What I don't like about the 2016 Prius

(Please forgive me if I say something that has already been discussed. I'm not reading 28 pages of posts. These are merely my impressions.)
I have leased a Prius for the last six years (2010-13, 2013-16). On vacation now I'm renting a 2016 Prius, and the interior changes make it less likely I will buy a new one. I will either keep my current car, try to buy a 2015 model, or look at other brands.
The most important loss is the storage well in the hatchback. There are only so many places to keep things not visible from outside the car, and this was one of them. I suppose I could take out the styrofoam and get a smaller spare tire or do without one. Also the hatchback door used to have two handles to close it and now it has only one.
There is now only one glove box when there used to be two, and I believe it is smaller. I keep lots of stuff in there. In the space between the front seats I keep a box of tissue. Now if it put tissues there it will block the gear shift. There used to be a covered cup holder where I kept lip balm and eye drops for quick access while driving. That's gone too. If I keep them in the uncovered cup, the lip balm will melt and the drops will be too hot for use. If I put them in the armrest container or the glove box, they will be lost amid the clutter.
I had to read the manual to figure out how to shut off the radio. The volume/power switch is black on a black background, invisible at night.
Speaking of the manual, I could not decipher how to change the display settings by reading it and had to just randomly push buttons to make changes.
The gear shift is moved up onto the dashboard, making it more awkward to use and potentially blocked by whatever I put in the space in front of it (such as a tissue box).
The parking brake (I'm apparently a rare driver who knows what that is) has moved to the right and is more difficult for me to find without opening the door and looking down.
In all, I'm dissatisfied with every single change.

 

What I don't like? I don't like the constant buzz when in reverse and the total silence when blind spot monitoring is activated. You'd think with all the racket they'd enable a noise for BSM also.

LG-H901 ?

 

I'm glad that BSM is silent. As I drive down the freeway, every car that i pass or passes me activates the BSM as we pass. I can easily ignore the lights if I'm not preparing to change lanes, but a beep would be nerve-wracking. The indicator in the mirror presents the information I need where I need it.

 

I was referring to BSM audible alert if turn signals are used to turn into a vehicle next to ones lane.

Currently it blinks only.

Now don't get me wrong, I always check the sides inc blind spot before changing lanes and continue to do so in vehicles equipped with BSM . My point was merely "complaining" about BSM alert not being audible, especially when nearly every item within this vehicle is.

LG-H901 ?

 

Nor user configurable though? Unless one has carista or a dealer visit plus some scheckles.

LG-H901 ?

 

What reverse beep?? The virtues of being an "OG". I've become so accustomed to the sound that I guess I rarely notice it anymore. Does it beep on the outside of the car, too? To warn pedestrians?

I always take my seat belt off a little bit early, before I park. I only hear a single "bong." That's nice.
Same thing when starting out... If I don't buckle-up right away, there's only one bong. I think it starts a steady bong after a certain amount of seconds, or when speed reaches 15? Not sure.

 

The reverse constant beep tone is inside cabin lol.

LG-H901 ?

 

I have a 2010 Prius 3, with the sunroof and solar fan. Had to replace the baby battery a couple of year ago, but every thing is pretty much routine maintenance with 57K miles on the clock.
I finally visited the dealership that sold me the Prius 6 years ago. Same salesman and he actually remembered me!
We looked at a 2016 Prius 3 with the AT package. Very nice.
But...
Storage seems to have been forgotten. The glove box is smaller, the console storage is smaller, and the hidden storage in the rear has totally disappeared. The solar fan which makes my car livable in the NC summer has also gone away.
The front end is lower, do I really want to scrape the front end on every driveway slope, or risk getting too close to a curb?
I don't mind the look of the new style, and the mileage seems great, but I really don't see any improvements that would make me want to replace my free & clear Prius.
Thanks Toyota, but I think I'm good.

 

You may want to improve it on safety alone. You have a pre-facelift Gen 3 which would basically cut off your legs if you got in a small angle front end crash. The facelift Gen 3 is updated with a reinforced front corner. The Gen 4 takes it even further and is designed from the ground up to be safer from the front and the side.

Further it would seem the new Prius has stiffer springs which would help you from bottoming out. I haven't seen the specs on approach/departure angles but typically those kinds of things are improved with new models. It appears that the new Prius has an upward tilt of the bottom of the front bumper which would help with approach. Are you assuming you'd bottom out from actually test driving and measuring or are you simply assuming based on visual observation?

The Gen 4 is pretty nice. For me, the increaded safety, ride, and handling is enough for an upgrade.

 

I'd add the improved MPG over my 2011 Gen 3. Plus the ability run engine-off at speeds up to about 70mph. whereas the Gen 3's engine was always on above 46mph. Yesterday I had to go to Hartford and back, >70 miles, and averaged a very pleasing 82MPG on the MFD.

Haven't had any bottoming-out problems.

Yes the stowage capacity is less than in the Gen 3 (which had a lot more stowage space than the cars I owned before it). I quickly realized that I was carrying a lot of stuff I didn't really need and got rid of it. Now no problem.

 

@KayakerNC I'm in the same boat as you, and came to the same conclusion. Our 2010 has low kms on the odo, well maintained and garage stored.

Pretty much the only thing I like about the new version is the improved mpg, but we're currently spending about $30 a month on gas, so no big deal.

 

the good news is, there are 5 more years after yours, if you decide you want something newer. all the best!

 

I think the smaller storage spaces are actually a benefit. It gives the driver a chance to "minimize" and not carry so much stuff. With that said, I bought a plastic Tupperware box/with snapping lid that I keep in the rear hatch area.

Have you driven one yet? I had plenty of gripes, at first. After I finally got over ( or or got used to) my noisy tires, and got some lengthy time behind the wheel, 2,000 total miles... I now think it's a great car. The handling is very good, even for the non-touring... Suspension feels very adequate. The steering is nice and firm, and the car tracks straight ahead like an arrow! There is not one rattle, squeak, shimmy, vibration, or unusual sounds of any kind.

Yes, the front end is a bit lower, (than my old Camry) and yes, I've scraped a couple of times upon entering/exiting a driveway. But I was probably going too fast. Best of all, I'm averaging a steady 60 MPG over all driving conditions/speeds. (And I'm not driving slow. Probably more aggressive than average... trying to keep the nuts off my tail.)

 

bisco, did you not see the thread: "What I Don't Like About The New Gen4?"

 

Not really negative, just not...overwhelmed.
Who knows, if I decide to take a test-drive the driving experience might cause me to down-play my doubts.
But for now, I'm OK with my 2010.

 

If I can purchase Prius in this link トヨタ プリウス | カスタマイズカー | TRD Ver.2 | トヨタ自動車WEBサイト I will get rid of my Gen 3 and use the my Prius v for capacity, but then I'm in the Texas and as I was told "You know you are in Texas, you need a pick up truck"

 

That must be some kind of self-contradiction record. In what way is a plastic box sliding around in the trunk better than having items secured in built-in storage? This isn't giving drivers "a chance to minimize" - it's denying us the opportunity to properly secure items we want to keep handy in the car. That's a dead loss, not a benefit. And any designer at Toyota that thought otherwise is an insufferable nannying busybody.

 

No one is forcing you to purchase a new Prius. Nor did they design a car to fit your specific needs. That is why there are so many different cars, and people find the one to fit their needs.