Photo Essay and Mini Review of New 2017 Prius Prime

Link not working, I think this is the source

brief article, but it took 3 pages to get their click quota I guess. They spent 2 days with the car and promised a more in-depth review, soon.

 

thanks for that. does toyo really see it competing with the volt?

 

Commentary about Prius Prime competing with Volt will be plentiful.

The "leap frog" with sales never happened and advantage of hard-acceleration has been lost. So regardless of past greenwashing efforts, those quantifiable points cannot be avoided. It's a new game now, especially with the increased battery capacity. I've heard several reviews now downplaying the 13-hour recharge time using level-1 shouldn't be a concern, since the entire EV range will rarely be used for daily driving anyway. Not having any type of night-life is a hard sell. People drive to places other than work. People stay out late in the evening. People want to use all of what they paid for. All that, combined with the taller seating in back makes Prius Prime worthy of comparisons.

I suspect the much higher MPG following depletion will be a big draw for those who drive longer distances routinely. There's also the dual-wave window, an obvious standout feature for those not wanting an ordinary look. GM intentionally toned down Volt's visual points to make it blend into the crowd of mainstream vehicles. Was that a good idea... especially now that we're seeing more an more vehicles with distinct LED lighting? There's much to speculate about.

My guess is the aggressive pricing for Prius Prime along with the option of luxury goodies, like the huge screen, will result in a number of Volt conquests.

Remember, there's only a limited amount of tax-credits available. Toyota has many to offer for Prius Prime. GM has fewer and wants to dedicate as many as possible to Bolt for beating Tesla with Model 3. That will very likely keep sales expectations for Volt quite low.

 

yes, but has anyone from toyota commented? besides yourself of course.

 

Comments like this have been written in reviews: "Toyota officials are quick to point out that the Prius Prime will sell for significantly less than the Volt."

There's also the agreement Toyota signed with ChargePoint. Details haven't been shared yet, but they are obviously pushing to give Prius Prime an edge when out & about.

 

Drive Mode.

No one seems to have noticed this new button yet. All we've heard is just brief mention of its existence. It could be the "killer app" feature, giving Prius Prime an edge that Volt simply doesn't have a way of competing with.

The hope is that button will provide the ability to replenish EV capacity while you drive. The penalty of recharging on-the-fly by consuming gas is obvious; it reduces MPG. But we know Prius Prime will be more efficient than Volt once the battery is depleted. The impression given is that it will have a 10 MPG advantage. So, that penalty won't be much of an impact. When you complete your "drive mode" driving, you'll have EV available.

For me, I routinely take longer drives. Visits to friends & family easily exceed the EV capacity Volt offers. There would be ample opportunity to replenish EV. Heck, I modestly achieve that now by "stacking". But rather than having to push the EV/HV button to designate recharges while braking to be allocated to EV miles, it would be automatic and on-going. Saving electricity generated while you cruise, rather than using immediately for better HV efficiency, allows you to take advantage of EV opportunity later.

In other words, we get more than just a hold mode. The resulting overall MPG could be quite impressive. Yeah!

 

I want one now. Why is it taking so long?

 

Sad. That Facebook link doesn't work for me...

The page you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may be broken or expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.

 

rear hatch carbon fibre/double bubble window. new materials and techniques taking longer to mass produce than expected. but late this year is pretty much what they've said all along.

 

That is like telling me to go to my room and eat my peas.

 

Yes. Sweet!

 

So, what does this mean? Does the top 3/4 or so of the battery indicator represent EV mode available and the bottom represent only hybrid mode available? Or is it just that below that line the gas engine will kick on at less than 100% of throttle position? Something else?