I'm on the Prius mailing list since I bought a Prius and Toyota hopes that I'm
- Happy with my Prius
- Willing to buy another one, or at least would consider doing so
The answer to both of those questions is yes, but I've had my Prius for 2 years. I know we Americans love to consume, and we like to buy new cars, but honestly I expect a car to last more than 2 years. At least a new car. I'm definitely someone that likes to trade cars around, absorbing some transaction costs to enjoy a new (to me) ride, but I'm slowing down a bit.
Especially as insurance costs rise and I have a 16 year old driving. Maybe when he comes off our insurance I'll look to add something new.
The next generation Prius is interesting. There's a YouTube video on this page that shows someone test driving one and having some new features explained. I thought the new design was neat, and I wish a couple things were in my 2nd generation model.
Sunroof - I've had lots of cars with sunroofs and moonroofs, and I like them. I know this impact mileage, but there are times I'd like to be able to have more sun, especially in the winter, heating up the car. Conversely, cracking one in the summer to let out hot air is a great feature. I'm glad this was added in, and I think every car model ought to have a sunroof option designed in there.
The solar panel in the roof is a great idea as well. We'll see how it holds up to wear and tear in the real world, but allowing the panel to a) charge things and b) help keep the car cool or even hot, is a great use or renewable power. I know I'd appreciate this in any car, as would most people.
The Intelligent Parking assistant, which can automatically parallel park the car is a neat idea, but it feels gimic-y. Sure, we should all have that skill, but I drive 20k miles a year and I almost never parallel park. That's driving on vacation, renting cars in downtown cities, etc. It's just a skill that is used less and less. If you need to do it, you probably have developed the skill. If you don't do it often, do you want to pay for it? I think Toyota wasted some engineering skill here, but perhaps it's technology that can be applied somewhere else to other problems.
I like the dash being redesigned to put more information up front, but what I'd really like to know is when are we going to get good Heads-Up Displays (HUD) in cars? That's what I'd like more than anything.
Thought given the way people drive, perhaps distracting them with stuff in front of their eyes is a bad idea.
Would I buy another Prius?
I would if the economics worked out. This was mostly a financial decision for my family, and less a environmental one. Though I write about it, and it's an interesting test, it hasn't been a business expense for me to write off. Perhaps it should be, and I'll ask my CPA, but it's been a good economic move for my family given how far we live from town and how much we drive. Would we have been better off with a used diesel Jetta or other car that got 40mpg and cost us $10k less? Perhaps, but I think over the life of this Prius, the $$ will even out.
Plus we got a new car that is a little unusual and attracts attention. I've learned a few things as well about hybrids and gas mileage. Plus I've learned how to drive a little more economically. Things I might not have done with another car.
