Can't decide between AWD Prius and RAV4 Hybrid - help!
March 27, 2021 11:02 AM Subscribe
My beloved 2014 Prius was totalled recently and I need to buy a new car ASAP. We've been mulling this over for a week and still keep flip-flopping between the AWD Prius and RAV4 Hybrid. How do we finally pull the trigger?
First, the criteria that both options satisfy and reasons for why we're not considering other models (but feel free to try to change my mind):
- Car color is irrationally important to me. I also don't want to spend thousands on a repaint, or a cheaper wrap that will look imperfect. I'm looking for a light green or light blue, and those are haaaard to find. Prius would be in sea glass pearl, RAV4 in lunar rock. We considered Subarus but the light teal color I like is from an older discontinued model year :(
- AWD because we are moving in 6 months from northern California to western Montana. My husband is from MT originally and his family drove a 2005 Prius with FWD for years, so we're confident the AWD Prius will handle fine in everyday conditions. We will put snow tires on whichever car we choose.
- Hybrid for environmental reasons; we'd love to go plug-in hybrid or full electric eventually, but full electric is impractical in a state where the next closest city is 1.5 hours away, and I haven't come across any plug-ins which meet my car color criteria.
- Cargo capacity is a wash between the two for us. I've fit a ton of stuff in my former Prius, currently driving a rental sedan and wishing I had my hatchback back, but obviously the larger RAV4 would fit the bill too.
---
Prius pros:
- This would basically be an updated twin of my previous car, which I loved. I prefer the smooth ride of the Prius and don't mind the gradual acceleration.
- We're currently in Montana with a rental car and a beater 2005 Prius that needs more ongoing maintenance than we want to deal with. The Prius is available to purchase locally, while the RAV4 Hybrid that we want is only available back in California; if we bought a new Prius, we could trade-in the old Prius and save a week of rental car expense + the hassle of selling the old Prius.
- We are looking at the LE AWD Prius trim vs. the XLE RAV4 Hybrid trim level, based on our feature preferences which don't line up perfectly with trim levels (3-door keyless entry is a must, but we actually prefer manual seats over power seats due to a large height differential). We are also being offered more discounts on the Prius, so the final price difference is $26k vs. $32.5k, before tax.
---
RAV4 Hybrid pros:
- Higher ground clearance and full-time AWD system means we would have more confidence taking the car on unpaved roads for summer hiking and up the mountain for skiing. The old FWD Prius has done both of those things successfully in Montana in the past, but an SUV is obviously an upgrade for those use cases. However, we don't know how often we will actually end up on unpaved roads or poorly plowed ski mountain roads.
- If we want to maximize chances of being a one-car family in the long term, having that single car be an SUV in Montana seems to make the most sense.
- Husband (we would split the driving about evenly, he drives when we're together but I go out by myself around town a lot more) prefers the color/styling and faster acceleration of the RAV4, but he's also happy with how the Prius drives and is in general a much less emotional car shopper than me.
Time to ask the trusted Internet strangers of Meta, what do you think?
First, the criteria that both options satisfy and reasons for why we're not considering other models (but feel free to try to change my mind):
- Car color is irrationally important to me. I also don't want to spend thousands on a repaint, or a cheaper wrap that will look imperfect. I'm looking for a light green or light blue, and those are haaaard to find. Prius would be in sea glass pearl, RAV4 in lunar rock. We considered Subarus but the light teal color I like is from an older discontinued model year :(
- AWD because we are moving in 6 months from northern California to western Montana. My husband is from MT originally and his family drove a 2005 Prius with FWD for years, so we're confident the AWD Prius will handle fine in everyday conditions. We will put snow tires on whichever car we choose.
- Hybrid for environmental reasons; we'd love to go plug-in hybrid or full electric eventually, but full electric is impractical in a state where the next closest city is 1.5 hours away, and I haven't come across any plug-ins which meet my car color criteria.
- Cargo capacity is a wash between the two for us. I've fit a ton of stuff in my former Prius, currently driving a rental sedan and wishing I had my hatchback back, but obviously the larger RAV4 would fit the bill too.
---
Prius pros:
- This would basically be an updated twin of my previous car, which I loved. I prefer the smooth ride of the Prius and don't mind the gradual acceleration.
- We're currently in Montana with a rental car and a beater 2005 Prius that needs more ongoing maintenance than we want to deal with. The Prius is available to purchase locally, while the RAV4 Hybrid that we want is only available back in California; if we bought a new Prius, we could trade-in the old Prius and save a week of rental car expense + the hassle of selling the old Prius.
- We are looking at the LE AWD Prius trim vs. the XLE RAV4 Hybrid trim level, based on our feature preferences which don't line up perfectly with trim levels (3-door keyless entry is a must, but we actually prefer manual seats over power seats due to a large height differential). We are also being offered more discounts on the Prius, so the final price difference is $26k vs. $32.5k, before tax.
