What I don't like about the 2016 Prius

My 11 old Audi had some little noises that popped up in later years, I don't think it was annoying but I figured it came with age. I'm sure I could've tried to troubleshoot it but it was well beyond warranty when it happened.

 

I was driving around in the "Normal" mode yesterday, and that's when the vibration/rattle started.
Today, I went back to "Eco" mode, and I didn't experience any vibrations or rattle. I'm not going to have the dealer start tearing things apart on a brand new car... it would never be the same.

I have yet to find one competent service dept that I completely trust. I'm glad the Prius seems to be a very reliable car, engine wise. Many of the Taxi companies are using them. I just change the oil per the Owner's Manual schedule (NOT the dealers phony schedule, and never buy those "extra" unnecessary services.) I rotate the tires once a year, and replace the engine air filter when it's dirty. I usually don't keep any vehicle for more than 10 years. My annual mileage is low.

I think my '16 Prius will be fine. It's a lot better than the Yaris I was looking at.

 

they look fabulous in person, and i think the exterior design will help, not hinder, sales. spiffing up the gen 3, as they did the gen 2 would have been a non starter.

 

I absolutely agree with cmth! He said, "Then there is the whole e-four saga. Here is Toyota with what can only be termed as a fantastic technology to be able to offer light AWD capability to its hybrid cars especially useful in colder countries where strict emission standards mean this tech could have been a key differentiation over traditional AWD. However, Toyota instead decided to only offer E-Four in Japan. Not even the C-HR gets e-four. An AWD SUV with sub 100g/km CO2 would sell very well here but no, Toyota did not think so." I've had a Prius for over 10 years. Of course, I wanted a new one! But, they did not offer this option. Sadly, I left the Prius. I went with the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid XLE i/e-four AWD. I live in Minnesota. This is something that will come in handy. So far, I'm extremely happy. No doubt, I will miss the fifty and more miles per gallon. Still, the i/e-four AWD was a very important consideration for me. I pulled the trigger on that one. I think the RAV4 XLE Hybrid i/e-four AWD is a tremendous value! I will always be always be intrigued by the Prius. I never had a vehicle that I loved so much. When I see my last Prius that I owned for sale, it does hurt me. We had many precious memories together. I keep asking myself, why did I let it go? Spring, car shows, eventually winter, beer, women, mental illness, and more; I'm not sure? "Why didn't they offer the latest technology as a option for the Prius?" i/e-four AWD! The Prius should be the technology king! The imported USA 2016 Prius let me down. My friends have always asked me, "How is your Prius running Gary?" Always I've said, "This is unbelievable, you might consider to get one." Now, I'll have to tell them I'm driving a 2016 RAV4 Hybrid i/e AWD. I think the i/e-four AWD missions are both the same in the Prius in Japan and the RAV4 in the US. Are the they incredibly different? I think they are both electronic motors on the rear-end that help with traction. Do we need Japanese owners to explain the difference between I/e four AWD missions between the Prius and the RAV4? I don't think so. For me what matters is what something is, not what it is called! Maybe as Tideland Prius has said, I'm jumping to conclusions. But, I'll never be a bad guy! I'll always be a Prius guy! And, I will always play the concertina!

 

I agree! Still. Why did Toyota not offer this option for dedicated Prius owners in the USA and around the world other than Japan? e-AWD and i-AWD are they not both electronic? Is the mission different? AWD? e-AWD and i-AWD have the same mission. If I'm wrong I'd like to have a full explanation of the difference. This is an electronic traction motor on the rear of the car that would come in when you need it. We are talking about traction in poor weather. This should have been an option on the new Prius in the USA! Call it what you want, e-AWD or i-AWD the mission is the same. If I'm wrong, I would love a full explanation. The USA Prius didn't offer it! So, I went with the RAV4 Hybrid i/e-AWD! The Japanese e-AWD on the Prius I think would have the very same mission! It is not that complicated. AWD! The latest technology with the Prius should be offered to dedicated owners that have been with Prius for many years! And, many of us would be willing to pay for it! The capabilities between a 2016 Prius e-Four Hybrid in Japan and a 2016 RAV4 i-Four Hybrid XLE in the USA, what? They are both traction motors and have the same purpose! AWD Why didn't Toyota offer dedicated Prius owners in the USA this option? AWD. e-AWD. i-AWD. What matters is what something is, not what it is called. I personally want the latest technology! If offered, I could certainly use AWD. With it, I could have continued my journey with the Prius in Minnesota. On a brighter note, my new 2016 RAV4 Hybrid i/e AWD still has the energy screen! When I can, I'm still gliding! The fun is still there! I'm coming up to the stop lights very smoothly! Yes, regenerative braking is on all four wheels! The insurance rates from my latest 2010 Prius to this 2016 RAV4 XLE Hybrid i/e AWD vehicle have gone up $8.00 per six months. The energy screens are still there and much more! For me, I'm still having fun! Toyota should still offer the absolute highest technology of any other vehicle in their lineup with the Prius! The Prius started everything!

