Is Gen 5 Prius really better-looking than Gen 4 Prius Prime?

Oh, I hope it works out for the 5th generation cars. I'm very happy with the headlights in our Prius c. The LED projectors are just perfect. Seen the same out of recent Corolla and Camry rentals, so I'd anticipated that Toyota would have that sorted in the other Prius models too.

 

Those look like 'fog' lights in the very low corner of the bumper. Are they just a lens without a bulb?

On nearly all US cars, they are just accent lights that are mostly useless in actual fog, and that's mainly do to the fact the headlights have to be on with them. I've only found them useful for lighting up wet, dark pavement at night, when the asphalt takes on the aspect of the void.

 

In the pre-facelift gen 3 they are almost completely useless. I've got a set of fog lamps that are far more powerful than the stock lamps. I can't see anything additional on the right side, and the only new area I can see on the left side is out of the small, triangular, side window. They might make the road markings slightly more visible at point-blank range if you were trying to drive (insanely dangerously) in less than 10 foot visibility. Other than that, the only benefit is that they make the front of the car a little more attractive.

 

Not a problem with the gen3. lol

And the fogs on the gen3 are so close to the ground that they probably hurt more than they help for that case(they could cause perspective illusions).

 

Can you turn them on without the head lights? If the answer is no, then they aren't fog lights.

Fog lights are designed to project light under the fog to illuminate the road. If the headlights are on, the fog reflects the light back to the driver, obscuring what the fog lights are suppose to illuminate.

 

Both beautiful. Would love to see the color options side by side...

 

Best I ever had were on my 1970 VW. Hella 550s, with that crisp thin beam, dichroic yellow and fully independent control.

 

Reread the post I quoted.

As for adding visibility, the driving lights are lower power than the headlights. If the headlights can't be noticed, driving lights aren't going to help. The driving lights become another source of glare to oncoming drivers in my experience.

On older cars(1990's and older), the parking lights could work in a pinch. Then the manufacturers realized parking lights only need to be seen, not see by. Couldn't even tell the 2005 Prius parking lights were on a thick fog.

Maybe the driving/accent lights are going that way too.

 

On pages 360-361 in my 2020 Prime owners manual it says fog lights can be turned on if low beams on. It says for rain and fog. Now we see they help to be more visible to others anytime.

 

Reservoir blue is dull??

I may never drive a blue car in my lifetime, but...

 

I’ve been concerned about the risk of buying before seeing safety ratings.

 

2023 Toyota Prius Safety & Reliability Ratings: Warranty, Crash Test Ratings, Safety Features | CarBuzz

Is the Toyota Prius a safe car?
The Prius has not been crash-tested yet, but both the old model and other Toyotas on the new one's platform received top crash scores, so the new Prius should match or beat them.

How many airbags does the Toyota Prius have?
The Prius has eight airbags. Front occupants get two frontal and two side airbags, rear occupants get two outboard side airbags, and both rows are covered by full-length curtain head airbags.



2022 TOP SAFETY PICKs


2022 TOP SAFETY PICKs

Littered with Toyota's. No Prius listed though.





I'm guessing it would be a major surprise if the new Prius turns out to be a deathtrap...

 

They are not even in the same universe when it comes to esthetics.

The Gen 5 is the only Prius I'd ever entertain, and that goes along with countless folks in the media as well as consumers saying the same. It's the first time that a Prius looks good.

 

I never could understand the gen 4 Prius ratings on that site, but check ratings every car I buy. The 2016-17 was top safety pick +, 18, 19, 20 were top safety pick. Then nothing said on the 21, 22, but it was all based on early models and the Prime was thrown in there as the same car. Most all is based on a 2016 Eco, and a 2018 was tested in part.

 

Depends on your priorities. I bet no one is buying 2023s for +$10k off list (including tax credit) like I (and many others) did with our 2021/early 2022s.

I saw a 2023 in a Home Depot parking lot last night, and I thought it looked really sharp (one of the reasons I'm lurking on this forum). One of the few current Toyotas that i can say this about.

That said, I'm still happy with my 2021.