All I want for Christmas is a new Prius but first they need to get their MoJo back. (I have owned a gen 2 and a gen 3 Prius driving both 130,000 miles. So I have total of 260,000 miles in a Prius.) I feel like this will be the end of our journey together and here is why. I am having a hard time loving the new Prius. 1) With every generation the Prius gets smaller and they remove storage places. I understand the storage in the trunk is to allow for the batteries. However, I test drove a Honda or Mazda and they put lips on the sides so the trunk tray can be at a lower level or can be raised so the trunk is completely flat. Center consul has almost been eliminated and tray underneath the shifter is gone. Headroom is lower even though Toyota took out the sunroof and solar panel. 2) Prius usually has the cutting edge electronics...so where is the eye candy? Charging trey....clever but many cars have them. 12" display...Great Idea but look at the graininess of the image. Look how bad the backup camera looks!! It's like a tube TV. If you can't fix it then stick an iPad in there. (check out the Volvo XC40, beautiful crisp image). I hope they are putting the 12" in the Rav4 or will will have a hard time competing. Solar Panel? That was the coolest feature ever offered on a Prius. So where is the next generation of it? You can spend 250,000 on a top of the line Mercedes and not get that cool feature. So Bring it back with the sunroof please. 3)Headlights...that seems to be the wow factor on new cars these days. It separates the Porches from the BMWs. 2019 Prius could use a new set even if they just use the Prius Prime. Make sure you have a switch to turn off driving lights. 4) heated seats and steering wheel. 5) The headliner should match the seats. In the Gen 2, if you purchased tan leather then you received tan head liner. Gen 3, all the head liners were grey. Would you wear a grey shirt with kaki pants....no, not if you have any sense of fashion. Thats just being cheap and no, grey doesn't make the car lighter or run more efficiently. 6) Prius Prime Complains....Why not find a better place for all those batteries rather than stacking them all in the trunk. I am sure with a little imagination you can place them under the car. Tesla can do it so can Toyota. Thats just being lazy or cheap. 7) Wish there was an idol button. On long trips, it's nice to take a nap with the car running. An Idol button would allow the engine to run at low rpms without switching to battery. The roughness between battery mode and engine running is not good for a quite nap. 8) Since the car is so low to the ground, a front camera would help when parking. Again, not a grainy image! Have you notice the world has moved over to HD about 5 years ago? 9) Cool tron style lights on the side mirrors. Your fake ones look ridiculous. Add 4 onces and bring the Prius back to life. 10) key fob should do more. A button to lower all windows? keep it light weight. Possible incorporate the key fob into an apple watch? this would allow more features without more buttons and its handier on a watch. 11) Make a chiseled, edgy Prius symbol for the hood so it looks cool and not like an after thought. Some lights in it would be cool. 12) trap door in the dash would be nice. The Gen 2 had the secret drawer under the center console. 13) Dash Camera to share Prius adventures with social media. Lets get the ship back on course and pointed in the right direction. I hope his letter finds it to the design team. Good luck with the 2019 Prius. I will wait until the end of the year, but I am not hearing good things yet.
Having owned my 2018 for a day now, after a nice Accord EX, here's what I think it should have added: Sun visors should extend on their shafts, so sunlight from the side, a bit further back can be blocked. Closed cell foam in the arm rest areas. This cheap open cell stuff will deflate pretty quickly, I think Pleather on the armrest console cover; that roughish fabric is going to wear pretty quickly Lumbar support on the front seats. Even if it's mechanically adjustable, this is old tech. Do NOT charge $400 extra for real colors. (i.e. not white, black or any shade of gray or sliver) And make them available. Lithium batteries on all models. This isn't the 90s any more.
