2021 Prius Prime informal review vs. a "vanilla" Gen4

the one that is not battery related is: has anyone been rear ended in a prius prime and got the battery in the cargo or the fiber hatch damaged? I'm seriously looking to get one now due to the cash back and rebates, but the other driver is, ahem, my teenage daughter. So between the carbon fiber hatch and the battery in the trunk I'm quite concern what will the damages be if the car gets rear-ended. Or just get a $2k hooptie for her and be done with.

 

And another concern is that the battery rises above the cargo area. My driveway is on a 10 degree slope, if I open the hatch, will loose items like groceries roll out of the trunk? This is a non issue for folks who has a garage or flat driveway.

 

3rd gens had a level hatch, and some 4th gen (those with spare?) are similar. Nothing to stop a rolling object.

I’ve never had a problem with our 2010, but again rarely if ever opening the hatch with a load of loose catalopes on a steep uphill.

Ours came with a cargo net that hooks on and drapes across the rear hatch opening. Never used it, not quite sure what it’s for, but if available for Prime might be worth a look.

 

I believe the actual battery is far enough back to not be a concern in a minor fender bender. That hatch could be involved in such, or at least much more likely than the battery.

 

The carbon fiber is just the hatch, the rear fender, deck, bumper core and frames are all solid steel. If the accident is severe enough to damage the battery, then most likely the car is totaled. Prius Prime is not cheap to fix, even a minor fender bender which should not cause structural damage to the battery pack would end up costing $$$. I would be extremely worried to have it driven by an inexperienced teenager. My kids all got a hammy-down old beater when they first got a driver's license.

Yes, stuff will roll out. You can install a cargo net or use a cargo tote to prevent this from happening. The issue might be that the cargo deck is raised thus smaller. Very tall items may not fit under the hatch.

 

My experiences are a little different with my 2021 Prime XLE.
1) I find that the giant touchscreen NAV is infinitely better than using my iPhone, here’s why : 1st I don’t use up any data on my phone plan ( yes using Nav on your phone uses up data)
2nd the giant screen is MUCH easier to see and the Nav voice is clearer and louder over the cars stereo, also in some situations I find the GPS from car is more precise for upcoming turns etc, also have next upcoming turn showing up on the MFD display allows me to not have to take my eyes off the road,
2nd is I can scroll down the map along the route zoom in and get details along the way, also the HD ( free) traffic and weather is AWSOME. I can also zoom way out on the map click on a point , and say take me there, on hyways it shows me the next three upcoming exits and what services are there.
Soooo,,, maybe you need to TRY playing around and or using the Toyota NAV, I find it faaaaaar superior to my phones tiny screen and features. I almost never use my phones Nav. When I have the primes EXCEPTIONALY good Nav.
Driving : I find that using eco mode I actually get more range in EV and better gas mileage CONSISTENTLY.
Compared to my 2016 eco Prius I find the prime seems to have better acceleration in hybrid mode, in fact overall compared to my 2016 eco Prius, the prime is quieter, stiffer, better handling, better acceleration.
It’s quite a remarkable achievement by Toyota. I got mine in California, and with the combined Toyota rebate of $4500, the calif clean fuel rebate at purchase of $900 and dealer discount, I got it at remarkable price of $24,600 brand new.

 

I've read (on Prius Chat among other places) that it isn't real carbon fiber--it is just plastic. Most people think of carbon fiber as layers of woven carbon fibers sheets. But this is just plastic containing some carbon fibers, with a fake carbon fiber pattern pressed into the surface to make it look like woven sheets. Toyota itself calls it "CFRP", carbon fiber reinforced plastic. That's what it is--plastic.

 

@Airman74 Also remember that Google maps *does* allow offline map downloads. If you download maps, data usage will be extremely minimal ( i.e. - traffic data, etc... ). The downloaded maps are also functional entirely offline as well. I use this trick when we go on road trips and it has saved me in remote areas, etc...

 

Absolutely. And if you are a Google Maps 'power user', with lots of waypoints, etc.... the waypoints *are* saved in your offline map. I can't stress enough how great this feature is. I have tons of remote waypoints in southern Utah that mark pictograph sites and such. The fact they come 'for free' on the downloaded map is just a fantastic feature.

 

I don't think Colorado cares whether you put the stickers on the top or bottom. On the standard plate, there is space at the bottom corners, but on their "special" plates, the better blank space is at the top. I have mine in both places depending on the plate. And I never use a "frame" around the plate which always obscures a portion of the stickers.

 

The maintenance reminder is hard-wired to come on 5,000 miles since it was last reset. It doesn't know whether you changed the oil or not the last time. It's up to you to remember whether the oil change is due or whether you can just reset the reminder.

 

100% agree here, the only thing I dislike is Carplay mirrors the google nav from the iPhone.
For me I am so get used to the Google Map on iphone for easier control.

 

I like to back into my driveway

Via Prius Chat for Android

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Graz '21- Midnight Black Metallic Ltd.

5/28/2021

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Graz '05 - Tideland Pearl - Package 6

02/02/2005 - ???
-gifted to son

231,776 miles of smiles

Lifetime: ~48.71 MPG Highest Tank: ~57.9 MPG Highest Miles/Tank: ~559

P185/65R-15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 SL 42.0/40.0 psi

OPTIMA Yellow-Top 12 Volt ACC Battery

XChanged the Traction Battery at 184K


Limit your funding of international terrorism!

 

I also back my Prime into the driveway to make the charging cord reach the car. It also keeps anything from falling out.

 

Kind of an old thread, but ... 'nuther backer-in-er here. I back into the driveway so the cord will reach. I back into the garage because we have a low ceiling and I found out years ago what happens if you drive in and forget to close the hatch before you close the garage door.