Gen 4 in-cabin storage options

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There are at least 2 threads where posters have done exactly that-- one with a full size spare, and another with a space saver, I think.

With good pictures. They did excellent work.

The white screw broke when I attempted to remove it, but apart from the blow to my ego for not being able to get it out in one piece, is not something that will be missed.

There is a second more important fastener in back that holds in the hinge, and that popped right out with no issue.

 

Here is a link to a useful thread. Compact Spare for Two Eco | Page 8 | PriusChat
I have done two conversions, the first one with some extra sound insulation the second one without. I haven't noticed a difference in the noise levels between the two. The white screws are just press on friction catches so the more they are used the less effective they are.

 

Gently pull up on the foam and maintain pressure. The fastener can be un-screwed. It will ratchet back if you let go.

jp

 

I can't believe I'm doing this but here you go:

Stuff that goes in my Gen 4's glovebox at the moment. At upper left is the headlamp I will use to replace the D cell Maglite below it, I did not put the headlamp into the glovebox for these photos because it's "either-or". The transparent envelope contains helpful hints for driving the Prius in snow. The case at upper right holds registration, insurance cards, towing card, tire warranties, etc.


Step 1:


Step 2:


Step 3: There's room for more but I'm not going to cram stuff in.



Step 4:


Is everybody happy now?

MERGED

OK, so here is my individual non-group-think opinion. Personally I don't have a problem with what Toyota did with the EPA ratings. When I bought my Gen 4, I figured that the ECO certainly would not give lower MPG in my hands than the basic Model 2 would, and might do a bit better. So I figured it was worth gambling the extra $500 in MSRP. Plus having the Li-ion battery seemed like it might be a step forward. I realize now that at least some of the difference was due to Toyota slipping the ECO into a lower weight class and therefore getting it a higher rating. But I don't care: I always expected to do better than EPA (as I have done in each of the three cars I previously owned over the past 10 years) thanks to "driving efficiently". And I'm doing wildly better than EPA with my Gen 4 Model Two ECO: first tank at 69.0 mpg on the MFD (66.9 corrected), and I'm 3/4 of the way through the second tank and the MFD is showing 71.6. And it's not even summer yet! So Toyota legally fiddling with the ECO's EPA ratings doesn't bother me.

As for grouping the Two, Three, and Four levels together and giving them one rating, that doesn't affect me directly. But it seems to me that MPG was less of a priority for the people who bought the higher level models. All the extra features were more of a concern to these folks. And the extra weight (and the 17" tires for the Touring versions) reduces MPG, that's just the way life is. How large is the difference? I'd have to drive a Model Three or Four to know how different their MPG potential might be (or better yet, have somebody like Wayne Gerdes assess them!).

I can't help thinking about all the handwringing here about 5 years ago with the Gen 3 over whether to get 17" wheels or not, whether they could lower the car and thereby reduce air resistance enough to compensate for the greater frontal area of the 17's. I don't recall that they were even thinking about greater rotational inertia and rolling resistance of the 17's. And now 5 years later we still have people, some of whom were members of PriusChat 5 years ago, who are surprised that the Touring models' 17" wheels might cost MPG?

I wonder whether there isn't less willingness (or awareness) to "drive efficiently" if one owns a higher level model? That could account for some of the differences in MPG people are getting.

Would sales of the Three and Four have suffered if they had been given lower EPA ratings? Probably, but I don't know how much. And a difference of just a few MPG might have had a disproportionate effect on sales, something I'm sure Toyota weighed.

Realistically, if someone is not happy with the MPG they are getting there are three options: (1) change how they are driving, since that can easily have a large effect, (2) accept it (with or without a lot of complaining here), or (3) sell the car.

 

Good photos, John. I placed my owners manuals just as you have them in the picture, and the door wasn't able to close. Two grown men couldn't get it to work! Plus, you got a Maglite laying behind the books?? Impossible in my Three model.

How strange. Could my Three glove box be smaller than your Two? Something is fishy in Denmark...

 

Leave the manuals behind, trust in your cell connection, google and youtube.

Why don't they just build the manuals into a flash drive in the car, let you read them from the console ?
Part of maintenance, could include updating the manual. It is 2016.

 

Thanks Jp. I just put the manuals in my plastic storage box, in the hatchback area. (And all that "flash drive" stuff is way over my "electronically challenged" head. )

 

Hey ! You've got a shiny dash. Good thing you were wearing clothes !

 

Good thought! Why don't you go to your dealer and compare glove boxes for the different models? Possibly yet another reason to choose the Model Two's over the Three and Four.

A seatback pocket makes a handy alternate spot for the manuals if one of the pockets is not in use.

Not in Northern Maine or many parts of Vermont and New Hampshire, thanks!

Yes, I already suggested that Toyota just load them into Entune so they could be viewed on the dash. Probably nobody from Toyota reads this site (if they did, by now their brains would be fried). Now, thinking about that USB port in the center divider between the seats, maybe I'll try putting the pdf (17.5mb) of the Owner's Manual that I downloaded from Toyota onto a flash drive, plug it in there, and see what happens.

