Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Please note that it is not permitted to have referral links posted in your signature. Keep these links contained in the appropriate forum. Thank you.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055940817/signature-rules
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Prius MK II Review After 71K Miles Of Ownership

  • 05-04-2014 3:47pm
    #1
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    Flashing fuel light on the Prius after 917 kms.

    Filled 43.5 litres to the neck same pump as last time.

    59.5 mpg V 4.7 L/100 kms 60 mpg on the trip comp, not bad.

    Not driving too easy but using the pulse and glide and battery to keep momentum going as much as I can.

    Around 118,000 miles on the clock.

    After driving a few manual diesels 90-110 hp I realise just how much better the Prius is to drive in the sense that the power delivery is far smoother and more linear.

    The prius is pretty poky from stop and far less stressful at roundabouts and junctions, though sometimes the traction control can be a pain.

    Automatics especially CVT suit Diesels so much better, though auto's can have lag, my brothers A6 multitronic, while nice and poky for sure, the prius is quicker off the line as the multitronic can have some lag from stop.

    The prius is also much much faster to go then engines equipped with stop start as the prius doesn't rely on the engine to start or revs to move from 0.

    the CRV on the other hand being 2.0L petrol and 150 hp is nice to drive and has no turbo lag, and it has a nice bit of torque to make driving comfortable and flies when you drop the gears. But obviously not as fast off the line or nearly as smooth as the Prius.

    On the open road when you plant the foot does it shows it's 110 hp at 100 kph to over take, it's not slow but wouldn't have the grunt of the A6 TDI obviously with 60 more HP. It's top speed is limited to 114 mph more than enough. It has more than enough grunt for a spot of back road fun, handling isn't bad either, no rally car sure, but for what it is it's pretty good all the same.

    The brakes are fantastic on the Prius, so watch out and don't drive too close to the rear of one on the motorway ! ;)

    It's worth a test drive and is a really good alternative to the normal 1.6 TDI 90-130 hp for the MK III prius.

    Diesel doesn't have to be the obvious choice any more, though the Prius is expensive new and 2nd hand values are getting higher, it's not uncommon to find a prius with similar mileage to diesels but the prius is very very reliable, in 71K miles I've not had a single issue. It's got 116,000 total miles.

    Would I go back to a diesel ? I don't think so, especially not a manual diesel.

    next car ? Fully electric, Power delivery in the Leaf is amazingly good, instant torque is fantastic, 70 odd miles range is enough with a few min qc is more than enough for my 20k -25K miles a year.


«1

Comments

  • #2
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,380 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    So you like the Prius all of a sudden :D


  • #3
    MadYaker
    Registered Users Posts: 12,138 ✭✭✭✭MadYaker


    They are great cars but they could have made them look at bit more attractive! Hire an ex alfa designer or something!!


  • #4
    jprboy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,350 ✭✭✭jprboy


    Thanks for the detailed post, Lawrence Nice Self-destruction.

    Will be weighing all options up whenever it comes time to change one of our cars.

    Slightly OT, pulse and glide, is this from the hypermiling school of thought and should work on any vehicle? i.e. get up to a certain speed and then foot off accelerator and repeat process?


  • #5
    BMJD
    Registered Users Posts: 2,694 ✭✭✭BMJD


    Deleted User wrote: »
    next car ? Fully electric

    You_don't_say.png

    sorry, couldn't resist :p

    nice review though


  • #6
    JohnBoy26
    Registered Users Posts: 8,532 ✭✭✭JohnBoy26


    :D

    prius_driver.gif


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    Neilw
    Registered Users Posts: 3,777 ✭✭✭Neilw


    I drove one for 2 months, hated it.

    No steering feel, cvt box is horrible, feels very heavy and unbalanced on the road, interior is nasty.

    Having said that, as an appliance to get from a-b reliably and economically it's ok.

    If you're a person who enjoys driving look elsewhere, I died a small bit every day I drove it.


