Yaris vs. Prius

[conurebuddy]

I've been driving my girlfriend's Prius around for about a week now until I get my Yaris back. It is a smoother ride, although I think the Yaris is more fun to actually drive. The thing that really surprised me though was that I've been making a game out of hypermiling in the Prius to see the best mpgs I could get, and I havent noticed a significant difference between mine and hers.

Hers is a broken in Prius with about 50,000 miles on it, getting an average of 49 mpg. In my Yaris, I found I averaged about 44 mpg driving the same way. Seems like a pretty hefty price difference for a tiny improvement to me.

[MUSKOKA800]

When I was shopping the local Toyota salesman suggested that due to the price difference (~CA$10,000 + 13% taxes + loan interest here in Canada) the Prius would be no cheaper than the Yaris over the life of the car. Granted it is a "nicer" car, but I try to keep my vehicles for 10+ years and the prospect of replacing those expensive batteries during that period was not appealling. I wonder how the Prius' trade-in values will be after 6+ years when the original batteries are reaching there end-of-life. Cha-Ching $$$

[MadMax]

I could not get past the "smug" factor of the Pruis. I also drive a Jeep, and I get those smirky looks everytime I pass one. To me they are completely a different car from the Yaris, which is a much more hip and fun to drive machine. You don't see a lot of mod'd Pruises (however your pluralize it) out there, but about a third of the Yarii I see have been. Completely different markets if you ask me...

Cheers! M2

[IllusionX]

the prius advertises not much lower consumption than the yaris.

yaris ~5.3L/100km highway
prius 4.9L/100km highway

though, it would be more beneficial to drive a prius in the city than driving the yaris (28MPG ???) in the city..

[NaturalTopaz]

Originally Posted by MUSKOKA800

When I was shopping the local Toyota salesman suggested that due to the price difference (~CA$10,000 + 13% taxes + loan interest here in Canada) the Prius would be no cheaper than the Yaris over the life of the car. Granted it is a "nicer" car, but I try to keep my vehicles for 10+ years and the prospect of replacing those expensive batteries during that period was not appealling. I wonder how the Prius' trade-in values will be after 6+ years when the original batteries are reaching there end-of-life. Cha-Ching $$$

As of date, Toyota has not replaced any batteries in their Prius (in North America). 11 years and even Toyota doesn't know what the "replacement" cost will be....that says a lot for the Prius. (the 6 year myth is just that...a myth).

Prius resale values will be determine by the price of gas. Right now is the best time to buy them, either as new or preowned.

[supmet]

Originally Posted by MadMax

I could not get past the "smug" factor of the Pruis. I also drive a Jeep, and I get those smirky looks everytime I pass one.

^^ There's a south park episode on that subject, and I think it pretty much summed up why I don't want a prius. That and the manufacturing process of the batteries leads me to believe a yaris is better for the environment.

[Yaris Hilton]

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/fra...cWl39Ra6Q.cspx

[deerebilt]

i agree the yaris is more economical than the prius for the price difference.iv'e had my 08 yaris sedan s 5 sp for a year and about 21000 mi. my overall avg mpg is 43.5. no expenses except fuel and oil/filter changes.i really like my yaris. to be honest when i bought my yaris i went in to drive a prius. i really liked it.but with price difference the the economy of the yaris i believe i made the right choice for me.

[Yaris Hilton]

If you're concerned about being "green," I suspect the manufacturing and disposal/recycling of the batteries make the hybrids' lifetime environmental footprints pretty large and deep. I'm sure there are analyses of that online, but I'm not motivated enough to look them up. I don't want a hybrid.

[MUSKOKA800]

Originally Posted by NaturalTopaz

As of date, Toyota has not replaced any batteries in their Prius (in North America). 11 years and even Toyota doesn't know what the "replacement" cost will be....that says a lot for the Prius. (the 6 year myth is just that...a myth).

Prius resale values will be determine by the price of gas. Right now is the best time to buy them, either as new or preowned.

