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The Prius V was much more than a larger version of the Prius. It was a wagon that was more versatile in several ways. Toyota only saw one benefit over the regular Prius, and that was it could haul more cargo.
I think that they were terribly mistaken and if they would listen to reviews, I think the Prius V could make an awesome comeback and even be a favorite of more Prius owners. Here are my 3 reasons Toyota needs to bring back the Prius V and in the AWD-e version.
Prius V Was Meant To Haul More
The Prius V was a station wagon, no matter how you slice it. It had a large cargo area and a class leading cargo capacity 34.3 ft³ (seats up), 67.3 ft³ (with seat area down) That means if you like to go camping, you can load everything and the kitchen sink. Long road trip? No problem, take extras with you and do not worry about having to compromise.
Prius V is the modern station wagon that died off in the 90's, but everything does make a comeback at some point. I think that it may have been a little premature that Toyota introduced it and also discontinued it. For a company that has a lot of customer data, you would think they could have seen where Prius V was really going to take off. Then again, that is probably why the pulled the plug.
With cargo space being one of the key factors of this vehicle, it then has to compete with small SUV's. In recent years, the Rav4 has become more of a household name, keying into what small families are wanting, but even the Rav4 Hybrid does not have fuel economy like the Prius V. It does however, have slightly more capacity for hauling, but at what cost? I think if Toyota really went and looked at taking out a product like that was not selling, it could have easily been something like the Toyota 86, but then we would lose out on that market segment as well.
However you slice it, the Prius V went away because it was not selling as well as it could have, but Toyota should have trimmed down the other versions of Prius and kept this one. People loved the car and I am sure would love to see it back.
The Prius V Would Sell More With Available AWD-e
Here is the thing. If we dumped the Prius 2, 3 and 4 and kept V, Toyota could make that the top of the line model, and even add AWD. The Prius is already chasing the perfect hybrid with the Prius AWD-e, so why not make a really popular and versatile model even better with available all wheel drive?
Instead of having to fork out extra dough in fuel for a ski trip or even going to grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner and driving a gas guzzler SUV, take the new Prius V AWD-e and never worry again about rough road conditions. It makes total sense.
The Prius V Was Still Very Affordable
The Prius V was a hauler that was still really affordable. Coming in at about $26,000 new this Prius is less money as compared to the Rav4 which really is the direct competitor.
The Rav4 base did come in around $26k, but if we are honest with ourselves who really drives a base model these days? Expect over $30k for a Rav with similar benefits like you would find in the Prius V.
Conclusion
I think that Toyota needs to at least tease us with the idea of an all wheel drive Prius V. It would be incredible to have a bigger Prius with better capabilities, especially since winter is right around the corner.
Thanks for reading, have a safe weekend. See you in the next story where I am discussing why Carista is the best $20 tool for your Toyota Prius.
Check out my other story, Study finds most hybrid batteries are being replaced in California
Also Watch New tech means more MPG from your Toyota Prius and Click to Subscribe to Torque News Youtube Channel for Daily Toyota Prius and Automotive News.
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He is an automotive technology instructor at Columbia Basin College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Adjunct Instructor of automotive technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter.
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Comments
Did you know they just a
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Did you know they just released an eAWD version of the Hybrid Corolla wagon in Japan? It may be slightly smaller than the Prius v but is also more elegant with a much more sophisticated suspension. That new wagon could also be considered as a suitable replacement for the departed Matrix in non-hybrid form. BTW the Prius V was sold in Canada (where we buy wagons) for an additional year and is still sold in other world markets.
I just think the Prius V was
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I just think the Prius V was not marketed well in the United States market. Same thing with the Prius c. They should have thrown more heft behind the marketing/advertising/PR plan.
Absolutely right on the money
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Absolutely right on the money, the Prius "V" is almost the perfect vehicle. Very under appreciated by the public An AWD model would be the best all around CAR/SUV.
I have a "V" and would be hard pressed to give it up, but an AWD would be the icing on a perfect cake.
I own a Prius v with 170,000
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In reply to Absolutely right on the money by Peter Parry (not verified)
I own a Prius v with 170,000 miles and I am not parting with it.
I think an AWD Prius wagon
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I think an AWD Prius wagon would be a Subaru killer here in Colorado
I love my Pruis V. It is a
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I love my Pruis V. It is a 2014 model year and great for families and also hauling. The thing I haul around are teenagers and lots of groceries. The gas mileage is terrific. I do wish they brought back the V so I can replace this far when I am ready. I really don't want an SUV. My husband and I prefer not climbing into the SUV since we are both retired.
