Question for those who moved gen3 to gen4

So far there is a few things I found after I own a gen 4 for a week:

1. Lag of storage space (really miss the second glove box and the space under the shifter in gen 3)
2. No remote a/c on gen 4.
3. The Windows didn't have the "soft closing" effect on gen 4 as gen 3 have. Seems like the gen 4 window can chop something off when closing (haha just kidding).
4. Overall the materials feel like is cheaper. Example : plastic covered sun visor and hard surface on the interior a & b pillar cover and rear seat belt area vs gen 3 all of them are covered by cloth or softex.
5. No JBL in Canadian market. (Good thing the stock radio still ok in gen 4).
6. Seems like gen 4 do abit more quiet compare to gen 3.
7. Gen 4 seems like avoid using engine as much as possible. For my old gen 3 the engine will start up during the first time in the day no matter what temperature outside is but so far the gen 4 didn't during the week I own.
8. The softex seems like softer compare to my old gen 3.
9. The head room (on the driver seat) feel like a lot more compare to gen 3.
10. Like the led headlights so far, hopefully it won't become yellow and haze as my gen 3 did during the 3 year I own it.

 

Gen 4 is like a totally different car, it has more power, Gen 4 ECO mode is like NORMAL mode on Gen 3, it handles and corners better. There is more height adjustment on the driver's seat, the displays are in colour and there is more info. There are lots more safety features, the cruise control is now adaptive cruise, the headlights are LED as standard, the park assist (where fitted) is much improved and lMO it looks much sleeker and more modern.

 

I come from a 2015 3 which I was overall impressed with, here is what I think:

Improved in 2017(3 touring with lithium ion battery):

• Car handles better, you can go around corners without having your body thrown around as much, high speed cornering is not as scary
• Car has faster acceleration
• The braking has improved
• It feels indistinguishable just about from a normal car now in all driving situations
• Much more comfortable and supportive seats
• On acceleration if you press the gas pedal past the "eco line" on the hybrid system indicator it doesn't immediately turn the engine on, sometimes you can accelerate straight into the pwr area without turning the engine on, even if not in EV mode.(don't know if this is lithium models only or all)
• The TSS-P is standard, so you get DRCC, PCS, lane departure alert, automatic high beams etc. All good stuff.
• Touchscreen is higher quality, the interface is much faster.
• MUCH better mileage, far bigger difference than the EPA numbers indicate. In my 2015 I would get 42mpg if I was driving hard and fast, and approximately 48mpg driving as economically as possible(I have a ton of mountains, lots of extremely poorly timed red lights, speeds of 80mph, etc.). With the 2017 I get 50mpg when I am driving as hard as possible at 80mph, and can exceed 70mpg on 40 mile round trips driving economically on good flat roads. It is substantially improved.
• Steering wheel is perfectly round now, and maybe larger too(I forgot about this one)
• The seats will adjust much higher/lower than before, way more adjustable.
• The little triangle window is useful now, you can actually look through it and it helps visibility(they eliminated the arch thing that blocks a good chunk of it)
• No forced engine warm up if the temperature is at least 80ish F, which is basically every day where I live.
• Can program windows to roll down when you hold the unlock button on the fob
• Way less rattles and noise, on my 2015 I had no less than 6 different things that constantly rattled that took about 6 months to trace and stop with pieces of felt.
• Lots of soft touch plastic, you can press into the plastic on the dashboard and the door, they feel soft to the touch and slightly squishy, the 2015 all the plastics were bone hard and prone to rattles and felt cheap.

Downgraded in 2017

• No under-hatch storage bin
• only 1 glove box
• Much less storage in the front of the car, no bin under the flying buttress, the space has just disappeared somehow
• Backup camera worse at night
• Somehow even LESS rear visibility.
• Rides about 1 inch lower, a lot more likely to scrape
• USB port is now outside the glove box, may be a pro to you, but I plug an iPod into it and then hide it in the console and never touch it again. Everyone who walks past my car knows I have some type of media device plugged in and ripe for the taking.
• No 12 volt on the dash, could get in the way of windshield mount accessories.

Things that were bad and still not corrected:

• Steering wheel still doesn't come out far enough, I would kill for an extra inch.

 

• Steering wheel still doesn't come out far enough, I would kill for an extra inch.

Apart from me, who wouldn't?

 

We purchased a Prime Advanced this week ($28k) (our Gen 3 Prius was destroyed in a head-on collision by a woman driving to the left of the double yellow line) via CostCo and the dealer in Auburn CA. The reviews herein are spot-on. The vehicle is quiet and handles very well. Toyota has done itself proud.

 

Definitely, maybe even two

 

As long as you don't go the whole handful!

 

Traded my 13 for a 17, and still have the 10...

A week and a half in, and I must say that everybody has answered accurately. I would add that the sight lines are very much improved in the G4. You can see the road closer in front of you, and your vision when making a turn is much better. I noticed that a half mile into my test drive. The ride is much better as well. The technology in the G4 amazes me, and the heads up display is worth every penny. Much, MUCH safer to be looking at it on the road in front of you, instead of looking at it in the middle of the car. I have watched that for 7 years and look at it religiously.

I still have a lot to learn about the 17, but I absolutely love it. Oh yeah, the mileage. The best I ever coaxed out of the 10 was 59.9 according to the display, and 57.3 out of the 13. First tank so far in the 17 is 62.6 and that's driving back and forth to work. I also like that the G4 has the setting for your mileage for each trip, with a fresh start every time you start the car, where the 13 told you at the end of your trip, nothing on the 10. My wife wants to challenge me on driving scores.

