Prius

yannakis

zilog_jones wrote: »

It's called the "Prius PHV" in Europe, not the Prime - your link showed standard 2016 petrol hybrid Prius models (the PHV looks significantly different and didn't come out until 2017). It's a much more efficient and capable PHEV than the 330e.

@aunmotani: I've heard of Toyota dealers misdiagnosing Prius issues which turned out to just be the 12V battery. If the battery is over 5 years old it may well be on the way out.

Apologies, I fixed that.

grogi

yannakis wrote: »

Apologies, I fixed that.

Only one of those linked by you is PHEV Mk4.



The rest are PHEV Mk3, the same that @zilog_jones has.

zilog_jones

I didn't realise they were still producing the 1st gen Plug-in until December 2016. Looks like some UK dealers bought too many

Edit: Looks like they stopped production in 2015!

yannakis

grogi wrote: »

Only one of those linked by you is PHEV Mk4.

The rest are PHEV Mk3, the same that @zilog_jones has.

Hence my wording choice :pac:

yannakis wrote: »

(apologies) there are very few used ones to get a correct cost

lob020

Just bought 2016 Prius (new model) Luxury last week,it's unbelievable,getting 3.7 litres per 100 kms,it's got heated seats and host of other goodies, absolutely thrilled with this car and although it's early days I foresee many years of happy driving.No regrets as I was thinking of changing to EV ,but as advised by many it will be another few years before the car companies get their act together in that sphere and this has proved to be excellent compromise.

Bigus

Congrats on your 2016 Prius , absolutely no range anxiety there.
Even carmagazine.co.uk are very impressed with their long termer Prius.

lob020

Thanks Bigus,no range anxiety and no ugly chargepoint outside house.As I say a few years down the road the EV will probably be the way to go

Nice one well done, another diesel not purchased is always a good thing. Prius has and excellent reputation and I owned a 2007 MK II for 4 years.

lob020

Thanks Mad Lad,I have read most of your contributions,very informative and interesting,keep up the good work

from_atozinc

Have a question.

So let’s say you leave the house and the range is 100km.

You then sit in traffic for an hour and move only 5km. Will the range be 95km at the end of the hour ?

Or will the range go down a lot more due to stopping and starting in traffic.

Kind of a silly one but just wondering.

bp_me

You will lose additional range as the combustion engine starts and stops to provide:

1) heat if the hvac is set to warm
2) recharge the traction battery (especially if running across to keep car cool)
3) any brisk accelerations you might make during that hour of start stop.

from_atozinc

bp_me wrote: »

You will lose additional range as the combustion engine starts and stops to provide:

1) heat if the hvac is set to warm
2) recharge the traction battery (especially if running across to keep car cool)
3) any brisk accelerations you might make during that hour of start stop.

Right. But would the range dramatically drop ?

bp_me

from_atozinc wrote: »

Right. But would the range dramatically drop ?

Not that I recall. Are you getting a different result?

from_atozinc

bp_me wrote: »

Not that I recall. Are you getting a different result?

Nope. Just wondering. Sometimes I can sit in traffic a lot and wondering how does traffic affect range.

Very slow traffic effects the prius efficiency when the battery runs down because it will use the engine more and more + if the weather is colder it will run anyway to heat the cabin.

The worse the traffic the less chance for regen because you can't build up any useful speed. this kind of driving is perfectly suited to a fully electric car.

Atlantic Dawn

Rather than start a new thread I am potentially thinking of buying a sub €5k Prius MkII for an experimental change of car, would that be crazy or what? I would insist on a Toyota hybrid system check but other than that would I potentially be buying something burnt out. How bad do the batteries degrade over time and is the Toyota check the only way to know?

Prius batteries can give issues after 10 years but high mileage cars within this period do not regularly cause issues, MK II from 04-09 have been known to go for 400,000 miles on the original battery in this period.

A reconditioned battery can be got for about 2K. Installing it is not that difficult but due to the lethal voltages it's not DIY.

Prius is one of the most reliable cars ever built.

