Toyota prices Prius at $22,750, above rival Honda

[DainBramaged]

The redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid goes on sale in the United States in late May with a base price of $22,750, including freight. Later this year, a stripped-down base model will be offered for $21,750.

Both figures are above Honda's new Insight hybrid, which went on sale last month listing at a base of $20,470. Toyota signaled a possible price war in Japan at the start of April, when it introduced the Prius at a price on par with the Insight.

The key technical difference between the Toyota and Honda hybrids is the way the powertrains drive the wheels. The Prius can be driven at speeds up to 25 mph by the electric motor alone. In the Insight, a "mild'' hybrid, the electric motor acts only as a booster for the gasoline engine.

"The Prius is still slightly more money but gets better gas mileage and has better attributes," said Dave Conant, a Los Angeles dealer who owns Honda and Toyota stores. "The Insight, on the other hand, still has good typical Honda engineering. It has a sportier feel than the Prius, and you will save money."

The third-generation Prius comes with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 98 hp. The horsepower increases to 134 with the electric motor, up from a combined 110 hp for the current model.

The Prius has five trim levels. Standard equipment on all models includes vehicle stability control and traction control and antilock brakes. The $22,750 trim adds standard features such as push-button start, a six-speaker stereo system, six-way adjustable driver's seat and seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag.

The most expensive trim level, at $28,020, includes Bluetooth, heated front seats, an eight-speaker JBL system and 17-inch alloy wheels. ($28,000 sort of defeats the purpose of buying a Hybrid, don't 'cha think?)

All prices in this story include destination charges.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090421/ANA02/904219965/1186 (subscription only, posted in full)

[ejpoeta]

1. why do most hybrids seem to just boost the gas engine. grrr.

i want us to get AWAY from the gasoline run engines, and i wonder if that will happen when we have 'hybrids' that seem to not really be hybrids at all. i wonder if honda will give prius a run for their money, so to speak. we shall see.

[Bandit]

3. Ever been in a traffic jam in LA or New York?

If so then you must realize the advantage of electric over gas during that couple of hours of going a half mile.

[ejpoeta]

4. no, but i could imagine.

[DainBramaged]

6. I imagine a day long after I'm gone, where LA has 'emergency' charging stations

on the 405 for those occasions when your ev needs a quick boost to get home.

[ronnykmarshall]

15. I LOOOOOVE mine!

[Touchdown]

53. Oh' That's soooo 2006.

:P

[Romulox]

2. I'm starting to think these things are nothing more than hipster cred-builders

Driving a Prius at 85 mph in the far left lane is NOT "good for the environment", but I see it all the time. Funny, since driving such a car makes one a certified "environmentalist".

[DainBramaged]

5. I see it all of the time, and in my neck of the woods, they have McPain/Falin bumper stickers on

most of the time. It's amazing how many people think they are 'green' because they own one.

[hugo_from_TN]

33. Starting to?

It's been that way for quite a while.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. I thought the purpose was to be better for the environment

Things that are $28k are worse for the environment than things that are $20k?

I'm not following that logic.

[DainBramaged]

8. The point is that they are not affordable for 3/4 of us

The current trend among car dealers is that used cars UNDER $15,000 are up by hundreds of percentage points while new car sales flounder. If the Prius was priced at $15,000, more would be out there instead of gas guzzlers or old technology. And at that price, it would give many people with older cars incentive to get a new ecologically friendly car.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. The key word in your post is "used car under $15,000"

You can get a used Prius under $15,000.

[DainBramaged]

10. There are 30 within 50 miles of my zip code on Cars.com

With the majority over 50,000. 17 have between 70-114,000 miles. How many people are going to spring for a high-milage used Prius rather than a low millage Domestic or Transplant/Import for the same money?

[NC_Nurse]

11. Whose buying a car right now? I guess only people who have plenty of money.

So better they buy an expensive Prius than an expensive Hummer, right?

[DainBramaged]

12. A lot of people, but uninformed statements are par for the course on DU

Automakers sold 857,313 (new) cars and trucks in the U.S. in March.

http://www.autoobserver.com/2009/04/march-car-sales-show-signs-of-life.html

[NC_Nurse]

18. Like the housing market, if you mark something down enough, it sells. I still

most buyers are well off. We sold our cars and aren't buying new ones anytime soon - new or used. I don't know anyone who has bought a car recently, but I
have heard that there are great deals for those who can afford to.

Scuse me for not caring.

[jmowreader]

13. Oh come on. A $28,000 Hybrid completely validates the concept...

of appearing to do a hell of a lot more to Save the Planet than you really are. And the nickel in those batteries ain't exactly the most benign substance we ever pulled out of the ground.

