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2021 XLE- New owner impressions, 1st hybrid, Pro's and Con's

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Donkro, Sep 29, 2020.

  1. Donkro

    Donkro Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2020
    19
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    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Have new 2021 XLE (my name identifier says 2020 because it doesn't go to 2021 yet) and am impressed with many things for such a reasonably priced car.
    Pro's
    -can someone explain how it transitions between battery and gas motor so smoothly? Can't have a normal starter?
    -seats are comfortable and it rides well
    -tech works well, speakers sound good
    -plenty of storage especially with seats down
    -great visibility
    -of course awesome gas mileage, I find myself driving carefully to see how much I can squeek out, last 25 mile trip averaged 61.1 mpg
    -despite some critics, I like how it looks, we have the Sea Glass Pearl color with black interior
    Con's
    -not as quiet as I'd hoped, especially at highway speeds, which I'll be doing a lot. Has anybody experimented with more sound deadening, or used a product like Dynamat?
    -too much shiny black plastic, makes it look cheap, hard to keep clean
    -don't like all the noises it makes, but will be buying a Carista, can it eliminate the noise it makes when only running on electric? I guess there's a new law regulating that?
     
    #1 Donkro, Sep 29, 2020
  2. Donkro

    Donkro Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2020
    19
    6
    0
    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    thought of one more con; Qi charging doesn't work on our phones because we have cases (though works in house with different Qi charger), bummer, was looking forward to that feature, but it would be a hassle to take the case off each time, cord will work.
     
    #2 Donkro, Sep 30, 2020
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,024
    16,244
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It doesn’t have a starter motor. It uses the electric motor to start the engine. I don’t know if it applies to the Gen 4 but Gen 2 and 3 models had the electric motor spin the engine to near idle before firing it up (vs. a normal starter motor that might spin an engine to 100rpm before igniting).

    I have seen owners install Dynamat in the doors and floor panels of older Prii. Note that if you got the Limited, you would’ve also added acoustic front door glass (basically double pane front windows) which would’ve helped a bit more in sound reduction. I’d imagine the tyres are also playing a part in noise production.

    The reverse beep is customisable via Carista or a visit to the dealer. There are plenty of customisable things. It’s in the owners manual. (Like how many flashes of the turn signal when you quickly push up or down, or whether you want to be able to remotely open your windows)

    I guess it depends on the phone case. It works with mine but mine is a thin plastic case.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Sep 30, 2020
    mancuz28 and jerrymildred like this.
  4. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,587
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Search "HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE wiki" and have a read - it explains what's going on well.

    If you want a more indepth tear-down of the Hybrid Synergy Drive - google "weber university prius gen 4" - and he's got several excellent videos.
     
    #4 alanclarkeau, Sep 30, 2020
    jerrymildred likes this.
  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
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    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The piano black dash should be considered a felony. Just NASTY! As it turns out, it's very easy to remove that part -- above the glove box over to and including the Start button. Then you can vinyl wrap it or plastidip it. I found that it was impossible to get the vinyl completely smooth, so I took it off and did the plastidip spray. More info here:
    Why So Few Moonstone Interiors? | Page 3 | PriusChat
     
    #5 jerrymildred, Oct 1, 2020
    alanclarkeau likes this.
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