Hybrid Auris or Prius

5p9arw38djv2b4

Originally looking for a Leaf, loved test drives but it can't cope with the commute, sadly.

So now, I'm trying to see if I go hybrid (which I'd like to do for environmental reasons as a strong factor) or otherwise just go with a newer car (think Kia Rio or ceed, small hatchback suits). Like to keep budget as small as possible, max 13k.

Anyone able to point to resources comparing the 2 against a regular car? I've found lots of resources for comparisons to EV but not to hybrids.

Should say commute is 100- 130km round trip on hilly enough roads (no motorway), plus car will be used for longer trips about 3 times a month, then as our main car for town etc.

Any insights on where to start?

bp_me

At 13k you are looking at previous gen Auris (early 12 reg or maybe 11) and probably an older prius.

One thing to be aware of with that generation auris is the boot is tiny and rear leg room isn't fantastic. It is a nicer car to drive than the same generation prius from what I recall at the time I was buying.

Mine (auris) has a long term avg of 6.1l/100km with mostly city driving. There's fairly large swings between winter and summer as the ICE runs more in winter as you are demanding heat. If you are doing mostly rural driving the ICE will be running anyway so probably less of an issue.

My two best most recent fills were 5.1 and 5.2l/100km which was all relatively flat motorway in uk and on the continent. On a longer drive without motorway (example cork to waterford) I can get the car to report better than 5l/100km and have seen 4l/100km on occasion (without really trying to drive it especially economically).

Compared to a "normal" car... there isnt really much difference. It's an automatic which is great (in my opinion) but the engine note is a bit horrid. As its an e-CVT it doesnt really feel like its accelerating in the way you will be used to but its pretty comparable to other cars in class in reality.

There have been a few recalls on the auris over the last while which may or may not have been done but a quick trip to a toyota dealer should sort that out (at no cost).

If you test drive one make sure you press the power mode button so it feels like a normal car to you. You can get used to driving it in normal mode afterwards

My advice is to keep your existing car another year or two and get a 30 Kwh leaf which would cope with that commute provided the battery is still reasonably good.

Or maybe a bit longer and get an Ioniq which would be no problem at with 140 Kms.

Hills are not a huge issue at all, what you loose going up you gain coming back down by using regen "only" to keep excessive speed down then coast the rest. I was quiet surprised when driving the Wicklow Mountains that range wasn't really impacted.

However if you wish to change now then I'd opt for a MK III Prius , one from 2012 + should be within budget, go for the highest spec if you can find them, not much difference in price, the prius is a much more spacious car with better hybrid tech.

My average in the MK II 2007 prius per tank of petrol was 4.6 L/100 Kms Winter and 4.4 Summer.

zilog_jones

With the 3rd gen Prius 5.0 l/100km (about 56 MPG) is easily achievable with normal mixed driving, and with longer distance journeys you'll do closer to 60 MPG on 100km/h roads, but a bit lower at motorway speeds (low 50's MPG if you're sticking to 120km/h). Driving around town is where you'll see better fuel economy than a typical diesel.

Generally you don't need to worry about comparing it to a "regular car" - they just work. Being an automatic with continuously variable transmission (planetary gearset, not normal CVT) will take a bit of time getting used to, but they deliver more than sufficient power when required (e.g. overtaking, etc.). Typical 1.6 diesels of similar size are comparatively gutless IMO. The petrol engine is quiet and refined at constant speeds.

Boot space is maybe a bit below average, but the rest of the cabin is fine in terms of legroom, etc.

They're very popular cars in Mongolia, a country with few paved roads and very arduous conditions compared to ours - if that says anything about their reliability. No belts to change, and the electric motors/gearbox are essentially maintenance-free. Servicing is just normal oil, fluids, filters and plugs - just with the addition of separate additional water cooling system for the inverter.

Deleted User wrote: »

However if you wish to change now then I'd opt for a MK III Prius , one from 2012 + should be within budget, go for the highest spec if you can find them, not much difference in price, the prius is a much more spacious car with better hybrid tech.

You'll be hard pushed to find a post-facelift (2012 onwards) 3rd gen Prius for under €13k, unless you're willing to take a chance with Japanese imports. Pre-facelift (2009-2012) would be a more realistic option at that budget, though there's not a massive difference between them (minor improvements with interior, etc.).

jackofalltrades

LadyLabyrinth wrote: »

Should say commute is 100- 130km round trip on hilly enough roads (no motorway), plus car will be used for longer trips about 3 times a month, then as our main car for town etc.

The one thing I've noticed about Auris Hybrid is the the mpg can vary quite a lot depending on the road that you are driving on.
If at all possible I'd recommend taking one for an extended test drive and note the mpg on the routes that you usually drive.
Go at the same times you would usually go at so the traffic is the same.

Also I wouldn't trust any mpg figure someone gives you unless you know how they drive and how that compares to your driving style.

horse7

Did you research the Hyundai Ionic

unkel

horse7 wrote: »

Did you research the Hyundai Ionic

Budget is €13k. It will be a while before you can get an Ioniq within that budget. It will even be a while before you will get a 30kWh Leaf within that budget.

Unless of course OP would up the budget. Could be a realistic option, given the savings of a BEV car compared to a gaz guzzling hybrid