I have two different driveways I go down that bottom the nose. I took a look today, and it just scratches the bottom edge. Actually it looks well designed with a 90 degree lip that ties in with the bottom under car pan. It looks like it shouldn't get hung up, but time will tell.
Yep, it is low enough to scrape, but heck i was scraping my Challenger RT nose, since it had the super track pack suspension, and my new Prius is actually a little lower than my RT was. I have scraped in a couple of steep driveways. now I know to do the whole angle thing.
I did it once and it was leaving the insurance agents parking lot a couple of days after I got the car. I was only there to switch the insurance from my old car. I also scrapped the lower right side pulling into a tight parking spot on a narrow road near a hiking spot. I didn't realize there was a rock border. The rocks were low and partially covered by weeds but the Prius is lower.
I find the 2016 Four Touring scrapes less than my previous '14 Two and '05, despite the technically lower clearance. Probably the improved/stiffer suspension?
Not on the Touring but it happened all the time with the GEN 3 solar non touring. Remember a truck tire recap flying and rolling down the freeway at my Gen 3. Thought sure it damaged the bottom but I got lucky. My daughter lost her front bumper cover on a Caravan that way.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, love it "Scrape-A- Day" club. I to was afraid to look. My wife had a Chrysler that she ripped off the spoiler. It was a just a straight piece of plastic added on, hanging low. Ours is much better made. I think we will tear off the complete bumper cover. That may or may not be a good thing. My Gen 2 may have been a bit higher, but I would scrape from time to time. Maybe the Gen 4 nose is longer in front of the tires. Watch those wheel chocks and curbs in parking lots. They can do serious damage. I found some of the commercial rubber ones are low enough. There are a lot of low cars now. But many of the built on the job curbs are to high.
Also, take steep inclines at a 45 degree angle, if you have to take them, to avoid scraping. (Sometimes it's inevitable, though.)
Is there a panel that covers the underside of the engine bay? Could that be scraping? I tried to look under mine today when washing the car. I'm not scraping the (white) lower spoiler. It appears the scrapes are a few inches further back... there's a plastic panel under there, and bolt heads protruding a little bit. I think that's it.
I saw in Ebay some kind of rubber trim that you can put in the front of the bumper. This could help. My main problem is the little Rock. My first Drive kind of crazy . I was going at 60 mpg this pick up truck had chickens in few cages one of them came at me . I just took the left lane so fast . I told my self just go with the wave. Lol Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Mine is totally scraped up, but I can't see any scratches AT ALL. It might make you feel better knowing that scrapes might not show on your car. BTW, mine aren't just scrapes; I've hit the road head-on when leaving driveways to the point where I think the bumper will fall off. At least it isn't damaging anything mechanical. My gen 2 bottoms out on where the undercarriage is. It is really dented under there.
This is one of the aspects I dislike about my Prius... Thankfully, I've only scraped very slightly only the black plastic panel underneath which protects everything above. I've had nothing but sports cars in the past, and this specific car is the most prone and sensitive, it seems. Worst case scenario, I can just buy a new replacement black plastic cover. And I do slow down and be careful during turns and bumps, etc. Maybe I should just trade for an SUV, lol. One thing's for sure, they've made the newest Prius a great driver's car which has a very sporty nature to it.
My PRIUS is heaps better than my last car (FORD Fiesta) which scraped on almost every driveway even taken at 45 degrees. So far, I've only scraped it lightly once. A few others I test-drove were low too, Mazda 3 and a used FORD Focus - not sure if the current one is the same.
You just have to be careful. You know the angle of the dangle to prevent prangles and tangles is what it is all about.
Work - what's that? Planned all my working life to retire by 60, and got close to the goal. Yes, I am retired and enjoying every minute of it.