I have a prius and a corolla. There is just no comparison between the two.
I went to Islamabad on Corolla on Motorway and rook it to 165 kmh and it started feeling wobbly and rattling. On the way back I was driving the Prius at night on GT Road at 120 kmh when near Kharian a Civic Oriel Prostatic crossed me at 140+ or so. My younger brother sitting next to me taunted me. I pushed the Power button and presses the gas pedal and was doing 188 kmh in no time. The car was super stable with excellent road grip. The ELR seat belts tightened and Vehicle Stability Control and Automatic Traction Control became engaged. I could turn the Prius and do that speed with ease. Yet the gas pedal wasn't fully floored so it could have gone over 200kmh easily but I feared that GT Road wasn't that reliable. Needless to say that I lost the Civic behind me in 45 seconds as it could not keep up. Then I tested the brake. When brake was applied forcefully Prius used ABS and EBD and additionally Brake Assist where the computer takes over braking and applies force to wheels as per need and also engage engine braking. I swear Prius didn't slip an inch.
Pakistani models of Corolla and Civic can't beat that since these have almost no safety features or control features like VSC, Trac Control and Brake Assist. Also since the vehicles are raised high above ground the pocket of air formed underneath makes local models very unstable at high speeds. Plus the assembly quality is poor and quality controls are laxed at manufacturing plants.
Tell me honestly would you be confident driving 190 kmh in Civic, Altis or Prius on GT Road provided ofcourse the former two can manage it. Plus you have the safety of 7 airbags as standard in Prius. How many do you get in Altis or Civic?
Prius has a 100 hp 1.8 L engine but in power mode it adds up the power of electric motor of 80 hp. The maths is simple. Check it. Additionally Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.25 only so very low air resistance. How much does Pakistani cars have.
And please do not mislead people by posting figures of US altis and and Japanese altis as these have different sizes, height etc than Pakistani ones.
People buy Pakistani model just for two reasons
1. You have stiff suspension and high ground clearance to manage bumpy roads with potholes.
2. Better resale value and cheap parts and maintainance. Parts are cheap because these are of low quality.
The quality of even a 660 cc JDM car and its safety features are better than Rs. 2.5 million Pakistani models. This is an undeniable fact.
Another thing is that small things in Prius make you like it. For instance mine has auto head lamps which turn on at dusk, UV 400 protected windshields all around. Noise repellant front wind shield. Small light from the roof which illuminates the gear at night. User customisable computerised features. 1 planetary eCVT gear so no jerks at gear change. SoftTex trimmed seats. Panel and door lights abd a cabin so nice it makes you feel you are sitting in a cockpit of a plane. And let's not forget Auto climate control with Pollen and Allergen filter. For those who say that suspension of Prius is weak just raise all three cars on deck and look for yourself. I had all three compared by a qualified Toyota Engineer and the size of main rod of suspension in Prius is twice that of Altis Grande and much thicker than that of Civic. Also worth mentioning is that Toyota gives a guarantee of the Hybrid System for 8 years and that of battery for 8 years. I have the original user manual.
How many of these features does an Altis or Civic have at Rs 2.2 million, the price at which I bought Prius 2012. None!
Conclusion: For those who desire quality and can afford it over the long run. It's Prius all the way. For those who worry about losing 1,00,000 to 3,00,000 at resale and have to drive on village and dusty roads. It's corolla or Civic.
Just a word of caution and I am not saying because I own a Prius but having used both Altis and Civic as well. The brakes of these Pakistani models are very unreliable over 120 kmh and the braking distance is too long even at shorter speeds so choose wisely for yourself and family.
I hope you make an informed choice at buying one. You can confirm all of the above yourself. I intend to test Prius on Motorway at 220 kmh max. Care to join me on Altis or Civic?