Performance more than adequate, great reliability, am I missing something?

Welcome.
The reviewers sometimes have a bias against Hybrids, especially the leader.

 

People in reviews want sporty fast handling. It’s kind of dumb - there’s a reason Camrys and Accords sell so well, people just want flat out good basic cars. The Prius is the most practical car that has ever existed, its a great car for the average person.

 

I think the Gen 4 feels like it has above-average power as compared to similarly-sized competitors. The stats are purely average for the class of vehicle on paper, but the torque is much more usable because you get electric assistance off the line and even at zero RPM.

Reviewers just like to diss the prius.

 

the nature of auto writers. they'd lose their audience if they said what you said, and maybe their jobs.

 

I agree. My girlfriend has a Hyundai Elantra which I am a fan of, but the Prius feels like it has more power even though it doesn’t.

 

Highly recommend watching the YouTube video breakdown of the Prius Gen 4 P610 transaxle on the WeberAuto channel. The engineering that has gone into it is mind blowing. You'll be a believer after watching it.

 

"All the power any adult could need, but not all the power a boy could want."

An electric motor produces maximum torque at 0 RPM, so off the line torque is good compared to much more powerful cars who achieve maximum torque well up the power band. While the eCVT denies you that downshift bump of torque, it very close to instantly finds the maximum torque available and stays there. By about 60 MPH, you have less power to work with than most modern cars. (No car I owned before 2000 had more power than the Prius, but I have always preferred economical driving)

I once owned and loved a 44 HP RD400 Yamaha, described as the most wheelie prone street motorcycle ever made. A very peaky torque curve mated to a 6 speed transmission meant that if you stayed in the right gear, you could still pull up the front tire into the high 70s. If you chose the wrong gear, it was slow and mild. The Prius also has very little HP to work with, but it is always in the right gear.

Yamaha RD400 - Wikipedia

Now magazine editors.
They never have to pay any operation or maintenance costs of any automobile they drive, so reliability and frugality mean nothing to them. They are often completely confused why owners are loyal to cars that do not break.

Cars that perform in a new or interesting way get lots of attention, they are not bored with it yet. Of all the ways Gen4 is better than Gen 3, all you hear from the automotive press is the handling. (when discussing the Gen 4 vs the Prime, they quickly start discussing the tail lights, as all the other differences have to do with the cost of transportation, a subject they have no experience with)

 

I came from a 5 Speed toyota matrix and find that the power is more than adequate, plus I enjoy my 1 speed automatic! Even driving the prius more spirited and with a heavy foot, delivers exceptional MPG compared to a non hybrid. I think if you are coming from a V6 or V8, its going to be slow off the line or passing, but coming from a normal econo car, you'll find plenty of power.

 

I was in your situation 18 mths ago - and ended up with a 2016 last June. Love it. Yes, it's not as sporty as my 2litre Diesel Focus was, but it's got as much grunt as I need.

Journalists compare them with V8 muscle cars, or big bulky SUVs or trucks. They also complain about the eCVT sounding odd - well I think they sound no more odd than some of the twin-clutch atrocities being sold, and far less annoying than the belt-drive type.

It's also well equipped - RADAR Cruise, Auto Emergency Braking, Auto headlights/wipers - and more, depending on the specification. Only and average quality entertainment system (apparently without Android/Apple thingy whatever they are). Seats could be better too, though I've got them sorted out mainly, but visibility is better than many other cars I'd tested.

 

Ok here's my pennyworth:

1. They don't understand the technology and are not interested
2. They can't understand why the engine revs don't correlate to the acceleration/speed
3. They get to drive sports cars, so everything worse than their favourite is a lemon
4. It's a Prius, so it's econmical, so it MUST be slow
5. They can't be bothered, so they'll paraphrase what every other hack has written already. Easy!

 

6. PROFIT !!

 

My 2016 Prius is faster off the line than the Chevy Malibu I traded in. It isn't any slower in getting up to 80 MPH on those Nevada/Utah freeways either. Additionally, I can more comfortably sit in the cockpit for much longer periods. When I bought the car, I thought: "It's all right. It is what it is." Now I'm loving this car.

 

It's easy to understand why it gets so-so reviews....and I'll probably get yelled at for what I'm about to say. But it all boils down to feel, not numbers.

Steering: In a good driver's car (one that feels good to drive), the steering is perfectly weighted, and gives good feedback about what's going on at the road surface. You can tell, just by the feel through the wheel, when your tires are on the edge of losing traction. The Prius has no steering feel.

