Toyota Prius Plus MPV - anyone got one?
Discussion
Yes, I know this is PH and not Mumsnet. But, it's like this.
I need serious load carrying capacity, and occasional use of 7 seats. And I want something that is "interesting" in some way.
I've been trying out the various options (Ford Galaxy, Citroen Grand Picasso etc.) all of which have their pros and cons. The Prius+ is looking like a contender.
I used to have a Renault Grand Espace mk4, which I loved. The Prius+ feels like the logical successor to that car, and indeed the dashboard layout is not dissimilar.
Any opinions welcomed...
I need serious load carrying capacity, and occasional use of 7 seats. And I want something that is "interesting" in some way.
I've been trying out the various options (Ford Galaxy, Citroen Grand Picasso etc.) all of which have their pros and cons. The Prius+ is looking like a contender.
I used to have a Renault Grand Espace mk4, which I loved. The Prius+ feels like the logical successor to that car, and indeed the dashboard layout is not dissimilar.
Any opinions welcomed...
I'm a Toyota salesman (so a tiny bit biased!) I have sold a couple of them, they are good cars, perhaps a little expensive.
I think a pre-reg or ex-emo would be good value.
The third row of seats are small, so perhaps more comparable with a Zafira, Verso, Touran than an Galaxy or Espace for example.
If you need any help or advice feel free to email me
I think a pre-reg or ex-emo would be good value.
The third row of seats are small, so perhaps more comparable with a Zafira, Verso, Touran than an Galaxy or Espace for example.
If you need any help or advice feel free to email me
Went for a good look, and test drive, today.
The dealer was very good in accommodating the test drive. I said I was interested in a T4 model. They didn't have one but they brought one down from another branch which was nice. They then sorted out insurance, gave me the keys and told me to go and have fun and please bring it back Nice of them to trust me.
Good things:
Under the bonnet the main components and service points are visible and easily accessible. Unlike the competition, the engine bay is not packed solid and covered in plastic.
Overall I was pretty happy. It's the classic Japanese "car built by engineers". The aesthetics and trim could be better but it drove well, everything felt rock solid and there are loads of toys. It fulfills the brief of being an "interesting" MPV.
The dealer offered a good deal on a brand new 63 plate T4 so I've gone for it. I should be picking it up in early September
The dealer was very good in accommodating the test drive. I said I was interested in a T4 model. They didn't have one but they brought one down from another branch which was nice. They then sorted out insurance, gave me the keys and told me to go and have fun and please bring it back
Nice of them to trust me.Good things:
- Space. You can get 7 average adults in without complaints. The rearmost seats are small but they are not "kids only". In 5-seat mode there is around a metre of rear legroom. With all the rear seats down you have a 2m load bay. Then the front passenger seat folds down to extend it to 3m. Great for DIY trips, tip runs, house moves, holidays etc. Yet it doesn't feel like a big car to drive.
- The dashboard is really cool. It's all digital; there are no analogue gauges. It reminds me of the Espace mk4. You can see the car automatically switching between EV, eco and power modes on the fly as you drive around
There is no rev counter; instead there is a "power meter" which shows total drivetrain output (electric plus petrol) in real time. - Loads of kit. Reversing camera, head up display, climate control, Bluetooth, keyless entry, panoramic roof, auto wipers, you name it. All standard and it all works well. Unlike certain other makes you don't get nickel-and-dimed on the options list.
- Fuel economy. Motorway driving returned just over 60mpg. Town driving returned an easy 65mpg. This was with a heavy right foot in both cases. I could easily get 70mpg in town if I paid attention. Very impressive for a 7-seat MPV.
- The ride is OK, but not a great advance on my Insight. I expected a smoother ride considering the wider and deeper tyres (205/60 R16), longer wheelbase and added weight. It is very stable when cornering, but pothole/speedbump absorption could be better.
- The noise level when motorway cruising could be lower. It's better than the Insight, but again I expected more.
- The interior trim should be better at this price point. The grey fabric on the seats looks rather "minicab" (perhaps not surprising given its appeal to that sector). There are lots of hard, grey plastics. It will probably wear well, though.
