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Yet Another Prius Improvement Wish List

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Tideland Prius, Sep 8, 2006.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Alright, so there have been several threads on what we would like to see on future iterations of the Prius as we can see here and here and here and
    here

    Most feature on how we want 8-way power heated front seats with adjustable lumbar. A few concentrate on making the car more efficient. I'd like to make this thread focus on the latter. I know Toyota's already working on the next generation and it's probably a little late for them to make changes with regards to this area (although it's not too late for creature comforts lol). Nevertheless, I'm sure there will be several ideas that arise from this that can be incorporated.

    I'll start off. Since the Prius is in the forefront of exceptional mileage while leaving little compromise (yesyes, we all know about the dash and seats), what ideas can we come up but yet, keeping the price realistic. Naturally an all carbon fibre body would be ideal but the price wouldn't.

    1. More use of aluminium bits in the suspension

    2. Lighter sound insulation material (the Thinsulate seals on the ES350?)

    3. dual VVT-i and direct injection incorporated into the current 1NZ-FXE engine (not sure how old this engine is.. it's at least 6 years old now so maybe a new 1.6 litre ZR series engine?)

    4. Magnesium framed seats? (might be a tad expensive though)

    5. More use of aluminium and titanium in the engine and engine compartment. The car seems a bit nose heavy.

    5. LED lighting (taillight, brake lights [you never know.. Toyota is known for removing features on next gen], indicators, licence plate). Maybe the LED headlights from the LS600h L? It could happen :p .


    Heck, if they can even keep it at the current 1300kg weight, that'll be great.
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Sep 8, 2006
  2. dragonfire_777

    dragonfire_777 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Sep 8 2006, 06:16 PM) [snapback]316733[/snapback]</div>
    How about:

    1. A better grade of plastic trim so the doors etc. don't mark so easily. Doable

    2. Upholstry that's more stain resistant . Easy

    3. Slightly larger brake lights. Not too pricey

    Hmmm... that's all I have for now. I'll be back with more when theinspitation hits me.
     
    #2 dragonfire_777, Sep 8, 2006
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well, I was hoping more of efficiency. Not necessarily fuel efficiency but also how it manages its draw of power by the accessories like A/C, headlights etc.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Sep 9, 2006
  4. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    AC use could be a little less in warmer climes with more window tinting. And maybe some kind of thermostat controlled venting that's active while parked.

    I like the idea of an active suspension. Something that would lower the car at highway speeds for greater efficiency, and raise it back up to negotiate urban curbs and speedbumps. Along with some better tires, it would greatly improve the safety. Not to mention the handling. :)
     
    #4 hyo silver, Sep 9, 2006
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I'd like to see a mechanism to reuse the heat from the ICE in the winter, to pre-warm the air entering the engine and to warm other temperture critical components.

    I think there's a lot of potential for things that could be done to improve cold weather efficiency and reduce heat loss.

    Part of the plug-in system could be the engine block heater and possible a battery heater so that the car would be at or near peak efficiency 'out of the starting blocks' even in the coldest weather.
     
    #5 efusco, Sep 9, 2006
  6. Soylent

    Soylent The v isn't a station wagon! It's just big boned

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    I'm going to disagree. The last thing the Prius needs to be is made of cheaper materials. Already I've noticed how cheap-feeling some of the plastics are, like in the dash, the glovebox tabs that hold it in place or the little piston that slows down its opening. Also, things simply "snap-in" like the vent covers, there are no metal hinges, the center console is all thin plastic and moves around... you get my point. When you look at a Volkswagen interior, and it's vastly superior and *much* more solid, and the Jettas are cheaper than the Prius. Even my old 86' Toyota 4Runner had thick, solid plastics.

    So, no, I don't think they need "light" materials, because to Toyota that simply means "cheaper", and for us it'll be a less solid, more dangerous car (and still the same price). They either need to research better quality plastics, or simply increase the efficiency of the powertrain.

    Doesn't the Prius already do that with the coolant thermos?
     
