What features would make you jump ship?

when i can drive one, interior volume/measurements might be my only concern.
i trust that toyota has the drive train right, i just don't want to go backward from my 2012.
1 door sks hurts, but i can live with it

 

If they turned it into an SUV, I’d be out.

For real, though, I’m so enamored with the Toyota reliability and the Prius brand that unless they turned it into a pure sports car with sub-45 MPG and/or stripped it of all practicality, I don’t think I could be turned off of the Prius. That said, I really like the redesign! There are no other cars I am currently considering. Prius or bust!

 

Canada is only getting the two top end models, with AWD. Neither will have a spare tire AFAIK. That’s a deal breaker for me, if I was in the market.

 

I have admired the Prius ever since it came out, and have owned 2 and am on a wait list for a Gen 5 Prime as well. I agree that there really isn’t any vehicle I think is a better fit than a Prime.

The only other vehicle I could see myself buying instead of the new Prius Prime is it’s big brother, the RAV4 Prime; up until the Gen 5 was announced, I was really torn between them, as I liked the more space and added features of the RAV (more range, power, moonroof, heated/ventilated seats, rear heated seats, 360 camera, 110V AC outlet, etc.), but virtually all of this will now be also available on the new Prius Prime as well (except the roof doesn’t open and a bit less power/range, etc). For 22, I was torn about whether all of these WANTS are worth about $16K more. (CAD$36K vs $52K for top packages of each 2022 model in Ontario after current rebates)… Still a lot of money. (Perhaps it could be my ‘reasonable’ midlife crisis car? LOL)… And both 23 models are more expensive…

With information available so far about 23 Prius Prime, it now ticks most of the boxes from my RAV4 wishlist, and is clearly the most logical choice for my needs/budget.

I put deposits on both in early 2022 banking on 23/24 models, so now it is simply a matter of waiting to see which ridiculous wait list I get through first… Deposits are fully refundable, and Toyota Canada does not allow new vehicles to be sold above MSRP.

 

Doesn’t it seem like retrofitting a spare in place of that styrofoam seem like a relatively easy aftermarket mod? I am curious to hear if this actually fits and is reasonable, once the cars start hitting the streets… I would certainly be up for retrofitting a compact spare if it can be done at a reasonable cost. Would have been nice though if there was a factory option for this.

I agree and prefer having a spare than not (especially compared to space-filling foam….), but is not a deal breaker for me personally; but I know your opinion on this is well documented, Mendel. Everyone has their own risk profile and comfort level.

 

Agree with many of the comments above. Hard to find the perfect car that's matches everything you're looking for. That did happen to me once when I bought a new Mazda MX5 with retractable roof in 2007. Yea cheap man's Porsche but on curvy roads it could keep up with a Porsche. Not so on straight aways. I'm not looking for a sport car with interest in upcoming Prime. But I'm am looking something solidly built, generally quiet cabin wise and of good resale value down the road.

What I really want to start reading are reviews of personal test drives by posters here. The good and bad and then complete a test drive myself. Sure "talking heads" youtube reviews help but you really have to get behind the wheel yourself to judge if a car is worth buying or not. And as far as I can tell, know one here has test driven a Prius Hybrid and no one has a clue when the Prime is coming out. So we wait for cars to show up at dealership which I'm afraid is going to be longer than anyone expected.

 

I won't buy a car that has limitations in my ability to use the touch screen or navigation for all the car is in motion. Last time I checked that's what cars are, in motion! It prevents me or my passenger from operating it and I'm not going to have somebody telling me that I'm not smart enough to operate something while the car is in motion. Forget it pal keep your car. You're not telling me what to do with the car I purchase

 

The Gen 5 is only going on sale this month (week? Not sure of exact date), and to my knowledge none have hit the streets yet as far as private owners - only reviewers so far - but should be very soon. Prime is expected to be around March/April for release details (?), and probably on sale shortly after, but who knows…