- The T4 comes with alloys, but they have plastic trims over them (like steel wheel trims). It's a practical solution that protects the alloys from kerb damage, but again it looks a bit "minicab". The T-Spirit comes with proper exposed alloys.
Under the bonnet the main components and service points are visible and easily accessible. Unlike the competition, the engine bay is not packed solid and covered in plastic.
Overall I was pretty happy. It's the classic Japanese "car built by engineers". The aesthetics and trim could be better but it drove well, everything felt rock solid and there are loads of toys. It fulfills the brief of being an "interesting" MPV.
The dealer offered a good deal on a brand new 63 plate T4 so I've gone for it. I should be picking it up in early September
Munter said:
On the build quality front I moved from a toyota to a BMW, and the toyota wins easily on the build front.
I'm now looking at getting back into a toyota. The auris with a 2.2 180 bhp diesel is catching my eye.
That's good to hear I'm now looking at getting back into a toyota. The auris with a 2.2 180 bhp diesel is catching my eye.
The latest Auris looks very sharp inside and out. There is an estate version as well now. I was tempted by that but went with the Prius+ to get the longer wheelbase, 7 seats and spaceship dashboard.
BMW is the only car company where the attitude of the dealer caused me to end the process and walk out!
We bought one in February 2013 and the car has been great. Main problem is that the fuel tank is small - only takes 35 litres on refill which means refuelling every week or 420 miles on average.
Other potential issue is that we ran out of petrol and AA had to charge the battery and disconnect completely for 20 minutes as the ECU got confused before it would allow the car to re-start...took a while for the chap to work it out.
It is not as practical as the VW Touran we run in terms of heavy duty lifting but with all the mod cons it is a comfortable drive and hopefully will prove to be cheaper to run than the VW which has cost over £1000 in repairs yearly over the last 4 years - truly the most expensive car I have had to run from new despite the extended warranty
Other potential issue is that we ran out of petrol and AA had to charge the battery and disconnect completely for 20 minutes as the ECU got confused before it would allow the car to re-start...took a while for the chap to work it out.
It is not as practical as the VW Touran we run in terms of heavy duty lifting but with all the mod cons it is a comfortable drive and hopefully will prove to be cheaper to run than the VW which has cost over £1000 in repairs yearly over the last 4 years - truly the most expensive car I have had to run from new despite the extended warranty
Thanks for that.
Fuel tank - interesting, the spec says 45 litres but maybe 10 litres is reserve. The Insight has a 40-litre tank so I'm used to getting about 400 miles out of a tank. On the plus side, a fillup is always less than 50 quid.
I test drove the Sharan. It was roomy and well built but I felt that it would struggle to keep my interest. I get bored easily
Fuel tank - interesting, the spec says 45 litres but maybe 10 litres is reserve. The Insight has a 40-litre tank so I'm used to getting about 400 miles out of a tank. On the plus side, a fillup is always less than 50 quid.
I test drove the Sharan. It was roomy and well built but I felt that it would struggle to keep my interest. I get bored easily
And here it is
First impressions are very good indeed. Its modern feel, and willingness to defy convention, make it feel like the spiritual successor to the Renault Espace (though hopefully not in reliability terms...)
The only negative I've found so far is that there is no auto headlight function. It's a bizarre omission. But obviously not a deal breaker.
The Toyota dealer had some interesting stuff to say. Apparently they had sold a record 83 cars in August for September delivery. Biggest seller was the Yaris but the Auris hybrid was also doing exceptionally well. The biggest reasons for choosing a hybrid were reliability and fuel economy. Environmental awareness was not a factor.
He had also sold 6 GT86's during August. He claimed that everyone who had come into the showroom to look seriously at one, had ended up buying one.
Thanks to everyone that helped. I'll try and do a longer writeup at some point.
First impressions are very good indeed. Its modern feel, and willingness to defy convention, make it feel like the spiritual successor to the Renault Espace (though hopefully not in reliability terms...)
The only negative I've found so far is that there is no auto headlight function. It's a bizarre omission. But obviously not a deal breaker.
The Toyota dealer had some interesting stuff to say. Apparently they had sold a record 83 cars in August for September delivery. Biggest seller was the Yaris but the Auris hybrid was also doing exceptionally well. The biggest reasons for choosing a hybrid were reliability and fuel economy. Environmental awareness was not a factor.