Incidentally, when did "pushbutton start" become such a wonderful, desirable feature?

[Dr.Phool]

20. It was standard on the 2008 base Prius.

[jmowreader]

24. Whether it was standard or optional isn't the point

It's in there for the "thrill" of being able to push a button and have the engine start. I came home from CDL school, and some of our trucks had pushbutton start on them. The one that DIDN'T was the best truck the school owned--a fairly recent-vintage Freightliner Century Class. In a week I'll let you know if my duty truck (it will be a 2009 International ProStar) has it, but I doubt it.

[Stevenmarc]

14. "$28,000 sort of defeats the purpose of buying a Hybrid" ....Ummmm ...No

Whether you buy a base model Prius or the fully loaded Prius it doesn't change the the mileage or the low emissions of the vehicle. When I bought a Prius cost was not really a factor in the decision otherwise I probably wouldn't have bought it since I don't really put on a lot of mileage and factoring cost of gas I knew I wouldn't make up the price difference between the the Prius and any average mid sized car in the cost of opperation.

What my priority for making the purchase was getting from point A to point B with the least environmental impact and I was willing to pay a premium for that. As far as the options go I went for the top trim level because I'm use to Bluetooth in a car, I wouldn't buy another car without it and I live in NYC and a toasty warm butt in the winter is a good thing.

Oh and if you think price defeats the purpose of buying a hybrid, then you haven't seen the plug in hybrid Fisker.

[DainBramaged]

16. So, your Hybrid purchase makes you green?

"Environmental impact". I love hearing that phrase. :eyes:

[Stevenmarc]

17. No I'm not green because of one purchase.

Over time I have made a considerable number of changes to live a more green lifestyle, owning a hybrid is simply one of them.

[Kalyke]

19. I wouldn't spend that kind of money for either of them.

They're impossibly ugly and, at least the Prius, is recalled every other second.

[jsamuel]

22. i have owned a prius for 3 years and haven't had one recall

[hugo_from_TN]

34. But you've still had an ugly car for 3 years.

[Kalyke]

40. LOL!!

(Psst... I'm in Tennessee, too)

[Tesha]

23. Have any Priuses caught fire in the garage and burned down the house?

More than a few Fords have, prior to some recalls.

Tesha

[DainBramaged]

25. This thread was supposed to be simply informative, but since you asked

do you know what a 'silent recall' is? Here are a few listed recalls of the Prius.


http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/toyota/toyota_prius.htm

http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7-6358658.html


After a National Highway Transportation Agency investigation into sudden stalls reported by Toyota Prius owners, Toyota has initiated a worldwide recall of 160,000 of the cars. Affected cars are from 2004 and early 2005. Toyota calls it a Voluntary Special Service Campaign, which will amount to a firmware upgrade at the dealership. The problem stems from a programming error that can activate all the warning lights, causing the car to think its engine has failed. The car enters a fail-safe mode in which it runs under electric power only, giving the driver enough time to pull over to the side of the road.


Oh what a relief it is.

[jsamuel]

26. I drove over 3 miles when I ran out of gas with the battery only.

Enough time to get to a gas station. The example you site is a pretty minor problem with computer software. No permanent damage is done to the car. It only took place after the car was completely redesigned in 2004 and was fixed by early 2005. Best part, all it takes is a firmware update to fix the issue.

[JVS]

30. lol

Damned yuppies with their fire safety concerns!

[Kalyke]

42. Don't know - don't care to know what Priuses do.

Too much money for an ugly ass car.

(And my Fords - none of them - have ever caught on fire. My ex's crappy Nissan did, though).

[Tesha]

54. You're lucky -- one of our neighbors' had their Ford catch fire in the garage...

...under their bedroom as it was parked for the night. They weren't too happy.

Tesha

[rcrush]

21. I just like only having to refill once a month.

That made it worth it to me to buy one.

[flvegan]

27. Actually, most expensive trim would be $32,520.00

They missed an option:

Advanced Technology Package: $4,500
Includes Navigation Package equipment
plus Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
(DRCC), Pre-Collision System (PCS),
Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Intelligent
Parking Assist (IPA)

http://jalopnik.com/5221417/2010-toyota-prius-pricing-tops-out-at-32520

[frylock]

29. Lane Keep Assist?!!

how about Pay Fucking Attention To The Road Assist?

[vinylsolution]

28. Meanwhile, over at Ford....

... work continues apace on the 2010 Explorer, barely able to crack 20 mpg.

The once-proud blue oval has become the blue awful.

[Romulox]

31. Ummm... "Fusion Hybrid beats Camry Hybrid"

Moron. :hi:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/green_machines/2010_ford_fusion_hybrid_short_take_road_test

[vinylsolution]

37. OK then, so where is Detroit's rival....

... to the Prius, or the Insight?