I think you need to rent a Gen 4 for a while - and you'll appreciate that it's astronomically better than Gen 2 ever was. Gen 2 was clever - but such a lack-lustre drive, I bought a KIA instead at that time. When I bought the Gen 4, I could have bought a NEW but superseded Gen 3 for $$ubstantially cheaper - but when I checked it out, it was like chalk and cheese - you wouldn't entertain a Gen 3 after driving a Gen 4. 1) I notice that Mazda hasn't got a HYBRID battery to worry about - so forget them. As for headroom, the car's profile changed for better aerodynamics, an all new platform, when released, the best in mass-produced cars. Boot layout - they've compromised, yes, and I think they could have thought out the design a bit better - some cars do it better than others, but remember that PRIUS has 3 different layouts depending on which country - some have a full-size spare, others a pretend spare, and some no spare at all. I suspect they've pandered to the home-market, as that's where the bulk are sold - with no spare. The full-size and pretend spares are later additions to their thinking, I'd suspect. 2) The inside looks just fine really. BMW has a funky design with their i3 and i8 interiors too. Surely you don't want it to look like a boring VW or AUDI? I don't understand why you'd want better resolution - the backup camera works fine, much better than many other equivalent cars I tried - many in the same price-range didn't even have moving grid-lines like PRIUS. Personally I hate those big screens - look like someone is trying to "out-TESLA" TESLA's horrible interior - reminds me of an office. The SOLAR roof - yes, probably OK for some markets, I wouldn't mind having had it, but as an AU$8000 option, it wasn't worth the effort. Plus the weight was the reason I heard they dropped it. We'd be better with the Thermo-tect heat-reducing paint available in Japan only. 3) The lights are great - best lights I've ever driven with. Have you driven one at night - try it and you'll love them. 4) Hmmm, that's very market specific - I'd prefer cooled seats and wheel - here in the semi-tropics. 5) Really - who cares - I've never looked at the ceiling till you mentioned it. And I still think it looks good. Better than the all black or all tan ceilings I've seen at times in cars. 6) you're comparing with a car treble the price - and is shoddily built. And TESLA didn't bother with an ICE. That's like comparing a Clydesdale with a racehorse - different horses for different courses. PRIME is a later design than PRIUS, but had to be based on PRIUS and restrained by the TGNA chassis design. Sure, they could have started again with a clean sheet of paper, but you'd be talking TESLA prices. 7) - IDOL button? I presume IDLE? You CAN have it stopped with just the A/C on - it'll run off the HYBRID battery till there is no charge left, then it starts the ICE, which runs till it's charged the battery. I've done it several times. There are several people who have camped in their Gen 4s using it just like that. 8) I don't get where you see "grainy" - it's quite clear, perfectly in line with what the rest of the market in PRIUS's price range. Front camera - you won't see that on a budget car range yet, and Gen 4 is much better ground clearance than many other cars on the market - I like how it's a substantial improvement on my last FORD. Maybe front sensors, they're on some in this price range. 9) The mirror has got indicators on them already - and quite visible ones compared to some others I see - that's all we need. 10) The fob DOES lower the windows already, and puts them up again. And, no, please not an Apple Watch - I hate those things, another thing to charge at night or go flat during the day. Nor a Mobile Phone. 11) NO, NO, NO. Leave that to Rolls Royce. 12) Yes, the glove boxes etc were good on Gen 3, but the rest of Gen 3 was a bit ordinary, thicker pillars and drove like an old design. Gen 4 is a brand new platform, and actually drives well. I don't want a Gen 3. 13) No - I hate those things - very USA-centric market. BUT Toyota has got one which is offered as an option on a couple of their newer designed cars, but remember PRIUS was released Aug 2015. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 14) - if we get a Gen 4 update - just give us better seats. And a hill-holder which works when wanting to reverse while facing down hill. Oh, and a radio with buttons and knobs rather than a silly piece of glass.
