Gen 5 Prius/Prius Prime: poor fuel economy, poor choice of colors, poor choice of packages/options

The LE has parking sensors, no?

 

No smart key? What does that mean? Do you have to stick it in a slot?

 

The fuel economy is essentially the same as the outgoing model; its 52/52/52 vs 54/50/52. It got a big performance boost to go with it. Which is more likely to net more sales than trying with max efficiency. That was with Ioniq Blue; the Eco trim. Ioniq hybrid is gone as a model.

The color choices are basically the same as nearly every other Toyota. The choices have been poor for decades. In the US, it is dealers that buy cars from the manufacture, and they are risk avoiding in terms of colors for most car segments.

As I said in the other thread, the key the LE is getting isn't stated either way.
"Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking (PA w/AB)" is an option for the LE.

If the base trim got everything the higher trims had, then there wouldn't a reason to have the higher trims. The base would also be thousands more. The auto headlights and fancy rearview mirror are nice to have, but it isn't like the Maverick where you have to get a higher trim to just have cruise control.

A la carte feature choice were higher cost. The packaging of features may be designed to maximize profits, but they are a better value overall. Getting clothe seat covers and swapping to the 17 inch wheels is cheaper and easier than trying to add the features missing from the LE, and still come out ahead of the nickel and diming that a la carte would entail.

 

gokhan, i'm shocked! is this tingue-in-cheek?

 

They're simply trying to make the Prius more modern, stylish and with better performance, overcoming the long held notion that Prius Hybrid is boring and slow. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. You have to trade-off competing factors in any design. This time, they are choosing style and performance over basic MPG. Gens 2 and 3 were very similar in terms of style and performance. Gen 4 introduced a radically cutting edge style but with still meager performance gains. Time will have to tell with Gen 5, but we all can agree that the emphasis is on looks and performance over a better jump in MPG. On paper, the Gen 5 looks intriguing to me, especially the new Prime with its increased BEV range, but will really have to experience it in person to make the final decision.

 

Gokhan, packages have been around for decades. This is nothing new.
I agree it is frustrating, but as Trollbait mentioned, the prices are pretty good IF you want the majority of what is in the package.
Packages also allow the manufacturer to streamline production, which keeps prices in check.

As an aside, I must congratulate @Perpetual Waffle. I believe that is my all-time favorite username!

 

I'm quite happy to see no parking sensors on at least one model.

While they can be useful for a while, they are a pain when the car gets older. Higher insurance costs, failed or intermittent sensors, different/more expensive bumper parts.

I'm not against parking sensors overall, but there are very good reasons to leave it off the cheapest model, and their omission greatly helps that version stay cheap later in life.

Homelink is a nothing. Just get a homelink mirror and put it in place of the one Toyota sells you. Total non-issue.

Now the real emergency is the color palette. They need some serious assistance.

 

Are price, spec, and options for Gen 5 Prius Prime out? I have not seen them yet.

I suspect it will be higher priced than HEV Gen5. But interested to find out more about them. No interest in HEVs.

 

what's taking so long with primo info?

 

Even when they are new, it can be a pain. I often park my car very close to the edge or even sometimes a bit off the paved portion of our driveway. During summertime, I rarely cut the grass, so the tall grass and wildflower get to the height the parking sensor will see them as an "obstacle". I could have turned the sensor off, but just kept listening to the warning chimes all summer long. If I had a choice, certainly, I would have picked a trim without the parking sensors especially if the cost can be less. Another one of nearly useless technology for me.

 

So the pressure is on. Do I get 2023 Prius or wait and see price of Prime. Dealer is looking at end of December allocation. I can’t plug in at my apartment but there are free chargers at grocery store and libraries. Does plugging in for 30 mins here and there make a difference? Create issues with life of lithium battery? I feel like the Prime is better choice for future but have heard that some people in my circumstances ended up trading in Prime for Prius.

I’m bummed about the 19” tires. Heck I was bummed about 17” tires. How expensive is it to switch to 17”? Anyone know the ground clearance on 2023 with 19” tires. 17” would lower ground clearance, right? 19” tires are going to be so darn expensive, right?

While on the topic can you recommend good quality seat covers? I don’t like cloth seats and the softex feel more supportive but I will need covers for the softex. My 2009 leather seats look brand new except for driver’s seat but I only covered with PIA beach towels.: }

Cargo space is smaller on 2023 but it looks like both Prius and prime will have similar cargo size now that Prime battery is under the seat?
Sorry so many questions!

 

Toyota doesn't want to overshadow the Prius, and the Prime is going to be out a quarter or more later.

Sounds like the new Prime doesn't have the compromise in cargo space like the current model. So they are basically the same car from the usability stand point. Regular charging with fast DC can lead to faster capacity loss, but the current Prime in the US can't use DC chargers. The public level 2 'chargers' are the same as what you can install at home. 30 minutes won't get you from flat to 80% with it, but it won't stress the battery.

Getting a Prime and never charging might be worse. Running in hybrid mode all the time means running with the battery nearly discharged all the time. Staying at a low state of charge for extended periods is rarely good.

The tire sizes are odd. Supposedly they are common in Japan, but not in the US. They are thinner than is typical for rims those sizes, which means the rims are likely thinner too. The rareness of the size here will mean higher prices when they become available. Maybe they will drop over time.

The important thing is wheel weight. Considering the factory wheel sizes, it would be easy to swap out the factory 19in for third party 17in that are actually heavier.

The 17in wheels have about a half inch less ground clearance. Other R17 tires could have no difference or increase it. Some of those sizes might be more readily available.

 

get a regular prius daisy

 

Is the SofTex really that bad? I see some people mention it as a “con” to the higher trims, but I have no experience with it. My previous Prius (2006) had cloth seats that held up well enough over the years and my current car has leather which I have no gripes about. I do enjoy the ease of keeping the leather clean, and I can only imagine the SofTex would be roughly the same? I suppose it comes down to preference.

Ultimately, the apparent lack of Smart Key (I assumed this only applies to opening the doors?? The Toyota website still shows a Push Button start on the LE build) and auto-on/off headlights was enough reason for me to lean toward the XLE as my preferred trim, even if the MPG is a bit less than on the LE… I’m still practically doubling the MPG I get with my current car (ugh) by making the swap.

Ahahaha, thanks! I was having a hard time deciding on a username and wanted something fun that had a few layers to it, so this one seemed appropriate.

 

alex on autos says probably early 2023, whatever that means