  • #8
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,076 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    What's it like on the motorway? Much noise when doing 120? Do you need to bring it to a main dealers for servicing? Anything out of the ordinary as regards maintainance? Heard the brakes regenerate power back to the battery, are they problematic to work on or require specialist tools?


  • #9
    CiniO
    Registered Users Posts: 16,088 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    Neilw wrote: »
    I drove one for 2 months, hated it.

    No steering feel, cvt box is horrible, feels very heavy and unbalanced on the road, interior is nasty.

    Having said that, as an appliance to get from a-b reliably and economically it's ok.

    If you're a person who enjoys driving look elsewhere, I died a small bit every day I drove it.

    I drove 3rd gen. for 10 days.
    And I loved it.
    Steering felt great with 17inch low-profile tyres. Was quite good at high speed on the bends. Interior was nice, esthetic and modern.

    ECVT gearbox is brilliant invention. It allows to use full power of vehicle when accelerating.

    It was real pleasure to drive it from A to B.

    I am a person who enjoys driving, and I would love to have one.


  • #10
    CiniO
    Registered Users Posts: 16,088 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    Heard the brakes regenerate power back to the battery, are they problematic to work on or require specialist tools?

    Breaks are the same as in any other vehicle with pads and discs.
    It's engine breaking that regenerates power back to battery.
    However this might be activated by pressing break pedal.


  • #11
    eire-kp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 382 ✭✭eire-kp


    I wouldn't drive a Prius purely because of the looks but I'd have a Auris hybrid in the morning :D


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    JohnBoy26
    Registered Users Posts: 8,532 ✭✭✭JohnBoy26


    eire-kp wrote: »
    I wouldn't drive a Prius purely because of the looks but I'd have a Auris hybrid in the morning :D

    The newer Prius isn't bad looking at all IMO. Its certinatly nicer looking than a mk1 auris imo.

    27630561.jpeg

    25096000.jpeg


  • #13
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    MadYaker wrote: »
    They are great cars but they could have made them look at bit more attractive! Hire an ex alfa designer or something!!

    Oh it's pig ugly, I'll be the first to admit it.

    The rear isn't so bad and the Mk III is nicer.

    I'd actually prefer the exterior look of the MK III Prius over a Golf, but obviously prefer the interior of the Golf, a decent spec golf that is.


  • #14
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    JohnBoy26 wrote: »
    The newer Prius isn't bad looking at all IMO. Its certinatly nicer looking than a mk1 auris imo.

    27630561.jpeg

    25096000.jpeg

    I like the MK III, esp in white.

    I like cars in white, I'll never get a black car again, shows up every scratch and chip.


  • #15
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    jprboy wrote: »
    Thanks for the detailed post, Lawrence Nice Self-destruction.

    Will be weighing all options up whenever it comes time to change one of our cars.

    Slightly OT, pulse and glide, is this from the hypermiling school of thought and should work on any vehicle? i.e. get up to a certain speed and then foot off accelerator and repeat process?


    Yes pulse and glide is a form of hypermiling, it works up to 71 kph where you lift off the accelerator and press gently until the display shows no flow of energy, you're essentially free wheeling and is more efficient than regen.

    It doesn't mean driving like a snail, there are plenty of opportunities to do this.

    The other method is lift off the accelerator and press until energy flows only from the battery, on descents this along with pulse and glide can greatly decrease your mpg, it does take practice.

    I can get 64 mpg if I try harder though I couldn't be arsed. 60 mpg is fine for me.

    I have said before though the worst to be expected from the MK II is 53 mpg as my OH gets on a commute as she's not in the slightest bit interested in fuel saving and drives hard, won't use or learn pulse and glide.

    While on trips to the Wicklow mountains I can still achieve 60 odd mpg as I get plenty of use with all the energy I generate coming down long hills. It's just a pity the battery isn't bigger as it gets full quickly and then you have to use the friction brakes.


  • #16
    Sitec
    Registered Users Posts: 2,964 ✭✭✭Sitec


    Neilw wrote: »
    I drove one for 2 months, hated it.

    No steering feel, cvt box is horrible, feels very heavy and unbalanced on the road, interior is nasty.