---
RAV4 Hybrid pros:
- Higher ground clearance and full-time AWD system means we would have more confidence taking the car on unpaved roads for summer hiking and up the mountain for skiing. The old FWD Prius has done both of those things successfully in Montana in the past, but an SUV is obviously an upgrade for those use cases. However, we don't know how often we will actually end up on unpaved roads or poorly plowed ski mountain roads.
- If we want to maximize chances of being a one-car family in the long term, having that single car be an SUV in Montana seems to make the most sense.
- Husband (we would split the driving about evenly, he drives when we're together but I go out by myself around town a lot more) prefers the color/styling and faster acceleration of the RAV4, but he's also happy with how the Prius drives and is in general a much less emotional car shopper than me.
Time to ask the trusted Internet strangers of Meta, what do you think?
In this instance, I'd pick the Prius because it's available now where you are, and that counts for something.
In the abstract, if you really don't care, I'd call your insurance agent and find out which one's cheaper to insure and go with that one.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 12:09 PM on March 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
In the abstract, if you really don't care, I'd call your insurance agent and find out which one's cheaper to insure and go with that one.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 12:09 PM on March 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Flip a coin. You’ll either discover you hope for one outcome over the other, wish it had been the other or you can go with what the coin says. The fact that is a hard decision means that the difference doesn’t mean much.
posted by spindrifter at 12:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by spindrifter at 12:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I haven't spent any real time off the Interstate in Montana, but I'd take the ground clearance, not much thinking about it. You can drag a Prius (or a lot of other low clearance vehicles) up some fairly nasty gravel roads, but especially if it's new you're going to feel it in your heart every time it scrapes the ground. Which it will.
That said, You're saving a fair bit of money and hassle buying in Montana (sales tax & reg) that might cover the cost of just getting a cheap 4wd truck for when you want to do something that would beat your car up.
posted by wotsac at 12:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
That said, You're saving a fair bit of money and hassle buying in Montana (sales tax & reg) that might cover the cost of just getting a cheap 4wd truck for when you want to do something that would beat your car up.
posted by wotsac at 12:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
I think the low ground clearance of the Prius would be a dealbreaker for me. We have to park ours around the corner at my mother in law's because it scrapes on our canted driveway. If you even aspire to doing off-road or bad-road stuff, even if you've managed before with a Prius, well ... I'd get the RAV4. We manage to fit a lot in our Prius, too, but the curved backside is not nearly as amenable to packing.
posted by rikschell at 1:15 PM on March 27, 2021
posted by rikschell at 1:15 PM on March 27, 2021
Best answer: I would get the RAV4. The better AWD and extra ground clearance I think will be genuinely relevant for you, and I would be inclined to choose it for safety reasons. If you get into a multi-vehicle collision in Montana, the odds are probably pretty high that the other vehicles involved will be trucks or SUVs that are much higher off the ground than a Prius, and that height mismatch can be dangerous*.
*Improved regulations have made this height mismatch much less a factor than it used to be, but that won't do anything for the many older vehicles on the road.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:28 PM on March 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
*Improved regulations have made this height mismatch much less a factor than it used to be, but that won't do anything for the many older vehicles on the road.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:28 PM on March 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
I live in a conservative part of the country, and it seems like Priuses are uniquely perceived as, like, the car favored by liberals, in a way that other hybrids are not.
That might be a feature for you, or it might be a bug, or it might not matter either way. But, like, it's a thing.
posted by box at 1:43 PM on March 27, 2021
That might be a feature for you, or it might be a bug, or it might not matter either way. But, like, it's a thing.
posted by box at 1:43 PM on March 27, 2021
Since you’re choosing a hybrid for environmental reasons, it’s worth noting that the Prius gets better mileage. It’s also a smaller car with a lower front end, which means it’s less dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists.
posted by caek at 2:06 PM on March 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by caek at 2:06 PM on March 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
How are both with snow? I would read reviews for Montana, if the internet yields that, as an extra layer of input.
posted by childofTethys at 2:14 PM on March 27, 2021
posted by childofTethys at 2:14 PM on March 27, 2021
As an owner of a '19 LE awd-e Prius, I state my conclusion first: the LE awd-e Prius is the best bang-for-the-buck awd commuter car, full stop.
Reasoning:
- I specify the LE version, as it's thousands less-expansive than the XLE, and the extra gadgets put it into the Rav4 LE hybrid price territory. The LE Prius awd still has heated seats, a/c, power windows, etc.
- I commute over a small, twisty mountain pass in western Canada -- 1,300' -- that often gets snow. Even with dedicated winter tires, my fwd commuter cars struggled to get to the summit at times. The awd Prius with the same winter tires climbs the same hill without any fuss at all.