A few K extra and you should be able to buy a first gen Nissan Leaf if you can live with the range, that would be even more experimental ! A new battery for a Leaf can be got for about 5,500 installed V 2.5K from Toyota for the prius, the difference here is that the Leaf battery is 24 Kwh and the Prius 1 Kwh !

Atlantic Dawn

Thanks Mad_Lad, yes I've spotted some going for crazy low money like 2004 going for €2500. Tempted by the Leaf too, my 95% driving style suits the Leaf, maybe 4 trips a year going over single charge max capacity on a single charge.

A gen I Leaf 2011- late 2013 suffers more range loss than the updated model from 2014. Might have lost a capacity bar or two by now, might give 80 odd kms. Once it reaches 75% it can be replaced with a brand new battery with the newer 24 Kwh battery from the updated model but that 5,500 should give you a good few years trouble free motoring, the Leaf is also highly reliable, I drove one for 3 years and 82,000 Kms and not so much as a light bulb failed, though mostly they were LED.

Prius batteries only loose a cell or two but there is no one here or no company that replaces cells in a prius battery.

Leaf is a good car and great to drive, and if the range suits you you can use it as your daily car or borrow another for the few time you need it or if you got another ICE at home you're sorted.

from_atozinc

from_atozinc wrote: »

Have a question.

So let’s say you leave the house and the range is 100km.

You then sit in traffic for an hour and move only 5km. Will the range be 95km at the end of the hour ?

Or will the range go down a lot more due to stopping and starting in traffic.

Kind of a silly one but just wondering.

Sorry. Just a comment. This question relates to a purely electric car like the Leaf.

yannakis

from_atozinc wrote: »

Sorry. Just a comment. This question relates to a purely electric car like the Leaf.

No offence, but then you're probably in the wrong thread. :pac:

zilog_jones

Deleted User wrote: »

A reconditioned battery can be got for about 2K. Installing it is not that difficult but due to the lethal voltages it's not DIY.

People do these things at home, but I guess it's just something we're generally not familiar with, and depends what you're comfortable with. Working on traditional ICE cars can be lethal too without the right tools or taking the necessary precautions. There's lots of information out there on replacing cells/packs, etc. - one good thing is that the 2nd gen Prius is probably the most common car with batteries.

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Thanks Mad_Lad, yes I've spotted some going for crazy low money like 2004 going for €2500.

€2500 sounds like a lot for a car of that age!

from_atozinc wrote: »

Sorry. Just a comment. This question relates to a purely electric car like the Leaf.

The title of this thread is "Prius". Start a new thread, or ask somewhere else if you have queries about the Leaf.

Gumbo

Guys, I’m trying to convince the father in law to swap into a Prius in the new year.
He has to change anyway as his car is 08 and in March will be 10 years old so he can’t continue to taxi it.

He won’t go BEV as he’s 68 so doesn’t want the hassle of Home charging but I’ll see if that can be altered.

I’m thinking a Prius considering the new grants for taxi drivers but I’m curious as to real work MPG.

It will be a big enough change for him going from manual to auto, never mind diesel to petrol!

Thanks.
Dublin based.

yannakis

kceire wrote: »

Guys, I’m trying to convince the father in law to swap into a Prius in the new year.
He has to change anyway as his car is 08 and in March will be 10 years old so he can’t continue to taxi it.

He won’t go BEV as he’s 68 so doesn’t want the hassle of Home charging but I’ll see if that can be altered.

I’m thinking a Prius considering the new grants for taxi drivers but I’m curious as to real work MPG.

It will be a big enough change for him going from manual to auto, never mind diesel to petrol!

Thanks.
Dublin based.

Take him for a surprise test drive, I find this working for people of older generations. He will start asking questions after he gets a taste of "the future", because that's what an automatic hybrid basically would be for him. If he goes for it, he will be thanking you for a many years to come especially for the peace and quiet of the cabin when the engine is staying off

I've got the 17'' alloys and they are negatively affecting my mileage, but with city driving I'm around 5l/100km. In the summer, I even observed below 4l/100km.

zilog_jones

kceire wrote: »

Guys, I’m trying to convince the father in law to swap into a Prius in the new year.
He has to change anyway as his car is 08 and in March will be 10 years old so he can’t continue to taxi it.

