After 16 years and almost 200,000 miles, I still love my second-gen Prius, but it's about to be handed down to my kid. I find it hard to contemplate buying anything but a Prius, ideally a Prime, though they are in very short supply around here. I'd like some insight into the transition from a second-gen to a new Prime. What is better, what's worse, and what takes a while to get used to? Also, I'm wondering about whether Toyota has ever fixed the single most annoying thing about the second-gen Prius -- the lack of a one-step "vent" setting to bring in fresh air without heating or cooling.
well of course, there's the elephant in the room, the plug in ev miles. overall, a much better car. quieter, smoother, more comfortable, but i hope you like high tech. biggest loss is space. cubbies, underfloor storage, smaller hatch, oh yeah, no spare tire. not sure what you men about the one step vent, my 04 and 08 had fresh air with no heating or cooling. prime is the same
gotcha. not sure on prime, there are two contol iterations, large and small touch screens. someone will know.
Here's what the temperature control setup looks like on our 2019 Prime Plus (should be the same for the LE): I can push the record button if I want fresh air or straight cabin air. Easy enough. Good luck with your upgrade.
As a former Gen 2 owner, there are a lot of differences and some similarities. Pros: Better front seats (not perched like in the Gen 2) Much improved ride quality (suspension and body rigidity upgrades) Better handling (suspension and tyre upgrade) Quieter ride (Better sound insulation via foam and double paned glass as well as more engine noise isolation) Better HV mode mpg (55-60mpg easily) Of course the EV range 20-35 miles depending on season. Less if snowier or colder Much improved passive safety (offset crash plus more airbags) Much improved active safety (TSS-P 2.0) Better quality of materials - fewer hard plastics, more soft-touch injection moulded plastics Even though it’s 200kg (440lbs) heavier, the acceleration is similar to a Gen 2 thanks to improved low end torque with the engine and electric motors as well as the reduction gear in the PSD Excellent LED headlights (both low and high beam) Nicely weighted steering wheel Cons: Loss of interior storage space (no upper glovebox, smaller lower glovebox, no in-dash storage or hidden drawer, no underfloor bins, raised cargo floor) Slight loss of interior legroom (more noticeable in the rear) Not a fan of the SofTex-wrapped steering wheel. I like the thermal properties (it’s not as cold in the winter as a leather-wrapped wheel) but it doesn’t feel nice after it’s worn; only when new SofTex is fine in mild climates but it doesn’t breathe as well as Toyota marketing would have you believe. The 2021 model cuts some corners compared to the 2017-2020 (no illuminated driver switches, swapped out piano black exterior accents for the unpainted matte black on the regular Prius, removed the plastic coverings on the interior door frames etc) Honestly, the chassis can handle more power. Yes we’ll lose some efficiency but it’s be nice to not have to rely on the engine for extra oomph. Loss of uniqueness that made the Gen 2 fun to own.
"...fewer hard plastics, more soft-touch..." I have always found soft plastic as a sign of quality or luxury odd. Plastic is plastic after all. Then for the environmentally conscious, the soft plastic is usually a type that can't be recycled.
I think it's because most of the time, the hard plastic is really cheaply made and thus the association. There have been hard plastics that feel nice to the touch but I suppose manufacturers just avoid that since people automatically associated "hard" with "poor" or "cheap". For example, I thought the Gen 2's hard plastic (but smooth) door toppers were fine. It was actually the very thin fabric over the armrest that was cheap feeling.
Which leads to soft touch plastics being used for surfaces rarely touched. Beyond the steering wheel and arm rests, surfaces just need to be visually appealing. edit: People will pay extra for inserts and accents of real wood, brushed metal, carbon fiber, etc. for a luxury model. These just add visual appeal with how they are implemented. for feel, the upgrade is still pretty much leather.
Still having a terrible time finding any new 2021 Prius Prime LE within 75 miles of DC. Only fictional ones appear the dealers' websites. Very frustrating.