He had also sold 6 GT86's during August. He claimed that everyone who had come into the showroom to look seriously at one, had ended up buying one.
Thanks to everyone that helped. I'll try and do a longer writeup at some point.
LancerG said:
I hope you enjoy it.
FYI - there is a new Grand C4 Picasso coming out in December, 12" screen instead of dash, 7" touch screen instead of buttons. Radar cruise, auto dimming headlights etc etc..... but not a hybrid, so probably wouldnt of peaked your interest.
Thanks FYI - there is a new Grand C4 Picasso coming out in December, 12" screen instead of dash, 7" touch screen instead of buttons. Radar cruise, auto dimming headlights etc etc..... but not a hybrid, so probably wouldnt of peaked your interest.
I did consider waiting for the new C4GP, but I'm not really a fan of modern small diesels; there is too much to go wrong, and I don't find them very pleasant to drive.We have been running a Yaris Hybrid now for nearly six months it's the other half's daily transport. I can't fault it for what it is i.e. a comfortable deceptively spacious quiet car that does a regular 70 MPG regardless of how you drive it. The Yaris replaced an ageing very high mileage 2 litre Beetle and so far we are using one third of the fuel per week, we bought it as an ex-demo car with a very good p/x deal which made the purchase a no brainer. I disliked the image that the Pious has and bought ours on the basis of zero tax and fuel economy, when the day dawns and I can't drive a performance car I think I'll be happy enough with a hybrid. I would suggest anyone looking to replace a car have a look at what deals you can get p/x wise and ex-demo wise because for the daily slog to work they seem to be worth a closer look.
I'm only saying this because of the site we are on, and the sticker they produce, but it is apt
Life's too short for a hybrid
When i'm too old to drive a performance car, i'll shoot myself.........i'll probably miss due to shaky hands but hey !
my weekend car gets a heady 21mpg, way better than my old modified V8 Jag XKR that did 13mpg
Lifes for living, not a competition to see how much you have saved by the time you die.
All the jokes out of the way, im sure if I had to commute as I did in the past, it makes alot of sense to run electric or a hybrid..... i'd do it in a Tesla tho
Life's too short for a hybrid
When i'm too old to drive a performance car, i'll shoot myself.........i'll probably miss due to shaky hands but hey !
my weekend car gets a heady 21mpg, way better than my old modified V8 Jag XKR that did 13mpg
Lifes for living, not a competition to see how much you have saved by the time you die.
All the jokes out of the way, im sure if I had to commute as I did in the past, it makes alot of sense to run electric or a hybrid..... i'd do it in a Tesla tho
LancerG said:
I'm only saying this because of the site we are on, and the sticker they produce, but it is apt
Life's too short for a hybrid
When i'm too old to drive a performance car, i'll shoot myself.........i'll probably miss due to shaky hands but hey !
my weekend car gets a heady 21mpg, way better than my old modified V8 Jag XKR that did 13mpg
Lifes for living, not a competition to see how much you have saved by the time you die.
All the jokes out of the way, im sure if I had to commute as I did in the past, it makes alot of sense to run electric or a hybrid..... i'd do it in a Tesla tho
I'm far from one of those Green/Tree-hugging deluded loonies who seem to have hi-jacked these cars as their own and diverted attention from what is really quite a good car for what it is.Life's too short for a hybrid
When i'm too old to drive a performance car, i'll shoot myself.........i'll probably miss due to shaky hands but hey !
my weekend car gets a heady 21mpg, way better than my old modified V8 Jag XKR that did 13mpg
Lifes for living, not a competition to see how much you have saved by the time you die.
All the jokes out of the way, im sure if I had to commute as I did in the past, it makes alot of sense to run electric or a hybrid..... i'd do it in a Tesla tho
Unfortunately age does creep up on us and very few of us burn out rather than fade away so a hybrid at a later stage does make sense. The Tesla is a stupid price and you might as well run an Elise for 40 years.
Just to balance things out my car rarely does more than 22 mpg the way I drive it and have been looking at Cayenne Turbo S's. If you are doing the daily commute the Hybrid does make sense because regardless of how much money you have there is no point giving £460 a year for road tax if you don't have to.
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