He won’t go BEV as he’s 68 so doesn’t want the hassle of Home charging but I’ll see if that can be altered.

I’m thinking a Prius considering the new grants for taxi drivers but I’m curious as to real work MPG.

It will be a big enough change for him going from manual to auto, never mind diesel to petrol!

Judging by the drastic Prius uptake with taxi drivers I've seen in the past 2-3 years (in Cork and Limerick anyway), they must be working out pretty well for that kind of use. 50-65 MPG (in the 3rd gen, '09-'15) is achievable in city driving, around 50 being typical for heavy traffic in winter (which would have been like 30-35 MPG in my diesel!).

During long waits in winter, you can just leave the car running and the engine will cycle on and off to maintain cabin temperature - I'd say taxi drivers would save a lot in fuel that would otherwise be wasted from idling. Heated seats are also highly recommended! In summer, you can park up for maybe half an hour or longer with the aircon on and the engine won't cut in at all.

Yes, just get him to take one for a test drive, and get over any irrational fears of driving an automatic. Taxi drivers going around in manuals seems like utter madness. I'm sure his left knee will appreciate it, at his age

For anyone thinking of a new Prius there's a 40 Kwh Nissan Leaf II due in the Spring with 220-260 Kms range and will be cheaper than the prius and cost much less to run and is larger than the outgoing model.

Taxi drivers would save a fortune !

from_atozinc

yannakis wrote: »

No offence, but then you're probably in the wrong thread. :pac:

Oops sorry. Hands up

MissySleepy

Hi Folks!

I thinking of getting Toyota Prius 2007 with 55000 miles mileage.
Can anyway can have a look at this ad if it worth going to Cork?
Unfortunately as a new user can’t ad link from donedeal
I am based in Co. Kildare and gonna do 120km a day soon and looking for good, reliable car - cheap on petrol.
It will be also my first car here (I am originally from Poland) and only had one car there so have not much experience
My budget is max €5k - is there any point getting hybrid in this money?
Hope it is not too chaotic!
Any advices highly appreciated

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars ever built, so you should have no worries, the battery can give trouble after 10 years regardless of mileage but it's quite rare but possible and it costs 2.5K installed but if you know a competent mechanic then he should be able to install a reconditioned one from the U.K pretty easily and for a lot less money.

I would say there's more of a chance of something going wrong in high mileage older diesels to be honest, DPF DMF etc, and they are not cheap + most diesels will need timing belt done which the prius does not have.

Just make sure the gearbox oil is changed by 160,000 Kms as the electric motors are bathed in this oil.

Fuel economy should be 5.5 L/100 Kms or better which is great for a petrol automatic car of it's size , there are smaller diesel manuals that will do a bit better but with all the disadvantages of being diesel.

MissySleepy

Thank you for reply Mad_Lad
Can you recommend any good mechanic in Dublin or Kildare area?
Can I also send you pm?
Regards,
K

You can send me PM sure,

Any Toyota garage that sells the Prius should be well capable of doing any work , I found the dealer in Carlow Town to be reasonably priced too when I had my 07 Prius, Fitzpatricks Garage but they're no longer Toyota , Sam Moore on the O'Brien Road Carlow now is Toyota.

I can't imagine any Toyota dealer would object to installing a reconditioned prius battery if ever needs be.

Remember to get a Prius with full Toyota service history.

Bigus

2008 model Prius onward has a cheaper tax rate in Ireland €190 vs €413 annually for the same car due to changes that happened to our tax rates here in 2008. For this reason bargain harder on an 07, or go for a higher mileage 08/09 for similar money. Also insurance companies are generally giving cheaper quotes on cars less than 10 years old so get a quote before you buy , so between tax and insurance savings a late 08/ 09 might be a better overall purchase .

Canonfan

Hi all,

After weeks of reading reviews and watching Youtube videos of Honda Insight, Jazz and Prius. I finally decided to get a 2012/2013 Prius.