- Toyota did something very correct in engineering the awd Prius, and most people seem to get better than advertised mileage; the worst I get with snow tires -- michelin xi3s -- is the 4.7L/100kms -- 50 us mpg -- claimed. My average mileage from new is 3.9L/100kms (60mpg), and in the summer with the excellent bridgestone ecopia 422+ tires I get 65-80mpg, depending on the drive (I have many pictures of the dash showing mileage, with the dash readout being about 0.2L/100kms -- 2mpg -- optimistic compared to the spreadsheet).
- The Prius is a hatchback with a rear-window wiper and the seats fold down flat for some extra room; I might not purchased it if it was a sedan with a trunk. Two 6-footers can sit in the back seats, but I consider this a four-person car, not five.
- For extra ground clearance Priusoffroad dot com offers a 1.5" lift kit that doesn't affect gas mileage.
- The Rav4 hybrid is a great vehicle, and has more height, cargo space and ground clearance; I thought about it, but it costs more, and gets at least 10mpg less than the awd Prius, and in my experience would be 20-25ish mpg less.
- Rav4 Primes are still getting $5,000 over sticker, and even when they're 'only' MSRP are still spendy. I would love a Rav4 Prime, but I can't see myself spending the extra money on one.
I understand your conundrum, as a Prius isn't as cool as a Rav4, but if initial cost and better fuel mileage are more important, the awd-e Prius is the answer. If a sunroof is mandatory, I don't think one is offered in any trim level of awd Prius.
Last week a friend of mine sold his 2010 Prius and bought a '21 Rav4 hybrid, as he also wants to replace his gas-sucking SUV, and wanted more room than the Prius offered.
Enjoy whichever one you get :)
posted by davran at 2:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
Reasoning:
- I specify the LE version, as it's thousands less-expansive than the XLE, and the extra gadgets put it into the Rav4 LE hybrid price territory. The LE Prius awd still has heated seats, a/c, power windows, etc.
- I commute over a small, twisty mountain pass in western Canada -- 1,300' -- that often gets snow. Even with dedicated winter tires, my fwd commuter cars struggled to get to the summit at times. The awd Prius with the same winter tires climbs the same hill without any fuss at all.
- Toyota did something very correct in engineering the awd Prius, and most people seem to get better than advertised mileage; the worst I get with snow tires -- michelin xi3s -- is the 4.7L/100kms -- 50 us mpg -- claimed. My average mileage from new is 3.9L/100kms (60mpg), and in the summer with the excellent bridgestone ecopia 422+ tires I get 65-80mpg, depending on the drive (I have many pictures of the dash showing mileage, with the dash readout being about 0.2L/100kms -- 2mpg -- optimistic compared to the spreadsheet).
- The Prius is a hatchback with a rear-window wiper and the seats fold down flat for some extra room; I might not purchased it if it was a sedan with a trunk. Two 6-footers can sit in the back seats, but I consider this a four-person car, not five.
- For extra ground clearance Priusoffroad dot com offers a 1.5" lift kit that doesn't affect gas mileage.
- The Rav4 hybrid is a great vehicle, and has more height, cargo space and ground clearance; I thought about it, but it costs more, and gets at least 10mpg less than the awd Prius, and in my experience would be 20-25ish mpg less.
- Rav4 Primes are still getting $5,000 over sticker, and even when they're 'only' MSRP are still spendy. I would love a Rav4 Prime, but I can't see myself spending the extra money on one.
I understand your conundrum, as a Prius isn't as cool as a Rav4, but if initial cost and better fuel mileage are more important, the awd-e Prius is the answer. If a sunroof is mandatory, I don't think one is offered in any trim level of awd Prius.
Last week a friend of mine sold his 2010 Prius and bought a '21 Rav4 hybrid, as he also wants to replace his gas-sucking SUV, and wanted more room than the Prius offered.
Enjoy whichever one you get :)
posted by davran at 2:15 PM on March 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the input!
We flip-flopped a few more times and then the original RAV4 option sold, with alternate options costing more and more $ as they added options we didn't need. So fate has picked the AWD Prius for us, it seems!
posted by serelliya at 11:44 AM on March 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
We flip-flopped a few more times and then the original RAV4 option sold, with alternate options costing more and more $ as they added options we didn't need. So fate has picked the AWD Prius for us, it seems!
posted by serelliya at 11:44 AM on March 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Just in case you didn't pick it out of davran's comment, he mentions that there is a lift kit for the Prius which will give you that extra ground clearance you were hoping for. I think you'll be happy with your purchase!
posted by itsflyable at 2:22 PM on March 29, 2021
posted by itsflyable at 2:22 PM on March 29, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you like the quiet smoothness of the Prius, and want cloth seats at your desired trim level, I would get the Prius.
RAV4 makes more sense if you have a kid and need to fit a bulky stroller.
posted by oceanjesse at 11:45 AM on March 27, 2021