2016 Prius in Review

Absolutely spot on assessment.

 

Really good review.
One of the best I've read.
BUT....

Oh come on! Personally I love blurring the line between research and creepy.

Next time I think you need to approach those strangers, staring constantly, never blinking, licking your lips obsessively then ask in Largo Tempo, "Do Ya Think It's Purdy?".

Great review, but not enough creepy in it.

 

Great write up Tony! One question: Am I right that the 12v has been moved from the trunk area to the engine compartment? That seems like the case from a photo I saw of the engine area. I just finished replacing the 12v in my Gen2 and it would be great not to have to work in that tight trunk area in a new Prius! And is the 12v in the Gen4 the same as in previous Prius vehicles?

 

Maybe somebody should "clue" Toyota that "10 & 2" hand locations on the steering wheel have been superseded (per Insurance Institute recommendations) by "8 & 4" locations so that when an air-bag deploys it doesn't SMACK both of their hands into their FACE.

Although that is certainly NOT how "energetic" drivers will position their hands, it (sorta) makes sense after you've had the rings on your fingers driven through your glasses into your forehead.

 

Our 2016 Prius THREE came with Bridgestone Tires !! Looks like the same crappy tire that came on our 2007. Lasted LESS than 30,000 miles. terrible in rain !!

 

My wife and I went to the dealership last Monday. We took a look at the new Prius and were quite disappointed. The white plastic turned us totally off, as well as the dorky look of the rear end. The seating was also strange. We said now way, and drove off in a 2016 RAV4 Limited. This would have been our 4th Prius.

 

I made the opposite decision. I agree that the rear end looks a little goofy and I also dislike the white center console, but otherwise I absolutely love the new car. My 2005 has been bullet proof and we will keep it until the wheels fall off, but the '16 is in another league. I bought the Blizzard White Three with the advanced tech package and Harvest Beige upholstery. I averaged 55mpg on my first tank without even trying, and the car is quieter, faster, and nimbler than the Gen 2. I like the tech features, though I am a little dazzled by the 800-page owner's manual.

[...and FWIW, the white center console can easily be covered up with the available--but pricey--black applique.]

 

I think that's a little odd to not buy a car because the center console is white every car you buy there's always going to be a list of things you don't like or care about that's just the way it is


iPhone ?

 

Everybody's different. That said, if the white console annoys you, it's a whole lot harder to ignore than peculiarities of exterior styling - you can decline to look at the car from certain angles, for instance, and you can't see the outside while you're driving (obviously). The console is huge and stuck between the front seats, really quite a visually jarring and discordant element in the interior. In my opinion it just doesn't work, and someone who feels even more strongly about it than I do might throw up their hands and walk away (though yeah, $200-300 makes it go away under the black applique, at least to my eye). Pity, though - it really seems a greatly improved vehicle in almost every way from a functional standpoint, and I've read little here from new owners to make me think otherwise. Can't wait to get ours, but yeah, I won't be admiring the "bone china" cabin adornments. It's bad enough that I expect to see plenty of 3rd party fixes; it just might take a little time.

 

I was one of those who was very critical of the white console at first, but it never really influenced my decision about buying the car. After driving the car for two weeks and a few hundred miles, I find that it bothers me less than I expected. After a while, it becomes familiar and less jarring than in the beginning. I still don't like it and will install the black applique at some point, but the urgency is gone.

I expect that the same will be true of the rear-end styling. It was startling at first, but not nearly as bad as some of the cars that are out there. I remember being wary of the styling on the Gen II when I bought in in 2004, but in time I came to like it.

 

Loved the info! After driving one, if you had to choose between a Gen 4 II and III, do you have a suggestion?

 

Just to offer one opinion, I thought the Two and Three seemed the same as far as driving experience was concerned, and I didn't even think the Touring was noticeably different.

We preferred the Three for a few reasons. We listen to XM and HD radio, neither of which is on the Two (though the Two does still have AM/FM/CD/MP3 w/auxin, USB, Bluetooth). There's no Qi charger (if that matters to you), the center console is flat back plastic instead of "bone china" white, and some more observant reviewers have noted that there's a bit less soft touch and more hard plastic in the Two (the Three's steering wheel and armrest areas are covered with Softex, and the upper door panels are soft touch instead of the Two's hard plastic), although the seats are the same. Smartkey on the Two is driver's door only instead of both front doors and hatch, and there's no "Auto" mode for headlights. You can't get TSS-P safety features in any form on the Two, but it's standard on the Three Touring and optionally available for the Three (Advanced Tech Pkg). The Three also has navigation and Entune Apps, but I can't tout those as huge advantages with a straight face.

Functionally, I think the Two's perfectly fine, and certainly more cost-effective. We'll have this a while and thought the Three's niceties were worth the extra $$$, but especially if you don't care about XM, HD radio, or TSS-P, the Two would be the better buy.

 

I definitely wanted the advanced tech package, and after looking at a lot of cars at several dealerships, I decided that I also really wanted the "Harvest Beige" interior. The black seats absorb heat in the summer, and the "moonstone" option is too contrasty for my taste. The Three was the only model that gave me the selections that I wanted. I would like to have had blind-spot mirrors and the rear sensors that detect oncoming traffic when you are backing out of a driveway, but for those I would have had to buy the Four--and I was unwilling to do that (heated seats in SoCal??). Toyota's bundling of features strikes me as a little arbitrary, but I guess "pick and choose" across a wide range of options is a thing of the past.

 

Thank you so much! Yes, for $2000 difference, I'm not sure it's worth it. We are having the cloth replaced with leather, so maybe they can pad the armrest areas for us. I wish Toyota had opted for CarPlay instead of Entune. My husband's new Tacoma has Entune and it's honestly a pain to deal with compared to just using the phone for navigation, etc. So I think you just made my mind up for me! Thanks again.

 

EP422 plus I'd assume. That's a very new tire, with decent wear statistics: the UTQG is 540AA in the 15" size.

 

We liked the beige as well. All the above is also true for us, plus it's been over 25 years since I've had a car with an interior that wasn't either gray or black. We like the way the warmer color is used across the front of the cabin as well as the upholstery, really a nice look. The downside is that the white porcelain fixture in the center looks even more out of place with Harvest Beige than Black or Moonstone, but there are already some corrective measures for that and we figure more are on the way. Since we also wanted TSS-P with a fabric interior and a spare tire, a Three w/ATP it was!

 

I handle radio (and GPS guidance when I use it) through my iPhone. It all began because I live in a semi-rural area with incredibly lousy FM radio reception, even with a booster antenna. So some years ago I began streaming music through iTunes and feeding it into my stereo system (antiquated, I know!). The earlier iTune versions had an "iTunes Radio" section with a huge choice of radio stations you could stream. Now that Apple has moved to "Apple Music" they seem to have eliminated those stations, and Apple Music's free streams are pathetic for what I want. I figured out that I could open the browser (Safari) on my Mac and do a Google search for the music I wanted, say "Blues Radio Stations" or "Classical Radio Stations" or whatever. That pulls up radio stations across the country, and most of their broadcasts are also streamed online - for free, though there are ads (often public service ones, which are not too annoying). No monthly fees. I do the same thing on my iPhone when I'm in the car and the music connects to the Prius Two audio system via Bluetooth.

This approach may be worth considering for those who want a Two or Two ECO.