I'm driving the 2016 Prius next week. What do you want to know?

Do the 2016 Prius and the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid use Takata airbag inflators? If yes, is the propellant ammonium nitrate?

 

You guys are coming up with all these ridiculous questions and requests that Danny can't do or answer. Who makes the airbag inflators? really?? Danny's testing driving the car as a press, not a mechanic. Alot of questions are also technical so test driving it won't be able to answer them. I doubt they'll let him hook up a mini VCI or a scangauge to the OBD-II port during test drive. Also a lot of the parameters you guys are asking can only be read using xgauge. I highly doubt Gen3's Xgauge will work on Gen 4.
In the mean time, I got some realistic questions. If you're able to open the hood, take pictures of the 12V battery. Are the post SAE or JIS? Is the battery size still B24R (group51) or something larger. Even if you can't answer them, the pictures will determine the post size and battery size.

 

Any tow capacity

 

Many of the interesting metrics are part of the standard set supported by OBD. Custom PIDs will take a little time to decode. Given the 'Top Gear' abuse revealed by Tesla, I suspect Toyota has already addressed this.

Some of our posts are also aimed at 'Team Prius' as suggestions about what we'd like to learn.

Bob Wilson

 

Yes. It's a test drive. What'll be available are impressions, and a limited amount of time.

As an example of good, down-to-earth requests, check out post #66.

 

What's the top speed in reverse?

Does Lithium battery version driver differently? More or less power?

 

How many toilet paper rolls would it take to reach the moon?

What is the air speed of an unladen swallow?

Why did a man named Toyoda found a company named Toyota?

Who was Kilroy?

When will we be able to buy you a beer online?

Why am I asking you?

 

I would like to hear what your impression of the car were after the Las Vegas reveal. It would be interesting to know what unanswered questions from that experience will be important to you when you get the chance to drive it.


Thanks,

Alan

 

actually, this can be checked during a test drive. probably a bit unsafe though.

 

Gen III fixes the battery depletion on hills issue. I had the battery go dry on my Gen II on hills (very dangerous when in the middle of passing someone), but the battery has never ran out of juice on my Gen III.

 

You can turn it off yourself with a scan Gauge II if the dealer wont do it for free, but yes, would be nice to be able to do it without extra hardware.

 

EV max speed.
Less road noise than Gen III - subjective of course
Ease of phone BT pairing (if they let you)
Inside materials seem firmer than Gen III (less rattle susceptible)

 

I'd like to know whether the driver's seat is comfortable. I recently purchased the 2015, a decision I'm regretting because I can't find a comfortable seating position. All of the improvements to the vehicle don't matter if you're driving in pain the whole time you're in it.

The main problems with the Gen III appear to be that the seat is too high even in its lowest position, and the bottom part drops in going from the front to the back, with the result that your hips are lower than your knees, which is frowned upon by ergonomic experts. I also find that the upper part of the seat back and headrest force my upper back and head forward, which is uncomfortable. It's as though I'm being forced into a hunched posture.The new one's headrest seems to suffer from a similar problem because it is angled toward the front. I much preferred the seats in 2003 Honda Civic EX.

I prefer a neutral seat back (completely straight) against which I can stretch my torso back.

 

You maybe won't be able to tell from a short test drive,but perhaps you can ask if they fixed the range indicator.
I find it very annoying that it just decreases but doesn't increase when driving more efficiently.
At least it doesn't in European gen. 3 models .
is Nav info displayed on HUD Display ?
It is displayed on the MFD,but it sure would be nice seeing the information right in front of me .
Does the driving experience (quietness,smoother more silent acceleration etc. ) live up to what Toyota claims ?
When are you driving the 2016 next week ?
I really envy you for it and can't wait for your review .

 

I'd really like to hear how the Gen IV interior compares to the Gen III and Gen II interiors in terms of spaciousness, storage areas, usable space, and design / styling.

Background: My wife has loved her 2008 Gen II - particularly the front-seat interior layout with its unobstructed access to the front passenger seat and the floorboard (great for easy access to purses, etc) as well as the generous storage room available in the dual glove compartments, the center console, and the door panels. She was so disappointed in the Gen III's "flying bridge" console, downgraded multifunction display, and (to her) cheap-looking interior that she has kept driving her Gen II (now well past 200,000 miles) just so she could skip the Gen III entirely in favor of the Gen IV.

 

This has been a well known, and publicized issue since 2009. They say there has been a vast improvement in the comfort of the seats.

 

Thanks for the tip. I got the Prius Two because the current manufacturer's rebate brought the price down to about $21.5K; I fear that the base model of the new one, without the power seats, will be too expensive for me because $21.5 is already a little north of what I'd like to pay, and the new one will probably be at least $23K. So, the power seats are definitely out of reach, although I can see the value in adjusting the tilt of the bottom part of the seat. I'm experimenting with various seat cushions, but if that doesn't work, I think I will sell the Prius and get the 2016 Civic, which in the long run will be cheaper even though the MPG is not as good.

I wish manufacturers focused more on seat comfort and lowering the price of cars. Compared to electronics, where everything gets cheaper and better with each year, the price of cars remains too high for what they are--a simple means of conveyance.

 

welcome! you can already find this info from the vegas show threads, and other gen IV threads.