I have a couple of questions so many thanks in advance:

1. A good dealer in Dublin that offers good price and warranty.

2. Will Japanese import affect insurance cost?

Cheers


Canon

grogi

Canonfan wrote: »

2. Will Japanese import affect insurance cost?

Yes.

It also affects serviceability:
- some parts (body parts, electronics) are different
- Irish dealer's equipment might not be able to communicate with the car

I wouldn't touch JDM import personally.

Canonfan

grogi wrote: »

Yes.

It also affects serviceability:
- some parts (body parts, electronics) are different
- Irish dealer's equipment might not be able to communicate with the car

I wouldn't touch JDM import personally.

Thanks for the input, i see a lot of Japanese import on Adverts/Donedeal, what should i do?

grogi

Canonfan wrote: »

Thanks for the input, i see a lot of Japanese import on Adverts/Donedeal, what should i do?

Pretend they are Pontiac Aztek.

Canonfan

grogi wrote: »

Pretend they are Pontiac Aztek.

LOL, sorry I meant where can I find non Japanese imported.

zilog_jones

Canonfan wrote: »

LOL, sorry I meant where can I find non Japanese imported.

Look in the UK, VRT is quite low and there's a lot more choice with better spec. I went for the Plug-in version that was never sold here, and has heated seats and JBL stereo (latter is rare option in Irish spec).

grogi wrote: »

Yes.

It also affects serviceability:
- some parts (body parts, electronics) are different
- Irish dealer's equipment might not be able to communicate with the car

I wouldn't touch JDM import personally.

Toyota also won't do the Hybrid Health Check on JDM cars, which can extend your hybrid system warranty to 10 years if done annually (UK import is OK).

Bigus

Canonfan wrote: »

Hi all,

After weeks of reading reviews and watching Youtube videos of Honda Insight, Jazz and Prius. I finally decided to get a 2012/2013 Prius.

I have a couple of questions so many thanks in advance:

1. A good dealer in Dublin that offers good price and warranty.

2. Will Japanese import affect insurance cost?

Cheers


Canon

2013>Later Auris hybrid are a great yoke , and don't suffer from the Prius price premium in the UK, real nice solid comfortable car to drive and less rattles then a gen 3 Prius.

obi604

Hi

Can anybody tell me if the mk iii prius comes with cruise control as standard ?

If so is it easy to recognise a car that has it, e.g. a stalk or button in the steering wheel?

Chippy01

obi604 wrote: »

Hi

Can anybody tell me if the mk iii prius comes with cruise control as standard ?

If so is it easy to recognise a car that has it, e.g. a stalk or button in the steering wheel?

Most Mk3 Prius comes with cruise control, bar the base model (UK/Irish market)
Don't know about JDM import ones.
The cruise stalk is on the right hand side of the steering column under the steering wheel.

obi604

Chippy01 wrote: »

Most Mk3 Prius comes with cruise control, bar the base model (UK/Irish market)
Don't know about JDM import ones.
The cruise stalk is on the right hand side of the steering column under the steering wheel.

Oh ok. Thank you. So tell tale sign is a 2nd stalk on right hand side.

Bigus

obi604 wrote: »

Oh ok. Thank you. So tell tale sign is a 2nd stalk on right hand side.

And I believe, every Prius can be retro fitted with cc by only installing a secondhand stalk onto the steering wheel boss and just plug into the standard loom ..... google it .

obi604

Bigus wrote: »

And I believe, every Prius can be retro fitted with cc by only installing a secondhand stalk onto the steering wheel boss and just plug into the standard loom ..... google it .

Oh ok. Roughly how much to do, a couple of hundred or so ?

Miscreant

obi604 wrote: »

Bigus wrote: »

And I believe, every Prius can be retro fitted with cc by only installing a secondhand stalk onto the steering wheel boss and just plug into the standard loom ..... google it .

Oh ok. Roughly how much to do, a couple of hundred or so ?

I've seen the stalk and loom available online for less than 20 euro so should be a cheap retrofit.

yannakis

I had this as an option when I was looking for my Prius a couple of years ago - you can find many tutorials on utub.