Reply With QuoteThe best car to own is the one that cab drivers use.
That'll be the Prius.
Hi guys I am due to change my company car and want to pay less BIK tax I have looked at a few hybrids but there isn't a great choice so I am going to test drive a Prius!
I know they are really ugly :)
Due to the figures on the lease not working out I can't get the plug in version so it will be the petrol hybrid so I would really appreciate any users thoughts on here especially the latest model, I should be able to get the top of the range Excel model the thought doesn't excite me as I really want the Peugeot 3008 suv but I can't bring myself to pay more for a work car!
Thanks
The best car to own is the one that cab drivers use.
That'll be the Prius.
Had a company Prius since March 17,, it’s just been replaced 3 weeks ish back!brief summary below
Looks minging
Corners like stena line ferry
Sit way too low in it
Infuriating view out the back
Poor bootspace
Stupidy stupid gear stick
Despite promises you’ll probably average about 55-65 mpg on premium fuel
Great sat nav
Dirt cheap on BIK
Short service intervals at 10k to be honest
Good equipment levels (mines a business plus)
Headlights are LED and very good
If you don’t like women this is the car for you.. they run away
My friends bullied me about it until recently
My children laugh at me
Bullying stopped when I was promoted and got a PHEV outlander which is excellent, 1 month in and loving it!
Hope this helps in deliberations, oh and don’t buy black it’s soooo shiny and shows every speck of dirt
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Originally Posted by Macca
Thanks for that it really made me laugh :) I really hate sitting low in a car and I will have to have this car for 3 years! I don't think I can do it, I can get what I want within a certain budget but it's that bik it bugs me so much if only there was another credible hybrid, the ioniq is possible but that has a daft foot operated handbrake! What else is there I have no idea the Outlander will be too expensive so my options are limited.
Last edited by andy armitage; 13th October 2018 at 00:08.
Surely the Prius works by generating electricity when you brake or lift off, and lots of taxis do mostly short distances in towns and cities?
"A man of little significance"
What about the Auris hybrid? Essentially the same drivetrain as the third generation Prius in a less outré wrapper.
Priapus. Because anyone driving one is a ....
Dirty Mike and the boys enjoyed it!
Anyone?
My wife has had one for 6 years (Gen2), done over 60k miles and she loves it. Very practical, comfortable and reliable (we have only replaced the battery - the "small" one).
She has already set her heart on a new one next year.
My observations are.
1) the headlights are crap - compared with my E350
2) it's a bit gutless - compared with my E350
3) interior a bit meh - compared with the E350
the handbrake is not a problem - simply because you don't really need to use it (being an automatic)
Otherwise is a perfectly useable and economic car, which has been very cheap to run - zero car tax, cheap insurance, cheap servicing, etc, but it's not a "luxury" car.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I just can't do it as I can't bear sitting low in a car in fact I was wanting an SUV this time so I can sit higher up so back to the drawing board but there isn't a good choice in hybrid cars it looks like my company car has come around too early as I am sure in another couple of years the choice will be so much better.
I might just have to bite the bullet and get the Peugeot 3008 SUV as I really like that car :)
Taking the OP of tangent but there are over 500 licensed taxis in the borough I work in. Only one is a Prius.
Most welcome, forgot about the stupid handbrake too it’s a pedal! I loathed it
Toyota make a decent hybrid though, the auris has the same power train and looks normal, I looked at the chr which is dirt cheap to run and has a vastly superior ride and cabin, it’s a small car but much better than the other hybrids to me
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Only Prius taxi I’ve ever been in broke down in Manchester lol so I’m not convinced it’s a wise mans choice .. mind you it was an Uber
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Thanks again :) I didn't realise the Prius has a pedal handbrake WHY! the ioniq has that as well it would drive me insane and as for that idiotic spoiler in the rear window of the ioniq WHY!
I can't bear the look of the Auris but I do agree with you that the CH-R is the best looking of them all but that rear spoiler on that bugs me as well but I did sit in one briefly the other day and I did quite like it, I need to have another look as for BIK it isn't the best but it would save me money but I am on the verge of accepting that my car change has come too early so I should bite the bullet and just get a decent car as I sat in that superb Peugeot 3008 the other day and it really impressed me and I have never liked French cars but that car felt so premium and it looks stunning.
The pedal is a *parking* brake.
There is a push button "handbrake".
As mentioned above, both little used in everyday driving as the car is an automatic.
We have a 2015 Gen 3 Prius , the wife uses it for commuting , she loves it , I actually quite like it as its very easy to drive and does slow me down a bit (I drive a Skoda VRS and Jag XFR) , same here we had the 12v battery done under warranty but thats been it, just regular servicing, same as said it averages 55mpg or so on her commute (Her diesel Skoda before did 42-44 mpg) and up to 70 mpg on a decent run, so peanuts to run . I find the boot spacious enough it's never been too small for us , rear seats are fine as well i'm 6 foot 2 and fine in the back even on long trips and its pretty roomy up front, good view of the road apart from the side pillars , you need to get used to them. Its not as slow as people think and certainly fast enough for today's congested roads. I'd recommend one , of all our cars its the one I would keep.
