4th generation coming 2015!

only if you really enjoy hypermiling. The extra battery capacity really increases your options. I posed this question in the PIP forum and received many good responses on how it could be used. I would not say it is a money saver unless you were already in the market for a new Prius.

The short trips around town could be made in EV as well. This would go a long way towards keeping your numbers high.

If you don't hypermile, which I know you don't anymore, then I wouldn't bother.

 

I saw an article about the nextgen prius, i think in motor trend? and like mentioned above, there was some toyota representative being interviewed. he claims the mpg's will increase by 20%. i really liked the look of it, and everyone I showed, also liked the photos. however, production vehicles are sometimes different and frequently their appearance is anticlimactic compared to the hype photos... but the interviewee claimed the increased milage was coming mostly from a reduction in weight, better battery usability (higher speeds and more distance), and better aerodynamics. he also hinted at some other stuff and the interview was cut off. my current prius is doing great with almost 65K miles on it and I routinely get 53 mpg's (when it's not freezing). but i just slipped on some new ecopia's so i'm hoping to get at least 1-2 mpg increase from the unmatched tires that were on there, one of them with a flat spot. haha.

 

Received another Owners Intersection survey today. It was very heavy on AWD questions such as would you like to have it, would you pay $1500 for it, will it influence you next buying decision and so forth.

 

That's what I said -- "double or triple the range, that's all we ask for." And 35 EV miles is about triple the range. If you had 35 EV range, you'd buy gas maybe once every three months.

 

I agree. Although you get excellent FE given your commute.

 

But none of those have the utility of a hatchback.

 

I think that manufacturers will stick with NiMH in hybrids until the lifespan of Lithium batteries in shallow cycles catches up. In terms of the car, I kinda like the new look, although I doubt it'll be close to that in production.

 

I mean a little more size, weight and power for 4th gen, but not much (sacriledge!)

Less than 100 lb curb weight increase like increase from 2nd to 3rd gen, which btw was 110 to 134 system HP. 140 something to 150 HP might be nice. Maybe they'll need to use a 1.8L engine again.

 

they are very heavy cars... Not sure how S40 got into that group though

 

The rumor is less weight and more aerodynamic. The more aerodynamic likely means it will not be as tall, although it could grow in length or width.

Increasing power is quite easy, all they need to do is add di to the same displacement engine. We know from the toyota leeks they are thinking about adding di, which would also make the engine more efficient. They also discussed that they may not do this to keep costs down. The ice may also add di but get downsized, which is one way to reduce weight. Battery power could also be increased to increase power.

To feel more solid normally adds weight or cost. Road manners though will improve simply by making the car less tall and improving the suspension with the rumored double wishbone.

 

...we have the old rumor that plug-in would be standard by Gen4. Maybe its not heading that direction now.
If it were standard, then it would presumably be the minimal 12-15 mile range. Obvioulsy the new crash test will have to be taken in to account as far as design.

 

I'm not seeing standard yet.. It's just too new. Marketing would be foolish to not offer the cheaper alternative to appeal to a larger market.
Maybe once they ditch NiMh... I can't see them doing that till forced too since they have do much invested as that factory does zero lithium and apparently is not set up to switch easily.

Alan...
Sent with Tapatalk 2

 

According to this patent, MG2 has low efficiency in low output range. To solve this problem, rear motors with high efficiency at low output range are added to achieve high efficiency over a wider output range. Both the rear wheels most probably use in-wheel motor to save space and they can be individually controlled to contribute the amount of torque required. 37 mph is probably the highest speed that both MGR (Rear-Right wheel) and MGL (Rear-Left wheel) can sustain alone before MG2 needs to add torque.

Vincent

 

I'm not sure they should make the liftback 'less tall'. Many people like to sort of slide into the seat getting in and out of a car, instead of having to stoop down more.

Will be very interesting to see how the C-Max sells against the Prius and also to see how the C-Max influences the next Gen Prius liftback design. I think Ford did some smart things with the C-Max hybrid. Many people want more power and something that doesn't look like a Prius. C-Max has that. Plus, 39 MPG is still a nice improv over 26 mpg you'd get in a CR-V although you lose some cargo space.

 

And we'll know much more in 2 years when Toyota lets a video leak out, showing the 4th Gen with the blue man crew goofing around in it, just like in Dec. 2008.