11 years!!! Has it been on the road that long?
Toyota not know it's replacement cost? That process is no different than any other part. It would be pretty irresponsible of Toyota not to have a battery (or set) waiting in some NA warehouse ready for dealer delivery and installation.
Regarding battery life, I seem to recall 7 years being the life expectancy. Not sure where that number came from though. Hard to believe they haven't replaced one yet. Either due to collision damage, defect or wear-out.
True, Prius values are driven by gas prices. Toyota was sold out not long ago, now the shortsighted US market is looking elsewhere and resale values have plumetted. Not just Prius, but econo cars in general.

[schleppy]

I drove a Prius for an hour and I couldn't stand it. Once you're moving it's fine, but it felt so numb when you take off from a standstill. The switchover between gas and electric was also jerky and inconsistent.

I'd take my Yaris any day.

[Yaris Hilton]

As for batteries, there's a guy over on ToyotaNation dithering over whether to sell his old Prius or his old Rav4. He's replaced the Prius batteries. Ask him how much they cost.

[regal]

I hate the Prius, the ONLY reason the Yaris doesn't have a 6 spd tranny and get 60 mpg on the highway is because it would prove the Prius to be the bloated over-engineered contraption that it is.

Hell my 1989 Handa and 1986 Jetta got better milage than the Prius, and they are probably still on the road driving somewhere.

[Yaris Hilton]

Yes, Toyota has a motive not to challenge the Prius' mileage with conventional technology.

[tetzyamis]

It depends on how often you go on freeway.
I drive 1/2 city and 1/2 highway.
I used to have 2001 Prius and was getting 48-52 mpg.
With Yaris, same driving, I get 35-37 mpg.
I drive 800 miles per month.
16 gallons of gas with Prius and 22 gallons with Yaris.
$15 savings per month with $2.50 gas.
$180 in year, $900 in 5 years, $1260 in 7 years...
Trade in of the 7.5 year old Prius was 40% of the original price.

[robkay]

I considered the Prius, as well. Never got as far as driving one, though. While doing my research I read somewhere that if you need to have something in the drive train replaced you can get into 5 figures pretty quickly. That told me all I needed to know. I figure as long as you are within the warranty period you'll be a very happy Prius owner But, once you're outside the warranty period, if something major goes out that 49 mpg will seem a lot less meaningful. You can buy an awful lot of gasoline for $11,000. That's why I went with a Yaris. I keep my cars a long time and I think I would save a lot in maintenance with a Yaris as opposed to a Prius.

[PreciousPups4U]

My mom has a Prius (she got it last April 08) so I get to drive it often. Not daily, but probably 3 or 4 times a week. Her's is pretty much all city driving, short trips since she is retired. She averages around 40 mpg and of course does a bit better when I drive it. She is learning the methods though. She also drives very little so doubt she will ever need to replace those batteries. The salesman indicated to us Toyota thought that would be around 100,000 miles.

I am averaging around 35 in the Yaris (which I got in May 08), but have gotten several tanks in the high 30's. Unfortunately I have not broken 40 yet, but my driving is pretty much all city as well and short trips since I mainly work from home.

The Prius was twice the price of my Yaris. She loves the Prius and that is all that really matters just like I love the Yaris. She does know the Yaris would have made more financial sense especially since she only drives about 8000 miles a year, but she still has no regrets about getting the Prius.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

If you're concerned about being "green," I suspect the manufacturing and disposal/recycling of the batteries make the hybrids' lifetime environmental footprints pretty large and deep. I'm sure there are analyses of that online, but I'm not motivated enough to look them up. I don't want a hybrid.

I was wondering about that myself, as disposal of Lithium technology batteries is not a trivial thing. The junkyard that i bought my Prius wiper stalk from specializes in Prius parts. I asked about how they deal with the battery disposal and the guy that I spoke with said that there is an incredible market for used Prius batteries. They sell every one that they pull out to hobbyists experimenting with electric vehicles.