Why a Prius Dweller in the Van Forum? (long)
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DannyB1954
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You can tow a small trailer with a Prius. Then when it comes time, you can tow the trailer with something else.
user 37446
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Maybe take a look at the Ford Transit Connect. They are bigger than the Prius (I have one), are now depreciated (the 1st gen was 2010-2014), economical (mid 20's mpg, like a minivan) and are "cargo" so no tearout of the minivan interior. They don't have a lot of ground clearance (6.3") vs the Prius (5.5") yet the Connect can accept a taller profile tire that could add another inch or so.
ArtW
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Maybe rent a van and try a trial run? cash flow allowing, of course
user 37446
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This world isn said:
Std was a 15" wheel. Then some packages added a 16" wheel and the fanciest had a 17" wheel, so depending on the fenderwell clearances, you should be able to up your frame clearance (the shock mounts appear to be the lowest part).
What would you say is the order of your priorities? mileage, functionality (windows, hybrid, etc), ground clearance, space, pet
The next step up from the prius is a high clearance 4 cylinder suv (hybrid or not), larger suv, then a van. As far as 4 cylinder SUV's, the 2017 AWD Honda CR-V now has 8.2 inches ground clearance. A Subaru Forester has about 8.7 inches ground clearance.
The next step up from the prius is a high clearance 4 cylinder suv (hybrid or not), larger suv, then a van. As far as 4 cylinder SUV's, the 2017 AWD Honda CR-V now has 8.2 inches ground clearance. A Subaru Forester has about 8.7 inches ground clearance.
user 37446
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+1 to what RVTravel said. What are the priorities? If its economy and air conditioning then maybe a Prius v. That gives you the benefits of the rolling generator and 40's mpg.
If you simply need a larger vehicle, there are a few hybrid SUV's. Not much mpg gain but higher ground clearance. I believe the older generation Ford Escape hybrid was rated at 28 mpg both city and highway.
If you want to stay very stealthy (but I still haven't figured out the ventilation problem) you could go with a conventional minivan. They don't have much ground clearance though. Avoid the Dodge Grand Caravan with stow-and-go as the seats drop into plastic wells below the floor which could get torn off on rough roads.
Then there are Suburbans or Expeditions if you want truck frame based 4 wheel drive. Or the AWD Chevy Express van, though there are probably 10x more Burbs or Expies available.
Then there's the AWD Astro vans, they aren't that rare. On a truck frame as well with a good engine (4.3).
Finally the full-sized vans, of which most of the dwellers seem to use.
Hope that helps. Each bigger vehicle gets proportionally worse mileage and has proportionally more room.
If you simply need a larger vehicle, there are a few hybrid SUV's. Not much mpg gain but higher ground clearance. I believe the older generation Ford Escape hybrid was rated at 28 mpg both city and highway.
If you want to stay very stealthy (but I still haven't figured out the ventilation problem) you could go with a conventional minivan. They don't have much ground clearance though. Avoid the Dodge Grand Caravan with stow-and-go as the seats drop into plastic wells below the floor which could get torn off on rough roads.
Then there are Suburbans or Expeditions if you want truck frame based 4 wheel drive. Or the AWD Chevy Express van, though there are probably 10x more Burbs or Expies available.
Then there's the AWD Astro vans, they aren't that rare. On a truck frame as well with a good engine (4.3).
Finally the full-sized vans, of which most of the dwellers seem to use.
Hope that helps. Each bigger vehicle gets proportionally worse mileage and has proportionally more room.
Suanne
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After more research and deliberation, this is where I'm headed:
I'll likely go for another Prius because it gets the highest MPG and remains big enough for me. I will be putting on lots of miles in the next 2 or more years. Many of those miles will be traversing Canada where fuel prices are high. Although I still won't be able to get onto some back roads, I do pretty good in my current Prius, and I'd expect that same level of risk to continue.
I won't be getting a van or trailer to store the stuff I've accumulated. Either would depreciate and deteriorate while being stored as I travel in the Prius. And, conversely, if I got a van, the Prius would depreciate and deteriorate while it's being stored. Plus, I'd have the extra cost of insurance and maintenance for a 2nd vehicle.