 

The electric motors certainly might have a power difference. But, do they serve the same purpose? AWD I just wish that they would have offered this option. I think that many people in the northern places would have jumped at having a little more traction at the rear wheels of the Prius. Is it necessary, maybe not! In the Northern climates, I got along fine for over 10 years with a Prius with solely front wheel drive! Still, I think that Toyota should have offered the absolute highest tech that they can with the Prius. Is this a halo car? You betcha! When some of these tech items are only offered in Japan, it was disappointing. And, people will notice! I want the i/e AWD that is also offered on Lexus vehicles! I may not have the income for a Lexus. RAV4 XLE Hybrid i/e AWD - compare to a Lexus vehicle! I think that this vehicle is a wonderful bargain! The drivetrain is the exact same! If I'm wrong Tideland Prius, correct me. The NX300h has the exact same drivetrain. Am I wrong? Same torque, horsepower, and more? Am I missing something? Real leather seats?

 

Well said because the adjective I think fits the gen4's looks is 'unique'. There is no other car I know of that looks quite like it. I think the 'swoopiness' of the gen4 works well for it in giving a more aggressive, let's have more fun driving look to it. Toyota really improved the interior a lot and even the white console isn't so bad, it adds some spice to the black interior. I don't think they could have laid out all the touchpoints, seats and controls better than they did. I would need a lot more seat time to see how the Touring stands up in the tough stuff like freeway and heavy stop and go traffic.

 

Thank you Tideland Prius! I thought that RLX Sport Hybrid was a Honda not a Lexus/Toyota product. Oh, well. No, I'm not embarrassed at all. Let's get back to Toyota products. What matters is what something is, not what it is called. Can we get back to Toyota products? No i/e AWD on the Prius? Why?

 

And just to give another example. The recently announced C-HR small SUV Hybrid version shares the same drivetrain as Prius Gen 4. Then they announce that it will come with an AWD option. Now normal logic says okay we have the Prius Gen-4 already being offered in Japan with e-four so this car shares the same platform so why not offer e-four for C-HR ? No no no that is not what Toyota is going to do. They are going to offer AWD only in the Turbo version of the car and it is going to be a conventional AWD system. Now this is supposed to be a car that is unique in the segment by offering class leading emssions says Toyota. By offering e-four they could have also added to that title - class leading AWD system offering lowest emissions in the segment.

I am just lost for words. The only rational conclusion I can make from all this is that maybe the e-four system with a 1.8 ICE is simply not workable. No one has seen or driven an AWD Prius (as far as I know) and Toyota has not officially announced specifications (other than that Toyota manual someone posted) so maybe this 1.8L e-four system simply does not work and maybe the Japanese don't usually complain even if it doesn't work

 

I personally don't miss AWD, I mean I thought I would but I don't. I also don't drive on unplowed roads often but even then I didn't have an issue in the Prius and I also would never take a regular car in terrain that would truly need AWD. I know AWD systems tend to be heavy, bringing down gas mileage. It sounds like the e-four isn't? We will definitely have to see what happens in the future.

 

For me the worst thing about the 2016 Prius is the way people go on and on about how they hate its styling. Endlessly.

Merged.

Ditto here. I had a Subaru Outback and it had lousy traction on the OEM tires, which improved when I managed to wear them out and get some decent Nokians. Ditto for my Gen 3 Prius. After sliding around in the snow in NH and ME two years ago, I got a set of full snows for it and what a difference they made! It finally dawned on me that it's the tires that matter, not the AWD. I don't miss the Subaru at all. That said, deep snow is a problem unless a vehicle has a lot of ground clearance.

