For 2015, the Toyota Prius c and V models both receive slight revisements to their respective styles and beyond.
The larger V has three new color options available for the curious: Attitude Black Metallic (not related to Catherine Wheel’s reggae smash hit with a similar name), Absolutely Red and Toasted Walnut Pearl. New LED and fog lighting illuminate the road ahead, while the eight-way adjustable power seating keeps the driver comfortable, and the V’s advanced tech system — including adaptive cruise control and pre-collision — keep all safe.
The c, meanwhile, receives its own trio of shades — Electric Lime Metallic, Tangerine Splash Pearl and Sparkling Sea Metallic — piano black and chrome accents inside and out, height-adjustable driver’s seat, and 60/40 fold-down rear seating.
Price of admission for the V falls $75 to $27,500 on the ground floor, while the upper end climbs $540 to $31,760. No price was available for the c as of this writing.
I’ll take 2, one for each foot.
The Prius V would be a great car if it wasn’t so damned expensive.
It has as much space as a more expensive RAV4 at better mileage. It basically is the wagon with great fuel mileage everyone hete dreams off but with superior reliability.
OK, may not be in brown and no MT…….
It is in brown now, er.. Toaster Walnut Macchiato or something. But 30 large for a Toyota wagon is Too Damn High.
RAV4 MSRP $23,680, Prius V $27,500. When I went to elementary school, 23 was less than 27. But perhaps The Common Core redefined which is more and RAV4 became more expensive.
If you compare with equivalent content….. Prius V has adaptive cruisrcontrol etc. I don’t think your base RAV4 has that.
I test drove both and neither is exviting. The Prius interior eas more classy, which doesn’t mean much.
It dries like a video game, and that’s not a compliment.
Agree. We own one a V and it is the dullest vehicle to drive ever. It is functional and had enough space to fit the luggage(including a full size cooler) from a family of four who needed a new vehicle in the middle of a road trip. We compared it to the RAV 4 and bought it.
On a daily basis I look at its odd looks in wonder.
Nothing done for the interior? At least a new steering wheel Toyota!
Only if it has a “land mine” buried in it – if not, leave well enough alone.
Prius c already had the 6-way driver’s seat and 60-40 folding rear seatback, except in the rarely-seen base c1 model.
They have been transformed!
Still waiting on a Prius S
Regular Prius with 18s and the 200HP hybrid powertrain from the Camry/ES etc. Heck, throw in an electric/exhaust hybrid turbo for the hell of it
That wouldn’t make sense in light of the way the Prius is marketed, but it’s what the Lexus CT200h should have been from the start. It should have been called CT300h and been given the Camry Hybrid powertrain. With its already good handling it would have been an entertaining little fuel miser. Instead it was just the slowest Lexus ever.
This isn’t particularly good news for anyone waiting for the next generation c or V since the regular hatchback Prius is rumored to be a brand-new model for MY2016.
With the c and V getting these upgrades for 2015 (minor as they might be), I would venture to guess that brand-new versions of those won’t be released until MY2017.
I believe that 2012 was the Debut of the Prius V model, so this is the minor refresh year, and 2017 is the normal cycle of full refresh. So you venture is right, but this is standard news, and they normal cycles.
Toyota is gradually losing the plot. Sales of all Priuses have been generally downtrending for more than a year when you look at the figures on Tim Cain’s goodcarbadcar.net, even when gas wasn’t as inexpensive as it is now.
Gas prices have been trending lower all year add to that increased competition from newer BEV/PHEVs.
Image conscious buyers who bought a Prius to make a statement have so many other choices now. Those who bought a Prius only to drive in HOV lanes have to now buy PHEVs or BEVs. That group never really cared for a Prius. They only wanted to be seen in one. For those who really care about the fuel economy and value, the Prius still has everyone beat.
I’ve always liked the Prius v at a distance, but it doesn’t seem like as much car as my Optima Hybrid for the money – although the v has more utility.
the new front end looks like it may pass the new offset crash test. rather ugly but probably much safer than the current model. Love the 2013 for its utility and great mileage.
Commenting as a former Prius v owner…
+ all black interior… the charcoal in our ’12 was close, but the all black looks way nicer.
+ new front bumper. You could see the same lines in our ’12, but the small lower opening never really matched the rather sizable frontal area.
+ gauge cluster. Our ’12 cluster didn’t look bad, but it definitely didn’t look futuristic like the rest of the car
+ radio surround. Again, nice boost to how futuristic the vehicle looks with the glossy black.
– Steering wheel shape should have changed. That was probably my biggest dislike of the previous interior.
Overall, a good midcycle update.
I’ve yet to see someone under the age of 70 driving a prius V. So for that crowd, Toyota can probably sell it as a completely new V model. Toyota did what they had to do the cheapest way possible to keep up value. Good job.
My wife and I were 30 and 29 when we got ours v. We sold it to another couple that is 34 and 35 (also one kid). A kid’s parents on the FIRST robotics team that I mentored a few years ago drove one. They were in their 30s. A vendor that I had working on a robot gantry had one. He and his wife were in their 50s. I have a coworker in his 40s that has one. People from all walks in life buy them because they are good, practical vehicles.
The only reason we got rid of ours was due to wanting AWD in at least one vehicle in the family. My daily is RWD and my wife’s is FWD. It was a great car for our small family and took us everywhere from the Carolina coast to the California coast with ease, efficiency, and loads of space.
Nothing personal. I actually liked the Prius and V models, great practicality. My wife and I just couldn’t get past that almost everyone we saw driving a V was her grandparents age. Still a great car. But, down in the lower 48 it is noted as a retirement vehicle. I say that because we mostly see elderly people driving V’s and her parents church parking lot is filled with V’s. We just couldn’t go down that road when looking for a new car a few years ago.
To pass on a car that you otherwise like because you saw olds driving them sounds awfully superficial.
We don’t live in a California bubble. It is almost like a different country in California when it some to cars. Prius brand is very trendy thing to have in California. The V in the southern states is a retirement vehicle.
The whole Prius lineup is catnip for those who just don’t care about cars or driving except as transportation. They are among the most reliable vehicles on the road, super-cheap to run (and tolerably cheap to buy as well), and very space efficient. I recommend them without hesitation to anyone who sees a car as an appliance.
The Prius C in white is the boring appliance I drive when my M3 Lightweight has its track shoes on.
But seriously, for driving around environments where there are other cars not gunning for the finish line, it’s a fun toy that drives like a go cart and can get 60+ mpg with careful use. I always try to set new PR’s when driving on the street.
Kudos to Toyota. I didn’t know you could make something simultaneously overly aggressive and bland.
So, Toyota is jumping on the hexagonal shaped grill bandwagon.