I won't be getting a storage unit for the stuff I've accumulated. After two years of storage fees, I'll have spent enough to replace those items I'll eventually need when I move into a van.
Next month I'll be selling the items I've accumulated (12v fridge, 12v swamp cooler, 3.5" camping pad, marine carpeting, dutch ovens, plastic drawers/bins, kayaking gear, etc.) I'll probably be listing them here and in the Seattle-area Craigslist. Or, if you're looking for a bargain right now on something, PM me. Buyers can pick up in Fall City (30 miles east of Seattle, off of I-90), or I can deliver to that small gathering in Tillamook, OR next month
.
Many thanks for all of the feedback. You all really made me re-think my options.
Suanne ... currently in Nevada, headed to Washington
I'll likely go for another Prius because it gets the highest MPG and remains big enough for me. I will be putting on lots of miles in the next 2 or more years. Many of those miles will be traversing Canada where fuel prices are high. Although I still won't be able to get onto some back roads, I do pretty good in my current Prius, and I'd expect that same level of risk to continue.
I won't be getting a van or trailer to store the stuff I've accumulated. Either would depreciate and deteriorate while being stored as I travel in the Prius. And, conversely, if I got a van, the Prius would depreciate and deteriorate while it's being stored. Plus, I'd have the extra cost of insurance and maintenance for a 2nd vehicle.
I won't be getting a storage unit for the stuff I've accumulated. After two years of storage fees, I'll have spent enough to replace those items I'll eventually need when I move into a van.
Next month I'll be selling the items I've accumulated (12v fridge, 12v swamp cooler, 3.5" camping pad, marine carpeting, dutch ovens, plastic drawers/bins, kayaking gear, etc.) I'll probably be listing them here and in the Seattle-area Craigslist. Or, if you're looking for a bargain right now on something, PM me. Buyers can pick up in Fall City (30 miles east of Seattle, off of I-90), or I can deliver to that small gathering in Tillamook, OR next month
.Many thanks for all of the feedback. You all really made me re-think my options.
Suanne ... currently in Nevada, headed to Washington
Sounds good Suanne. I would love to try a prius V. Last year I went hiking in Minnesota with two friends in a 2014 prius and got to drive it for hours at a time...and got used to its accleration, etc. At some point I want to do a national parks road trip in either a prius or honda crv.
CottonTexas
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Not that I mean to beat a dead horse, but I just thought I'd reiterate the aforementioned Hybrid AWD SUV option. If you're interested in shopping used, the mid-2000's Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute /Mercury Mariner (all re-skins of the same vehicle) are remarkably affordable (~ <$10K for <100K miles), and may provide that extra bit of safety for those precarious trips up & down mountains. Cotton
Suanne
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An SUV is not totally off the table. When I start shopping in a few days, I'm taking my tape measurer and note pad.
FYI: I'm shopping for a 2015 or newer vehicle, with less than 35K miles. I hope to stick with a Toyota hybrid because of their proven dependability and superior hybrid technologies and features. Last I looked online, the dealership where I got my current '04 Prius new, had a good inventory of used hybrids. I'll be looking in Craigslist as well.
From previous web-based research, I'm thinking the Toyota Highlander is not the hybrid for me. It gets poorer gas mileage than what I'm looking for. Plus I don't really care for how the back seats sit taller than the front. The smallest I'd want to go to is a 3rd or 4th generation Prius Liftback, the vehicle that's most like my current 2nd generation, except a little larger and better MPG. The two Toyota hybrid candidates between in size are the RAV4 and the Prius V. Their cargo space is very similar, with the RAV4 having more cubic feet, but the Prius V having a longer length and width under the hatch. The RAV4 is AWD and higher clearance, but gets almost 20 MPG less than the Prius Liftback. The Prius V is a fraction higher clearance than the Liftback, but gets almost 10 MPG more than the RAV4 and almost 10 MPG less than the Prius Liftback.
I'm not ruling out either the Prius V or the RAV4, but am definitely leaning more toward another Prius Liftback. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about my options this coming week, then picking the vehicle with the mix of attributes and features that work best for me.
