I am nearly 80 and am buying a new car which I hope will last so that my 12-year-old granddaughter will be able to safely use it in about 4 years. I have driven Priuses without incident of problems since shortly after they first came out. My last one, a 2015 Prius, is still going strong with no repairs or problems with about 140,000 miles on it. However, I now live in CO and the Prius’s low profile is a problem over rough roads and snow. I have always felt the sight lines in the Prius were bad for the driver - and the Prius 2023 sight lines are even worse. I’m looking at a Hyundai hybrid and plug-in hybrid as it came up as a safe and reliable car in my Consumer Reports search and my kids are pushing the plug in, but I’m uncertain. I want a safe, reliable vehicle. What are your thoughts, Scotty?
For rougher roads, how about a RAV4?
Excellent recommendation.
actually, I just remembered that getting into them can require a bit of body contortion. You might need something bigger like a Highlander. You'll just have to do some test driving and see what you like best.
The Toyota Prius has proven itself to be a very reliable and safe vehicle for over a decade. I personally know several very satisfied owners. The same cannot be said of the Hyundai/Kia hybrids or their Hybrid plugins.
As a 4 decade member of Consumer Reports, I can assure you CR is in no way an 'essential guide' when it comes to purchasing vehicles. It's just another source of information, that's all, nothing more.
These forums incorporate many members, many of which do or have worked on cars for a living. You've made a wise decision to seek information here. Folks here know which vehicles are problematic, which ones aren't.. and we can help you make an educated decision. A brand new vehicle's reliability may be unknown, but that vehicles previous models can serve as an excellent source of information.
Consider a Corolla Cross Hybrid. It’s basically a Prius underneath.
Consumer Reports is not an authoritative source. Take a look at the site Hyundai/Kia topic for information on those brands.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/hmg/
Hope Scotty will come up on this..
(sad enough, my granny was not that caring for me!)
Looks to me like what you want is more ground clearance. AWD might also be desirable. I would look into Subaru along with Toyota. Honda makes a good SUV but they are pricey.
Hyundai/Kia has just thrown a bunch of hybrids and EV's out there. I would stay away from them for now. They are just unproven.Their gas powered line up seems to be holding up but if your buying used research the years you are buying. They have had a couple of bad years where the engine would blow up.
Any one want to chime in feel free.