    Having said that, as an appliance to get from a-b reliably and economically it's ok.

    If you're a person who enjoys driving look elsewhere, I died a small bit every day I drove it.

    What do you drive day to day just out of interest? I drove a Prius and was fairly impressed with throttle performance and the steering, agree about the CVT box though! Tragic.


  • #17
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    CiniO wrote: »
    Breaks are the same as in any other vehicle with pads and discs.
    It's engine breaking that regenerates power back to battery.
    However this might be activated by pressing break pedal.

    Regen works by the motor acting as a generator thus slowing the car while the engine is completely switched off.

    If the battery is full then there is nowhere for the energy to go and so the friction brakes are used, if you want max braking then regen + friction brakes work together.


  • #18
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    What's it like on the motorway? Much noise when doing 120? Do you need to bring it to a main dealers for servicing? Anything out of the ordinary as regards maintainance? Heard the brakes regenerate power back to the battery, are they problematic to work on or require specialist tools?

    On a tar and chipping surface it can be noisy as probably all but the most luxurious of cars.

    On decent asphalt it's quiet enough and wind noise isn't bad.

    I've not yet seen a road surface as smooth and quiet in Ireland as in Germany.

    On the 3 lane N7 it's quiet.

    Main dealer is always recommended for software update and recalls etc.

    But the prius is like a normal car as it requires oil changes every 10K miles and sparks every 60K miles or so, no timing belts only 1 belt and that's the water pump.

    There are 0 belts on the Mk III which is the only production ICE on earth with 0 belts.

    The electrics require 0 maintenance as with full electric cars, apart from fluid changes.

    The prius gearbox oil should be changed every 100K miles and isn't part of the scheduled, I had mine done at 109K miles.

    It really is a remarkable piece of engineering and is one of the most reliable cars in the world and has proved itself throughout the world with several examples in the U.S with 350,000-400,000 miles and no faiures or major maintenance.

    Buying a prius with 100,000 K miles and a proper main dealer service history would be of no worry to me in the slightest.


  • #19
    Neilw
    Registered Users Posts: 3,777 ✭✭✭Neilw


    Sitec wrote: »
    What do you drive day to day just out of interest? I drove a Prius and was fairly impressed with throttle performance and the steering, agree about the CVT box though! Tragic.


    I'm driving a petrol bmw at the moment.


  • #20
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    Neilw wrote: »
    I drove one for 2 months, hated it.

    No steering feel, cvt box is horrible, feels very heavy and unbalanced on the road, interior is nasty.

    Having said that, as an appliance to get from a-b reliably and economically it's ok.

    If you're a person who enjoys driving look elsewhere, I died a small bit every day I drove it.

    Prius isn't for everyone nor is your car of choice for everyone either.

    CVT is noisy on maximum acceleration once up to speed it's silent, cvt is ultra smooth though and I'd take the noisy acceleration for a few seconds over the lag and narrow power band and rattle and noise of a diesel any day.

    The car doesn't feel heavy at all, it's 100 kg heavier than the MK 7 Golf and it is a good bit bigger.

    The steering was too light before the recall but after the recall it's a good bit heavier and a lot more acceptable.


  • #21
    Ded_Zebra
    Registered Users Posts: 4,792 ✭✭✭Ded_Zebra


    People are always going to hate the Prius. The same way that people will always hate Alfa or BMW or Audi or Diesels. Personally I find the Prius much much more interesting than 90% of the common place cars on the road and I think the technology in them really marvelous:) I also think the mk3 it really good looking. I would much rather drive one than some ****ty stinking Diesel!!!

    Glad you are getting on so well with it mad lad and I hope you have many more happy miles with it:)


  • Advertisement
  • #22
    Tony D
    Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭Tony D


    I bought my Gen2 Prius last Sept and have done 10,000 miles since with no hassles. It is a very practicle car that ticked the boxes for me at the time. It's not a fun car to drive, but will do fine until I can get a second car to "drive".


  • #23
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    The prius will stay with us for a long time yet.

