Having recently moved up from a Gen 2 to a Gen 4 (2019 Prius LE), the disappearance of under-floor trunk storage is a concern. Carving additional storage out of the foam under the floor seems feasible; I have also read thread(s) in the Prius C forum about replacing the foam in its entirety with some sort of homemade floor support, but I'm not sure I want to go to that extent, and there was also mention of a concern whether the foam provides additional impact protection, although this doesn't seem likely. What's the latest thinking on this? What have you tried? Incidentally, I have the (now) only trim that comes with a spare tire, so that's three pieces of foam, with the center piece (over the spare) readily removable.
I raised the floor in my Prius to match the level of my folded down rear seats with foam panels. And I cut holes in the styrofoam for storage cubbies. Pretty simple actually.
Yeah that's another nail in the coffin for me. Similar story in Canada, only the base 2WD model has the spare. I would fight that urge, just reduce what you're carrying, use the cargo cover. An LA member was saying there, having the cargo cover in place can prompt thieves to break the glass, just to see what's under. The underfloor storage was better in that regard. And could hold a LOT of stuff. For me it's the emergency items. Ah well. Still, sometime you'll be selling or trading in, and the more stock the better.
Although the more I look at it, it’s hard to decide what to put under the floor, since it’ll be so hard to get at, since the floor now includes the wings on the side rather than just a hinged cover. Perhaps tools and jumper cables ... Then again the wings are hinged, so maybe just carve some space under them ... or just stuff ‘em in the cubbies.
I thought the wings made it EASIER to access under the tray than in my last car that had none. Instead of holding the tray in one hand, lock the wings into the holders and your free to use both hands.
new to Prius, but my motto has always been "ABC" for Always Be Covering. I always try to keep couple of ratty looking old bedsheets in the car, just to cover any and all items. Theory is you average crook will not break in on the off chance that some lump under a sheet is something of value. I've never had a break in just to steal items (covered or uncovered). I've had two stereos stolen from dash, and have had 4 cars stolen (returned by cops but all low value items gone).
omg this exactly what I was looking for, thanks! How do you like it so far? can you actually go camping and sleep on it?
No, I am not a camper. I always have the back seats folded down and the flat cargo area is beneficial for carrying bulky cargo and boxes. Basically, my Prius is a two seat sports car with an enormous trunk...
My calculated mileage has been a consistent (over time) 5% overstated over 165,000 miles in my two Prius's. 2008 and 2016. So consistent that I stopped doing the calculations...
I'm pretty happy with my modification so far. I still plan on getting around to building dividers but it opened up the entire rear of the vehicle for storage while also making it flush with the rear lip and level with the back seats folded. You can check out the thread here: https://priuschat.com/threads/custom-rear-cargo-spacer-for-camping-hidden-cargo-area-etc.215352/
