2014/15 Fielder Hybrid

Hi team. Considering a 2014/15 Fielder Hybrid for my daughter but she's very safety conscious and the Fielder only comes with a 2 star safety rating. Can anybody share some light on why this is, how many airbags etc. Do they have reversing camera etc
Cheers Stevo

The Aqua doesn't have a proper safety rating, only VSRR so just ignore that.

The full size 3rd gen Prius is available for similar prices as the Fielder, is 5 stars in both ANCAP and UCSR and is generally a better car that the Fielder (not as narrow and cramped inside)

Maybe it’s the import thing, that being jap imports there will be a wide variety of safety levels as spec varied hugely in jap home market.
When no new they tend to all have same spec so you can rely on certain amount of airbags and on rating being valid, with imports you simply can’t so need to search for ones with more equipment .
As generalisation euros have better ratings on older cars.

First of all 2012-2014 is a different shape to 2015 and newer.
Not a biggie but New shape is always a selling advantage.
As to why the idiots at NZTA give them a low safety rating --its a frikkin mystery to me
6 air bags,ESC, 5 lap and diagonal seatbelts 15 looks to have Lane departure --so a truck load of good gear.
I would suggest digging deeper into the rating. The tossers have a nasty habit of giving vehicles a 1 star rating when the real answer is "we don't know". You need to dig down one layer to find the basis of the rating.-Its easy to spot. -It will say (despite the single star front and centre)
I actually punched in the registration number of one I sold recently
Its given a two star rating but the tell tale bit of information reads (I quote ) Sorry we don't have any information on this vehicles crash avoidance (and) crash protection features.
So on what basis is it two star? --because they don't know so lets rate it very low. -Try calling them to have them up about it--that's a big ol-no can do. So they act as gods of knowledge with zero substance.
The dash is typical Toyota so takes a "Toyota double did " head unit. -or a standard double din with side trims.
The reversing camera question is on a case by case basis. They do but not always. Keep in mind the jap imports have jap radios--limited band width so likely you will replace it anyways. --Budget $600 for a name brand head unit and camera.
Sorry If im ranting but it totally tears my shorts-They have the fuel economy rating right,They have the emmissions data yet can't give accurate safety information--and this is a VERY common theme.
ALL THAT SAID.--Much as I think the Feilders are awesome hybrids (and I do) I would strongly advise doing car cost/ fuel economy difference maths for your daughter.-between the hybrid and an ICE The difference is only $700/year
My comments re safety equipment is based on actually going an sitting in several of the hybrids.

Ohh I meant to tell you -the 2015 has "Toyota safety sense" Collision avoidance system fitted.-Ie at the time cutting edge stuff

NOPE --this is a definite case of misinformation-borderline fraud. "we don't know" somehow translates to a 2 star rating

Thanks Kaz for the very thorough and detailed explanation. They have just decided to start looking in earnest since her hubby starts work next week.
Cheers Stevo

Actually Tam I've been brooding on this. Literally hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars have been spent on advertising this as the ultimate information when it comes to car safety. . Yet they are not able to get the most basic information correct.

just one suggestion . Get someone like Incar to check the battery condition. 80-85% in something 6 years old would be ideal

Thanks Kaz. What sort of age/mileage would you expect them to last before they need replacement. I know this has been discussed/argued over many times on here covering various cars from the Leaf, Fit, Prius etc. What about the Fielder?
Are they checked for YOU when you buy them from the auction houses in Japan?

I hear you and at same time accept that it’s mighty hard for them to rate a jap market car that differs from the local, Aussie, and European versions. I thought they had a system for rating these by actual crash evidence though I’ve never seen how that can work, need lots of very accurate data which they don’t have

EXACTLY my point. So if you don,t know then say so—-it is irresponsible to say a. Vehicle IS dangerous just because you have no clue

realistic battery life varies depending on use. But worst case scenario l would expect 250 k . And we are already seeing an emerging battery reco industry . So that’s using rebuilt rather than news battery packs so at that 250 k you will pay around $1500 for a pack good for another 100-150 k

A dealership I'm currently contracting to sells around 80% Hybrid stock per month now, predominantly Aquas but also a lot of Fielder Hybrids. The safety rating issue is currently complete nonsense, with RightCar unable to build an algorithm capable of differentiating a number of makes and models from Australian base-spec to a "similar" Japanese spec.