People buy a Prius bc they think it's a iphoneX with 50mpg. Cutting edge electronics and lighting(tail, interior, headlight) are key. There is also a older group who buys the Prius so make a base model with, airbags(I think the magic number is 15airbags, You can call it "mummy bagger") lane assist, blind spot monitoring....blah blah blah(safety features) for them. Prius is the latest and the greatest usually.....so lets keep it tron-like. Great ideas! Lithium Batteries are a must! I thought they were already using lithium, but maybe I am wrong. Tesla can sell a cool car for 36k then the 4th gen Prius should have them. There is definitely a difference in the Aussie model and the US models. US models have lumbar in the gen 3 and heated seats, steering, A/c in the seats is a good idea but after a few years the leather breaks apart bc of the tiny holes. Driving difference in the Gen3 and Gen4? People who drive a Prius don't care about roll, slalom course, quarter mile, torsion bars, 0-60mph, handling. Electronics..and leading edge design!! If I see an article about handling in a Prius, that's just because the author is getting paid by the word. There are so many other good qualities to talk about with a Prius. I have never heard of a Hill-holder. Is that a emergency brake? Another note on the blind spot monitors. The best indicator I have seen was placed on the windshield column rather than installing it in the mirror. When driving at night, there are a lot of little reflections/lights in the glass and mirror so putting it on the inside of the car is better an clearer. Do we need a Jake brake on the Prius?....lol (actually my gen3 kind of has one...oh dear) I currently own one of the coolest Prius ever made. Gen3 package 4, blizzard pearl with black glass roof(solarpanel/moonroof). I took off the wheel covers, installed illuminated door seals and turn indicators on the back of the mirror. I know they are highly desired in the states. Maybe put a carbon fiber black roof option on the new model
I think my Texan Friend needs to spend a while reading the manual on the Gen 4 Prius. Like most young men he seems to have gotten hold of some inaccurate misconceptions and feels he's become an expert on the car. Ah, the vivacity of youth. Could be it's wasted on the young and old farts like me could definitely use some more of it! Welcome to Prius Chat @TexAmi
I want an idol button. I can't think which idol I'd like. But what could it do? Pop out of the dash and do a dance? You know like with hula skirts? Sorry, I just had to. Here's my take: 1) Sunshades should work on the side. They should be able to extend. 2) Make the charging tray large enough to charge the current offering of phones. My phone doesn't fit. I'm mad. It was one of the reasons I bought the phone... you know so I could charge it in my car. <wink> I really should have done the tape measure thing. 3) Spare tire 4) Seats must fold flat. Mine don't. There are many reasons why seats should fold flat. 5) 360 degree camera. This should be a must in the top of the line models. 6) The tires have pressure monitors. Why can't they display the pressure on the screen? 7) I bought a white car. I had to pay a $400 premium for white. All of the paint schemes have the pearlescent paint. Why did they charge more for white and red when I bought mine? Go figure. 8) Apple Car Play
I agree with all of those (although I would need Android Auto) Regarding the paint, the reason those two colors cost more is because they are tri-stage, meaning that between the base color and the clearcoat layer there is a middle layer of partially transparent color which is different than the base color. Visually the base and mid-coat colors merge together to create a color effect which is not possible with just one layer of color. If you get your car repaired these colors will cost more because the painter has to mix two separate colors and apply them separately, car paint is very expensive plus the extra labor so their cost actually is somewhat higher. Even in the case of a new car where they are painted by robots it's still an extra paint cycle that it has to go through. That being said, like any option from floor mats to door edge guards they make a huge profit on those items compared to their actual costs. All you can do is try and negotiate a selling price that cuts into the profit they are making not only on the car but also any add-on options including special paint.
