Panamerican Prius: 2015 Toyota Prius V

[J.Toral]

Hi everyone, my name is Joshua Toral. I have owned several fun vehicles and have ultimately landed on a Prius for our vehicle of choice to drive the Panamerican highway.

I first joined expedition portal 10 years ago. I really admired the builds I saw, but I never thought I’d have my own build thread, let alone it be a Prius! After spamming the Facebook groups with my build pictures I had the idea to share more cohesively here! Our home just listed for sale, so what better time to start our build thread

Im 28 and currently active duty Army. I finish my service in a few months. I have been married for 3 years, but my wife and I have only been physically together for one of those three years. Due to the military life, we never got our honeymoon. So, we have made the decision to transition out of the military life, and drive the Panamerican highway in our Prius for our honeymoon!

I transition out of the Army in March of 2023, and my wife finishes the hours needed for her therapist license around December of 2023. We anticipate starting full time travel around that time, and I will be dialing in the Prius while she finishes her licensure.

Here’s some general pictures with details to follow!

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[NatersXJ6]

It looks like a pretty neat use of an atypical car. Beware that while you are likely very used to close-quarters living, she is most likely very used to long silent and alone stretches. A few months sharing 50-60 square feet will definitely be a test of your marriage. Be sure to make time and budget for a few long weekends or even full weeks in hotels!

 

[billiebob]

Given the Prius is the worlds most popular taxi.... this is a brilliant choice.

Limited clearance sure so pick the roads wisely. Front Wheel Drive sure so stay and enjoy the culture when socked in.

I NEVER use transit or cabs but at a convention last week in downtown Calgary I headed for the bus stop and there was a Prius Taxi..... In I got..... I asked how he liked the Prius ..... BEST CAR ever he sold his old one with 1M kms on it to his son, the one we were in had 300K kms. Zero issues with either.

He put a new battery into the million miler one..... it took 5 minutes to change, total bill $2800...... way cheaper than any major rebuild on a gas engine. I asked about the gas engine and ,,,, well as a taxi he runs on electricity more than gasoline so the gas engine was actually very low mileage. Tune ups, oil changes, 1 million miles later it was still a low mileage engine.

He drives over 300KMs a day and averages 42mpg.... city driving..... I am now looking for a Prius.

PS I think the Prius is a world car making itv a great choice for international travel.

 

[J.Toral]

It looks like a pretty neat use of an atypical car. Beware that while you are likely very used to close-quarters living, she is most likely very used to long silent and alone stretches. A few months sharing 50-60 square feet will definitely be a test of your marriage. Be sure to make time and budget for a few long weekends or even full weeks in hotels!

Very good point. I think my wife and I had a subconscious understanding of this but It was eye opening hearing it said from somebody else. She’s a marriage and family therapist so I hope it helps us out. Haha


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[J.Toral]

Given the Prius is the worlds most popular taxi.... this is a brilliant choice.

Limited clearance sure so pick the roads wisely. Front Wheel Drive sure so stay and enjoy the culture when socked in..

I actually hadn’t known the Prius was that popular in other countries. I can see why, my expirence is spot on with yours and the taxi driver you rode with. The more I’ve owned it, the more I’m convinced now awesome it is. Prior to this car I had an 87 AWD syncro westy that my wife and I planned to travel the world in. We actually just sold it this weekend after deciding we’d go with the Prius.

To us, the Prius was newer, way more fuel efficient, and reliable. The Westfalia definitely had a cool factor, as well as AWD but at the end of the day what the Prius had to offer was more important to us.

Fuel consumption comparison between both vehicles over the course of 100,000 miles.


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[mep1811]

There is a lift kit made for the Prius which might be a good idea .

 

[J.Toral]

There is a lift kit made for the Prius which might be a good idea .

Thanks! We used the Prius off-road 1.5” lift kit. We’re currently sitting at 9” of ground clearance. Once I wear out these original size tires, I’ll be installing a 27” touring tire for roughly 3/4” addition of ground clearance.

It’s all mild stuff but it should keep everything within factory tolerances and angles, and not kill fuel economy


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[spot]

Interesting build and great plan. Looking forward to the progress and trip reports. Most importantly thank you for your service!

 

[J.Toral]

Interesting build and great plan. Looking forward to the progress and trip reports. Most importantly thank you for your service!

Thanks spot!


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[vintageracer]

Given the Prius is the worlds most popular taxi.... this is a brilliant choice.

Limited clearance sure so pick the roads wisely. Front Wheel Drive sure so stay and enjoy the culture when socked in.

