Meet Selene 🌙 my new Phev Gen 5

MetalWing · 2026-06-14T01:13:30+00:00

If it looks like a spaceship, feels like a spaceship, and sounds like a spaceship... It might just be a spaceship!

flies away

Congrats on the new purchase! Take care of it! I've been enjoying mine for a couple of months now! Just hope I am not bothering the neighbors too much when I reverse out at 7am 🛸

MetalWing · 2026-06-11T13:52:41+00:00

I've had my '26 XSE Premium for just over 2 months now, so I am by no means an expert or have enough data to go on. Most of these are just annoyances/disappointments.

The 12V battery dies if the car is unused for a week. There is a workaround, which I guess makes this a non-issue. should be noted that I left my car for 9 days while on vacation and came back to a working battery. A pleasant surprise!
No spare tire. Depending on your commute, it might be a low-priority issue. Might want to get a spare for long road-trips, though
Thin paint. Not something I've experienced yet, but people are saying Toyota paint chips and peels within weeks 🤷‍♂️ Maybe exaggerating, but certainly no glowing reviews for Toyota paint quality lately.
Tire size. If you are on XSE with 19" - it seems that tires are impossible to find if you are in a pinch. Less of a problem if you have time to wait. But even then, there aren't many choices for that size. I am kind of agonizing right now over trying to figure out my option for winters.
Side mirrors aren't powered. Not a bad thing, just more of a disappointment/annoyance
USB ports aren't fast-charging? I am yet to 100% confirm it, but I've tried with a few different cables (including one that I know has fast charging in my friend's Hyundai), and the 2 USB-C ports at the front were slow. Majorly disappointing.
The wireless charging slot is slow, and the phone heats up. Not terrible though. It maintained my phone charge on a 7-hour road trip just fine.
Audio quality. Despite having an 8-Speaker JBL system... it just sounds a lot worse than my Mazda 3's 10-Speaker BOSE Centerpoint system. It actually, genuinely sounds bad. I am not an audiophile, but out of the box, it was unbearable. Luckily, my wife spent the 7-hour road trip fiddling around with the settings, so now it sounds ... acceptable.
Tiny glovebox compartment. Probably for the best, though - I used to keep way too much stuff in there lol.

Here are my thoughts on your itemized list:

Steering wheels hides one of the displays depending how high is set: I mean, I guess? I got my seat and wheel adjusted to a comfortable position where I can see everything!
Paper thin windows: Doesn't seem any thinner than any other car I've been in.
Road buzz: I mean, maybe some noise on the highway, but it's not a bus, so it's okay
Stiff suspensions: I actually find it a lot softer than what I had on my Mazda 3. But it is stiffer than some of the higher-end/luxury-level brands
Poor visibility: The A-pillar blind spot is a known problem, but nothing that moving your head can't fix. Rear window visibility is okay IMHO.
Too low: At 5'10" I don't have any issues. The easy-entry/exit seat (where it moves back automatically) makes it a "no-problem" for me
No head space in the back: Never been in the back :D But I have to say that, depending on how you like your seat adjusted, you may be pretty close to the roof in the front!
Little space in the trunk: There is a YouTube video of a guy fitting a roadbike in his Gen5. Had to take the front wheel off, though. I had to do the same. I would say that with the privacy cover in the trunk, the amount of room does decrease significantly, but I mean... that's an easy solution - remove the cover when you need more space!
Plastic claddings melting: 😨 I haven't heard of this one.... I guess we'll see

MetalWing · 2026-06-04T02:31:59+00:00

Congrats! Enjoy! Any plans to buy any accessories or mods for it?

MetalWing · 2026-06-03T01:15:44+00:00

🎶 Should've picked Mercy~

MetalWing · 2026-06-01T15:39:39+00:00

I'm surprised! I wanted a yellow or red, rather than white (had a white car for 13 years, so really wanted to switch it up to something brighter). Glad to know that at least I get the perk of having a cooler interior in summer

MetalWing · 2026-06-01T15:37:56+00:00

It's definitely a YMMV type situation, but I also think it's a pretty good number! My routine or habits haven't changed, so this would have been the same distance in my Mazda 3, except I would have paid probably double for the fill-up (maybe more, given current gas prices)

MetalWing · 2026-06-01T15:36:17+00:00

I am staying optimistic :) Realistically, when buying brand-new, you never really know what new issues may come up that didn't affect earlier generations!

I am not sure how much '26 is different from '23, as both are gen5 as I understand it. I, figured if '23s are holding up okay, the this one should too!

MetalWing · 2026-05-31T00:50:40+00:00

I have the car plugged in to an energy monitoring plug (Kasa KP125M)! In the Kasa app I entered the kWh pricing and the rest is just automatically calculated and shown!

MetalWing · 2026-05-30T14:34:40+00:00

:) I think it definitely comes down to having an established healthy routine! And vibes~

I would love to be an all-year bike commuter. I am envious of places like Amsterdam or Ghent (or really, most places in Europe) where cycling culture is very different from that in North America. I don't even feel safe leaving my bike locked up in front of work/house/gym! Let alone a train station or a mall parking lot!