Driving position, wasn't a fan of it in the G3. My left arm, my elbow would have to sit very uncomfortably on the top of the door when I held the wheel with that hand. The right arm, elbow sat on the center compartment. So the left elbow was high and the right one was low. In the G4, the left arm and elbow sit comfortable on the arm rest, making them both near the same level. Made two trips in the 13 from Ohio to Illinois this year, and it drove me crazy. Can't wait to make a long trip in the 17.

My only cons would be the lack of the upper glove compartment and the storage. That being said, however, I like the bridge being gone. The bridge gave driving that car a kind of a closed in look, like a cockpit. I prefer it being more open. The junk that I had under the bridge was just junk anyway.

 

You dislike the centre bridge because you filled it with junk, lol?

 

Initial reactions after 3 days are
I love the ride
mpg greatly improved
miss the storage space
cup holder is weak
I have difficulty exiting the vehicle

 

full disclosure.. going from a 2011 with 135k miles (and one accident).. to a 2017 with 5 miles on it when i got it, so some differences may be due to wear and tear
Also, I went from a 3 (with solar sun roof) to 4 with advanced technology package
this is my 3rd prius.. i can't imagine having anything else. that said..

pros:

• automatic wipers
• can set climate control to be only in front (when no passengers in back)
• handing is MUCH better - especially on corners
• i love the heads up display
• en tune integration with pandora/slacker/i heart radio
• a bazillion safety bells and whistles
• cruise control will slow you down when it gets too close to car in front
• heated seats
• end of trip mileage report (when i shut off the car if gives me a report on that trip's mileage, air conditioning, etc)
• backup camera is clearer and comes with the "warning.. too damn close line
• power plug in back row (no more long power cables)
• mileage (thus far) is much better
• it feels like i'm sitting higher and have better range of site up front.. but it might be that the automatic seat is set higher

cons:

• less glove box space
• less space under back hatch
• no spare tire (patch kit.. )
• lost solar option (which purportedly cooled car when parked on hot days)

nits (aka first world problems):

• map update is on card (not dvd); but the update is ridiculously overpriced
• entune does not have WAZE/Amazon Music/Android Auto integration
• the qi phone charger isn't very powerful. i'm still better off plugging in my phone
• there's a weird sound (like remote sirens very faint) when decelerating.

 

Has anyone modded a way to get more storage space?

 

There's really thick foam in the spare tire well. If you didn't get a spare you can go nuts on that foam with a jigsaw and add your own storage cubbies (you may get more road noise by doing so). There really isn't any extra room under the front seats. There's a small gap between the wireless phone charger and the plastic under the shifter. You could probably rig a little shelf or net to catch stuff that falls off the charger shelf area

 

Looks like I will just have to learn to go commando.
Baaaahahahahaha

 

My reference points are a 2014 US-spec Two and a 2016 JDM-spec A (similar to a US Three). I admit that in the Gen 3, I'm kinda sucker for the flying buttress center console design and I miss that in the Gen 4. On the flip side, the smaller center console in the 4 does make for an arier-feeling cabin, at least in the models with the white trim pieces, the all-black interior versions still feel claustrophobic. Cabin materials I also found to be a mixed bag - some are clearly nicer on the 4, others were nicer on the 3, although I do believe even the "less nice" 4 materials are still more durable long term. Overall I still find the cabin a pleasant place to be, with generally good ergo (I don't have heated seats with their dumb switch placement). At least in the front - I haven't spent any time in my 4's rear seat. Seat comfort is about the same. Bit more headroom (and height-adjustable seats) do make me happier as a taller dude. I don't care about the missing upper glovebox. The cargo space in the back - can't say I've noticed much difference. I've done airport runs in the 3, and just last weekend I did some flat pack furniture in the 4 - and they all fit everything I needed.

On the driving front - as some other folks pointed out, it's different, and better in the 4. The 4 definitely seems more shy about cranking the ICE, while the 3 would do it if you looked at it cock-eyed. Maybe the 4 is quicker, but real world driving, you got me fooled. The handling is much improved. Where the 3 can sometimes feel like you're driving a school bus, the 4 feels like a normal car. Don't be fooled, it's not a sports car by any means, independent rear or not, you're still very much in a Prius, but it's not bad, and it absorbs road imperfections about on par for the course, too. Could be due to difference in equipment levels (15" and FWD, vs 17" and eAWD) but no real MPG difference between the 3 and the 4 for me.

What is nice about the 4? No head gasket drama.

 

I for one was surprised by the much better MPG. Overall very happy with the purchase.
The other evening my wife drove the car for the first time. Took her forever to get going as she could not see the shift pattern on the shift knob. It's muscle memory for me but this was the first time for her after owning the car 11 months. The Gen 3 I had had the little LED on the headliner that put the shift knob in the spotlight. The 2021 still has the light but does nothing for illuminating the shifter.

 

I upgraded the 2014 PiP to 2017 Prime plus. It was a whole new game. Around double EV range, enough new gauges to bend the mind (so many I still don't get all of them), Basic Entertainment (Stereo) is not to shabby compared to older cars in it's class. 7" screen is good enough and the base (plus trim) has at least a few buttons to push and turn, instead of having it all on the bigger 11" touchscreen.
Ride is A OK for me cause I don't need 17" wheels to look cool or tweak the handling or custom suspension stuff to lift the car or stiffen the ride. All around I'm satisfied with the Prime for the past 4 years and still learning new stuff about how the different driving modes work in all 4 seasons.

 

Maybe the light needs adjusting - mine is clear as daylight.