Featured Comparison Test: 2017 Toyota Prius vs 2017 Hyundai Ioniq

That's me. Funny thing, our 2010 is the first car we've ever had wihout an independent rear suspension, just a solid cross beam, and it feels fine by me. Maybe back-to-back drives with a 4th gen I'd see an improvement, do not know. (I really wish Priuschat would let me use d_u_n_n_o)

 

do not know why not, it lets me do it ok!

 

Remains as, well you know what in the editor, but translates to "do not know" when published.

 

You can make your own...

My fix for the sun visors | PriusChat

 

I see what you mean. It auto corrects on posting up!

 

It saved maybe a buck in costs to Toyota.

Where are you driving that the rear would skip? The only 'car' I've ever driven that had a wiggly rear was the Ranger, and RWD with a solid axle on leaf springs with low rear weight is a whole other beast.

 

A bump in a corner can upset a torsion beam rear in a way that control blade designs can manage much more smoothly.

 

I've axle hopped the Ranger several times. No problems with a torsion beam on the same route. I take it the torsion beam is less sensitive to the issue, or after driving the Ranger, thought nothing of it.

 

Hyundai Ioniq Electric car to get 200 miles of range 'soon'

It plans to launch a version of the Ioniq Electric with at least 200 miles of range by 2018, reports industry trade journal Automotive News (subscription required).

That's what Ahn Byung-ki—director of Hyundai's eco-vehicle performance group—said during a recent media event at the carmaker's Michigan technical center.

That's because—rather than putting a flat battery pack under the passenger compartment floor as in a Leaf or Chevy Bolt EV—Hyundai sited its battery under the rear seat, and between the rear wheels.

It's possible, one Hyundai executive hinted last year, that it might extend the pack into the tunnel between the Ioniq's seats.

Hyundai Ioniq electric car offered on 'Ioniq Unlimited' subscription model

Announced last week at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, the "Ioniq Unlimited" scheme is a subscription-based model that folds many ownership costs into a single monthly payment.

That fixed amount includes unlimited mileage, charging costs, scheduled maintenance, and replacement costs for "wear items."

Ioniq Unlimited will target Millennials, the group that Hyundai expects to be the number-one purchasers of vehicles in 2017, Zuchowski said.

Many analysts view Millennials as uninterested in cars, but Hyundai views Ioniq Unlimited as a "little experiment" that could lead to a retail experience they find more attractive, Zuchowski said.



Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

@tremendous said "Most shoppers don't care what suspension is underneath."

You're right. However, I admit I don't know much about cars, but I am a geek and I love specs also specs as in glasses.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Why do car companies continue to "target millenials"? Most people can't afford the costs of a new car, and younger folks typically have less money.

 

I'm lost, don't even know what a "millenial" is. Guess it's a case of "if you have to ask...". Maybe simpler to just name age groups, say 20~30, 30~40 and so on? I appreciate age groups are a moving target, but for short term discussion.

Ok:

Millenial: a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century

 

@Mendel Leisk, I'm not sure how Hyundai did their market research. If all they did was a few focus groups and paid the participants $50-$200, they probably wouldn't have gotten a representative sample, and it certainly would not be projectable across the demographic.

Disclaimer: My first job after my undergrad was working in an ad agency in market research. I was the only person who understood Boolean logic, having programmed in APL.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The Sonic and the HHR both have a torsion beam, and they seem a little better in handling than the gen2. They both appear to have the same anti-sway bar setup that results in early wear of the linkages and/or bushings though.

Have they not heard about Scion, and what became of them?
I think car companies' money would be better spent trying to get Congress to address student loan debt than on these experiments for improved sales to the young.

 

There's disagreement on the exact age range for millennials, but it tends towards early 1980s to mid 1990s, with some overlap with Gen X as far as lived experiences in the early end of the range, and some overlap with Gen Z ("digital natives" I've seen used for that generation) in the late end. (The odd thing is, even though I'm late 1980s, having grown up with older technology due to my family not being able to afford modern stuff for the longest time, I actually have a touch more in common with "Xennials" (late Gen X/early Millennial) than would be expected.)

As far as why automakers target millennials... it's ultimately because they're desperate to build a future customer base. (This is also why some automakers make a big deal out of having a full product stack - you need good but inexpensive cars to start people in your brand progression, and then you need somewhere for people to go from their as their life changes.) Toyota thinks that if they could convince me to buy a Corolla or Prius, maybe my next vehicle would be, say, a Camry or a Highlander. Ford thinks that if they could convince me to buy a Focus, my next vehicle would be a Fusion or an Explorer. Honda thinks that if they could convince me to buy a Civic, my next vehicle would be an Accord or a Pilot. (All of this is likely wrong - I don't even need the Prius's size (I bought it because it was nicer and more efficient than the Prius c), and I'm not going to ever start a family - but for most people outside of urban core areas where a car is unnecessary or even a liability, it's a fairly safe assumption, I feel. And, some people in those urban core areas may move out to the suburbs when they decide to start a family, too, depending on how conditions are for that.)

Similarly, an increasing average age for a product is seen as a bad thing among automakers, because that means that you're not getting new customers in the door, you're getting the same old customers replacing their existing cars... and eventually those customers will die. (And, worse, your cars will get the "old person's car" stigma, making it even harder to sell your cars. Cadillac and Buick have had that problem big time, although both are trying to break out of it, too - Cadillac had some success marketing the Escalade to younger buyers, and has had some success marketing high-performance sedans as a budget alternative to the German high-performance sedans, whereas Buick has been rebadging Opels to try to get younger buyers.)

 

Buick can't rebadge Opels, GM sold the marque to France's PSA Group, maker of Peugeots and Citroens.

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2017/03/06/general-motors-giving-up-europe

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Maybe not in the future, but they've done a lot of it up until now (including the new Regal (I'm not even sure if that car is on dealer lots yet, but it launched right in the midst of the Opel sale to PSA), which they've got agreements with PSA to be able to continue to rebadge it).