<p>No one has mentioned our ‘new’ car. H didn’t like the drop in room and luxury from his Passat to a Prius, so he decided on the Toyota Camry hybrid. It looks exactly like the regular Camrys. He says after many months that he gets 43 mpg in the summer, 36 in the winter. We 3 just took it for a 950 mile trip (each way) and it was comfy front and back. He wanted those heated leather seats, roomier feel, etc. So far this car has given us zero problems. </p>
<p>One little story - we got stuck in a 1.5 hour backup due to the interstate being closed by multiple wrecks. It was 30 degrees, snowing and blowing. It was really nice to just sit there and let the car decide when to turn on the engine. We never got cold. Another story - he’ll sit out in the car during lunch sometimes in the summer and run the radio and A/C, again with the car deciding when to power on to support the A/C. Pretty neat.</p>
<p>(My normal Corolla will celebrate its 100K mile birthday soon. I may decide on a Prius pretty soon…)</p>
<p>I am making a similar decision. I’m leaning towards the Prius, because the 2011 Prius is supposed to get 51 city 48 highway. It is also available with leather seats, which my mini-van has, and I guess I’ve gotten spoiled. The seats still look great after 8 years transporting lots of kids and teenagers, so I’m a big fan! I wish I knew what my actual mileage would be because you know what they say…ymmv.</p>
<p>Another vote here for the hybrid Camry! Mine is 3 years old with about 33000 miles on it. I get a little better milage than Treetopleaf doing a mix of uncongested city and highway driving. </p>
<p>The only negative for me is that the battery prevents me from folding down the back seats for bigger cargo space. I had driven either a mini van or an SUV for twenty years before buying this car. Most of the time the it’s perfect, but when I want to buy a gardening trellis, a piece of furniture at a garage sale, or haul my sewing regalia to a quilting weekend, I miss a bigger vehicle. I have gotten very creative about fitting things diagonally in the passenger compartment and standing big flat things (like a folding table and my cutting mats) on end behind the front seats.</p>
<p>Sewnsew–we are valiantly hanging onto our 94 caravan just for that reason–for us, it’s to haul things to the dump, and kayaks to the water. Other than that, it mostly sits in the driveway, because we’re afraid to drive it too far.</p>
<p>I bought a 2008 Prius using the internet. Quotes were much better than the deal offered by the Costco-approved dealer (around $2,000 less) and the dealer I decided to go with arranged to get the exact model and color that I wanted from another dealer in a neighboring state. I really like the Prius, but my previous car was a Honda Accord and I’ll look at Honda hybrids too when it’s time to get a new car.</p>
<p>I went with the Prius back in 2008 because it had been around for awhile and all the other hybrids were new. I figure it takes a few years to get the bugs worked out.</p>
<p>ETA: I get around 44 mpg in the winter (with snow tires) and 50 in the summer. If I think about my driving I can get it to 53.</p>
<p>Went for a test drive in the Fit. It is certainly a very different drive to my current car (which has a much bigger more powerful engine). I think I would like it once I got used to the lower power and to the different feel of driving it. Steering seemed hyper sensitive compared to my car - I was driving pretty jerkily though I am sure that is just a matter of my adjusting to a different car. It was very strange to not see much car in from of me. Biggest issue - it was comfortable for me but a tight fit for my husband. He did not seem comfortable at all - plus he seemed to think I was going to flip the car. I think he needs to get behind the wheel and see how he finds it.</p>
<p>So no decision yet. May have to look more at these and some other options. I was quite surprised to see that the accord, which is a much larger car than the fit, says it makes 34 on the highway.</p>
<p>I have a tall husband, and we ended up getting a Scion XB after test-driving a Honda Fit and various other fuel efficient cars. We get a mixed 28 miles per gallon (better than Consumer reports rates it), which isn’t great - but if you want an inexpensive and roomy car that a 6’6" person can sit up in comfortably, and costs less than $18000 - that’s it.</p>
<p>The 2011 Elantra had a great new redesign this year - much in the style of the Sonata. However, I guess this car is probably too small for your husband. </p>
<p>The Nissan Altima and Toyota Rav4 are also winners this year. The Altima is one of those classic family midsize sedans competing with Camry and Accord, but it apparently drives much sportier them, so it’s worth a look? The Mazda6 also often gets mentioned as a sporty midsize sedan. Also - the Rav4 has won 4 of past 5 years for small SUV - only exception being last year when Toyota sales were temporarily suspended during the time of CR’s testing. The Rav4 is quite tall and has quite a LOT of headroom! And also has very flexible seats that could accomodate large people in both front and back; AND it is available with one of the most impressive V6 cylinders for a non-luxury or performance vehicle, at 269 horsepower.</p>
<p>I feel that a Fit may be too small for you. From what you say, it doesn’t look like your husband is sold on it. As anxiousmom suggested - you may want to look at some of the more boxier compact cars. You’d be surprised at how big a difference the shape makes. I sat in a Scion xB last year, and even though it had such a small footprint, it felt very wide and open on the inside. The downside is that they are not very aerodynamic. At a 22/28 EPA rating, the xB has the same mileage as the base 4 cylinder Rav4, which is a much bigger and stronger car. You could also look at the Kia Soul or the Nissan Cube, which although both possibly a bit childishly styled, contain lots of usable interior room in a small, gas-friendly package.</p>
