Spec of Prius 3rd Generations available in Ireland

jasonb

Hi there,

I currently drive a 2008, 2nd Generation Prius. I've been thinking about going fully electric for a while now, but from what I've found out so far, it looks like it's going to cost me too much money. The only electric cars I can get in my budget are 2015 Leafs (Leaves? ), and I'm not fond of how they look.

So, I thought today that it might make sense to upgrade my Prius to a 3rd Generation one, use that for a few years and then hopefully I'll be able to make the jump into fully EV then.

Can anyone tell me, or tell me where to look to find out, the specs/trim that the 3rd Gen Prius came with in Ireland? Were there different versions, what where the differences between them etc. Is there a particular spec that I should look out for if at all possible, one that's the best value one (i.e. not necessarily the dearest, but the one that's most worth it)?

Thanks in advance...

zilog_jones

For Irish spec there's the base model and "luxury", which still isn't great. I have an Irish brochure from maybe 2014/2015 that I'll try and dig out when I'm home.

There was a minor facelift in 2012 which made a few improvements inside and out - one significant feature is the LED headlights which I find very good.

To be honest, you'll get more choice and better spec in the UK. T4, T-Spirit, and Plug-in spec over there have JBL audio which is a good step up (only available with leather option here, IIRC), also heated seats and other things.

I have a 2012 Plug-in myself, bought about 2.5 years ago up north. I get about 15-18 km on a full charge which doesn't sound like much, but suits my commute. It's pretty much the same as the standard Gen 3 except with a larger battery (4.4 kWh instead of 1.3), external charging and slightly less boot space (no spare wheel). Keyless entry, heated seats, HUD (also a great feature), cruise control and other toys. I'm averaging just over 80 MPG - with the standard Gen 3 expect more around 60.

Cruise control can be fitted to any model by just buying the stalk and plugging it in.

Toyota Ireland will maintain the hybrid system warranty up to 10 years if you take it in for the annual "health check" (€50) or normal servicing - they'll do this for any UK/Irish cars but not Japanese imports.

Compared to the Gen 2, it should be a significant step up in terms of handling, performance and efficiency (especially at motorway speeds). I get a consistent 50-52 MPG if I stick to 120 km/h (130 km/h indicated), and closer to 60 MPG at 100 km/h (Plug-in EV mode only works up to 85 km/h, so I don't benefit at those speeds).

Only thing that really goes wrong is the rear brake caliper slider pins can seize due to lack of use. If there's significant corrosion on the rear discs, they'll need some attention. If you take it to a dealer, they'll probably want to replace the whole calipers and discs at significant cost, but I just replaced the pins and boots and lubricated things properly (I think somewhere around €80 for all the parts). They need to be inspected/lubricated every two years or so, otherwise it will lead to uneven wear, noise, and increased fuel consumption.

Charlie-Bravo

I really do like the idea of the PHEV Prius but the boot space is the problem (I need space). I have both a 2013 Prius T-Spirit, and a 2016 Auris Hybrid Tourer in Excel (the boot space is fabulous!).

So for question on spec levels, it's a Prius Luxury in Ireland, and a Prius T-Spirit (Gen 3) from the UK.

The T-Spirit variant has changed to Excel in the UK for Gen 4 Prius. But do search for UK import cars here by searching for T-Spirit, there might be a few around. Do avoid the ones that say T-Spirit that are Japanese Domestic Market cars...these are not true T-Spirit and don't have all the features. Heated seated would be nice though in the Prius T-Spirit (they're in the Auris Excel ).

zilog_jones

With the Gen 1 Plug-in (2012-2016), you lose maybe 5 litres of boot space, the larger underfloor tray (there's still some underfloor storage around the edges) and the spare wheel well. It's nowhere near as drastic as the Gen 2 PHV which has a tiny boot (but double the battery).

The JDM trim levels are like L, S, G and Touring Selection, but they generally don't have badges, and the dealer listing are often telling porkies. The ones I've seen often don't have the HUD (standard here) or cruise control, so seem quite basic. Language can't be changed on the instrument cluster either without some hackery.

jasonb

Thanks for the answers, I appreciate it!

