2013 Toyota Prius v virtual test drive | San Diego CA

TOYOTA SAN DIEGOWWW.TOYOTASANDIEGO.COM

The 2013 Toyota Prius V wagon was the first expansion of the Prius hybrid line when it was added last year. That line now includes four separate models, but the Prius V is the one that current Prius owners may move up to if their families grow or if they need more space. As such, it's a smart addition to the Prius line--and instantly recognizable as a member of the family.

Toyota has used the standard Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain from the Prius liftback in an all-new five-door wagon body. Despite the strong family resemblance, it shares no body panels at all with the smaller car. Its tailgate is more vertical, and the tailgate window is a single piece of glass rather than the two-pane setup used in the original Prius. The Prius V wagon is taller, longer, and contains far more volume for people and cargo than its better-known sibling.

2013 Toyota Prius V

The 2013 Toyota Prius V is rated at 42 mpg combined, far higher than Toyota's only hybrid crossover, the Highlander Hybrid, and just 15 percent below the record 50-mpg rating of the class Prius hatchback. The most direct competitor to the Prius V is the new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, which is slightly smaller inside, but more powerful, more fun to drive, and rated at 47 mpg combined--although drivers will have great trouble achieving real-world economy much above 37 to 39 mpg in the Ford.

Inside, the driver sits higher than in a Prius liftback. The new interior has familiar Prius cues--the high-mounted Multi-Information Display at the base of the windshield, for example, with its random array of icons, diagrams, readings, and symbols--but is considerably more practical than the stylish but annoying "flying buttress" design of the liftback. There's a center bin with an elbow rest, and lots of trays, cup holders, bins, and other storage compartments that families may quickly fill.

The feel, sound, and performance of its 98-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine will be familiar to Prius drivers, though the removed and vague driving feel may be new to first-time buyers. Unfortunately, the added weight of the larger wagon--about 300 pounds--makes the Prius V slow to accelerate when heavily loaded, especially on long hard uphill climbs or at high freeway speeds.

Drivers can pick from four drive modes--EV, for all-electric drive at low speeds; Eco, for better fuel economy; and Power, for those steep hills--as well as the default hybrid mode. The Power setting helps on those steep hills, somewhat, but the Eco mode is best used only in flat terrain and by drivers not surrounded by impatient horn-honkers.

Toyota San Diego of San Diego CA serving Kearny Mesa, Escondido, El Cajon, Carlsbad is one of the finest Toyota dealerships.

5910 Mission Gorge Rd San Diego, CA 92120

Sales: 888-781-3388 ||Service: 877-854-7575

Website: www.toyotasandiego.com

   2013 Toyota Prius v – Visit Now