Consumer Reports Pegs Prime EV Range at 28 Miles

Yes, all hope aside, I am expecting this. Thus my likelihood of grabbing the prime sooner rather than later.

 

maybe they'll do a fifth seat, since they already mentioned it.

 

The priority list didn't have energy-density at the top. Neither was speed to market. Reducing cost and improving thermal resilience was more important.

 

It's a PHEV. It's not like Toyota sneaked an 8.8kw pack without telling anyone. All that means little when someone is the market for a liftback plugin. It only means that prime can heat the cabin and floor the accelerator pedal without firing up the ICE. We won't even get solar roof. All these little features no matter what the engineer had to solve that Toyota add would only be taken as consideration when someone's comparing the Prime, the Ioniq PHEV and the Volt. A tech savvy guy might only buy a car with AndroidAuto or CarPlay so that dual motor and heat pump means nothing to them.

You're right they're not the same car but they are still a Camry and an Avalon. You can make a Civic out accelerate a P90D but at the end of the day, it's still a Civic.

That's a poor design if you ask me.

Toyota didn't bother to ask consumers what they want? Seems like they pulled a genie on us. A genie grants you a wish to be a BMW owner but didn't tell you that your grandfather had to die in order for you to inherit it.
If Toyota want to test the water then why not make both? At least give us the option of 5 seats. All these other options that are catered to foreign markets that the US won't get add up to the weight of a passenger. It doesn't take that much engineering to stash the charger somewhere else and put the original 3 seat bench in the back. If you're worry about heated seats, I got good news for you. Toyota knows how to make heated bench seats. It's irresponsible for Toyota to put all of its eggs in 1 basket. Honda is the testing the market with a FWD pickup but still has an AWD satisfy all those who thought FWD trucks are the dumbest thing ever.

 

As I remember, that innovation would be in the late teens, around 2018 for the mid cycle refresh for both the GenIV and the Prime refresh. I don't expect it will be available for the Prime's release. Although, we all hope it might -- I, for one, don't expect it happening.

 

The market continues to evolve. New customers means new requirements. Like the technology itself, there will be continuous change.

Adopt. Adapt. Improve. Repeat.

Also, keep in mind that people don't actually know what they want. It's a fundamental problem in the tech industry.

That's serious misrepresentation, to the point of greenwashing. Look around. Notice the other rollouts? See the work in progress? Much more is taking place.

 

Alternative fuel, convenience, entertainment and life saving technologies are what drive the market forward, not alternative seating arrangement. Majority of the people are not going to say, ohh it's got 5 seats, I don't want it. But, I bet a lot of people will say, ohh it only has 4 seats, I don't want it. I could careless if it has dual motors and heat pump.
Toyota's already working on a 5 seat Prime even before the 4 seat Prime even hit the market. That tells me that they knew they made a mistake with the 4 seat prime and realized it early on and are scrambling to correct their mistake. I don't think I've ever seen a non safety issues that got addressed this quickly. When Gen 3 was first announced, did Toyota say that they will soon make a Prius without the center console bridge? losing the upper storage compartment has nothing on losing the 5th seat.

 

Do you have a reference for saying the battery size doubled? Toyota is always a bit conservative, because they wish durability of their products. Hyundai seems to use a newer type and has been able to package the HV-battery in a more compact way in the Ioniq Plug-in..

But I have little doubt that in three years, even a Prime FL will benefit from some major advances (see f.e. previous poster), and also, Toyota is not alone on the world, and the market will become more and more competitive and volatile. >> More choice for us.

That was the meaning of my previous contributions. I may not have been clear enough.

Jan

 

You have already fallen into the same trap Volt enthusiasts did when GM said something. You heard what you wanted. The engineer stated he looked forward to doing that work. He designs things and finds the process very rewarding. No where was there any promise of actually delivering it on a Prius Prime, nor was a timeline even given. For all we know, it could end up on a different plug-in hybrid. Think about how Prius v could use that. You get one Prius oriented to offer nicer features and other that delivers an extremely practical configuration. After all, your logic of being responsible makes more sense with that approach.

You are alone on those. Many, many people said they cared a great deal about the engine staying off longer. Toyota was being responsible by listening and responding to that feedback.

 

just what my eyes tell me. it matters little whether it 90% larger, or 110%. it's hogging valuable hatch space. tut's what matters, and 3 years isn't going to change that. 6 years might not, without major battery breakthrough.
people who say, 'this is a great car, but i'm waiting 3 years for the improved version' are deluding themselves. they won't buy one now, and they won't buy one then.

 

I have eyes too. I saw the prototype of the gen 1 PHEV "took up valuable hatch space" but the production model did not. What makes you so sure that the battery of the production Prime will take up hatch space?

 

just what i heard from the people at the show, and no denials from anyone. if it doesn't? i'll be all over it.

 

I will too. I am ready to hear any ideas about when we will hear about the production model including price.

 

dealers are starting to offer test drives. do you think they are production worthy, or still prototypes?
pricing is supposed to start around 30k in the u.s., some euro pricing already announced.

 

Someone posted before the delay was announced that production of the Prime would start on September 30. If that is still operative there seem to be quite a few pre production Primes around. It occurs to me that just using two gen 1 batteries would require more hatch space but a battery which is configured for the space allowed might not. I will wait to see what emerges. There were quite a few pre production gen 1 prototypes, remember?

 

BTT.

 

i don't, but i'll take your word. i know some peeps here got a shot at one.

now, if i were toyota, and i planned on a flat production hatch floor, i would tell anyone that would listen, instead of getting hammered over and over again for 6-9 months. but that's just me.

 

The cars are clearly labeled "Prototype" at the show. I have lived around Japanese folks (Hawaii) and owned three Toyotas over 11years including the year long introduction of the PIP. I am not surprised by the silence from Toyota which you mention.

 

agreed. silence is their motto to live by. except when they heard the feedback about the missing seat. then, they couldn't trip over themselves fast enough to let us know a fifth seat was a probability down the road.
until we know, i can only comment on what i see and hear. i don't see any reason to give them a pass.

 

Realistically, a "fail" prior to rollout doesn't mean anything... unless you consider all the free publicity resulting from it. Change for rollout is common anyway.

Raising awareness of a new product prior to rollout is worth quite a bit. Just look at how Microsoft has capitalized on that.