What I don't like about the 2016 Prius

That's a goose, no?

 

The new Prius butt reminds of Walt White Aztec


iPhone ?

 

I was going to say that's completely unfair, the Aztek being the most horrific monstrosity offered by any American manufacturer in my lifetime. But yeah, while the overall effect doesn't approach even the infamous c.1975 Datsun F10 (aka Astro Boy's Jeep, mentioned here only for pure hideousness), much less Pontiac's abomination, in isolation the tail treatment's Prius-typical but higher-looking split window does bear a slight resemblance:

Though to be honest, the Gen3 probably looked even more like the Aztek:

Even so, dang, now I'm not going to be able to unsee that [sigh].

 

Yeah I'm going to say the older Priuses look more like the Aztek.

 

I have a Gen II 2008 Prius. A friend of mine just got a Gen IV a couple weeks ago which I've seen but haven't driven. And I've rented a Gen III for a few days. So I have up close experience with those models (but not the original trunk Prius). I can't believe how ugly the Prius is getting with each new generation. Did they fire the designers who made the Gen II? That one was such a step up from the original design and honestly I can't find much to fault with it design-wise.

I know some will disagree, but I love the Gen II exterior styling because it looks friendly (but not goofy) and well-balanced. I think it might go down as one of the most distinctive and classic car designs of the early 21st century. I really like that the interior is minimalistic yet highly functional (bonus points for being able to make the dash completely dark at night). Everything fits and flows nicely. The only thing I wish the Gen II had was improved visual information on the dash to help with getting better gas mileage (live accel / braking feedback) like the Gen III has.

To me, the Gen III dash was littered with too many buttons (though some of them were welcome). And what was with that weird LED "spotlight" on the shifter? (that was SO annoying at night) The center console area was also not nearly as functional as Gen II... there was no logical reason for the shifter to be so front-and-center with that huge divider. And the exterior design started to look aggressive and slightly weird. Overall though, not a bad upgrade and still a good looking car.

Now with the Gen IV it seems like they have gone back to a somewhat more minimalist interior design which I like, but I'm not so much of a fan of the way they went about it (too shiny and spaceship-like). My friend says the interior reminds him of a Storm Trooper suit and it looks like it might scratch easily. Plus, BLUE LED backlight on the dash. Why did Toyota jump on that train? Blue LEDs are the worst for visual acuity and contrast. Green was nice. Plus with all the technology that exists today, why can't manufacturers build in a way to change the LED color? It should be easy to make it able to switch between blue, green, and amber (if christmas lights can do it...).

Last but not least the Gen IV exterior looks downright MEAN, ANGRY, and UGLY (this was the first thing my friend pointed out, with disappointment, when he showed me his...) On one hand it looks really nice when viewed straight from the side profile, but viewed head-on the front and rear just look unbalanced with the wrong visual "weight" to some elements.

And the new Prius Prime? GROSSSS.

I'm curious, what do people actually LIKE about the Gen IV design?

(EDIT: To be fair, I could make similar criticisms about MANY 2016 car designs. I'm not sure what has happened, but it seems like there's some sort of unwritten rule to make new cars look as weird as possible, with confusing dashboards, shiny instead of matte plastic, lots of chrome on everything, etc. Even some of the trucks suffer from this now... it's like you can't even buy a tough, functional, utilitarian truck anymore.)

 

The technology under the skin.

 

one mans trash is another mans treasure.

 

Actually I think that gen1 and gen2 were quite not my thing, gen3 (that I own) passable but looking old and gen4 really good looking.
This, net of the powertrain.
There are so many non Toyota ugly cars out there. And so many super good looking cars too.
The beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, doesn't it?

Ps: as for the led for the shift lever, to be honest with you I never really noticed it. It is so dim, I only noticed it when I actually needed its light.

 

i like it, not sure why it bothers people. but some have put a piece of tape on it.

 

I agree. The first picture I saw of the G4 Prius rear, that was my impression as well.

Someone pointed out that the new Prius will be more attractive in some colors that others. I haven't seen enough colors to say that I agree, but the dealer had a black one, and the color seemed to mute some of the "discordant" (IMHO) panels and shapes. Living in the western desert, I would never consider a black vehicle, but that black one looked sharp.

 

It has been interesting to read the comments about gen-4 styling. Nothing has been said yet that differs from gen-3 comments. The pattern is matching up really well. History tends to repeat. Some are ready for change. Some don't see a need for it.

Good or bad. Like it or not. That's just the way things are.

 

Good point. That may explain why I'm fine with the styling: mine is dark blue.

 

Ahh yes tape. It has so many uses for the car interior and dashboard! In a famous episode on "Car Talk", a red "engine warning" light was annoying a young woman on a long high-speed road trip. Her solution was just to cover it with a piece of black plastic tape and keep going. She made it home OK, but the engine blew when her Father was driving it the next morning. When he asked her if she had noticed anything wrong with the car during her trip, she innocently responded, "Why no, nothing Dad." Her guilty conscience had gnawed at her ever since, so she was calling to ask what she should do. They phoned her Dad, who, of course, had figured it out long ago.

I liked that LED in my Gen 3.

 

well, as you said, it's more for newbies to determine, than us 3 percenters.

 

I could use another one of those LED spotlights, on the third gen driver's door armrest. Or something, some better internal lights on the button. Once in a while, at night, need to unlock the door so someone can get in. So yeah: where's the button??

 

My guess is that there is a direct correlation between those who think the Gen 4 is ugly, and those that think the erstwhile Dodge Dart sheet metal was a thing of beauty.

Toyota wasn't designing for first impressions, but rather for posterity. This car just become more and more beautiful over time.

 

I really like Toyota Prime plug-in looks, especially back. I hope Gen4 get it, too.

 

Whatever it is, I just can't see how this repeated discussion revolving around Gen 4 looks can benefit sales. What most people don't realise is that most of these opinions are coming from loyal Toyota customers - either Gen 2 or Gen 3 owners. Try reading general motoring media and especially readers comments for a wider general opinion and I can tell you it is far worse.

Just for comparison, imagine Toyota was able to bring the NS4 to production, I am quite certain most of us in this forum will have very little to complain about. So basically it is about lost opportunity. What was Toyota thinking when they opted for a polarising design, was it to increase market share?

 

I do agree that the Prius Prime is not good looking.

I didn't like the G1 Prius, I do like the G2 Prius, I hate the G3 Prius, I LOVE the G4 Prius. Mostly because the lines are sharper. For some reason, I like when cars look angry. I love the LED headlights and taillights too.

Some people love the G4. Some people hate it.