found the Touring (the V) worth the difference in price for the safety and handling, but I don't think they thought the tire issue through. Also, maybe Bridgestone will make Ecopias in the 215/45/17 size by the time you need to replace your original tires.
Happy Trails what ever you choose. I'm happy with my 08Touring and luckily Ecopia just became available for them. Bridgestone claims they are made for high mpg results. We'll soon see.
I don't know about the Ecopias that come on the rest of the trims. No one knows about them as they are very new. The low-rolling-resistance claim is promising for good mpg, the price is good at under $100 and the warranty of 50k in some sizes is good. So I also would not trade these out unless I had better info about their noisiness, grip and stability.
Wile those are possibilities, the people that have received their 2010 Prii have several other tires installed from the factory. So far these are listed as:
tcrawley (NC) - Prius II - Yokohama Avid S33
mvmooney (CA) - Prius II - Yokohama Avid S33
i3akachan (CA) Prius II - Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
Steve Cebu (NH) - Prius II - Yokohama Avid S33
psu77 - (FL) - Prius II - Yokohama Avid S33
Zaxcom (NC) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
msirach (IL) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
s017mag (VA) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
oz132 (IN) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
dbacksfan (AZ) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
dmhorn28 (AL) - Prius III - Yokohama Avid S33
alfon (OR) - Prius III Nav - Yokohama Avid S33
Musigny (OR) - Prius III Nav - Yokohama Avid S33
dc202 (WA) - Prius III Nav - Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
Jay C - Prius IV - Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
buzzydog (WA) - Prius IV - Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
barbaram (NJ) - Prius IV - Yokohama Avid S33
PriusCrazy (NC) - Prius IV - 15" Yokohama Avid S33
reesch (IL) - Prius IV Nav - Yokohama Avid S33
Winebuff (OR) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
jbelectron (OR) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
Teknolust (OR) - Prius IV NV - Yokohama Avid S33
NoMoShocks (WA) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
REDWIND88 (WA) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
DaveinOlyWa (WA) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33D
mosttosyrk (WA) - Prius IV Solar - Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
Gadgetdad (CA) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
rcsting (CA) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
HTMLSpinnr (AZ) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33D
Danny (NC) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
FireEngineer (IL) - Prius IV Solar - Yokohama Avid S33
Vincent (FL) - Prius V Nav - Bridgestone Turanza EL400
stream (CA) - Prius V Nav - Toyo Proxes A20
eglmainz (IL) - Prius V Nav - Toyo Proxes A20
basspro (IL) - Prius V Nav - Michelin HX MXM4
Husker4theSpurs (NE) - Prius V Nav - Toyo Proxes A20
LTRAIN (WA) - Prius V Nav - Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
ggood (TX) - Prius V AT - Toyo Proxes A20
greenbirder (TX) - Prius V AT - Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
a priori (IL) - Prius V AT - Toyo Proxes A20
LaMesaGuy (CA) - Prius V AT - Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02
exbauer (IL) - Prius V AT - Bridgestone Turanza EL400
Paradox (NY) - Prius V AT - Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
I hope they will allocate more to USA.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/business/global/13prius.html?_r=2&hpw
which the customer declined the purchase, all previous cases of battery replacements in her dealerships history were covered under toyotas warranty. She didn't mention how many miles the customer had on the vehicle but, this is a true case of a real issue that exists with these vehicles.
If I were in this customers shoes I perhaps would look in the junkyards for a battery
replacement. Cant really think of a cheaper solution. Those junkyard owners probably know value of those batteries as well, but it still has to be a cheaper solution than shelling out 5 g's .
I have a sequoia coming to the end of my lease and am seriously considering buying the new 2010 prius. I have a son who is almost 10 and was thinking if I purchase instead of lease that it would be a good first car for him when he is ready to start driving. But hearing about a 5000 dollar battery makes me think leasing is better than buying. Who wants to finally pay off a vehicle to find out you need to come up with 5 grand just to keep the think running. It is a serious issue to take into consideration when deciding to own or lease one of these.
I think Toyota makes a superior product and excited about getting great gas mileage as well as emitting lower emissions. To buy or to lease is the real issue.
If you intend to purchase it apposed to leasing, then your interest rate should be somewhat comparable on both vehicles depending on the lender.
In essence you might be better off if you are considering a lease to look at the 2010 over the 2009 because the money factor is more favorable on a newer vehicle model year, especially when significant upgrades have been made to that newer model.
Maybe the Gen 1 are more but other postings show the battery at less than $3.
Still the lease vrs purchase decision needs to factor in the miles you drive. If I only drove 10,000 miles a year I'm not sure the Prius would be my choice anyway.
All you 2010 owners.
