Volvo is a Ford brand nowadays. Check before you presume that the reliability and safety Volvos were known for in the past is still true today.

You may be premature in deciding against the prius. The split back seats fold down to give a nice large space that may be quite comfortable for your dogs. Since the car is a hatchback, you end up with a /very/ spacious interior behind the driver.

As for your height, from what I have read some people like you find the Prius just fine, while others complain it is cramped. It seems to depend how your trunk/legs are proportioned. Again, a couple hour or maybe even a week rental would clarify the question.

Lastly, the Ford SUV hybrid is an Escape, not an Explorer. So far, reliability seems OK, and it is quite a bit less expensive than a HiHy.

 

And according to the database gets better mileage than either HiHy.... I test drove the FEH before we bought our HiHy/Prius combo, and I can see how it gets better mileage.... the HiHy's engine just kills. But I would like to see the Sport/Econo mode in our HiHy as well, because that power just isn't needed all the time (or at all in most cases).

Rick

 

I don't presume reliability of the Volvo. They are not as good as Toyota but looking at cosumer data still seem to be one of the best of the fords. Ford in general i.m.o. arequite reliable but the ford brand is struggling with design and interior finish. The newer fusion is a step in the right direction.



Good points. With the seats down it would be more then enough room for the dog. This is the alternative that makes most sense in a way. The problem with this is that I can't have more then two passengers like this, which is in all honestly ok. The prius as I said makes most sense but I must confess that the luxorioty of the HiHy and rx400 is tempting me (I was looking at a volvo to start with). I think I should try a weekend rental.

Thanks. I was aware that it was the escape. The escape is a smaller car then the HiHy and uses a 4 cylinder engine (good!) so it should get (a lot) better gas milage. I'm actually suprised that the 4wd version doesn't get better mileage then it does. I guess the 4wd toyota system is very clever. In all honsesty I could settle for a 2wd but a 2ed SUV just seems wrong.

Someone at work is driving a FEH so I should figure out who it is and talk to them. The trunk space of the FEH is not much better then the prius but it would allow me to transport 3 people and the dog(s) for shorter distances though I would probably keep the seat down normally. It is worth considering.

 

FWIW, both my german shepherd and my shih-tzu do fine in the "back-in-the-back" without folding down the rear seats in our HiHy. There's enough room to get up and turn around and put nose-prints on all the windows in the back...

Don

 

I have an '04 Prius, and the odd rattles that pop up not infrequently is the only thing that reminds me I do not drive a luxury car. I would not be surprised if the '06 Prius has these annoyances fixed, but I am not sure.

So, what makes the HiHy more of a luxury car than the Prius ?

 

Thanks, Your post warmed my hart! I think my shepherd loves my maxmima as he can stand inbetween the driver and passenger seat and lick me while I drive so I'm sure he votes for the prius!

 

Well, the dogs were definitely considered, but they didn't get a vote. If they had, I'd be walkin' them everywhere!

D

 

Good question. I don't see much of a difference between the HiHy and the Prius in form of convinence. I'm sure the HiHy is a lot quiter (esp. at highway speed) but nothing major. The styling of the prius is also in my mind cooler then the HiHy.

I'm actually leaning more towards the rx400h. With the lexus brand they seem to spend a little more money on sound proofing and better speakers etc. But with lexus you pay mostly for the brand.

 

Regarding noise: I have gotten used to the Prius being dream-like quiet once I reach driving speed, and so consider it "noisy" when accelerating. It is not, really, just in comparison.

I seem to remember a thread over at priuschat with people adding insulation and reporting good results.

Audiophiles complain that the sound system is sub-par. It seems to be the speakers and not the amplifier, so that is amenable to correction I'd imagine.

My wife had been lusting after the 330 for years, but is now *completely* satisfied with the Prius. Whew!

 

Well Bob, I'll ring in with my 2 cents.....

1) Love my HH and the wifes Prius too. I seriously considered the RX400H, but could not justify $10K more for it, nice but not that much nicer in my book.

2) Our 2 German Shepherds like both vehicles equally :-), it's the ride, not the vehicle thier in.

3) Fuel mileage, when put in perspective, is OK with the HH and great with the Prius.

4) Prius and RX have more 'gee wiz' goodies than the HH (Bluetooth (both), Backup camera (RX), steering wheel controls for everything (Prius).

5) Noticable things on HH I like, Quiet, effortless acceleration, smooth and no clunky shifting with the CVT, did I mention SMOOTH....

6) The HH has more room in the rear than the RX, so it's more station wagon like.

7) We had a V70 Volvo and the front brakes needed replacing at 9- 10K miles. It's a defect in my book as the wife had 67K on the ML320 and still did not need brakes. Oh by the way, we had to fight with Volvo to get the rotors under warranty, which were warped in that mileage from the brakes. I said I'll accept the pads are wear items, but not the rotors in less then 10K miles. They are also now owned by Ford, so I would question their quality, sorry to you Ford folks.

I had to swap my 05 Tundra DC Limited for something I could get my Mom into easily after she broke her hip, as at 94 she's not the 24 she thinks she is.... . So the only thing size wise she could easily get into and out of was the Highlander or RX and if I had to take a one year hit I figured I'd go Hybrid because the wife liked her Prius so much. I do not regret the swap.

Just my 2 cents......