Some items are carried over from the Gen 2 wishlist (I swear Toyota's leaving it out just for fun) Sliding or extendable sunvisors (honestly, with such large side windows, the sunvisors are only useful if the sun is straight ahead). Side mirror indicators (again, cost cutting) Better backup camera (It used to be really good, then TNGA made it seem like we're using a Corolla quality of camera. My Gen 3's camera looks better on the nav screen than my Gen 4's) Better door panel materials. The fronts are ok but the rear feel cheap with its rubber or injected moulded insert Better door armrests - both in terms of padding (needs to be thicker) and material (supposedly our car has softex-trimmed armrests. Feels like vinyl) Dual hinged centre console lid (and thicker padding) Side-mounted front seats (right now they're floor mounted and take up rear footroom) Larger glovebox (can't fit a tablet in there) Different accent material. Piano black is nice when used sparingly. (e.g. door window switch area) but it is a dust magnet on the dashboard. Bright silver won't work because that swoosh across the passenger side is quite large and a bright silver accent will look like crap. Maybe a more subdued one like the GR Sport? Nav software needs to take advantage of the 1920x1080 11.6" screen. It honestly looks like it was just ported from the 7" model. More sound insulation in the wheel well - too much noise from below. Elsewhere, noise insulation is actually very good for its class. Just that last little bit. Heated rear seats in higher trim levels or optional ventilated seats on higher trim levels USB port inside the centre console for security (have both outside and inside so that owners can choose) More charging ports (e.g. 2.1A or 2.5A USB charging ports)
Now - that's a realistic list (along with @MichelleStone 's list). Thanks. Just post it to TOYOTA and hope they respond. Except it's already got repeater indicators in the mirrors. I'm not sure of the screen - mine is quite good, and the reversing camera is better than most cars I test-drove in late '15, early '16. The only ones better were AUDI and LEXUS from memory - which were double+ the price. But then, I don't have Navigation (don't want it either - it's a rip-off in most cars with the cost of updates etc). But maybe if AndroidApple Carplay comes, it might need better resolution. I'm not sure of heated seats - here they'd never be used, but maybe down south where it snows. I use A/C 80-90% of the time.
Visors Visors Visors.....thats too funny but I could see a longer one would help. Tall people move the seat back so far that flipping the visor to block side sun is worthless. For those who think that dinky grainy screen is good, go look at an iPad. They have beautiful color and are $800 not 35k. It does cost any more in weight or price to install a hd camera in the front (for parking) and the rear just to see. Idol button would allow the engine to run at low rpm. Just enough to keep the ac or heater running. This will keep it from super revving to while its on and trying to charge the battery. larger Glovebox-most definitely. heated rear seats would be nice since there is little ac/heat in the back. I think only 30 people have ever ridden in the back seat and I have over 125,000miles. These are all modest request. Its not like we are asking for limbo/gull wing doors. I had to install my own trunk signals on my mirrors. 360 camera for protection/security. If someone approaches the car, the camera is activated and I can see who's getting close from the app ("latest and the greatest" is the new Prius theme) I will try and compile all these ideas. Keep them coming!!
[I'm sure you don't really mean IDOL? Maybe IDLE?] If IDLE - the ICE has to run at a reasonable speed to do what you're talking about, it's not just idling. It's busy running MG1 at the very least, which is rated at 31HP / 40 Nm as a motor - as a generator, it would require a considerable amount of ICE power to do so. So the ICE has to be spinning at a reasonable speed to enable that to happen. It's also got to run the Pump etc while it's driving MG1 via the planetary gearset. If it just idled - all it would do is idle. Like in your normal Corolla - when it idles, it only idles, a bit faster if the A/C clicks in. PRIUS only runs the ICE when the battery hasn't enough charge to run the A/C - and it is then BOTH recharging the battery AND running the A/C.
It has had repeater indicators since Gen 3 but we never got it in North America - only the Prius c has it. Also, it seems every continent has its own entertainment system so we can't compare screens (well except Japan since they share the 11.6" HD screen but everyone's 7" screen seems to have their own software. I'm not sure if the hardware is identical and it's just the software or whether there are actually different 7" screen specifications depending on the country). Anyway, that's just the quick list I fired out before I left to run errands earlier today. I looked back at Michelle Stone's list and I agree - TPMS readout would be nice (the data is already there) and rear A/C vents (Although I understand there's an efficiency thing... which is why US-spec cars still don't have dual-zone automatic climate control but Europe and I'm guessing Australia does. With S-Flow, rear A/C vents should be fine since S-Flow can shut them off with Driver Priority) I suspect Bird's Eye View will be available for 2019 (the 360° camera). Just a strong inkling . For the vehicles with the 11.6" screen, it will definitely help take advantage of the tall dimensions as the overhead view can be oriented in a portrait style to fill up the screen. (Right now, the backup camera screen just takes up a 1/3 of the screen, leaving the rest of it blank). If the US can get its regulation together, Matrix LED headlights would be nice for the Prime. (I don't know if Canada has the same dated regulation but I highly doubt TCI will certify those headlights just for a handful of vehicles that it will sell - right now we're running at about 300-400 units a month for the Prime). If the regular Prius gets the Prime's headlights, you can get bet that the European spec will get the Matrix LED function for the 2019 Prius.