[LATER EDIT] Nothing happens. Entune "sees" the flash drive but doesn't see any files it can use. Oh well, it was a long shot. Maybe if I converted it into an audio file Siri would sing the manual to me?

Normally I don't wear clothes, I donned them in honor of the occasion and to avoid frightening you. I wiped off the dash just before the shots. Usually it is liberally coated with dog hair because those !@#$%& nasty horrible sneaky people at Toyota made the dash out of a highly electrostatic plastic just to torture us! AAGH, I can't stand it any more!!

 

With respect to the manuals, I keep the quick reference guides in the glove box and the full manuals in the rear. I have also downloaded the PDF's of everything and have them stored on my computers, phone, and tablet. Find a good PDF reader for your electronic devices; learn its options, and then you can use it. I use iBooks (Prius docs are in a Prius Collection), but you can use Kindle apps (or a Kindle itself), or other Adobe or third-party apps.

 

I'm trying to use every possible nook and cranny to store stuff in my new Four. I'm coming from a Gen II and had plenty of storage. Now I feel like I'm back in my old Chevy Volt. But even the Volt had larger door storage compartments. The Gen 4 door storage really should have been made larger, and should have extended the length of the door. I think Toyota went overboard on trying to make a stylish interior, at the expense of practicality.

Anyway, I too removed the foam from the below the trunk lid and will somehow re-do it to accommodate the space saver spare I ordered. I plan on putting some, but not all of the foam back. I tend to carry a lot of backup equipment (I'm an entertainer) and hide it below the lid. Mainly a small power amp and a PA mixer and some wires. It all fit nicely in the Gen II. I also store a folded carpet, that I use to cover the entire storage area when the seats folded.

I also made a cover for the phone charger in the console (in matching white). I'll never use the charger, and I felt it's a perfect place to store small items. I place my cell phone on the top of the lid while traveling. Easy to see and easy to get to.

 

Thank you for mirroring my comments Danny. A certain person on this site was trying to make me out the consummate fool when I commented that Toyota didn't do us any favors with storage in the Gen 4. I too have a Gen 2 that I'm probably going to keep and if I can, sell my Gen 4. It's a huge disappointment to me overall...seats, fake leather, storage, ridiculously limited voice commands, unrealistic fuel economy, lack of a spare, cheap white plastic and just-as-cheap shiny black plastic screen/surround looking like an 80's video game! This one individual will probably attempt to cast you as a pariah too because you dared disagree with the prius-apologists who would stifle opinions and evaluations contrary to their own. I posted my comments in an attempt to help others who might be trying to decide on if/when/what level of Gen 4 to purchase. Some said I should have looked before I lept with the purchase, but there were zero Gen 3's or 4's anywhere here in western NYS when I inquired and subsequently placed my order (because that was about the only way I would get to see one, I was told). There still are no Gen 4 Four Tourings anywhere near here. I bought the only Four Touring that showed up at nine different dealerships. Based on my 2006, I actually bought into the hype and misleading claims here and elsewhere. My posts have merely been an attempt to provide others a fair and balanced glimpse of Gen 4 Four Touring and its significant limitations. Thank you for your post.

 

I can't say I feel the same way as you about the Gen 4. I really like the car, except for 3 things.... 1. The way it looks when viewing from the rear (although this is very subjective 2. The lack of storage, in the cabin and in the hatch area (miss those 2 small compartments on each side there and 3. The sound of the speakers (also very subjective).

Other than that, it's way nicer to drive than my Gen II, which I still have. The Gen 4 is closer to my Volt. Smooth and quiet. OK, not as smooth and quiet as the Volt, but the Volt had other issues, cramped interior, general flimsy feeling plastic parts, longevity (I had a major drivetrain component fail at about 20k miles. My Gen II with 226k on it is still like a new car!

So, don't pack it in yet. I don't know how long you have it, but maybe it'll grow on you. Either that, or I haven't had my long enough to dislike it. I have it for a total of 4 days, and have about 450 miles on the odometer.

I'm dealing with the storage issues, and will cut the coroplast out to fit the spare in, and maybe cut a bit more for more storage. The problem cutting the foam is that you need to leave enough to support a heavy load, so the lid doesn't crack.

I also made a nice little storage area where the phone charger is, and now also have a place to rest my cell phone. The lid (see photo) hinges from the front and is working out great.

 

Maybe reinforce the lid somehow, with something thin?

 

Yes, I suppose that will work. The lid I made for the phone charger compartment in my last post, is made from thin plywood. Very thin, at about 1/8" or so. I guess that will work. What I can easily do, is to fill the void in the spare tire with stuff needing to be stored. If it's high enough, which it probably will be considering all that I need to store, it should provide enough support. I'm just glad Toyota decided to include the tire hold-down assembly. Without that it would have been hard to secure the tire, without drilling into the base of the compartment.

 

For when you're wearing short-sleeve shirts.

 

dirty boy

 

I have been looking for a plastic rectangular container that can fit atop the wireless charger slot to hold small items. The idea is to modify said container by attaching/gluing two parallel plastic inserts on the bottom of the holder so that it could be seated in the Qi charger, with or without smartphone. Securing the holder could be done with velcro strips.