Suspension....here's where the Prius is decent, but still not great. The suspension should be firm, yet comfortable. Never harsh. It should allow the front and rear wheels to reach maximum grip at about the same time, rather than plowing headlong into massive understeer. Electronic traction aids should intervene smoothly, and not too early. The Prius' handling balance is biased towards lots of understeer, and the electronics are not smooth when they kick in...and they kick in very early, long before you're in real trouble.

Brakes...here's where the Prius (and most other hybrids) feel absolutely, ridiculously terrible. Brakes should be smooth, strong, progressive, and easy to modulate. By feel alone, you should be able to make tiny adjustments in braking power, or get exactly the right amount of braking power, almost without thinking. The Prius brakes are abysmal in that respect. Grabby, and nearly impossible to modulate smoothly. Oh and if you need to hit the brakes quickly but don't want full braking power? Forgetaboutit. The electronic nannies in the Prius assume that I'm a 90 year old who is incapable of pressing hard on the brake pedal when I want max braking, so a quick & firm tap on the brakes can lead to the electronics deciding that I must want MAX BRAKING RIGHT NOW, sending me into a full-on ABS panic stop, when all I wanted was to scrub off a few mph quickly. I get it...electronics, it's tough to blend regen and conventional brakes, etc. The brake feel in hybrids is lousy.

Engine: The sound of an engine should inspire. It should be quiet and unobtrusive in normal driving, but make one's spine tingle when the revs soar. It should have lots of torque down low, and have an exhilarating rush of power as revs rise. The Prius: it drones and doesn't inspire anything except a desire to slow down.

Transmission: It should allow the driver to have full control if he/she desires. Prius: technically fascinating, but no driver control.

The Prius is great for what it is: an economical way to get from point A to point B. That's why I bought one, and I'm glad that it is very competent at what it does...it gets me through a long commute every day without beating me up, and it does it cheaply. But it isn't a driver's car. It doesn't inspire passionate drives done just for fun. That's what the car magazines want out of every car.

The Prius will not ever get good reviews from a car magazine that makes its money of off people who are passionate about the driving experience.

Go test drive a BMW 3, 4, or 5 series. The steering feel is a little weaksauce, but within 20-30 minutes you'll understand what car reviewers use as the gold standard, and you'll understand why the Prius gets so-so reviews.

 

you sound like the auto writers described above.

 

I can answer that.

I have 125,000 miles in a G3, but it's a work car.....and so that means that for me there's no fanboy issues, or 20,000 reasons to have to justify my love or hate for the car.
So.....if you want a car that has acceptable looks...acceptable performance....and above average reliability then there's only one car that I can think of that would be a better buy than a G4, and that's a Prime - only because you can get a Prime for the same cost or a little bit cheaper than a G4.

However (comma!!!!!) this is just considering the Prius as a transportation appliance....again, FOR ME, and ignoring all of the soulless aspects of rolling a G3 day in and day out.
I've ticked them off, one by one, many times, and for the purposes of your question MY dissatisfaction with the G3's handling has been more than expiated by it's rock-solid reliability.
So.....I don't have any stick time in a G4, and I understand from the people who decide such things that it's handling and road manners have gone from 'generic vanilla' to maybe one of the major brands......of vanilla....albeit in one of the lesser attractive packages in your grocery store's freezer aisle.
THAT however, is a different story!



If you have to ask why automotive enthusiasts view Priuses with such distain I'd say that it's equal parts inertia, street cred, and Prius drivers themselves........or as they say on Bourbon St. about jazz:
If you 'get it' then no explanation is necessary, otherwise?
You just ain't GONNA 'get it.'

Good Luck!
There's a saying in the M/C community.
You have to ride YOUR ride.

If Priuses speak to you, then I'd say that you should be driving Priuses.........and not really giving a toss about what other people say, write, or feel about YOUR ride.

 

What about people like @bwilson4web that own both?
He has an i3-REx and a Prius Prime.

 

Oh man, you mean to tell me I've been missing all that fun for the past year and a half??? I gotta try that! It's time to unleash the fury... No more driving like an old dude!

If Priuses speak to you, then I'd say that you should be driving Priuses.........and not really giving a toss about what other people say, write, or feel about YOUR ride.

I'm still waiting for my Prius to "speak" to me. But she's a quiet type of gal. Well, I'm going to blow her britches off today, and see what she's got!!