Yup, and those side mirror blinkers and a roll-up hood cover and a hud and self-leveling headlamps and UK taxation on everything. In case you think we got it all, there's ~57% tax per litre on motion lotion plus another 20% VAT on the entire sale! That's making us pay one tax on another tax! It happens a lot.
Of those 1), 2), and 3) I've marked - we get them here - but not 4). Weird how they must flip coins to work out the equipment. And please keep the tax to yourselves. Tho - our mob manage to tax us in so many sneaky ways, you have no idea what's going on. And, fortunately, I think our fuel is a bit cheaper than yours too ($1.60/litre approx for regular unleaded last I looked) - though that depends on where in the country you are. Distant country areas can be very expensive - but transport is probably the biggest factor there. My daughter was at Bamaga 2 weeks ago - $2.05/l.
Actually I kind of like calling it the idol button, sort of a catchy name Although I would want it to work a little different. The problem, well I should say annoyance in my Gen 2 is that when I am sitting in my car for a period of time with the AC on it lets the battery get near the lowest bar before starting ICE to charge it. Which is fine that's what I want. However it then only charges it enough to raise it one bar then it shuts off. Then after about five minutes it drops down a bar and ICE comes on, and this cycle repeats the remainder of the time that I am sitting there. Having ICE constantly turn on and off tends to interrupt naps and is somewhat distracting if I am reading, on the phone etc. I would much rather that it charge to full each time. Even though that means ICE will run longer that is fine, in a nap for example I might briefly wake up when ICE starts but then I can drift off again, and if this only happens every twenty minutes or so that's better than every five minutes. However I suspect the reason it works this way is because the system thinks that at any moment you might start driving again, and it will be more efficient to fully charge at that time. In that case an idle button would be a way to let the system know that you will be stationary for a while and you want a full charge each time ICE comes on. In theory you could even use it in a traffic jam, so that when the traffic finally does clear you will have full power, instead of being underpowered for the first minute which is currently the case if I am in a long traffic jam with the AC on. Maybe a little less efficient but at least you would have that option. Unless it already works differently in Gen 4 and charges fully each time? Or maybe it doesn't allow the battery to get as low, but that would still cause ICE to have to run often. So the idle button (which I guess in my scenario means you are idle, not the engine) would tell the system that you want the battery to drain to low then fully charge during each cycle. Of course battery life could be an issue here if you did it every day, but for occasional use you would at least have the option. Also it would automatically go back to regular mode once you start driving, and the next time that you are going to be "idle" for awhile you would have to press the button again.
Average UK fuel prices Fuel prices as of 3.8.2018 Unleaded 129.1 Diesel 132.1 Super Unleaded 139.8 Premium Diesel 146.0 Prices are shown in pence per litre. I'm lucky to get £1.26/litre from a supermarket forecourt! BTW, the UK Gov't is considering adding another £0.08p/litre tax to help fund our National Health Service. I believe the motorist has become a govt cash-cow.
I suspect it's efficiency. The proportion of trips who "drive" compared to "sit and read/snooze" - is probably 9,999%:1 - so it's not significant for most cases. I'm not generally in my Gen4 when I've left it Locked with PowerOn - but in a traffic jam it went down to 2 bars - as low as it ever does - then charged 2 notches before switching off. Not sure if it would do that exact pattern forever. In my case, it was good - as it was mostly downhill once we got going again, and a lot of regeneration "free". I haven't noticed Gen4 has lower power available with a low battery - possibly measurable on a dragstrip/stopwatch, but not detectable on the road.
Stronger, crack-resistant / chip-resistant windscreen glass. (Somebody posted in another thread a link to a class-action lawsuit filed in Texas? Not sure.) Much bigger and brighter tail lights and brake lights. The great looking brake lights on the Gen3 are some of the best I've seen.