I am going to the Autoshow in Toronto in February (first one post-Covid), and in the past Toyota offered test drives of Prius there…. Hope that will be the case again this year, and if so I will jump on the opportunity. At minimum, I look forward to seeing one in person and sitting in it, checking out “smaller” back seat, etc… (a minor concern of mine, with one young teenage boy at home, and a second less than 2 years away… and they may inherit my 6’2” height. )

 

Aptera. Efficiency from reduced mass and aerodynamic drag. Sandy Munro's comments hit the mark, in that the regulatory structure for four-wheeled vehicles has developed to the point that there is little room for innovation. Legally classified as motorcycles in most states, three-wheelers don't need to meet the same safety standards as four-wheel vehicles. It's a motorcycle without the weather exposure or athletic effort.

 

Just a technical thought: could adding a large steel/rubber object to the hatch zone without engineering oversight get you into legal hot water? Say there’s an accident, it breaks loose (assuming some attempt was made to restrain it).

Maybe a really clever lawyer could argue, that it’s the manufacturers endangering their customers, when they nix the spare.

If something is designed and sold, and it’s common practice for consumers to modify it after purchase, something is wrong with this picture? The sand pounder, as far as I know, the sheet metal stamping of the car is quite capable of holding the spare.

I think the prime motivation for nixing it was to achieve some mpg goal, in particular on the the higher (and heavier) levels.

Secondary reason was probably cost-saving?

Currently Toyota.com (US website) is saying NO level has a spare. Still, I seem to recall something saying the SE had a spare. PDF of the Owners Maual (available on Toyota Tech Info) shows both slime pump and spare, in the what to do in an emergency section.

One thing would bring back the spare in a flash: government intervention.

 

I think we can kiss the "spare tire talk" goodbye. It's obvious both the hybrid and Plug-in were not designed for spare tire. Which was a mistake. Now all we have are chunks of styrofoam under rear hatch flooring. Some what tacky. And you can't drive on styrofoam when you lose a tire.

Guess everyone better have AAA service or what ever because many of the discussions about lack of spare tire and replacing is basically talk related to putting a square block in a round hole. Very difficult and costly.

 

Not to the editors of the North American 5th Gen Prius Owner's Manual (excerpt from pdf available on Toyota Tech Info website):

 

It is no longer space filling foam. It is a cargo tray. There are spaces for the repair kit and jack, but it is mostly little cubicles for your stuff.

There are three configurations to the cargo area in the owner's manual. A is empty space with a drop down to the floor from the hatch opening. A repair kit and jack are stored under the floor. The US Prius LE is specced as having more cargo volume, so this is likely what it has.

B hads a raised deck than gets the cargo floor near level with the hatch. It opens up to reveal a tray. B1 is the storage tray. B2 is a tray for holding a spare tire.

Since that tray and deck are basically just sitting on the cargo floor; adding or swapping them should be straight forward. Difficultly will likely be based upon access to the fasteners.

And the manufacturers response to such a win will be to get rid of folding seats and install a barrier between the cargo and passenger spaces. If an added spare tire can come loose to become a dangerous projectile, then anything placed in that space can.

In some markets, modifications require official inspections and certifications.

It was both. The emission and efficiency testing, virtually everywhere, allow the test results of one trim stand in the place of another, as long as the weight difference isn't too great. Removing the spare to counter the added weight of added features in higher trims is an easy way for the manufacturer to avoid the cost of testing and certifying the additional trims.

A released spec sheet listed the LE as having a spare, but that changed with the official listing on Toyota's website. It appears adding a spare is possible, unlike the gen4 Prime. It could be optional.

 

KaChing - pay for retrofitting a compact spare tire
KaChing - pay for floor mats
KaChing - pay for digital rearview mirror (normal one don't work)
KaChing - pay for charge station
KaChing - pay to swap odd size tires

Man - the "KaChings" are really adding up.

 

Then find a car that needs less kachings.

 

charging station not necessary