So if I get the Irish one, it'll either be Standard or Luxury? I'm hoping to go at least 131 (maybe 14x depending on money) so I assume I'll get all the face-lift stuff?

Looking at pics online, an obvious difference to me is either a standard central console controls, or a touchscreen one. Is it safe to assuming that Touchscreen = Luxury? Is the T-Sprint the same as the Luxury, or is it better? Is the T4 the same as the Luxury?

I still have to decide whether to sell my own Gen 2 Prius privately or use it as a trade-in. I assume the same is true as always, the trade-in would be quicker/easier, but I'll not get the same amount of money. I also assume that if I want to do Trade-In that I'm going with an Irish Dealer (and a Luxury Prius), as I'm guessing Dealers in the North/UK won't want my car? So therefore if I want to get a T4 or T-Spirit I have to sell mine privately?

I've seen prices on Carzone from €4,900 - about €7,000 for 08 Gen 2s, so I'm assuming mine will be in or around that range (probably near the bottom, as it's got high enough kms on it - 208k).

Thanks...

P.S. That Brochure would be excellent if you can find it, thanks!

zilog_jones

I think only the pre-facelift models had non-touchscreen stereos. Facelift was December 2011 in Japan, not sure about here but I've seen maybe one pre-facelift on '12 plates (could have been old stock). The lights on the front bumper are the most obvious difference.

There are at least four variants of the touchscreen stereo - from the most basic, the one with satnav (standard on Luxury?), satnav + JBL amp/speakers (T4, T Spirit, Plug-in), and the one with a larger screen/more buttons (optional extra on all, I think).

T4 is better than Luxury, at least with the stereo. The JBL system is the best sounding I've ever had in a car so far, depends how much you'd care about that.

Some NI dealers are OK with trade-ins from the south, but maybe not with something as old as yours. It's too old for a lot of main dealers in general, something they'd probably offload somewhere else, so I can't imagine they'd give you a great price even locally. I can't imagine it'd be too hard to sell privately, assuming it's on the new motor tax.

I think there's a hell of a lot more choice in the UK. I just couldn't find one for sale near me within my budget when I was looking (or they were a colour I hated), and I wasn't even considering the Plug-in at first but the price difference between one and a normal T4 was non-existent.

jasonb

Sounds like if I go with '13 or '14 I'll definitely have the facelift/latest version.

I'll have a look online to see if I can find any T4's or T-Sprints. Any car websites to recommend, especially those that include the North/UK? I've never imported before so I'm not familiar with it. Have only sold privately once before too, so it's all unfamiliar to me.

Yep, my car is on the new tax, and is NCT'd 'til 2020 as well. It's in decent nick for a 10 year old car.

Thanks...

zilog_jones

Auto Trader seems to be the most popular site in the UK.

The VRT process is easy, and you can calculate how much it'll be here: https://www.ros.ie/evrt-enquiry/vrtenquiry.html?execution=e1s2

Tax and VRT for the Plug-in are even lower. Even if you don't have the ability to plug it in (on-street parking or whatever), it will just work like a normal Prius.

jasonb

Great, thanks zilog, I appreciate it...

mr chips

If you're searching for something in NI, I'd say it's worth having a browse through usedcarsni.com - stuff often appears there which isn't on Autotrader. Gumtree seems to serve the same purpose up here as donedeal in the south. A UK-wide option is motors.co.uk, but it's ages since I looked through it so not sure if it's just an AT clone or if there will be variety. Did a search for a Prius up to 5 years old under £15k and there are 22 to choose from on there, anyway - more if you increase the budget, and 4 under £12500.

jasonb

Of course, I've now decided that maybe I should get over a slight 'meh' about the look of the Leaf and at least do a test drive of one and see what it's like! A quick search suggests that a '141 Leaf with lower mileage could be cheaper to buy than a 141 Prius. I'll suss it out...

jasonb

And The Leaf won out! Have a deposit on a 151 Leaf so it looks like it's goodbye to Prius driving for me. Thanks to everyone for the advice here, I appreciate it.