Prime drive coming - Portland, OR (Impressions inside)

Great write up and thanks for the pics!!

Does anyone know the reason for the curved glass on the rear hatch? Aerodynamics or just for styling? Would be obviously very expensive to replace if needed I would think..plus I wonder if the curved glass distorts your vision out the rear like those carnival mirrors that make you look stretched or short and fat?? Lol!

And yeah, seems strange that the Prime Rep doesn't even know when they will actually get released..

 

Why so much concern on only having 4 seats? I have seen most Prius being driven with two peps and rarely anyone in the back seats.

 

Thank you for the write up and your impressions.
I am looking forward to its release. Even though I just bought a Gen 4 Prius, I might be inclined to pick up a Prime as well being a two car family.

 

Same here!!

We are currently house hunting, and if we find a place that is EV friendly then when my wife's lease expires on her 2014 v (half way there) we will seriously consider a Prime!!

It would cover her 8-9 mile commute both ways in EV and that is pretty cool!

 

Right and once the 16 and 17 regular Prius starts getting totaled, there will be 3-person rear seats available used to swap in


iPhone ?

 

I guess we will have to wait until someone buys one and removes the seat to take photo for us. I'm sure someone industrious enough could relocate the charger if it was that important to him/her don't know about structural things though.

 

agreed, news to me too, and welcome. i wonder if @Prius Team can confirm.

 

I'm not sure this has been said already elsewhere on PC. Also, the following is based on incomplete data from Europe (only the "kentekengewicht" for the Netherlands (the car without the driver and gasoline)is known: 3218 lb (1460 kg). I added 264 lb (120 kg) to get the estimated "empty weight" (see below).

Here, the gen 4 Prius including the driver and his luggage (only accounted for 165 lb (75 kg)), and a 90 % full gasoline tank weighs 3240 lb (1470 kg) (called empty weight). The payload is 705 lb (320 kg) and corresponds to 4 light passengers and a bit of luggage. This is often criticized as too little.

Still in Europe, the "empty weight" of the Prime can be estimated to be 3483 lb (1580 kg), or 242.50 lb (110 kg) heavier. Without structural changes to the suspension, its payload would be reduced to only 463 lb (210 kg).

I read that Toyota indeed changed the suspension, probably to adjust the payload for 3 passengers and their luggage.

It was probably too difficult to do better, also considering that the solar roof and its battery + electronics available in Europe and Japan add additional weight.

I believe this is the reason why we will not see a 5-seat Prime soon. Only weight gains for the battery could provide a possibility.

Jan

 

supposedly, we will. maybe not in europe, idk.

 

Because many expect 5 seats in a midsize car, and 4 seats was often sited as a con for the first gen Volt.

 

That is quite misleading. Criticism about not having a 5th seat faded away by year 3. Focus shifted to comfort instead... leg & head room.

Ironically, the 5th seat GM delivered offers no leg room whatsoever.

 

it's only current prius owners who care about the 5th seat, because they don't want to lose more of what they had due to toyota's decontenting habits.
but for new buyers? you won't miss what you never had.

 

But is still a fifth seat, and if it was no longer a big deal, GM could have easily scrapped it for a little more weight savings.

While the new Volt's fifth seat will not work as regular seat, it is still a flat bench that allows easier loading of cargo into the rear seat, and is more comfortable for pets.

As long as they are coming from a subcompact like the Spark with 4 seats or Corvette with just two.

 

Less comfortable for humans is not a good tradeoff.

Dropping the seats for a pet is the usual approach anyway.

 

Does the prime rear seat console not fold up into the seat back?

I don't know about your pets but my dogs sleep in the craziest positions. I don't think that console would have any pet comfort issues. I can see using it to holdr a water or food bowl on a long trip.