Neither is actually a double wishbone. Here's the Mk5 Golf rear suspension (same basic design on the Mk7 Golf depicted): And here's the Gen 4 rear suspension:
does anyone have a drawing of the prime similar to this? i would like to see where the wasted space is. i suspect the prime would have to 'heighten' to fit a battery below.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Not exactly like it, but here's your wasted space: See the dip on the front of the fuel tank (where the Liftback's battery goes)? The battery could have gone under the passenger seat, and you would've been able to relocate the fuel tank. And, because the fuel tank can be an irregular shape, it can dip down into some of the area where the suspension is.
AFAIK, the charger's in the empty space above the fuel tank (but it could have been put elsewhere, and still be close to the battery, IMO!) They also use that space for a small NiMH buffer battery for the solar panel in Japan. Why that isn't just directly charging the main battery, I have no idea.
Yeah, I hate that they didn't tuck the battery under the rear seat. In addition to the charger and the (extremely odd) solar buffer battery, they have the jack under the rear seat. The charger and jack could be relocated, and the buffer battery makes no sense to me. I'm thinking another part of this is commonality with the lift-back. They may have wanted to use the same gas tank design and location with both and that further messed up the battery location. E-Four could have prevented it from moving further back as well.
i believe this goes back to the prime being an afterthought, because toyota still considers the lift back to be the prime mover. they haven't received the plug in memo yet.
No, it goes back to saving money. If the Prime can reuse as many parts (or share as many parts) with the Liftback as possible, it can take advantage of the economies of scale and keep the price down.
And reusing parts at the expense of the usability of the car arguably makes it an afterthought, potentially even a bit... compliancey.
Here's my list which most of you will know.... 5 Seats. Flatter storage bed. 30 miles EV EPA. Solar Option availability. Smaller gas tank if needed (ie, now we have to list what is ok, who in the world though 4 seats was the way to go......) Innovative tablet design (ie, an app to mirror your smart device wirelessly so you can control it via touch...call it car mode or whatever). - or Apple/Android Car/Auto. An optional 7 seater plugin using a slightly larger Prius V platform With sliding doors...
I vote no to a smaller gas tank. In my case, I commute over 100 miles round trip every day. I want to cut down the trips to the gas station. A smaller tank will force fill ups more often. I'm currently filling up once or twice a week. Not too thrilled with that especially in bad winter weather.
Let you load iPhone or Android apps to screen...so apps like Wazes can be used..now that is integration including usb ports by the middle of the dash for phones etc. SAMSUNG-SM-G891A ?
They could have got the v s price down if they would have primed it instead and I bet it would have still seated 5
Why is are they so late on Apple Car Play? It's because of Toyota's strict data privacy guidelines and adherence to NHTSA's distracted driver guidelines. In addition, full leather seats aren't gonna be provided from the Toyota factory for Prius period. It's gonna be Softex as it is more eco-friendly.
Unloading the Prius Prime Plus (lowest trim,) it really needs a light in the hatch area. It really is a 'black hole.' Bob Wilson
