2015 Prius v details for USA cars (from Dianne in SoCal)

Oh come on. When I had my v, most people just thought it was a regular Prius (hell, I had people ask if it was a Prius c). People on this board constantly end up in this forum thinking it is about their top trim Prius lift back. Basically, you are splitting hairs. The 12-14 and 15 still share a vast portion of their sheet metal. It doesn't look that different in the whole scheme of things.


Tandy 400

 

Hi all! I just joined the forum so I could comment on this.. Been following the forum for a while now and I just declined a deal on a remaining 2014 and I'm glad I waited.

I think the front end looks great.. Mind you, I come from a 2010 Mazda3 super grin front, so anything looks better than that (that's why I took my car black, to hide the details out a bit). It is a design that I like especially on the Camry! Glad it came to the v as well! The added options are welcome as well (too bad thay didn't use the Camry drivetrain in the Prius v!)

One thing I noticed on hi-res images, and can someone confirm this for canadian models also, there is now a button to deactivate Traction Control??? In winter here it can be pretty useful when you're stuck somewhere to have moderate wheel spin...

 

Compare this with the C-max on styling alone.

(Yes its cargo carrying and MPG exceed the C-max's. But the C-max wins on handling and NVH. And the styling may sway some folks. When the reviewers savage the styling it isn't going to be seen to be cool driving the '15 v. )

 

I think it is like Edsel all over again. Why Toyota doesn't learn.

 

Was in for a minor thing today, asked the woman if she'd heard about the new Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon). She said "Oh yeah, it really Is that ugly". Laughing as another chimed in, I didn't even go look. I wonder if now that it's out, we can reclaim some of our market value?

 

I'm sorry. That is just plain ugly. The '15 C isn't exactly pretty either. I guess they weren't satisfied with ruining the Corolla.

 

2015 Toyota Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v) gets updated looks and content - Autoblog

 

Wow that front bumper is ugly, big time. The word DustBuster comes to mind. Who knows, maybe it appeals to the Japanese.

If the next plugin Prius looks like that, I'm buying a Volt.

 

Funny you said that. I have a 2013 Prius v and a 2014 Corolla LE. The Corolla is dark green. The dark color seems to camouflage the unattractive front snout. Doesn't bother me at all. Maybe the Prius v would look better in a dark color?

 

If that really is the 2015 front end I'm SOOOO glad I got my 2013 v in Feb. of 2014 instead of waiting for the 2015 as I was tempted to do.

That new front end looks like it has a big "overbite" problem (buck teeth, ya know).

 

Eggsactly. The 4Runner received a similar front end modification for its 2014 minor refresh. The 4Runner forum reacted pretty much the same as this one. People claiming they'll never buy a new one because it is too ugly. Once the model was actually released, their tunes slowly changed. You buy a 4Runner because you want a BOF SUV that is dead nuts reliable. That seems to have won out in the end.

 

Yeah! That's a helluva underbite! Yikes!
(referring to the redone facemask...)

Or Overbite, in Eric's case above...

 

I wonder if the technology upgrades include having rear speakers you can actually hear? LOL I know, I know. Baby steps.

 

Here's hoping the 2015 Prii models gets the following:

1. more powerful electric motor - and a strong Li-ion battery to power it, for ALL models
2. direct injection for the 1.8 l. engine (better power and economy)
3. High flow air box and exhaust

While they're at it:
And in the handling department how about a 50% increase in torsional body stiffness?
... and MUCH better plastic for the interior - say, something that won't scratch when you look at it.
... and, I do not know, maybe LED lights EVERYWHERE on the car, inside and out
... and DRLs for EVERY model (it's a safety thing, dummies)
... and aerodynamic alloy wheels that don't need plastic wheel covers (plastic wheel covers over alloy wheels, really?)
... and a proper gas hood strut instead of a lousy hood prop bar
... and a steering wheel that does not have a sandpaper feel

Finally Santa-San, some decent NVH dampening in this rattletrap of a v. SHEESH!

 

Blumensaadt knows his stuff. I would like to see all of his suggestions built into the next Prius v (Lowercase v for the Prius v wagon), except maybe the comment on the steering wheel. I never noticed anything wrong with the current one. If Toyota moves on his suggestions I hope they don't use it as an excuse to raise the price.

 

-2) As you imply in your title, if you wanted to change the Prius, you would be writing in Japanese on some other forum. No one engineering future Prius posts here.
-1) 2015 (and 2016) are already designed, you should be asking (in Japanese on some forum in Japan) for better 2017s.
0) The American marketing arm of Toyota does post here, but their job is to sell whatever Japan sends them, you can interact with them, but that does not change future Toyotas.
1) The current Motor/Generator2 already exceeds the capacity of both M/G1 and the HV battery, so a larger M/G2 will not add anything but weight. Are you ready to give up the Hybrid battery warranty? No manufacturer using LiIon is offering as much warranty as Toyota does on its NiMH batteries. (It is possible you misunderstand the role of the battery as an "energy shock absorber" in a Hybrid)
2) Power comes from burning gasoline, (in 15 times as much air) economy comes from not burning it. Direct Injection makes some difference in an engine designed for it, so far as I know, no Atkinson cycle engine has been designed for Direct Injection.
3) Again, if you are flowing air, you HAVE to burn gas in a 15 to 1 ratio, my goal is to burn less gas, not more. Aside from those who want more noise, most owners want to use less gas.
4) My 2012 v three, if you never turn off the headlights, they come on with the car, they go off with the car (the default is a 30 second delay, but you can change it and I did, to 0 seconds)
5) no idea what happened to your steering wheel
6) Toyota makes insulated, quiet Hybrids, they just don't say Prius on them.

You sound like an ideal Hybrid Avalon owner.
Hybrid & Full-Size Cars | Toyota Avalon 2014

 

Because you think they are all free to Toyota ?

 

must have been a precocious child, can you imagine the Christmas list?

 

What....
No World Peace?

Reality check:
It's a hybrid station wagon.
I grew up when station wagons had fake wood appliques, three vinyl bench seats, and thin steel steering wheels, and got maybe 12mpg...so I think you're getting a pretty good deal.

As much as I bag on Priuses for turning like a pig on roller skates and many other foibles, they're actually pretty good at what they do!
You can always get one for less than 30 thou....less than 25 if stay out of the options store (yesterday's technology, tomorrow's prices....)

The car that you described (probably isn't a station wagon...) would cost a lot more and Toyota has to strike a lot of compromises to bring a car to market that is safe, dependable, frugal, and..................... profitable at the same time.

There's nothing wrong with dropping a dime to the chubby guy who forgot to shave off the November whiskers, and 'Tis the season and all that.
Just don't forget to mention world peace!

 

You all have small wish lists, mine runs to around 30 items and I'd be willing to spend $3-6k more to get em. Not that the v isn't already very good at what it is trying to do, just that I wished they would have reached a little higher in safety items and NVH.