Used 2018 Toyota Prius Prime Hatchback Consumer Reviews
One month in and I'm very happy
I bought a Prius Prime about a month ago and have been using it to do my 20-mile (each way) commute since then. I charge it overnight using a regular 120v plug next to my driveway. I wanted a no-nonsense commuting car that would be reliable. I leased two other Toyota hybrids before this: a Camry and a Rav4. It came down to the Prime vs. the Chevy Volt. I liked the much longer EV range of the Chevy and many reviews said that it was zippier than the Prius. In the end, though, I went with the Prius because I'm pretty sold on Toyota reliability. So far the car has met or exceeded my expectations. It gets about 20-25 miles on a full electric charge and I've found the MPG while running on gas to be anywhere in the 50-60 range. The driving is not spectacular but I've seen reviews who said its acceleration is too slow to be safe and that is just complete nonsense. It's fine. It's comfortable inside and I'm loving the adaptive cruise control that comes standard. It makes cruise control practical in a metropolitan region like mine (NY suburb). I'll mention three minor annoyances that I've encountered so far: 1. the engine is a bit loud when running on gas mode 2. The car makes an annoying beeping sound inside of the cabin (not outside) while backing up. 3. The trim around the bottom of the car is very low to the ground so it scrapes against the ground when I'm turning into my (steep) driveway from the street. Other than that, I'm happy with my choice. I went a full three weeks commuting and running errands before I had to fill the tank, which is awesome! The last thing I will mention is that what you get with the "base" trim is great - heated seats, all of the radar safety-stuff, and so on. It's a good deal. Sorry, one more positive and two negatives. The positive: I'm 6'2" and I fit just fine in the front. The negatives: very limited storage space in the hatchback and only two seats in the rear.
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Prius prime delivers what I wanted most
I purchased the PRIUS Prime to add a high MPG auto for the daily commute. So far, I have surpassed the rated MPG and the number of miles in electric mode. My average MPG so far while in hybrid mode is 57 and I have averaged 35 miles in electric mode. It achieves and exceeds exactly what I wanted in fuel economy. Where the PRIUS lacks a bit: it only really has a single zone climate control, the large computer screen gets a lot of glare at certain sun angles and needs the ability to tilt a few degrees to correct for this issue, the sun visor does not extend out when rotated to the door window leaving the sun to still hinder your eyesight, acceleration is a bit slow, when accelerating - the engine is quite loud, and there is very little room in the hatchback for storage.
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30 miles of pure EV
The only difference between a 2017 and 2018 is that the infotainment screen sings a melody tone when you start the ignition. After owning a 2017 Prius Prime over 20k miles we traded in for a 2018 Prime just wanted a different color. PP never had one issue and the battery charged to 100% every time at home and at public charging stations. $35k minus $4.5k federal minus Colorado $5k rebate your looking at around $25k for a top of the line Prius. Sometimes on top of all tax incentives Toyota cash incentives can be upwards of $5k in northwest region in NY and NJ. Google Honda Clarity charging problems and you will see Honda is not quite there yet compared to Toyota. Get off the couch and go buy it already!
My Prius Prime Plus -
Yes, fuel economy is great. Daily, my commute is 80 miles both ways. My Prime gets approx. 75 mpg. I believe it includes the 30 miles of pure electric. Tank is only 11 gallons but it sure goes a long way. Yeah, I love it. It is true that it is a little noisy at some speeds and road condition, but it doesn't bother me. Acceleration is sufficient. Hitting the Power button when on hybrid power, really gives the car a boost. And the Eco mode, I hardly use it. Eco mode feel like the car has ED - yeah, erectile, ok you get the message. Now, why does the Plus (lowest model) does not have a lock on the electric cord when car is locked? Why is that a feature only on the upper models? Toyota, shame on you. This is also my first CVT car and I like it. Also true that the engine feels like it is straining when powering the car, but that also doesn't bother me. Overall, I am happy with the car. Oh by the way, the hatch doesn't have a release button inside. Why? I really don't know why. And to close the hatch from the outside, most of the time, you need both hands - and I'm a weight lifter. Love it with all the weaknesses.
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My Baby Tesla
I only have a few hundred miles on it to this point but so far it has been fantastic, especially with almost 100 miles to the gallon of gas. Did want the leather interior (or soft tex) which is only offered on the Premium or Advanced model. Wanted all the safety features BUT found that the upgrade of $4,000 for the Advanced was more than I was willing to spend and ended up getting the Prime. Great car so far and the styling both inside and out and the federal tax credit really make this car a great value. Now that I have driven over 9000 miles with the Prius I will only say that so far so good and with an average of 185 mpg that's hard to beat unless you decide to buy all electric.
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