The Prius is a no-compromise car. It's a normal car. You don't lose anything by going Prius over Camry.
Some people are more comfortable with the "mainstream"-ness of a Camry, so that's why there's a Camry hybrid. But the Camry hybrid doesn't solve any other problems that the Prius doesn't solve.
Oh, with one exception--the Camry has a trunk, the Prius is a hatchback.
To offset that, the Prius gets better gas mileage. Anyone can get into a Prius and just drive it, complete with climate control on, and get
45mpg. The Camry will get significantly lower mileage.
The Prius is a surprisingly large car inside.
I just completed a couple 6+ hour road trips in my Prius, and had zero problems. It was very comfortable. And I'm not a particularly small guy.
If you can run without the AC on, you can do your commute with one gallon of gas each way in moderate weather.
I compared the two carefully, with good test drives in each, and finally got a TCH. Main reason was that the seats in the Camry were much more comfortable for my back. I found the Prius seats quite uncomfortable. Obviously, that might not be at all true for you, but you should try to take long test drives in both.
Less important points in favour of the TCH, for me:
- the Prius had worse blind spots for lane changes and backing up. (No, I'm not saying it's got real problems in this area...)
- I found the TCH quieter on the highway, and more stable in windy conditions.
Of course, the Prius does have significantly better gas mileage, and that's a real plus. The TCH is pretty good though, in practice a bit better than a friend's new Corolla.
Also, the Prius definitely has more cargo room, though a bit oddly shaped, it's quite useful. Not a must-have for me, the TCH trunk is big enough for my needs.
So they say. BT Stiffening Plate for $165 seems expensive, but some people swear by it.
People also swear they've been in UFOs, too. When you've spent $165, are you likely to go out to a web forum and tell everyone, "I was such an idiot, that thing did nothing for me"? Or are you likely to experience the placebo effect and swear to the world that the $165 you spent absolutely was worth it and then some?
The Prius handles on par with a Miata 3, Corolla, Sentra, etc. and is superior to the Kia, Hyundai equivalent. In the early days, someone told the Prius community that mileage would improve by adding 10# air pressure to the tires to reduce rolling resistance. Well, perhaps that's good for 0.1mpg, but those complaining about handling or wandering forgot what they had done, and blamed the problem on the car's design.
With Goodyear Comfortred tires on my car filled to spec, it's quiet, handles very well, doesn't "wander", and my lifetime average since October '03 is 45mpg. Aftermarket leather, 132db horns, upgraded audio, a CANBUS monitor, 120# of *EAR* sound absorption in critical areas, and it is absolutely, positively, the best car decision I've ever made.
I will also endorse the previous comment regarding placebo effect. I will bet $10,000 that no one can drive Prius cars and reliably tell whether the car is fitted with that $165 machined-aluminum stiffener or THE STOCK PLATE IN HEAVY STAMPED STEEL (identical geometry and mounting bolts!). I have done the swap on my car, and as an old (~70) race driver am sensitive to differences -- there were none!
Noise is an issue for me, so I used a GI Sound Pressure Meter before and after installing new tires, driving on the same stretches at the same speed. I measured almost 6dB, and my daughter heard the difference without prompting, but I couldn't hear any improvement except for a $350 placebo effect, so I was satisfied.
I pulled the car apart as much as was convenient, including door panels, etc. Any panel with more than a square foot that was (1) uncoated, (2) unbraced, (3) fairly flat, and (4) smooth enough for good adherence I treated with one or another of the E-A-R materials. After cutting but efore actually sticking the pieces on, I weighed everything - about 120#. I then cleaned the surfaces with a solvent, peeled the backing, and stuck it on. Even I could hear the difference and it measured more than 6dB.
I like my Prius a lot and am happy to have it. But it sits next to my Miata in my garage, and Prius' handling is definitely not on par with the Miata. Far from it.
If there's one thing I could change on the Prius it's the suspension. Not making it sit lower or harder, but make it more balanced, more supple. A bit more like the small Alfas or Subarus.
Not really. The hard tires and stiff frame make Prius noisier on the highway (but it is often very quiet at lower speeds), and the sensitivity to winds is because it is relatively tall for its width.
The commonly advertised aftermarket stiffeners are snake oil, IMHO: the design of their attachments offers no tortional stiffness, and the stock part has more than enough tensile strength.
The OP needs to take some test drives to decide her questions, keeping in mind that the great majority of buyers have no trouble with high speed stability after an adjustment period of a few days or weeks.
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