Suggested Improvements for Gen-5 Prius

Screw adding that in Gen 5, I want that in a Gen 4 mid-cycle refresh. It'd be trivial to do - either slide the visor or have an extension in it - and then I could buy the parts and put them on my Gen 4.

(Of course, on my Miata, I completely removed the visors - I'm 6'1", a Miata is tiny, and the visors actually blocked my forward vision a bit, when folded up. The top was already covering where I'd put visors.)

 

Sorry. I did not see this thread before starting another on the same topic. I will post my wish list here:

I know Gen 5 is two to three years away. But here goes.

Here's by wish list:

--Quieter Cabin- Less road noise and wind noise.
--Cut the BS with the fragile windshields.
--iPhone/iOS integration. Alternatively, wow me with a system that's worthy of 2020.
--Significant improvements in self-driving/autonomous driving technology. Once cell towers wth 5G are installed (and they should be almost everywhere by 2020, we should see major improvements in autonomous vehicles.)
--Ability to open the hatchback from inside the car. It's ridiculous that's not possible in my Prius Three.
--Respect for my privacy. No information from my car should ever by recorded. No information/images/recordings should ever be sent to Toyota or anybody else or any company without my explicit permission separate and apart from the sales contract.

 

Free piston engine followed by a Sterling engine combined with aesthetics that no one understands.

 

I'm not sure if any of these other than the iPhone/iOS will happen.

I suspect that TOYOTA will join the push for pure EVs rather than much further development of the Hybrid concept, though almost certainly they'll keep PRIUS going for at least another Generation.

For the price, Gen 4 is a fairly quiet car anyway, and I don't think there really have been many issues with windscreens - windscreens break no matter what car you drive. PRIUS will adopt autonomous driving at the same time as other cars of the same budget level do, pressured by the market. And I don't understand why you'd want to open the hatchback from inside - I'd find that really awkward.

The last issue, Privacy - every car these days keeps extensive data, which can be used for warranty or servicing purposes. I'm not even sure that there could be some legislative requirement to do so. You talk about autonomous driving technology once 5G towers are installed - we'll know about the lack of privacy once that starts. The legislature will keep very careful track of our movement data once Manufacturers start seeing law-suits come in related to the actions of their self-driving cars, to ascertain which car was in the right, whether the "driver" intervened or not etc.

 

I've thought about that, I mean: every previous car we had was a sedan with trunk (except for our first 81 Civic) and as far as I can remember there was always a hatch release inside the cabin.

But then I think, when would I want to do that, release the hatch? If someone's hopping out and needs to get something from the hatch it'd be handy (but not mandatory), or if you've got a valet loading your luggage or groceries, something like that. But almost invariably, if I want the hatch open, it's because I want to get something out, and it's fairly easy to just open it when I'm back there.

And on the flipside:

1. An internal release is just one more gizmo to go bad.

2. I would not want to accidentally release the hatch while driving.

 

As long as I'm in, what I'd like in 5th gen:

1. Dash displays in front of the driver (not in the middle of dash).
2. Ergonomic/tactile manual controls for vital heat/vent controls (that can be used without taking eyes off the road)
3. Reinstatement of 3rd gen level of storage, ie: two glove boxes, under hatch floor tray.
4. Spare tire on all levels.
5. Neutral-grey, textured soft-touch dash and trim, no gloss-black (or white).
6. At least one decently appointed level without the Darth Vader screen, nada, just manual controls.
7. Phone charge bay just an option.

 

They already have. Prime is a full EV in every respect. Efficiency, Power, Heating, Cooling, Charging... Now they are heading down the path of lowering cost and increasing capacity on a larger scale.

Solid-State battery technology is the solution they're investing heavily in. That level of EV advancement is what the entire industry yearns for. None have anything resembling such a paradigm shift... yet.

In the meantime, continued improvement with the EV technology deployed in Prime and Mirai helps advance the overall electrification effort.

 

alanclarkeau,

--I will never accept the persistent violation of my privacy as normal and acceptable. For over 100 years what you did in your car was nobody's business. Nothing was tracked. And society survived. Suddenly, companies act as if they're entitled to all your personal information and tracking all your movements.

There's a reason why the HIPAA law was passed to protect your medical information and privacy. The same must be done for personal tech... Apple, Google, auto manufacturers, etc, are out of control. They need to stop compiling information. Look at this mess with Equifax and umpteen other companies.

