A couple of weeks ago we told you that the Prius V was going away south of the border, but that we expected it to carry on longer in Canada. Now Toyota has confirmed that the Prius V lives for the 2018 model year, and they've revealed pricing as well.
Add the 2018 Prius V to the short list of cars in Canada, but not the US. Like the 2018 Hyundai Accent hatch, or the 2017 Kia Forte Koup. It's a small club, but we appreciate them nonetheless. The Prius V also continues in international markets.
The changes to the V this year aren't huge, but they have a big safety impact. Toyota's Safety Sense P is standard, adding automatic high beams, lane departure warnings and steering, radar cruise control, and Toyota's pre-collision system. There is also a new 4.2-inch colour information display and a warning light specific to the rear seatbelts. That extra content comes with a small price increase. It's up $685 to start at $29,675.
The V carries on in Canada because it continues to sell here. In the US, V sales tanked in response to the RAV4 hybrid. But why hasn't the same happened here? It could be the price. The Canadian RAV4 Hybrid starts at $34,635 for 2018. That's about $5,000 more than the V. In the US, the gap is much closer, at just US$460. Some of that is due to trim differences, but it's still a notable difference. Put the more popular compact crossover against the not-quite-a-crossover V, and the Prius model's big fuel economy boost doesn't seem to make up for the popularity of the SUV.
The more modern Prius hatchback is $2,195 less in Canada, but while it is newer and more efficient, it gives up 283L of cargo space to the V's 967.
The 2018 Prius V arrives at dealers next month.
2018 Toyota Prius Canadian pricing:
Prius V $29,675
Prius V Luxury Package $31,895
Prius V Technology Package $35,500
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