I actually have a Prius v, and I love it! I traded in a Ford Focus wagon for it. The Focus and the Prius v have about the same cargo space, but the v gets much better mileage. I looked at SUV’s before I bought the v and just couldn’t get past the poor mileage on the best rated SUV’s. I am hoping by the time I am ready to trade in the v, that will have changed.
I haven’t really been harassed by anyone because I am driving a hybrid but then the v doesn’t scream Prius since the shape is slightly different.
The V can swallow an amazing amount of stuff! And, it gets great gas mileage. For us, it's the perfect vehicle. My DH does own a 1987 Toyota Pickup too...and we only need to bring that out occasionally. Most of the time, we can haul everything we want to haul in the back of the V.