    Whatever car I get next will replace the 14 year old 2.0L petrol CRV which has also been ultra reliable in the last 3 years we've had it.


  • #24
    BMJD
    Registered Users Posts: 2,694 ✭✭✭BMJD


    I have my 2010 Gen III Prius almost a year now. The asking prices on Carzone are still exactly the same as they were a year ago ~€14-€17k. I have spent €149 on a service (Toyota main dealer) with another one due shortly. I could do with new wiper blades soon, I usually go for the more expensive brands as they are better in my experience, so we'll say around €40 for those. I changed all the interior bulbs to LED ones that I bought on ebay for €12 for the set. I also spent €35 on headlight bulbs (Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited - waste of money, lasted 4 months/5k km!). Other than that, I haven't had to spend a cent on anything else. A rough estimate on fuel costs is about €150 per month, that's for around 2000 km most of which are on the motorway.

    So running costs and depreciation are negligible so far.


  • #25
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    For me the nightbreakers work brilliantly and they last longer than the Halfords rubbish, and the halfords bubls are a lot more expensive.

    The nightbreakers make HID kits worthless.

    In 3 years I haven't had to replace any rear bulbs, the brake lights are led but the tail and indicators, number plate are normal bulbs.

    I would like the MK III more, even if it got around the same mpg, it's got a nice extra bit of poke.

    It's a pity they don't make a decent plug in version.


  • #26
    Tony D
    Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭Tony D


    Running costs are very low alright. I drove a gen3 the other day, a TSpirit, very much improved over the Gen2.

    The PIP would be a bargain to run too, especially for someone doing city commutes

    @ Mad Lad, our other car is a CR-V too, great car which hasn't given us a bother either in nearly 3 years


  • #27
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    Tony D wrote: »
    Running costs are very low alright. I drove a gen3 the other day, a TSpirit, very much improved over the Gen2.

    The PIP would be a bargain to run too, especially for someone doing city commutes

    @ Mad Lad, our other car is a CR-V too, great car which hasn't given us a bother either in nearly 3 years

    What year is your CRV ?

    I love driving it on back roads, it glides over the rough bumpy surfaces, it's really comfortable for those kinds of trips.

    The PIP would be good alright for those with a very short commute of say, 12 miles or so a day, then again a fully electric car would be better suited to those people, for whom an engine is a waste and can use the fast chargers for the odd long trip.


  • #28
    Bigus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,938 ✭✭✭Bigus


    Because of the braking regen front brake pads can last up to 100,000 miles and more, discs 160 to 200 k miles, tyre wear is good too because of smooth power delivery.

    As for performance, I surprised an early 911 Porsche driver (1989 model)on Wexford back roads a few years ago,by anticipating straights and getting on the power early it can be suprisingly quick car , when driven to suit it's unique style, had a similar experience behind a 530 d also.

    As for comfort I would liken to the mark II to older citreon comfort and higher seating position while the mark III is firmer and sportier like a focus but a mistake by Toyota to go this way, personally I prefer mark II Prius comfort.


  • #29
    MadYaker
    Registered Users Posts: 12,138 ✭✭✭✭MadYaker


    My dad used to drive one of those old CRVs, they are bomb proof but really thirsty!

    The new prius looks very nice.


  • #30
    Lawrence Nice Self-destruction
    Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ Lawrence Nice Self-destruction


    Bigus wrote: »
    As for comfort I would liken to the mark II to older citreon comfort and higher seating position while the mark III is firmer and sportier like a focus but a mistake by Toyota to go this way, personally I prefer mark II Prius comfort.

    Most Euro cars and Euro destined cars now have too firm suspension set ups to satisfy so called auto journalists who just want to get in and trash cars not caring about who actually has to live with the car daily.

    I personally prefer comfortable set ups because of the brutal roads we drive on.


  • Advertisement
  • #31
    Tony D
    Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭Tony D


    Deleted User wrote: »
    What year is your CRV ? .

    Mine is 2002 Gen 2 SE Exec


Advertisement