I NEVER use transit or cabs but at a convention last week in downtown Calgary I headed for the bus stop and there was a Prius Taxi..... In I got..... I asked how he liked the Prius ..... BEST CAR ever he sold his old one with 1M kms on it to his son, the one we were in had 300K kms. Zero issues with either.

He put a new battery into the million miler one..... it took 5 minutes to change, total bill $2800...... way cheaper than any major rebuild on a gas engine. I asked about the gas engine and ,,,, well as a taxi he runs on electricity more than gasoline so the gas engine was actually very low mileage. Tune ups, oil changes, 1 million miles later it was still a low mileage engine.

He drives over 300KMs a day and averages 42mpg.... city driving..... I am now looking for a Prius.

PS I think the Prius is a world car making it a great choice for international travel.

THIS is exactly why the total electric vehicle concept is a FAIL and the HYBRID gas/electric powered vehicle concept may finally win out as the viable green powered vehicle for the masses.

 

[Simons]

I think if I read that chart you posted correctly, it’s a comparison of fuel consumption over the course of five years at 100,000miles per year. Not sure that’s a realistic number but either way the Prius is definitely more fuel efficient than your old Syncro. I’m very interested in seeing your finished build! Cool beans


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[J.Toral]

I think if I read that chart you posted correctly, it’s a comparison of fuel consumption over the course of five years at 100,000miles per year. Not sure that’s a realistic number but either way the Prius is definitely more fuel efficient than your old Syncro. I’m very interested in seeing your finished build! Cool beans


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I think I highlighted the wrong thing, what I highlighted Initially compares the vehicle to the average car mpg which is 27mpg (seen on the far left column). And it indicates whether you’ll spend or save when compared to that average.

Right below highlighted in blue shows the annual fuel cost for each vehicle.

$26,950 per year in the syncro and $9,200 in the Prius

Over 5 years that would be $134,750 in the syncro, and $46,000 in the Prius.

A difference of $88,750 over 500,000 miles! Not to include inevitable repair bills and towing expenses in the syncro


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[BritKLR]

While your not building an "off-roader", mishaps can happen. Snow, rain, mud or the wrong turn on a beach road and now your stuck. Just a suggestion, locate the front and rear "transport" or "shipping" tiedowns (since I suspect a Prius doesn't have recovery points) and have them reinforced or have recovery points fabricated and select an appropriately rated recovery strap and attachment hardware. May never need it but, it's better to have something rated and ready then try to put it together in the middle of no where!

Can't tell you how many small fwd cars my Samurai has pulled off Gulf Coast beaches and snowy roads in the Rockies due to simply going further then they should have. Be safe!

Great build and looking forward to follow!

Cheers.

 

[J.Toral]

While your not building an "off-roader", mishaps can happen. Snow, rain, mud or the wrong turn on a beach road and now your stuck. Just a suggestion, locate the front and rear "transport" or "shipping" tiedowns (since I suspect a Prius doesn't have recovery points) and have them reinforced or have recovery points fabricated and select an appropriately rated recovery strap and attachment hardware. May never need it but, it's better to have something rated and ready then try to put it together in the middle of no where!

Can't tell you how many small fwd cars my Samurai has pulled off Gulf Coast beaches and snowy roads in the Rockies due to simply going further then they should have. Be safe!

Great build and looking forward to follow!

Cheers.

Hey BrittKLR, I agree! I have been contemplating a few recovery ideas. The Prius does have tow points in the front and read of the vehicle, so I was thinking soft shackles to attach there along with a tow strap. Initially I also really wanted a winch hidden behind the bumper like this

I even came across one guy who magnetized the original Toyota emblem so it looked completely factory! Sadly though, the Prius V, which is the one I am building has a different bumper style and there is a larger gap between the factory crash bar these winches sit on, and the Toyota logo where the winch lead feeds out.

With that said, my latest idea for recovery equipment is custom made bush winch, chains, along with an onboard compressor to play with PSI in the tires. What I am really dreaming of is a way to attach Bush winch like drums on all 4 tires, and link them using synthetic winch rope to make a temporary AWD system for recovery purposes. Still haven’t been able to think through steering adjustments in the system though. Maybe someone reading this can chime in!

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[J.Toral]

[QUOTE="Can't tell you how many small fwd cars my Samurai has pulled off Gulf Coast beaches and snowy roads in the Rockies due to simply going further then they should have. Be safe!

Great build and looking forward to follow!

Cheers.[/QUOTE]

I Love Samurais. It was my car, and the car I had throughout college. I put a 1.6 8 valve in it and had the transmission and transfer case rebuilt. I would’ve done the Panamerican in that, but I got married and well, I hardly fit in it myself. Lol
BONUS: I also had a KLR650 I just sold. The Suzuki samurais of the motorcycle world

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