1.5 prius vs 1.8 prius

marklazarcovic

hi

ive owned a 06 1.5 t4 prius and loved it,got damaged so changed cars a while back,now im in the market and have 8-9 k max to spend,bit more if i trade in a 08 vectra design with a few xtras but needing clutch and flywheel.

has anyone had both the 1.5 and 1.8 prius,much difference? whats the best model 1.8 and the least best (spec). not many 1.8s in my budget but there are a few, id love some feedback thanks

zilog_jones

Any Prius you'd be looking at with the 1.8 would be the third generation, introduced in 2009.

I haven't driven the 2nd gen ('03-'09), but the 3rd gen is an overall improvement in terms of fuel efficiency, power, refinement, handling, etc. In particular at motorway speeds it's a significant improvement, much less noisy and will do 50-52 MPG reliably at 120km/h (130km/h indicated), and around 58-60 MPG at 100km/h.

With the Irish spec 3rd gen there is the base model and "Luxury". I'm not sure on what equipment was available on early models (there was a facelift in 2012 with a lot of changes - I only have brochures from after this). If you see trim levels like T3, T4, T-Spirit it's a UK import - sites like Parker's will give you a breakdown of UK trim levels. L, S, G, Touring Selection are Japanese trim levels, which you may see at your price range (squarer number plate holders are the most obvious difference with Japanese imports) - I don't know much about these but they can be very basic compared to Irish/UK spec (e.g. HUD is not standard, no cruise control).

marklazarcovic

are the instruments easily changed from the Japanese imports,i heard its a pain

zilog_jones

I've seen Japanese imports for sale in the UK with the instrument cluster in English - I don't know how they did this but it must be possible. With any aftermarket headunits, you're probably better off replacing it (especially if you care about FM reception).

offib

Maybe I'm too late to intervene, but hanging around Priuschat for a while, the 2010 priuses do have some problems (that the 2004 prius didn't have).

The battery seems to be more strained and not much bigger or powerful, in hotter parts of the US there has been premature capacity loss. But that's nothing a battery balancer or regular fan clean can't fix. A definite presence on the forums there is some engine trouble, something that's literally rare in the old Prius. The PV valve clogs quickly and neglect would substantially dirty MAF sensors, of which uncleaned can lead to all kinds of trouble involving ignition, oil consumption to a blown gasket. It may have something to do with the exhaust gas recirculating system.

zilog_jones

I usually only frequent the Plug-in forum there, can't say I've seen anything about PCV valve issues, but EGR valve blockages leading to head gasket failure are a concern - however, it does appear to be very rare.

One thing to note is it's hard to know how much the operating conditions have an effect on these things. The climate in parts of the US is drastically different to ours, and "regular" petrol over there is lower octane (usually around 91 RON).

Oil consumption is a fairly standard affair with Toyota engines once the mileage goes up - the 2nd gen Prius wasn't immune to this either.

Bigus

PRius values seem to have hardened quieted a bit in the uk and consequently here, probably mainly due to taxi market and London congestion charge.

If you want a high spec newer Prius at the right price consider a Lexus CT 200 h , better value when you consider spec( nicer seats, nicer finish , more extras , much less interior rattles then gen 3 Prius Superior handling and suspension) and generally lower mileages compared to Prius, and of course the Prius 1.8 hybrid drivetrain.

n97 mini

Maybe consider a 2009/2010 Civic IMA? It'll be half the price of the Prius and return maybe 10% less economy, *depending on how you drive*. We had two Civic IMAs (still have one, a 2004 with 140k miles, and still returning 55mpg) and more recently a 2010 Prius (the 1.8). In my mind the only two things the Prius was better at were
1. Holding its value (not so great it you're a buyer) and
2. Had slightly more poke for overtaking.
The biggest downsides of the Prius for me were
1. It handled like a bar of soap
2. The interior is made of recycled plastic and scratches incredibly easily
3. Back to depending on how you drive, my wife averaged very slightly worse fuel economy compared to the Civic IMA due to her lead right foot.

Charlie-Bravo

Bigus wrote: »

PRius values seem to have hardened quieted a bit in the uk and consequently here, probably mainly due to taxi market and London congestion charge.

If you want a high spec newer Prius at the right price consider a Lexus CT 200 h , better value when you consider spec( nicer seats, nicer finish , more extras , much less interior rattles then gen 3 Prius Superior handling and suspension) and generally lower mileages compared to Prius, and of course the Prius 1.8 hybrid drivetrain.

This is a minor thing but does have an impact on some people (families). The legroom in the back of the CT200h is similar to that of the Auris hybrid (both have a wheelbase of 2.60metres) whereas the Prius has 2.70metres. I have a Prius and Auris, and love the Prius simply because it is roomier. But I love the Auris because it's lighter and nippier around town. Don't opt for an Auris hybrid (or CT200h) if space is an issue.

zilog_jones

Bigus wrote: »

PRius values seem to have hardened quieted a bit in the uk and consequently here, probably mainly due to taxi market and London congestion charge.

I think there's more to it than that. Toyota Ireland are claiming all hybrids will retain their value better than diesels - I think there is a lot more doubt about the future of diesels now, even with the general public, and the Toyota hybrids have been proven to be reliable technology.

Also, the London congestion charge exemption is 75 g/km or below (since 2013) - this means only the 4th gen Prius (with 15" wheels only), current Yaris Hybrid, and both generations of Prius Plug-in are exempt.

I didn't realise the CT200h has independent rear suspension, or I forgot it did. That would be a step up from the 3rd gen Prius which only has a torsion beam, though the 4th gen is independent too. I went for the Prius because of extra space, and also the availability of the PHEV version.

n97 mini wrote: »

Maybe consider a 2009/2010 Civic IMA?

Traction battery failures seem a lot more common with these, unfortunately. And they're getting a bit long in the tooth considering we didn't (?) get the 3rd generation Civic Hybrid. I don't know much about the (more recent) Insight, but it seems like a cheap car in terms of interior and build quality (i.e. something made for yanks).