Suanne ... will sure be sad when I retire my '04
FYI: I'm shopping for a 2015 or newer vehicle, with less than 35K miles. I hope to stick with a Toyota hybrid because of their proven dependability and superior hybrid technologies and features. Last I looked online, the dealership where I got my current '04 Prius new, had a good inventory of used hybrids. I'll be looking in Craigslist as well.
From previous web-based research, I'm thinking the Toyota Highlander is not the hybrid for me. It gets poorer gas mileage than what I'm looking for. Plus I don't really care for how the back seats sit taller than the front. The smallest I'd want to go to is a 3rd or 4th generation Prius Liftback, the vehicle that's most like my current 2nd generation, except a little larger and better MPG. The two Toyota hybrid candidates between in size are the RAV4 and the Prius V. Their cargo space is very similar, with the RAV4 having more cubic feet, but the Prius V having a longer length and width under the hatch. The RAV4 is AWD and higher clearance, but gets almost 20 MPG less than the Prius Liftback. The Prius V is a fraction higher clearance than the Liftback, but gets almost 10 MPG more than the RAV4 and almost 10 MPG less than the Prius Liftback.
I'm not ruling out either the Prius V or the RAV4, but am definitely leaning more toward another Prius Liftback. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about my options this coming week, then picking the vehicle with the mix of attributes and features that work best for me.
Suanne ... will sure be sad when I retire my '04
mpruet
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Well - from a selfish standpoint, I hope you stay with Prius. I've learned a lot of cool ideas about camping in a Prius from you and Brent... ;-)
I currently have a great van but i'm scanning ads everyday looking for great deal on a reg prius or V. Sure i'll loose the comfy and roominess of a van but i would gain and save so much on fuel cost (more than double!!).
Suzanne - I have a quick question, when sleeping overnight with the a/c on, how much fuel does it use on a typical overnight? If you don't have exact numbers, how far down does the fuel gauge move? 1/8? or
Also, what kinda MPG do you get on the highway while the a/c is on?
Suzanne - I have a quick question, when sleeping overnight with the a/c on, how much fuel does it use on a typical overnight? If you don't have exact numbers, how far down does the fuel gauge move? 1/8? or
Also, what kinda MPG do you get on the highway while the a/c is on?
Suanne
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Often when running the AC at night, the fuel gauge shows no change. I'm sure it uses less than a gallon. However, there are other Prius dwellers that use that feature much more than I. Maybe Brent will chime in here. Or, you could join the Prius Camping Facebook group and ask David there.
I've not noticed an MPG hit while using the AC on the highway. Highway MPG variance is primarily a result of speed. I can get 60 MPG when going 60 MPH with a breeze at my back. Or, I can get 35 MPG going 85 MPH with a side wind.
Hope that helps. Good luck in your Prius search!
I've not noticed an MPG hit while using the AC on the highway. Highway MPG variance is primarily a result of speed. I can get 60 MPG when going 60 MPH with a breeze at my back. Or, I can get 35 MPG going 85 MPH with a side wind.
Hope that helps. Good luck in your Prius search!
masterplumber
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^
The last paragraph struck me as funny, as that is almost the exact same high and low as I get on my motorcycle. Certainly not as comfortable as my truck and cargo trailer, but I do love the savings and the ability to go just about anywhere. it is limiting when I want to travel in the winter and I have to get out of Colorado. That's where the Prius definitely has me beat.
The last paragraph struck me as funny, as that is almost the exact same high and low as I get on my motorcycle. Certainly not as comfortable as my truck and cargo trailer, but I do love the savings and the ability to go just about anywhere. it is limiting when I want to travel in the winter and I have to get out of Colorado. That's where the Prius definitely has me beat.
Suanne
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I got my replacement vehicle yesterday. It was a neck and neck competition between a 2015 Prius V (config 5) and a 2015 Prius Liftback (config 3). After weighing the pros and cons of both, I went with the Liftback (most like my '04 Prius). When I can, I'll start another thread and get into the specific details/features/dimensions of those 2 cars, as well as a RAV4 hybrid and the 2017 Gen 4 Prii that I checked out yesterday. I just wanted to let you all know the outcome. Thanks again, Suanne