    #6 Soylent, Sep 9, 2006
  7. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 9 2006, 12:14 PM) [snapback]317001[/snapback]</div>
    To a limited degree, but the coolant isn't kept nearly as hot as the Prius literature would lead one to believe. In addition, putting a 1/2 gallon of warm coolant into a 10 degree F block of aluminum doesn't really do too much. It helps, no doubt, but the things I suggested would help the FE after start up as well. Warming the battery, I'm convinced, is a pretty big deal too.
     
    #7 efusco, Sep 9, 2006
  8. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 9 2006, 12:54 PM) [snapback]316996[/snapback]</div>
    I read that the new Estima Hybrid has that feature. Maybe the next gen Prius will have this feature too? That'll be great of us who live in the Northern states. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/hybrid_minivan.php

    I wish we don't need to idle for 5 seconds to transition between S3 to S4. What a waste of of fuel. See my discussion here.
     
    #8 ScottY, Sep 9, 2006
  9. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    How about a mid engine rear wheel drive hybrid. The battery could be in the front. It should be a 2 seater with some luggage room, about the size of the old MR2. Shoot for a weight of 2500 lbs or less and use a 1200 or 1300 cc ICE. Not a replacement for the Prius of course, but something for those of us who would like a hybrid touring car for 1 or 2 people.
     
    #9 tumbleweed, Sep 9, 2006
  10. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Sep 9 2006, 12:48 PM) [snapback]316995[/snapback]</div>
    I agree. I still am thinking of adding a solar panel on my roof to run the battery blower when parked. And raising the car for deep snow would be great too!
     
    #10 tomdeimos, Sep 9, 2006
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Sep 9 2006, 09:48 AM) [snapback]316995[/snapback]</div>
    So like the ECO button on the Camry Hybrid?

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 9 2006, 09:54 AM) [snapback]316996[/snapback]</div>
    To expand on that idea, what would be nice is if the heat from the exhaust could somehow be used as radiant heating for the cabin, thus reducing the need to blast the heater and thus minimise the air to the cabin as a heat sink for the engine, allowing for a quicker warm up.
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Sep 9, 2006
  12. 2006priusowner

    2006priusowner Junior Member

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    As odd as this might sound, I'd go for a manual shift hybrid.

    I gave up my beloved stick to get into a hybrid, but miss the total control of a manual shift (which allowed me to work up my MPG rather than rely on the car to do it).
     
    #12 2006priusowner, Sep 23, 2006
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You should've gotten a pre 2005 HCH or Insight. They had a manual transmissions option.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Sep 23, 2006
  14. dachshund

    dachshund New Member

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    Batteries with greater capacity. How about lasting longer in bumper-to-bumper traffic?

    I'd like a front camera. Since we can't see the front of the car.

    And more info on the motor. Temp, RPM, etc.
     
    #14 dachshund, Sep 23, 2006
  15. rjones

    rjones New Member

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    I would love for the instrument brightness to automatically adjust according to the ambient light... right now I have to turn down the brightness at night otherwise I get glare on the windshield. The comfortable night brightness level is too low for driving during the day.

    I'd also like to have an auto-lock and arm feature when I leave the vicinity of the car with my smart key.

    Indicators on the instrument cluster near the speedometer for when the ICE is using gas and when the electric motor is operating/generating. I feel somewhat unsafe staring at the MFD to try to determine when I'm in glide mode, etc.

    More gradation on the accelerator pedal to put the vehicle in different modes, i.e. stealth, glide, etc. Right now, the pedal is very sensitive and you have to "feather" the pedal to get it to do what you want to do. If you could just press a little bit to disengage coasting regen, then a little more to engage the electric motor, then a little more to engage the ICE... Perhaps even have some touch feedback like the pedal is clicking into each gradation. This should be very subtle so you can press right through for normal acceleration, but again, it feels dangerous to be staring at the MFD to put the car into the right mode.
     
    #15 rjones, Oct 2, 2006
  16. SiliconAddict

    SiliconAddict New Member

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    I'll add the prerequisite "Sunroof" wish.

    Its literally the ONLY thing I'm going to miss about my Cougar. :(
     
    #16 SiliconAddict, Oct 2, 2006
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