--Up until the Prius I never owned a car that didn't allow you to unlock your trunk/hatch from the driver's seat. Why wouldn't you want that convenience? There are countless scenarios where that comes in handy. Say you're dropping off your kids at a football game. It has started to rain. His hands are full and needs to grab something from the back. You unlock from the driver's seat. He opens the already unlocked hatch and grabs his spikes. Quick and easy.

--I didn't say the Prius was loud. But it's not in the quiet "category." I'd gladly give up 1-2 MPG for a 25 percent or greater noise reduction.

--I certainly hope that the Prius does not become an all electric car.

The Tesla Model 3, for example, which starts at $35,000 has a range of 220 miles. The flagship Model S costs about $80,000 to $100,000.

The Chevy Bolt EV, which Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak famously bought this year, has an "estimated range of 238 miles." It starts at $37,495, before a tax credit.

My Prius gets 600 miles on one tank of gas. So I hope Toyota will keep developing and improving the Prius as a hybrid.

--I'm not necessarily looking for the Prius to become fully autonomous (although I would like that.)

It was very convenient to go on a three-hour drive through NYS this summer and to use the adaptive cruise control- so nice not to have to keep pressing on the accelerator and the brake for hours. Nevertheless, the automatic acceleration and braking was a bit rough. I'm sure it will improve.

It gave a glimpse of the convenience of autonomous driving. Even if Toyota doesn't go all the way, I'd like to see them heading in that direction.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said this summer that in ten years, 100 percent of cars sold will be fully capable of self-driving. He added that in 20 years cars will not have a steering wheel!

 

Nevertheless, the Prime is a hybrid. You can choose EV mode.

 

The big thing is... how long do you go between stops when traveling? Most people don't go 600 miles between stops, they go much less than that. If you're doing overnight stops and dining stops, you may not even have to make special stops to charge in an EV with sufficiently fast DC fast charging (right now, that's Tesla, and the long range packs are desirable for that).

And, by the time the Gen 5 comes out, there'll be a lot more EV infrastructure to make all of that even more true (and provide options for charging for apartment dwellers like me). And, batteries and their integration will be cheaper.

 

The major difference being ≤10 minute to tank up with gas and ≤25 minutes to charge up to 80%

 

I have driven a Prius since 2008 and the only one time I wished I could open the hatch from inside was when I was crossing a state border and the inspector wanted me to open the "trunk". I had to get out to accommodate them.

 

I like the idea of the traditional oil filter also.

 

I have come from a EV and I am much happier with the Prius.

As I do so few miles I only charged once a week on my home charge point, but while it was fun, having to think and plan certain journeys could get a bit tiresome. Being able to just get in the car and go whenever and wherever I like was amazing.

I sometimes forget I am in ICE car as I have to fuel up so rarely

 

Adding sliding visors is the only real complaint I have after 27,000 miles in 13 months on my 2016 Prius Three. It's annoying to not be able to block sunlight from the left side. It's a great car that exceeds everything I had hoped when replacing a Pontiac Vibe, except the vertical distance of the hatch is smaller. A small trade-off.

 

My two cents worth: (in no particular order)
1. Oil Filter - relocate to be owner friendly (access from top instead of bottom)
2. Front Cup Holders - side by side instead of front to back
3. Ease of Entry - I am a bit "old" getting in and out is a bit difficult. I also suspect that the material of the left edge of the drivers seat will wear quickly as I rub hard against it getting in the car.
4. Provide a Verbose / Normal / Minimal mode - for the Cruise Control. I consider the current implementation Verbose. I consider it an annoyance when the display keeps changing just because a car is detected / no longer detected when there is NO change to the speed of the car.
5. Front parking assist camera looking downward to reduce hitting those darn concrete bumpers and sidewalks in some parking lots.
6. An easy test mode for the Grill Shutter - Remember when there were hidden headlights? Remember all the problems? A maintenance mode would be a nice verification mechanism.
7. Improve the basic radio programming options and performance. I travel to multiple cities and in my Gen 2 I could at least program two sets of channels. I would like three or more sets. A very large number of channels in a single set is probably not to useful for anyone. This is a software only fix. Also the lag time from hitting the button on the steering wheel until the radio channel changes is too long. It is sort of like the first generation Android phones.

 

Toyota really needs to fix their Gen 4 notification system with a required safety update for current vehicles. The pop up only system is a safety distraction. People get desensitized and start ignoring urgent warnings.
They could easily adjust their screens to have a small notification area at the top for non-critical notifications. Reserve the full screen notification for urgent safety alerts.