<p>I was actually looking online at a brochure for the hyundai elantra las night. The interior measurements are a little larger than for the Fit. Couple of inches more leg room and hip room, about three more for shoulder room. So that is on my list to look at. </p>
<p>I’m looking for good mileage and the rav4 and scion are a little lower than I want. I was surprised to see how high the highway mileage is said to be for the accord. City is not that good but I do a lot of highway and country. Much more spacious interior, so that may bear investigating.</p>
<p>Got a Prius III this past summer. Have averaged 48.4 mpg on the Moral Superiority Gauge (as S2 calls it :)) in the first 12,000 miles. I drive DC area highways with lots of stop-and-go traffic. Agree that it’s hard to tell where the front of the car is. The secret to the mileage is to lay off the gas pedal and let the car and physics do the work. We like the Prius a lot. </p>
<p>We looked at the Civic Hybrid, but the battery was in the back of the car (at least in the 2010 models), which meant that we wouldn’t have a split rear seat. No go for us, as we need the split seat for hauling kids back and for to college, loading camping gear, etc.</p>
<p>S2 is 6’3.5" and says he is more comfortable driving in the Prius than in our ancient Odyssey. </p>
<p>We know another family who as a Fit and loves it. DH felt it was too small for our needs. Part of it is that we need lots of headroom and legroom in the back seat for tall sons. We have another family friend (6’2") who has a Scion and likes it a lot. He has a 140-mile/day commute and a bad back, and he finds it comfortable.</p>
<p>Our beloved Odyssey’s transmission is on its last legs – a flush did no good, and at 178k miles and a resale value of ~$3k, it is not worth it to replace the transmission. Was hoping it would last til S1’s graduation. It barely made up the grade on the driveway today. Oh well.</p>
<p>We are now looking at the Subaru Outback and the Forester, and will probably test drive a Toyota RAV-4 and Mazda5 as well. Drove the Subarus yesterday, and am trying to define the differences in my mind. I can tell they are different, just not sure how to quantify. DH seems to like the Outback, and I’m leaning towards the Forester, but darned if I can explain why.</p>
<p>I just read there is a new Prius coming out this summer if you can wait that long. It’s 6 inches longer, has more legroom, and has 60% more cargo space.</p>
<p>The new Prius V (pronounced like the letter, not the Roman numeral) will be kind of like the front of the regular Prius, with a station wagon / micro-van rear end. It was just announced at the LA auto show a month or two ago, and will go on sale in a few months.</p>
<p>It will cost a little more, get a little less gas mileage, but will offer bigger cargo space. It is still a five seater.</p>
<p>Toyota is basically trying to expand the Prius name into its own badge/brand, much like Lexus or Scion. They also have a concept Prius C (for “City”) which will go into production for the 2012 model year. It will be a small subcompact hatchback and be the cheapest Prius. It also will get better gas mileage and apparently be the most fuel efficient non-plug-in vehicle in America.</p>
<p>Another plug for the VW Jetta TDI diesel, especially if most of your miles are highway miles. I just got one a few months ago (last of the 2010s), after switching jobs, so that I now have a long commute on the highway. My number one criteria was cruising range - how far can I drive without having to fill up, and second criteria was mileage. I’m getting ~42 MPG, and can go 550+ miles on one tank with the Jetta.</p>
<p>I seriously considered the Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Jetta. I didn’t like the feel of the Prius - the windows were too angled. The Civic didn’t have much power. The Civic Hybrid got much better city MPG than the Jetta, but they were about the same for highway miles, which is what I mostly do. Plus the Jetta had a bigger tank, so a much longer cruising range. The Jetta also has a quite roomy trunk - much more capacity than the Civic.</p>
<p>We have a 2004 Jetta TDI (diesel) wagon, which is very practical and fun to drive, but a little small. My son took it off to college this year. I do wish more diesel wagons were available. My ideal car would be something like a Volvo V70 or XC70 with a diesel engine. As far as I know the Passat TDI is the closest thing to it, but I don’t like VW’s seats as well as Volvo’s.</p>
<p>In a couple years, as Prius owners start wearing out their batteries, consumers will get a clearer picture of the electric hybrid’s true cost of ownership. The diesel system is simpler and more durable. It’ll be interesting, though, to see how the Chevy Volt is received. I’d love to be able to charge one up from solar.</p>
<p>The Prius has berm around since the late 90’s in Japan. I have yet to see any documented evidence that any have “worn out their batteries”. Pure FUD. </p>
<p>I would not touch any VW with a 10 ft pole. There is documented statistical evidence that they have much worse than average repair records. </p>
<p>Last spring I happened to run across one of the plug-in Prius PR tours, in Maine of all places.</p>
<p>I had a long chat with the guy about batteries (and whether the paltry 14 mile battery range would be enough to entice people to pay thousands extra), and one of the things he told me is that the current Prius battery pack is engineered to last 10 years and 160,000 miles.</p>
<p>I agree with the reliability warnings on VW. Not only are they not reliable - but they are also a pain to repair. Their parts are hard to find and expensive.</p>
<p>I would stick with either Japanese or the newer post-bailout American cars of Ford and Chevy. The new Korean Hyundai-Kia’s supposedly should have good reliability as well - and if not, at least they are covered by industry-topping warranty standards.</p>