They've had 10 years to come up with a competitor vehicle that does 45-50 mpg ...

And the over-sized, overweight Fusion sure ain't it.

Morons.

[Romulox]

38. LOL. Rather than admit your error, why not move the goalposts! People won't notice your mistake!

[DainBramaged]

48. More Senator Shelby sycophants to stir the pot

that was a cute trick he pulled, wasn't it?

[Romulox]

52. Low post count? Check. Hidden profile? Check. Anti-Labor? Check?

He's probably back on that other sight bragging about this little incursion as we speak.

[DainBramaged]

57. You called it perfectly. The lack of a profile always gives them away.

Even though my profile is a joke right now, people here KNOW I am UAW and KNOW I will staunchly defend the Domestic auto industry. It's called principles, something the people who buy Transplants and imports don't have.

[SteelPenguin]

43. Oversized?

Why do the hybrids have to be small.

I have 2 kids with a third on the way. The Prius won't do the trick for us. We need either a sedan we can get 3 carseats across in the back, or something with a third row.

Where's the hybrid minivan!

[vinylsolution]

45. Because smaller means lighter....

... and excess weight is the enemy of fuel-efficiency.

Our Honda Fit is perfect for the four of us - including a 6-foot daughter, and all her sports gear.

44 mpg on the highway is pretty darn' useful ,too...

[SteelPenguin]

47. bets on 3 carseats across in the back

We currently have a Honda Civic and we can get 2 car seats, and an infant seat in the back but it's a bit of squeeze and I had to take out the armrests of the one carseat to get it in there. Once the baby is out of an infant seat though we'll need a new car. Heck it might not even fly in the Civic

I doubt we could fit 3 car seats across in the Fit if we can't in the Civic. Plus while it would work for us for probably groceries or getting around town, driving to my in-laws for Christmas might be a packing issue. We'll probably have to get one of those roof rack things, but that'd destroy our MPG as well. ;)

Toyota has a few hybrid minivans but none of them are in the U.S. yet. They get about 40 mpg apparently.

[JVS]

39. $32,555. I thought such a high price was supposed to defeat the purpose of getting a hybrid?

[Romulox]

41. I have no opinion of the price. Just pointing out the poster's error. nt

[high density]

32. So don't buy an Explorer?

The Explorer isn't exactly competing with the Prius.

[quiller4]

50. What about the Focus, Fusion Hybrid, Escape Hybrid & Fiesta?

Ford has economical cars and fuel efficient cars available for buyers that want them and more coming down the pike. Still, there are buyers whio want/need larger vehicles. I drive a 9 year old mini van because I often transport residents of an adult family home. Not much else carries 6 adults and 3 wheel chairs with ease. If I were to replace my Mopar mini van today, I'd probably buy a Ford Flex or Taurus X.

[high density]

35. I can't imagine Prius owners are looking for a sportier feel

It's about the most unsporty car on the road, and people drive around in them as if they're halfway asleep with no place to go. Any gas they're saving is being consumed by the people flooring it to pass them. If only the fuel consumption gauge could turn off when the line of traffic behind a Prius exceeds three cars, and then the driver could get back to driving instead of economizing.

[DainBramaged]

49. 1984 (we all drive jelly beans without personality)

[tammywammy]

36. I'm excited about the 2010 VW Golf TDI

I may trade in my Beetle TDI. It looks nice and will get about the same mpg that I get now, but with super clean emissions.

[lutefisk]

44. The Honda doesn't have stability control on the base model, though.

Honda plays games with safety by leaving stability control off a $20,000 car to get people to move up in price. Toyota leaves off a few air bags on the base model. I was waiting for the Insight to come out, but it appears the Prius is a better value, especially with its larger back seat (the Insight is really tight in the rear).

[spinbaby]

46. Heated front seats!

I am so there.

[Romulox]

51. For the environment! nt

[Touchdown]

55. We had to replace the Slug Bug game with Prius Pinch game.

Couldn't find enough Beetles on the roads anymore (even the new ones), but there was Pri-i everywhere.

"Cadillac! Gotcha Back!":D

[Occam Bandage]

56. The purpose of a hybrid is social status, not saving money,

just as the purpose of a sports car is social status and not racing.

[DainBramaged]

58. I agree.

[doc03]

59. A hybrid is just not cost effective

with $2.00 gas prices. I have come to the conclusion I will buy a small conventional car such as the Focus, Civic or Corolla. I will probably buy the Focus since it is made in the USA and I get a supplier discount. From my experience I haven't been able to get any kind of deal from Honda or Toyota.