How does the calculated (miles driven/gallons) compare to the dash mpg display?
Oh man, too bad:
The NHW11 model Prius, 2001-03, had the first generation prismatic battery that is not as strong as the NHW20, 2004-09 and ZVW30, 2010 battery:
Many of us think the best answer for the NHW11 is to rebuild the traction battery by using the more modern, NHW20 modules.
Regardless, one could pick up a worn out Prius with a bad battery and for an additional $3,000 and your own labor or pay Toyota and get a car that easily achieves 45-50 MPG. But of course, some drivers"> may prefer to pay at the pump.
Bob Wilson
The current batteries are covered for 10 years and or 150k miles but not too sure if the 01 model had the same coverage.
Yes the smart thing to do is go to the body shop of any large Toyota store and look for a Prius of that Generation that has been totalled with front end damage and try to buy the battery from the insurance company that's paying off the claim.
Batteries ARE NOT $5000!!!
One of many benefits of the NiMHs is their very low cost and unquestioned durability. In the auto business these two characteristics alone are enough to keep them around for a long long time. My own guess is that the NiMHs stay for at least another 10+ years as the 'base' technology for vehicles only getting 45-55 mpg.
When new battery technology arrives it will be blended into the mix but as a 'premium' offering with better capabilities .... at a premium price.
IMO we will soon see $15000 - $28000 'traditional' hybrids using NiMH technology and $30000+ hybrids using Li-Ion technology.
I assume the vessels are special built Toyota ships. Does anyone know the names of the craft in Toyota's fleet?
MG1 acts as the 'starter' motor getting the ICE up and spinning but not using any fuel. MG2 gets the vehicle rolling and uses its massive torque to overcome intertia.
BTW, I heard from my dealer that mine will be here by the end of July.
What should I be expecting to pay?
What Dealership do you recommend I check with? I will pay cash for the vehicle. Currently through July Toyota will pay all sales tax in our area.
Any idea how long a wait I should expect?
Since it probaly have to be special ordered, how much of a down payment will I need to pay?
Thanks for any help you might have to offer. Chris
First, congratulations on your upcoming purchase.
Now, "special ordering" a Toyota is not like a "special order" of a domestic. The factory in Japan makes various models with various "packages," then allocates them to various dealers. As I understand it, some combinations may be different in Seattle than in another area of the country. The dealer watches the allocation, and in some cases, if he sees what you want allocated to another dealer, makes an effort to swap one he is allocated with the other dealer. I have one on "order" and I put $500 down. The wait could be a number of weeks to months. I have waited for about 3 weeks thus far, and I have been led to believe an allocation has been received for one like I want ... and it should arrive by the end of July.
From my reading, that could change. The Prius is proving to be very popular world-wide. Today I read that Toyota may reduce the US allocation, because they are selling so many in Japan. The factory is working over-time, and unable to meet the demand.
My dealer and I agreed to MSRP. I do not like it, but that was the best I could do. Some report better deals; in some areas, the dealers are charging additional "fees" and/or surcharges, that personally, would not be acceptable. Unfortunately, I cannot suggest a Seattle dealer.
Good luck ... I hope that helps. If others want to comment or correct my statements, please feel free to do so.
IMO the 16" (good) or 17" (better) size creates the right visual proportion for the car, improving handling in the process. The 15" on the car I test-drove yesterday looked tiny, although it probably speaks best to the overall intent of the car.
Anyhow, there are still good size/type alternatives out there. To keep as much of the fuel economy benefits as possible, I'm thinking that low tire/wheel weight and tread pattern/rubber compound come into consideration.
Some tire products should fit the bill (prices are reasonable to boot).
This one, for example, is relatively light and has good life expectancy/probably yields good fuel economy (as indicated by the UTQG rating): http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Kumho&model=Ecsta+AST&partnum=145HR7- - - - - EASTXL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=1
This different brand of the same size will likely yield lower fuel economy and life expectancy, but should have better cornering/braking characteristics: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Sumitomo&model=HTR+Z+II&partnum=145W- - - - - R7HTRZ2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=3
As to rims, in general the offset, rim width, weight, and of course bolt pattern are the main factors to consider. Should be looking more closely at those as purchase time nears; I'll probably end up looking on eBay/Craigslist at 17" OEMs for other Toyota models as wheel specs tend to be similar across many model lines/manufacturer.
If you don't mind, which option package did your 2005 Prius have and how much did they give you on trade-in.... or if you sold it privately how much did it sell for???
Sorry to be so nosy, but we currently have an '08 Prius and have found a very low mileage '05 with Nav that I am considering buying. (the '10 is just a tad pricey at the moment)
Thank you,
Steve
Thanks!