PriusChat's 2016 Toyota Prius First Drive Video Review

Danny,

Thanks very much for the video and all your work in presenting so much information on PC. I learned a lot I was curious about and was very impressesed by the job you did introducing the car. It was worth the wait.

Did you find out anything about the 2nd Gen PIP?

Alan

 

One comment you made about the traffic aware cruise control (TACC)- Model S Tesla has it too. You can engage TACC in stop and go traffic at very low speeds - 5 mph or so, and it will lock in at 18 mph, but slow down to a complete stop and restart on its own if necessary. Sounds like a lot of the autopilot features of the Teslas are now going to be available in the Gen IV.

 

Thanks for the review. You certainly did a great job answering our questions.

 

Details on the differences between the regular 54city, 50hwy regular Prius and the 58city, 53highway eco Prius? And those numbers are Toyota estimates I'm sure but usually man. estimates are very close to EPA. Slightly disappointed in only 1MPG improvement in highway but the Eco isn't a bad improvement. Curious if any drivetrain changes for the Eco vs regular beyond maybe lithium ion.. instead of NiMH.
--Hmm eco-windshield, no rear wiper, no spare tire (may be forgetting something)? Not enough to account for city MPG increase imo
Prius Eco 58 MPG vs Prius 54 MPG - What's the difference? | Page 2 | PriusChat

Is the possibility of an AWD Prius busted?

Hopefully the 5th gen Prius will have an HCCI engine, which should be a bit more efficient than Atkinson cycle, though more sensors.

EDIT: Since the acceleration is about the same you say, then I guess the articles of the past saying the 2016 Prius is expected to be 20% lighter, which was a long shot, isn't true. Maybe a few 100 pounds lighter?

7:30 into the part 2 of the Prius Walkthrough: thermal efficiency. I guess they didn't go with the turbo Atkinson cycle engine, which was 'concept 2' Toyota was mentioned in a Greencarcongress article back in 2011. But instead just concept 1; direct injected Atkinson with a longer stroke? Green Car Congress: Toyota targeting thermal efficiency of more than 45% for next-generation gasoline engines for hybrids
8:00 into the part 2 of the Prius walkthrough; 60% structural rigidity improvement; The 2010-2015 Prius, you can get a genuine rear sway bar for it. What about the 2016 Prius? Does it come with one or can you install one?

 

Great review Danny. Most objective one. You do point out the negatives, even persistent ones. Would love to have a roundtable meeting with Toyota and have them list their defenses

I have a bug that is likely to be one most non-Prius loyalists would have. Things like a 30-pound weight loss with no spare. Given some of the huge differences in the driver's weights, I find this an especially weak statement many have made. So if I carry two bowling balls at once, or maybe eat too much fast food, my mileage will suffer. LOL

I doubt I'm the only one not completely blown away by the mpg estimates shown so far. Or the lack of a standard power driver's seat. Homelink mirror should be standard as well. Fully agree with you that the packages are confusing, and it's certainly not limited to the Prius, much less Toyota.

Things I like Very happy to hear that it drives better, rides better, and handles better. Being quieter with a nicer interior certainly helps out as well.

There are things that car buyers tend to expect now. If cars demand higher prices, they need to earn the sale by providing better quality, some luxury features, or a lower price. Cars that don't have power seats? I hope to never have one again. I just fear people look at the price and sigh a bit. Although a January intro is a bad time to do this, maybe pent up demand will take care of sales until spring arrives in the colder climates.

 

The current Prius sucks big time in snow driving I was looking forward to the addition of a AWD Prius for Generation 4 for this reason I won't be buying this new car.I'm sure the Generation 4 will suck in the snow also.Plus the damn thing is uglier than my 2014 Prius I live in the Northeast N.J. where winter can get harsh.

 

It sucks in snow only because of ground clerance, with the right tires it just as good as any FWD car.

 

we don't get any centimeters of snow.

 

Danny, great job on the information you're providing to all of us!

Question for you... I was most disappointed to learn that they've lowered the front seats by 2 inches... Did it feel like getting in and out was more sports-car challenging, or not really that noticeable? Also, you drive a Gen3.. how was the front leg room? Any better in the new one?

Thanks!

 

Great review, enjoyed the video

 

Danny,

Wondering when are we getting our 0-60 timing, 50-70 timing?
Also can you find out weight distribution information for front and rear axles and actual power comparison with Gen 3(using both same version of rating system).

Thanks

 

Hey Danny!

Did you notice that it scrapes coming in/out of driveways?

I can't go anywhere without being afraid of scraping my front bumper!

 

since it's even lower, i suspect the problem will only get worse.

 

I agree that its a problem with the Gen 3 but are we sure that the bottom of the Gen 4 front bumper is lower?
We know that the gen 4 ground clearance is a fraction lower but minimum ground clearance is almost certainly somewhere the front and back wheels and tells us nothing about what the clearances are at the front and back of the car.

 

Danny think I am little disappointed Toyota USA is quoting 27.4-ft3 Cargo space in the first Video. I don't believe we've actually gone from 16-ft3 in Gen2 up to 27.4 ft3 in Gen4. I believe what's happening is we're changing to "EPA Cargo Space" quotation which seems to me bogus or something.

Toyota Japan Gen4: Cargo Space is 502-liters = 17.7 ft3 (no spare tire case). We are quoting the 27.4-ft3 for the same vehicle.

I wish Toyota could break down the Cargo volume for us. They did this for Gen3 roll-out technical video on YouTube, but never totally explained how they shifted to the newer "EPA Cargo Space"
basis.

Why Cargo Specs Can Stretch the Truth

 

That is exactly what I am talking about!

The ground clearance was probably a little lower because of all the panels underneath now... so it doesn't it wouldn't have anything to do with up front.