Trading prius for a 2013 versa sedan s+?

[auser86]

I have a 2010 Prius with 30k miles on it which I use for work commuting in dc about 40miles a day (60% highway at 65-70mph, 40% city at 35-40mph). This area has a lot of potholes and constructions zones and the Prius rear struts are already making noise. I've read that certain repairs for hybrids require disconnecting the hybrid battery or replacing the drive train components is difficult which makes the repair cost high.

Would the versa sedan s trim (a/t trans) be a good choice? I know no car can handle potholes...but is it cheap to repair and durable? My biggest concern is engine, drive train components, and transmission and the cost of repairing/maintenance vs the prius maintenance/repairs.

From the versa reviews, some users said that the CVVT engine struggles at high speeds....would that put more wear/tear on the engine?

One of my concerns with the Prius is that when I hit a pothole or even a small bump or an uneven road, it feels like the axles are coming off...probably related to the lowered or type of suspension used.

[kc5f]

I can't speak for the a/t, but having put 200k on three Versas with CVT, I can say that the CVT doesn't struggle at any speed. On a flat road, the engine will run at 2.5k rpm at 75 mph and 3k at 90. I don't think I'd want to drive any faster! On my previous commute, I had a 3-mile climb at 5% grade and I would take it at 65mph at about 3.5k or 55-60mph at about 3k. The engine's definitely quieter at 2.5k and below, but didn't seem to be complaining. I did try to avoid going to 4k rpm, but didn't have any real basis for choosing that number!

I'm also afraid I can't comment on cheapness to repair, because we've never had to repair any of those items. Just normal maintenance plus warranty fuel pump regulator issues on two of the four we've owned. And maintenance costs have been less than for my wife's Odyssey. (My daughter calls it Canada, because compared to driving her Versa it's like driving the whole country of Canada!)

We haven't lowered any of them, but they seem to handle potholes about the same as other cars I've driven. Not something I'd do by choice, but they don't cause handling issues, either.