Peter, I was looking back on
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Peter, I was looking back on this story for use as a source and I realized that Toyota did bring back the Prius V with AWD. They call it the RAV4 Hybrid :)
A 7 seater Rav4??? I´m a Rav4
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In reply to Peter, I was looking back on by John Goreham
A 7 seater Rav4??? I´m a Rav4 lover. Was thinking of getting one after replacing my ´03 Rav4 w ´05 CRV. But, when me & my wife decided to between the Rav4 & Prius V, we decided w/ the V. 7 seater and more leg room. If Toyota makes an AWD V, it´d be the best family car.
I bought a top-of-the-line
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I bought a top-of-the-line Prius V in October 2012. This is positively the best car I have ever owned. I live in the local mountains and when the road is plowed the front wheel drive is fine for the road. I have four dogs and two cats who travel with me. The cargo space is unbelievable. Being anti-leather I love the pleather seats. The double moonroof is fantastic! It is now 2021 May 22. I have never had an issue. Please bring back the Prius V in all wheel drive!
Toyota still sells the Prius
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Toyota still sells the Prius V called plus in Europe with seven passenger seating and lithium battery however I don't think they added AWD yet?
I own a 2017 Prius V here in
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I own a 2017 Prius V here in Canada and they sold a 2018 here with Toyota safety sense and then cancelled it for 2019 which makes no sense either. I think maybe many are/were buying the Rav 4 hybrid which is of course a fair bit more money, and maybe that is one of the significant reasons for dropping the V in North America?
My 2012 Prius V still gets 44
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My 2012 Prius V still gets 44 mpg. I started looking at replacing it three years ago but I still can't buy anything that gets better gas mileage with the equivalent cargo space. I might consider a plug-in Rav4 or Escape but they don't seem to be sold in Minnesota.
I have a prius v. and a gen 2
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I have a prius v. and a gen 2 prius. the v has disappointing gas mileage at normal highway speeds. slow a bit and it's great. I just drove in two separate northern michigan laje effect snow storms. I run Bridgestone blizzaks. the car handled everything well except the 6 plus inches snow. awd without additional ground clearance will not fix this. lucky the snow on northern 300 miles was fresh but rowed up by pickup trucks. the v with winter tires .blizzak. will handle anything a pickup will but not the deep snow. so. awd would be an extra item.
Hey we get pretty good milage
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In reply to I have a prius v. and a gen 2 by kent (not verified)
Hey we get pretty good milage on our 2017 V. We also have a 2017 Prius C and on the highway they actually get the same milage! We took ours to California from Ontario Canada and back of course. It was great. I often drive it in power mode and regular both with little difference in milage. ECO mode actually does poorest on the highway for us because you need to push the petal so much more to keep the speed up. We stopped using Eco after the first year or so and milage did not drop at all, in fact improved slightly. We get 5.4 liters/100 km which is 44 mpg US.
We are so in love with our V
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We are so in love with our V that we worry about anything happening to it. We bought a 2017 V 5 and literally scuba dive out of it. Its capacity behind the rear seats is ridiculously awesome; far exceeding 90% of the SUVs out there. We put a hitch receiver on it, and take our bikes along on camping trips. And it fits neatly in the garage, gets amazing mileage, is super comfortable, and in Power mode feels like a sports car. Literally the perfect vehicle, and it just got too little promotion when it was around. With a little grassroots push, it'd be a fan-fun car like Miatas and Subarus.
I was planning to get a V,
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I was planning to get a V, but in 2019 they were long gone. I ordered and got one of the last 2019 Golf Sportwagens built in the Mexico factory. 1.4 L turbo engine with 6 speed manual. Gets over 40 mpg all the time and has about the same cargo capacity as the V. If Toyota sold a PHEV wagon in USA I would get one. In Europe & Asia you can get all sorts of compact PHEV wagons. We know why Toyota dropped the V in North America: so they could sell the more profitable RAV4. Production of the RAV4 Prime cannot keep up with demand.
Our family has 3 Prius Vs,
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Our family has 3 Prius Vs, and we love them. Great gas mileage, narrow on the road, and it carries my mobility scooter in the back. I won’t buy a new car until I have to unless Toyota brings the V back.