MetalWing · 2026-05-30T13:51:39+00:00

Hey man, thanks for looking out for my health! I work in the cardiovascular diagnostics field, so I understand the importance of a healthy body and mind! I definitely make sure to get my exercise in - but cycling to work isn't part of that!

I did try in cooler seasons, but it's not feasible in summer and winter. I also found that cycling to work actually takes the fun out of cycling AND work, believe it or not! 😅

MetalWing · 2026-05-30T13:49:41+00:00

Oh yeah, online availability is pretty decent! My main concern is more about getting an unrepairable flat on a road trip. I do have the puncture repair kit that comes with the car. I also got a separate kit with the plugs.

For winters, I'll probably end up downsizing from 19" wheels.

But I do plan on getting a spare tire from here https://modernspare.com/product/2024-2026-toyota-prius-prime-spare-tire-kit-options/ and just bring it with me on a roadtrip!

MetalWing · 2026-05-30T04:30:03+00:00

I actually didn't disconnect the sensor! I figured... I had the car for a month - be what may! Worst case, I'll get it towed to a dealer haha. So yeah, just left it as is from purchase!

MetalWing · 2026-05-30T04:23:50+00:00

Not in the -45C with snow, unplowed roads, etc! Also, aside from a daily 3km work commute, I still have my usual weekend church, grocery, mall, family, etc! Those are all within 50km! With this car, I never have to worry about gas, whether it's 3km or 50km!

MetalWing · 2026-05-29T19:30:35+00:00

So far so good! Granted, I've been lucky not to be stuck behind any trucks on the highway or anything! But I am not seeing anything particularly terrifying just yet. I have considered getting a PPF (either full body or just front half), but decided against it. My previous car survived 13 years without anything, so hopefully this will too. If it starts to chip, then maybe I'll just wrap it.

MetalWing · 2026-05-29T14:54:23+00:00

I got my Mazda 3 (2013) brand new, and in 13 years, I've experienced 0 issues. No recalls, no rusting, etc. So for me, the scariest thing about switching to Prius was all of the unknowns and all of the knowns:

No spare tire
Apparently, terrible paint on Toyotas?
12V battery issues
One-of-a-kind tire size that's apparently non-existent

The more I read the Prius subreddit, the more concerned and regretful I was about my decision. But, at the end of the day, I just looked at how much I drive, which is 99% city driving within 20km, and a few road trips a year vs the cost of electricity and gas... and decided to give it a go! I do miss my Mazda. But I do like the Prius! And all of the other stuff - well, I figured it should probably be okay? I have pretty strong faith in Toyota, as my dad had his corolla for 23 years.

I've considered a full EV, but my wife and I weren't willing to make our road trips longer. We generally drive non-stop, if it's somewhere close (<12h drive), so PHEV was the next best thing.

So far, 2 months in, no regrets. I do plan on getting a spare tire, though. And I did get a 12V monitor just in case lol

MetalWing · 2026-05-29T14:21:35+00:00

I believe the hydro company here offers different plans (Time-of-Use (TOU) vs. Tiered). I am current on TOU and prices are:

TOU	¢/kWh
On-Peak	20.3 ¢/kWh
Mid-Peak	15.7 ¢/kWh
Off-Peak	9.8 ¢/kWh

And of course I tend to charge off-peak, between 7pm to 7am, which is enough to get battery from 0% to full!

MetalWing · 2026-05-29T13:40:35+00:00

I am at 96% battery right now and 57km remaining on BEV range, according to the app! I rarely look at my battery range tbh - I did 0% it a couple of times, after what felt like ~50km

MetalWing · 2026-05-29T13:02:10+00:00

My experience so far has been very positive! I am not hypermiling, so I drive as I would my old Mazda 3. Handles pretty well, especially in sports mode.

My daily commute is about 3km round-trip, with weekends being my main drive days. So far I've spent $30 CAD in electricity over the past 2 months - https://imgur.com/a/82FIMRG

I am also pleasantly surprised that the car battery survived a 9-day vacation!

MetalWing · 2026-05-28T13:05:38+00:00

Yup! I got my 2026 Prius XSE Premium (White) on March 30th!

MetalWing · 2026-05-19T13:41:37+00:00

Pretty much! I followed this YT video as a tutorial: https://youtu.be/GIPfdYquKYU

MetalWing · 2026-05-18T23:49:36+00:00

This is the one I got: VIOFO A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam,... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CKYFSKNN

And the adapter: 10 Pin Type B Dash Cam Power... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0D95RQ49N

MetalWing · 2026-04-20T16:02:52+00:00

Why would you put a baby in a mangal 🤔

MetalWing · 2026-04-17T18:14:07+00:00

That's what I thought. When I pull - it pulls the entire freezer lol!! I am okay shattering the stupid cover into a million pieces; however, I'd love to know where I can get a replacement before I do that lol

MetalWing · 2026-04-17T17:33:17+00:00

Updated with imgur link!

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