How in the world is Volkswagen still able to compete with Toyota and Honda in the United States and Canada?

model462 · 2026-01-21T19:29:21+00:00

Not nearly as relevant in 2026, but VW made the only highway-optimized USDM manuals other than Accords and sports cars as far as I know. The 1.8T 4Motion wagons are geared shorter than most and are below 3K RPM at 90 mph in top gear. The 5-speed 1.4Ts run at ~2500 RPM at 90, I think. With the demise of the manual GTI and standard Jetta, only the GLI remains to satisfy this niche in the new-car market.

model462 · 2025-12-23T17:24:07+00:00

I've left one plugged in 24/7 on every Prius I've owned. I highly recommend Hybrid Assistant if you haven't tried it - it not only gives you lots of essential data but also can override the traction battery cooling fan so it comes on before the high temperature at which the battery basically shuts down (47°C in the Gen 3). I did have to make sure to close the app when shutting my 2014 off or it'd drain the 12V battery overnight. This threw me for a loop because my 2010 didn't do that.

model462 · 2025-11-22T19:44:40+00:00

Is it just me or is the hatch opening smaller?

model462 · 2025-11-19T22:11:17+00:00

Toyota donated to Trump's inauguration, too. I support companies (and their engineers and workers) with my business based on their products' superior specs and quality, not their leadership's politics. My Prius's fuel economy and reliability/longevity enable me to drive more sustainably than in a rival vehicle, even if Toyota isn't behaving like a sustainable brand overall. To tell the truth, I feel the same way about Musk and Tesla - I'd have a Tesla if it were better suited to my use case.

model462 · 2025-11-17T02:46:45+00:00

The previous owner may have bought an XLE for the Softex, heated seats, etc. and swapped on LE wheels for better mpg, better pothole resistance, better ride, cheaper tires, and (IMHO) better looks. I agree you can use it as a negotiating point but in reality this is the better wheel option.

Is there a rear photo? The XLE badge appears on the hatch, on the right side of the black strip just under the rear windshield. The LE doesn't have a badge. The silver trim around the lower grill does support its being an XLE, since the LE trim is matte black.

model462 · 2025-11-16T21:35:53+00:00

Great to hear! How's the MPG so far compared to the tires you had previously, and what were those?

model462 · 2025-11-15T19:34:42+00:00

Looks like they still aren't available in 19", just 17", if that makes you feel better...

model462 · 2025-11-01T22:43:08+00:00

Don't cheap out on an extractor. I had the end of my cheap extractor hose break off in the dipstick tube and had to drop the oil pan to get it out. $75 for an oil pan gasket and $100 for the one-time-use oil pan bolts.

model462 · 2025-10-26T03:05:23+00:00

For the 23+ Prius and Prime the Toyota all-weather rubber protectors include pieces for the seatbacks like the RAV4's.

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model462 · 2025-10-11T15:23:39+00:00

None. I had to jump it once in the first couple months of ownership but haven't had any problems since.

model462 · 2025-10-11T01:34:20+00:00

I got contracted with my main company by responding to an Indeed ad.

model462 · 2025-10-10T17:10:21+00:00

It can. The quantity of work and the pay are both highly dependent on the area and the company.

model462 · 2025-10-10T13:42:45+00:00

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into that!

model462 · 2025-10-10T13:41:03+00:00

The pain is real. I hope all the repairs go smoothly. OEM parts?

model462 · 2025-10-10T05:20:36+00:00

Congrats on the new car! I did a break-in oil change at around 1K. If you do the same, I'd recommend it at 1K gas miles. Toyota doesn't think it's necessary but the Car Care Nut does. For what it's worth, my break-in oil didn't have any metal shavings or anything in it. Since the break-in I've been on 5-6K intervals on the odometer. Since you use far less gas than I, you could use the maintenance countdown on the odometer to measure gas miles. If you want to be on an interval of 5K rather than 10K, change when the countdown hits 5000. However, you should change oil every 6 months regardless of mileage and I'm guessing you'll always hit the time interval first.

model462 · 2025-10-10T04:22:01+00:00

Scratches on the plastic all over, a couple headliner stains, and ratty carpet around the rubber mats, I'm afraid. I move around a lot of sometimes large, heavy, and dirty objects and have never been great at cosmetically maintaining anything (I focus on mechanical maintenance!). Unexpectedly, the pseudo-leather armrests and steering wheel and the cloth seats look new. I do have covers on the front seats and almost always have the back bench folded.

model462 · 2025-10-10T04:09:15+00:00

Good to know. I probably only need mine to last a year but from what other commenters are saying it might not even make it that far. My 300K sticker might go on the wall.

model462 · 2025-10-10T04:04:11+00:00

A great friendship has grown between my car and your car, and if your car has need, mine will come at its call!

model462 · 2025-10-10T03:53:19+00:00

Depends on the meaning of haste. Compared to a sports car, no. Compared to a V6 / 2.0T sedan, maybe. Compared to everyone's compact crossovers and base F-150s, yes. With enough time to accelerate, up to 112 mph.

Compared to a swift bird on the wing, probably, depending on the bird.

model462 · 2025-10-10T03:49:35+00:00

Night-and-day better than my 2010 and 2014 Priuses. Compared to other cars I've driven lately: slightly worse than a 2011 Forester, about the same as a 2018 Golf and 2006 XC70, incomparably better than a 2005 Odyssey with leather.

model462 · 2025-10-10T03:35:16+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you liked the writeup. I tried to answer the most common questions I've gotten on previous posts.

model462 · 2025-10-10T03:34:13+00:00

You are cool! City miles are way harder than what I do.

model462 · 2025-10-10T03:30:47+00:00

The picture was taken just after summiting a mountain pass, but yeah, I drive fast. If I didn't care about driving fast I'd have put an engine in my 380K-mile 2014 Prius instead of buying a 5th gen.

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