Battery life is a non-issue- we've been importing and selling volumes of the "new generation" Aqua and Corolla based hybrids (2012-on) for over six years now and the failure rate over close to 800 units has been- as far as we know- zero. They're no relation to the Leaf etc with a measurabe degrading battery- I'd expect a Fielder or Aqua to suffer standard mechanical wear and tear long before a battery becomes an issue. If you really felt the need, I'd recommend Doctor Hybrid in Auckland for a cost-effective battery check, although I wouldn't bother spendng the money if the car appears to charge and discharge dring normal use.

All the Fielder Hybrids have eight air-bags (side curtain A, seat and C-post plus front dashboard / steering wheel) and of course stability control.

The 2015 "facelift" was just that- little change to the car mechanically or body, just revised frontal and rear styling.

2015 was the first year "Safety Sense" was available- this includes lane departure warning, and frontal proximity alert plus rear proximity alert (and anti-collision braking assist) but it is not standard- it was an option- if the car has it fitted, you'll see two buttons on the lower right of the dashboard between the steering column and the door- one shows a car deviating in a lane, the other a car with a "crash" symbol in the front of it. You'll also notice the camera sensors mounted up behind the reversing mirror in the windscreen.

Two standard specs- the X model is the base one, G has a leather steering wheel, nicer seat fabrics, full climate control etc. There's also the WXB which has a full bodykit, alloys, often a part-leather seat trim, and is hideously expensive by comparison to the X and G models.

We have pretty much stopped importing any non-Hybrid Fielders- the cost is not much different between them but (in my opinion) the Hybrid is vastly superior to drive and own.

I can't rate them highly enough- the'y're a very, very good car for the money.

Hey Fellas, sorry to hijack but I'm also looking at this same vehicle. Thanks all so far for the great info. There does seem to be plenty of these fresh imports in stock at the moment, and there plenty of the '13 models around 10k, and the '15 around 12k. With these imports, do you think it's best to pay a bit extra for year extended warranty?

Also does having a reversing camera change the cost of having the Japanese headunit replaced?

Cheers,

Nick

First of all I would recommend NOT getting a 1 year MBI. You have cover under the CGA for failures during a period of time that's "fair and reasonable" realistically that's somewhere around the 6 month mark.
The difference to take that to 3 years is only about $400 and makes good sense.
Re reversing cameras .
It depends on what YOU are wanting.
The numbers Im talking are for decent brand name product.
so if you can't be bothered with a camera then a single din unit with pocket will cost you $200 is -its a really REALLY easy install
If you want a reversing camera then you need a head unit capable of taking one Generally around the $500 installed
Where it gets tricky is that you need to fit something called a voltage reducer between head unit and camera. Cost is about $50
BUT --1) you have about 70% chance of it working 30% it wont. if it doesn't you have to fit a new camera.
2) the camera is the same age as the car so I would be darn sure its good enough picture quality before going there. if its "average" then I'd spend an extra $50 and have a new camera fitted.
Incidently -by going to the $500 head unit you usually get Bluetooth etc so you drag GPS from your phone and have handsfree too

An extra note here.You CAN get the battery life in these checked by the local Toyota agent. It takes a few minutes and is good peace of mind.

Thanks Kaz. I would be keen to buy from a trusted West Auckland dealer that has a few in stock IF she decides to go that way - once your Lockdown is over.
Would like to do a Twofor deal and get something for the son in law at the same time.

Im finding it so hard to get them to go have a look at cars at the moment.
Cheers Stevo

Actually, cancel that. It looks like the above dealer withdrew the 2 x 2015 Hybrids he had in stock today.

Sorry mate-They were gooduns too. --ask our resident car inspector He checked one of em out.
Mind you--honestly my "pick o the bunch" is the 2013 with 63k -bloody nice car.

Ok thanks for that Kaz. You're right, I actually was thinking two years would be best.

I'll go three fer deal if ya want Stevo ;)