Toyota is so close; the goofy looking politician-like permafrown tail lights are ugly, but the rest of the car is ALMOST cool. Happy that one car manufacturer stopped designing plug ins that look like a nerd's idea of "cool" and made a regular looking sedan. Looking to buy a new plug in hybrid in the next 2-3 years (not sure why they aren't as popular since they're the best of both worlds, as pure EV vehicles have unacceptable tradeoffs), and the new Prius is at the top of the list. I was going to settle for a second gen Chevy Volt, but they have some serious issues with high cost parts failing. Automakers: stop slapping on gimmicky crap into cars. Make a SIMPLE plugin hybrid. No large touchscreens necessary. No lame crossover SUVs. Normal car. That plugs in to charge. It's not that complicated.
Curious what the high cost issues are on the Volt? I have a 2018 with 100k miles and the only thing I had to do was replace the 12V battery with the rest being covered under warranty. This is an excellent car that was far ahead of its time and really changed my views on GM and American brands in general. Looks are always subjective so I won't comment on that. I will say the touchscreen trend isn't going away any time soon because the manufacturing costs are much lower than having a traditional layout. If you prefer a simple car, your only option is to go with something older like the Volt. Automakers aren't doing new sedans anymore is because they don't sell nearly as well as crossovers and profit margins are worse - you can easily google the statistics on this. Blame the average US car buyer for that I do agree that plug-in hybrids should be more common, and my only guess as to why it's not is because the average consumer doesn't understand them and they have high manufacturing costs with dual power sources. I would imagine now that EVs are slowly becoming more normal that plug-ins will become more common over the next decade, especially with ever-increasing emissions regulations.
That’s my sense too. Hey, if you’re going to cheap out on your customers, put a positive spin on it. Our ‘10 is bad enough; my wife has a fit every time I try to adjust vent mode or temp. Maybe cus I’m drifting into the shoulder?
The 24 hycam is actually better than the 13. still has manual hvac, and the touchscreen is better positioned, but you don’t need it for much
Yes, the Kia Niro PHEV, same company. I traded my 17 Prime for a Niro a couple of months ago. The EPA economy ratings are nearly identical. The Niro has more interior room and a much higher roof line. I'm not missing the Prime at all.
what makes a crossover lame? isn't the prius the closest thing to it? i don't want a sedan after 20 years of prius
Crossovers are more wagonish, while the Prius is an angled hatchback. The only problem with crossovers, and SUVs, is that they feel like the only available choice.
Back to the original title, I'll take "Almost cool" for a Prius's looks! Gen1: "Cute" Gen2-3: "Frumpy" Gen4: "Ugly" (yea, even to a looks "tone deaf" engineer) will
don't feel bad, there's a person in another thread who things the bolt is 'damn ugly', and they are driving a prius.
