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NewCarSnark
v for Versatility
The v in Prius v stands for versatility. Here's the long-awaited 2012 Prius wagon. The v uses the same powertrain as the sedan, with a few improvements to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system. The v is all about the new wagon body that provides a 58 percent increase in cargo space.
It's 230 pounds heavier than the sedan, and loses 8 miles per gallon; the EPA rating drops to 44/40 city/highway from 51/48, on 91 octane fuel. It also loses acceleration, from 0 to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds, the sedan in 9.8 seconds.
So the new Prius v is slower and thirstier than the sedan, and at $26,400 base, it costs $3300 more. The price was just announced, less than what they said it was going to be, back in June when it was introduced. Capitalism. Ongoing rotten economy. More optimism in June.
So for $3300, what you gain is family functionality. And style, finally. The Prius sedan thing has gotten old.
The v is handsome, like a swoopy small minivan. It’s 6 inches longer than the sedan, 3.3 inches higher, and 1.1 inches wider, on the same track. Nearly as wind-slicing as they come, with a 0.29 coefficient of drag.
Power comes from the 98-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder Atkinson cycle gas engine with an 80-hp electric motor utilizing a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Combined horsepower is 134, and combined torque 105 pound-feet. Transmission is by CVT (continuously variable transaxle), functional but boring without the capability to shift manually like others. Around town you're not aware the CVT is there.
The v handles and corners well, much like the Lexus CT200H. It’s easier to drive around town than the sedan, being nimble and having good visibility. Unfortunately the ride doesn’t match the handling. You can feel every bump, and it’s soon irritating. It seems to be a Prius thing.
Prius v offers more cargo space than three-fourths of the compact SUVs and midsize wagons on the market. There’s an optional panoramic roof for sky-watching. The front seat folds flat, like the Honda Fit or Jeep Patriot.
There's a Prius v Two, Prius v Three, and Prius v Five. Standard equipment in the Two leaves little to want in the cabin, too bad the fabric seats aren't sporty or rugged-looking. It's surprisingly buzzy in there, mostly engine noise but also road noise. Surprising because the Prius sedan is like that, and you'd think Toyota would have fixed it.
Bottom line is, glad the v is here, as a good alternative to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Two good cars, hybrid or diesel, make your choice.
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2010-08-19 07:53:44
It's pretty hard to top the cars from Day 1. Actually, it's not possible. So we'll just swing into the Top 10 from Day 2. We drove east, into the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
#10 Honda CR-Z
All-new model, a hybrid sports coupe. The headline is the best part:
AUTOJOURNO SAM MOSES GETS 148.0 MPG FOR 13.9 MILES AT 52 MPH!
while coasting down off a mountain pass
#9 Volkswagen Jetta
Forget this 2010 model, because the redesigned 2011 is way terrific. Feels as solid as a Mercedes. Using a 6-speed sequential automatic with sport mode, for $20,000 you get a roomy, elegant, and beautifully engineered compact car that gets 28 mpg.
#8 Subaru WRX STi
You know how some cars are chick magnets? The WRX STi is a guy magnet.
You'll know we’re there, when chicks start buying cars like this Subaru, for that reason.
#7 Kia Forte Koup
Except for the red lighting in the gauges that makes it look like the speedometer is on fire, and the stupid spelling of its name, it’s all good with this Kia. Smooth, sweet and firm. Koreans rock.
#6 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Ran this baby 90 mph at 6000 rpm in 4th gear through sweeping uphill mountain turns for like 10 miles. Twin-clutch tranny the best. Paddles the worst, so bleepin big. Recaro seats the best.
#5 MazdaSpeed3
Why is this car smiling? Because the torque steer is radical, man. Put your foot down and the steering wheel yanks you away. What a blast coming out of a corner! Fast and wild, zoomed past the Corvette, Mercedes SLS AMG, and Lotus Evora. Btw, Mazda just won the Grand-AM GT manufacturers' championship, over Chevrolet, Porsche and BMW.
#4 Dodge Challenger
Chrysler's SRT group displays impressive talent with their ability to turn out high-performance cars that work. They can take a beast and make it handle and even stop. The Challenger came out smooth as well as powerful. Too bad about the '70s graphics and the unimaginative wheels, but the theme is retro and that's what they looked like then.
#3 Suzuki Kizashi turbo experimental
Its fun factor tops even the Mazdaspeed3, for the same raggedy reason. Loud and crude, as only a 4-cylinder turbo can be. They built another experimental Kizashi with the Cadillac 3.6-liter V6, I drove it at PIR, but that went down when GM did. However this one will happen, maybe this year.
#2 Lotus Evora
The Evora earns #2 on the strength of the Lotus name. They should give up trying to make it streetable, because the car just wants to be on the track. The transverse 3.5-liter Toyota V6 works great, but the cockpit fails to perform. No place for your feet and elbows, and for sure no racer designed that shift light. Who comes up with these Lotus names anyhow: Evora, Elise, Exige, Elite, Elan, Eclat, Europa, Esprit, Etna, Excel? It's time for Lotus to stop having E-babies. Call the next one Effort.
#1 Lexus 350 ISC
Lexus knows the meaning of quality. Too many good things in this car to list. So silky and fast, the best black leather seats ever. The 350 ISC uses the same engine as the Lotus but it makes 30 more horsepower, at 306; of course it weighs another half-ton, or something. This hardtop convertible had me at black-on-black.
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So that's it for this year's Run to the Sun. Next up for the Northwest Automotive Press Association is Mudfest, at the end of September. See you there. Or you can see it here.
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I'll leave you with a final photo by John Vincent, that sums up the driving ambience of NWAPA's great event.
Sam Moses
Previous Blogs:
Sexy, Gorgeous, Passionate, Maserati 2008-06-20 06:17:07
This just in: studio shots of the 2009 Quattroporte:
The first time I’d ever heard of a Maserati was when I was a boy going to the sports car races with... Read More
Jaguar XF Leaps to the Front 2008-03-31 11:58:08
I make a promise in the intro that this blog will go places regular reviews don’t go. For example the following, which proves itself objective (assuming I didn’t make it all up), because being a personal email it’s evidence... Read More
Bueno Baja Breakdowns 2008-03-16 07:13:52
I’m living down here in my trailer in an RV Park on the Sea of Cortez in Baja for a couple more weeks, working on “Senor Madre, the Joy of Homemaking, My Life with the AngloArabAsian Brothers,” or whatever I’m finally going... Read More
Top 10 High Performance Cars 2008-03-14 13:00:47
I’m proud to admit that I’m a track-time hog. One of the reasons I’m an automotive journalist is to get on the track with the latest high-performance cars. Every minute I’m on the track makes me feel a day... Read More
Perfect Catalina Day in an 09 Forester 2008-03-13 20:21:57
I know that people don’t drive around off-road all day in their Subaru Foresters, but I gotta tell you how good the Forester is in the dirt. It’s fantastic in the dirt. How they get a suspension to work that well both on the road... Read More
Mercedes C63 AMG, a Badass Benz Totally Built by AMG 2008-03-10 07:59:56
On February 25 I flew into Phoenix from Baja, where I live in a 29-foot trailer in an RV park on the beach in winter. It had been a great six weeks, kitesurfing by day and writing by... Read More
Ferrari 333SP Prototype at Daytona 2007-01-01 18:52:51
Here's the trouble with life: You sometimes don't know whether you should do a lot of preparation or none, or whether you should listen to a lot of people or nobody. Not that the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 333S P at Daytona could ever under any... Read More
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