I've driven loads of cars with handbrakes like this so its not an issue for me, I rarely use it anyhow and prefer it over an electric one
Downsides
You get bullied on the roads
Sat nav and in car entertainment is horrible (Like mid 2000's Mercedes) but works ok
CVT makes the car sound like its revving its nuts off if you floor it
New one really funky looking and older one is no looker
They get a lot of hate generally
They are expensive and dealers ime are pretty poor
Road noise can be bad (Fitted Michelins to ours and its much better than the stock Bridgestones)
Upsides
Peanuts to run cheap fuel , tax (In our case free) and insurance
Front tyres lasted nearly 30,000 miles
Good solid family car
Good residuals
Rugged and very reliable
I would sooner cycle then buy a Prius, or pay the extra BIK. To the OP are you going to enjoy going to work knowing you will have to drive one of those everyday
Last edited by hilly10; 13th October 2018 at 12:10.
You are right I won't enjoy driving over 25k a year in one of those and I have decided to pay the extra BIK and get a car I like and strangely even though I have always disliked French cars I was really impressed with the Peugeot 3008 SUV when I went to see one so I will have a test drive and if I like it I will pay the extra BIK I know I don't ever use it for private miles but I spend all day every day in this car and it has to be something I like so sod it I will pay it but thanks for all the input guys :)
Good Man
The chr does have awful rear visibility, I've just remembered the horrendous wind and road noise too, out doesn't deserve praise, it pollutes just as much as a small city car and ruins the environment making barteries, good for the user bad for the planet
It beeps at everything, the head up display is pointless it just tells you the wrong speed limit constantly burn them all with fire
Get an up GTi lol that won't have massive bik and has street cred
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3008 has a very nice interior and it's the same underneath as a Nissan I think (qashqai)
My grandad and brother have one and they've been good cars
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Thanks Macca that's the one I will go for as it is such a nice looking car and that interior was just WOW :)
Stop penny-pinching and get what you want to drive for god's sake.
Haha ok ok that's exactly what my wife Linda says :) and I will get what I want as I live in that car even if I don't use it for private miles :)
MX5 all the way.
Sorry Andy - someone had to...
Haha I'm surprised it took that long :)
You’re paying tax on the basis that you are using the car privately so why not just start using it?
Also have you been in a double cab pickup, I’ve not been in one here but when I went to visit my brother in law in Sydney he has a Toyota and it was really plush, for a pickup and really nice to drive.
I don't use it because we have our own car and as my wife works from home it needs to be used so that's the reason also I do pay for private mileage so it's not free, and I need a car as I am a rep and carry my wares in cases so a pick-up isn't for me :)
Do you apply the same logic to watch buying and servicing?
Hear Hear Work is a bastard at the best of times you might as well enjoy it the best you can.
That’s the spirit
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Just saw a 3008 a few minutes ago and have to admit the backend did look nice.
It looks great from any angle and just look at the cockpit pictures as it is so different and so gorgeous and the quality felt so good.
What about the Lexus CT200? It’s essentially a Prius underneath but with a more ‘premium’ feel to it?
A good compromise, maybe.
Thanks for that but the CT200 gets awful reviews on how it drives and it is due to be replaced soon as it's been around a while now.
prius 7 seater might be the only reason to go for a prius - the wheels just look too small and it screams californiaa-treehugger-taxi to me
so we went for an auris instead - love it - very nippy, quite roomy inside - boots small but decent in its sector. love the eCVT - try it once you never want to again - try it twice and in traffic its a breeze - out on twisty roads i miss the tipronic or a manual.
99% of driving is in traffic so got the car for the part
I'd rather have something like a VW Golf 2.0TDi, you'll probably get the same mpg and it's a much nicer and more refined car
Last edited by Vanguard; 15th October 2018 at 15:17.
I have a Golf GTD at present and diesel incurs another 4% benefit in kind tax so it isn't an option also I hate diesels.
As for the Golf being refined it's ok but just ok I wouldn't call it refined at all but just average, I am ready for a change from VW now.
Last edited by andy armitage; 15th October 2018 at 14:53.
What about something like a BMW 330e
Too expensive and I can't stand them either I will go and have another look at the 3008 but thanks for the suggestions.
Volvo do some interesting hybrids as well I think
Thanks but Volvo hybrids are way way too expensive but I know what I am going to do so thanks but I don't need any more suggestions :)
What engine would you get, 1.2 or the 1.6? If 1.2 would it be too buzzy for the miles you do?
So.....what you gonna do or did I miss that ?
I would get the 1.2 petrol auto it does have 130bhp and from the reviews nobody has said it is too buzzy as there is a decent amount of power there and the 1.6 petrol would be too high on emissions for bik tax, are you talking about the 3008 or the Prius?
I fly to Berlin a lot, I walk down the taxi queue past all the Prius, I’m only 5’10” but sitting in the back is horrible, the way the roof slopes makes it’s really unpleasant as a passenger.
Must have changed it a lot then since the Gen 3 as I've sat in the back of ours a fair bit and i'm over 6ft and I find it comfy , my son is 6ft 3 and his head doesn't touch the roof
I'm pretty sure the order book is closed on these for the time being thanks to demand and the fact that the new 3 Series will be on UK roads in the Spring.
There may be a few left in the system but they won't hang around long - I heard several potential customers have been told they will have to wait for 2019. (And even then, the hybrid 3 series isn't expected in the first launch)
Peugeot don't share platforms with Nissan as Nissan are partnered with Renault. Qashqai shares the platform with Renault Kadjar/Scenic and next year the revamped Captur etc etc.
3008 shares with Citroen Picasso/Aircross/Berlingo etc.
SAD
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