Raising of cargo space floor platform

And engineer said it was weight, a marketing person said it was comfort.

I know which one I'd believe when talking about the design.

Put it on the floor or fold the seats down.

 

^ I don't think that's a black applique kit?

Anyway, yeah: considering it's inherent 2016 exterior/interior stylings, the even more "Lexus" front bumper, the lack of rear wiper, spare, 5th seat, and the BIG reduction in cargo space, no thanks.

 

I would have bought a Ford CMAX Energi years ago if it wasn't for its trunk compromise. Sad to see Toyota has introduced the same kind of problem into the Prius Prime.

 

That is a preproduction car, and that is a carbon fiber. Turns out the cross hatching is usually added as an embossing some we can all recognize and point to it and say, "that's carbon fiber."

The fifth seat is lost because of weight from the optional solar panel and its NiMH battery, which sits under the rear seat..

 

I'm not too worked up about the cargo area, yet. I want to see the production version in person first. If it is an issue, there may be ways to deal with it. I'm sure you'll still fit a week's worth of groceries back there.

 

If my (future) Prime's 8.8kW battery is still not enough for my needs I plan on modifying it by adding more capacity - perhaps to 20-25kW total. Of course, this will probably raise the rear deck yet another 15 inches. I hope I can still fit a couple grocery bags back there once I do that. Seeing out the back window might be a problem, but what the heck.

 

I'd be worried about the extra weight on the rear. Just take out the rear seat. A third of it is already gone.

 

that's a lot of flashlight batteries.

 

....from SNL

 

The main thing I would dread is having to endure the endless questions from people asking why do I always carry an air mattress in the back of my car. Just kidding, although I do expect that anyone who happens to be walking by when you have the hatch open is going to do a double take. Good conversation starter I suppose.

 

how do the rear seats fold with the center console in place? i can't figure out what's going on in evpv's post #15 pic.

 

In German press release Toyota Toyota said that the floor has been raised 16 cm in comparison to the standard model .
We only get the trunk version with the tire repair set .
Considering the cargo floor of gen. 4 with the tire repair set beeing about 10 cm deeper in comparison with gen. 3,the raise of the Primes cargo floor should be about 6 cm higher than gen. 3 cargo floor .
I put some blocks with 6 cm hight in my gen. 3 and placed a piece of solid cardboard over them just to see how the reduced cargo room would translate into real life and yes of course it's less,but it guess it's still seems to be quite adequate and considering the great features which come with the Prime probably worth the "small" sacrifices we have to make if we decide to purchase the vehicle.

 

There's a void in the seat back for the arm rest. I don't think the arm rest is as high as I've seen in cars with a fold down one.

 

5:30 in this video.

 

civicdriver06 made reference to this post in the Priusfreunde.de forum. It is the most active German language forum on Toyota and Lexus Hybrid models, also providing discussions and information on other "clean" propulsion cars.

In the mean time, I got precise information on the dimensions of the luggage compartment of the Prius Prime/PHV, compared to the 2 and 4 Gen Prius, and the soon to be available Ioniq Plug-in (measures are given in this order). I consider the latter as the closest competitor of the Prius Prime/PHV, at least in Europe, where the Volt will not be made available as for now.

Depth and width are comparable. Each Prius offers some more width in the rear part.
The heights under the tonneau cover show considerable differences. This is what Europeans consider as the real usable volume. We do not like it when others can see things we transport, nor do we want to expose them to direct sunlight.

In Inch (cm): Prime/PHV: 9.45 (24); 2 Gen Prius: 13.78 (35); 4 Gen Prius: 16.93 (43); Ioniq Plug-in: 13 (33).

The Prime/PHV booth is clearly truncated. The Ioniq Plug-in is not much larger overall, being somewhat smaller than the 2 Gen Prius. Its height, however, is more usable. The 4 Gen Prius is excellent.

Pizzabad made this picture of the Prime/PHV trunk with a 20 Inch (50.8 cm) high backpack.



So, I see now three major drawbacks for the Prime/PHV: The truncated luggage space, only 4 seats, and something I learned this weekend by talking to a Toyota Germany spokesman: there will be no towing hitch, not even not even one for a bike rack. Again a question of weight...

Will these impact the sales of the Prime/PHV, which is technically speaking the best ever Prius? The next year or so will tell...

Jan

 

I'm way more interested in distance to the glass, as I rarely use the cover, and never use it for larger cargo.

 

Wunderbar data Mr MMT/Jan!...I think we should point out the 4 Gen Prius @16.93 (43) is probably the version without the spare tire.

 

Yes, I appreciate many people will share your view. Everybody will judge according to his/her needs and habits.

I just wished to provide this comparison, so that everybody can judge for him/herself.

For me, the impossibility of having a hitch for a bike rack will probably be a deal breaker.

Jan

 

I'm sure a third-party would install a hitch for you.

 

My source did not provide that information, but you may be right.

Jan