FWIW, here are my thoughts:
(1) I grew up in the snow belts of upstate NY and Pittsburgh. When there was a big snowstorm, we laid in food and STAYED HOME! Don't need AWD for that.
(2) The reality is that the number of days there is enough snow on the roads for it to be a problem is limited. And declining with global warming.
(3) When I was working, my chief assistant lived in central CT and felt he had to have 4WD or AWD for the winter. In reality he NEVER made it to work (a 1 1/4 hr drive normally) when it snowed because he couldn't get there. Traffic from accidents and all the people that could not drive/had lousy tires blocked the roads, so he'd have to turn around and go home. Ironically, another tech who lived closer and worked an early shift (thus avoiding the jam-ups) ALWAYS made it to work, and her car was FWD, NOT AWD! Same for me.
(4) AWD costs not only at the gas pump but also for tires. Circumferences must be close to the same or it can wear the AWD, so you may end up replacing 4 if you have 1 irreparably damaged tire.

I have a good friend in Way North VT who owns a Prius, and gets around fine with a pair of winter tires on the front.

 

Oh I was just using regular all seasons but we only get a few snow days/year. The thing is though our county (and local HOA) can sometimes be pretty sparing with plowing due to it so there were a few days I drove on my all seasons out of the neighborhood while it was unplowed, even up a slight incline and it was fine.

 

Thanks for mentioning this, as it's a major sore point for me that we haven't discussed much. Much as I respect the Prius, I would never have bought it for my old 40+ mi. one-way commute in NE Ohio. Most of it was freeway, but both end points required traversing some less traveled roads, a few in less prosperous communities where snow was removed "in due time." I had a Subaru Outback for several years, then a Toyota Matrix, both with AWD. I'm no off-roader, but there were many commutes where I was puttering along nicely past cars and trucks with spinning wheels on poorly cleared roads. It really doesn't take much - I certainly didn't need a Jeep or Hummer, but the change from doing that commute in a conventional FWD mid-size sedan was dramatic.

Toyota's E-Four system is nearly ideal for this application, making it possible to move at low speeds over road surfaces with poor traction conditions, and most important get started when at rest on a slippery surface. As it stands, I believe the most economical AWD alternative on the U.S. market is Toyota's new RAV4 Hybrid w/E-Four (or whatever they call it), but that only achieves MPG in the low 30s; it's most likely the car I'd buy today if I were still doing that commute, but I'd certainly prefer to buy a Prius with E-Four, which would certainly get better MPG and likely be less expensive to buy and more pleasant to drive. At least the RAV4 is broadly affordable - until now, Toyota was limiting electric AWD to Lexus and the Lexus-priced (!) Highlander Hybrid.

Toyota's not alone in withholding economical eAWD from U.S. customers. One of the reasons I was interested to hear Nissan was bringing its funky Cube to the U.S. market several years ago was that it was offered with "e4WD" in Japan. But sure enough, when an updated Cube finally reached the U.S., e4WD was not on the options list.

 

IIRC, the primary limitation of the Prius in snow is its relatively low ground clearance and the current 4WD Prius has significantly less ground clearance than the 2WD.

While a 4WD Prius would have an advantage on slick bare ice, it would likely be worse than the standard 2WD on uncleared or poorly cleared roads. With that in mind, would you really want one? If you were Toyota would you want to introduce it in North America and face the fallout when the expectations of a large number of buyers are not met?

 

Are you suggesting poorly clearly roads are non-existent in Japan? Or perhaps that in Japan, it is unlikely there will be a fallout if expectations of buyers are not met?

To me, the issue here is not whether one does or doesn't need AWD but the simple idea that you could let the market decide whether there is demand but for whatever reason, Toyota have decided against it. Even more strange that they have decided to go for conventional AWD in C-HR, their flashy new small SUV rather than e-four. It just doesn't add up.

 

Having learned to drive in '73 Mustang in Rochester, NY (bags of sand in the trunk helped some) I still think that front wheel drive is a blessing.

In truth I don't have much experience with 4WD bit this many years later I have never had any trouble going forward in the snow-- just seeing my way thru an iced over windshield and stopping in it.

Never quite understood the theory on how 4WD helps you with the stopping part.