2016 models. No 4-wheel drive?

In some states, studs make it hard to get past traffic enforcement without getting a citation for an equipment violation.

 

Funny you should mention that. I went ice fishing once near Montreal where we'd drive on the lake halfway to the huts. I drove a crappy Ford Escort FWD with no traction control and managed to make it. Slipped and slid all over the place, but it was actually kinda fun, since there was no traffic, just flat ice as far as you could see. The ice was about 1 metre deep so no risk of falling through, but every so often you'd hear the disconcerting snap! of the ice shifting.

 

How many popular sedans, especially on smaller side are offered with AWD??
A: Not many. Subaru.

Solution: Buy a Rav4 hybrid AWD.

Consumer Reports did a test stating winter tires make more of a difference than AWD.

 

How is a 31MPG SUV even remotely comparable to a Prius? When I was in the market for a vehicle like a Rav4, it lost to another vehicle. Besides, a Rav4 hybrid is more of a cost adder to a similar Prius than E-Four would be. It would have to be $15k less for me to consider it.

And they already make a Prius with E-Four.

Solution: Bring E-Four to the people who want it and are willing to pay for it.

 

Instead of trying to port in the whole car and reconfigure it why not try sourcing the parts and adding to a us version

 

I suspect that's harder than it sounds due to software.

 

And it is too bad, I bet a 7 HP electric motor could drive a supercharger for a Prius. That would be a 'hybrid' powerplant!

 

I've always thought these sorts of statements and tests are bizarre. Sure winter tires may make more of a difference, but the only valid comparison is winter tires and 2WD vs. winter tires and AWD. Comparing 2WD with winter tires vs. AWD with all-seasons just doesn't make a lot of sense.

When we get our RAV4 Hybrid AWD, if it's still winter, the first thing we will do is buy winter wheels for it. Maybe Hakkapeliitta R2 or Michelin X-Ice i3, mated to a set of inexpensive aluminum alloy rims.

Yep. We are a two-car family. We want the RAV4 as the kid and stuff transporter, but I still want my Prius. AWD on the Prius would be a nice option to have, if not too expensive, esp. since we live at the bottom of a steep hill.

 

So, there are loads of sedans in US not available in AWD: Camry, Corolla, Accord, Civic, Focus, Malibu, Cruze, Sonata, Elantra, Optima ... and more.
So is the Prius supposed to have an AWD option just because it's liftback? Is it suspected the 4th gen liftback drives badly in snow unlike the others listed above?

 

People are free not to buy a car if they don't want to. There is a growing desire to have an AWD option on even cars of this class. AWD is one of many highly desirable features. Not mandatory, but desirable.

BTW, I had posted the specs and pix of the new Prius on another non-Prius site and most people were completely uninterested in the car until they saw that the Japanese version had AWD. So it's clear the interest in AWD is out there.

Hell, there are lots of people these days who won't even look at a car if it doesn't have Apple CarPlay. While I'm not that extreme, I can definitely empathize. I listen to music in my car more than anywhere else so I can understand why the entertainment system of a car might be more important to them than say the fuel economy, or AWD for that matter. And up to now, while I am not sold on CarPlay yet, I'm definitely not impressed by Toyota's abilities in this regard. For example, I find the voice control in my Plug-in Prius completely unusable.

 

It should have an AWD option because it already does have an AWD option. They just need to sell it. If they hadn't designed and built that option, there would be no complaint. But designing it, testing it, and building it and then NOT making it available is just stupid.

 

Well, maybe next year. You can only hope. I wouldn't buy an AWD Prius, again, due to the ground clearance. The city of Edmonton doesn't plow sidestreets very well. You can end up with quite large ice humps on those streets. Takes out front airdams all the time, and even undertrays. Instead I bought a used FJ Cruiser. It also doubles as a device to dispose of all that pesky cheap gasoline.

 

You'd have to find someone with the ability to look at the code, but that is true of all modern cars if you want to modify the performance of the drive train in modern cars.

Sonic possesses the fuel maps for E85 in its ECU; it just needs an alcohol sensor, 15 inches of ethanol compatible fuel hose, and those maps unlocked in the software to be a flex fuel car. Some GM truck owners have unlocked the lean burn code installed for the Australian market. I suspect the E-four code is also in the gen4 ECU, and it just needs to be unlocked. I doubt it will be plug and play, so it will take more effort than just installing the parts.

Popular mechanics also ran a similar test, and like CR, they are a US centric publication. In the populous Eastern Seaboard, installing winter tires isn't the norm, and people are citing winter weather as the reason for their AWD want, while not considering winter tires on FWD. They won't be considering it for AWD.

These reports are for those people. To show them that their is another option for winter weather that is less costly than paying for AWD with higher car price and fuel use, which can be worse if AWD requires and upgrade to a thirstier engine(looking at you Ford).

 

Yeah, my wife's AWD RAV4 Hybrid will be our winter big snowfall car, but my FWD PiP will be my get around car most of the other times of the year.

I won't be buying next year though anyway. I had originally wanted to buy maybe in 2017 or 2018 or so, but since I was forced to get a car last year (PiP), and because we are getting another car now (RAV4 Hybrid), my purchase plans are now on hold. However, before our car purchases happened, one of the things I had said a couple of years ago on this forum that might get me to buy a new Prius earlier rather than later was an AWD version for a decent price.

Maybe I'm biased because I live in Canada.

However, I will admit that when I was just starting out, there were years that I didn't have winter tires, but in that context I mostly had an el cheapo crap car or else just didn't drive in the winter except in specific circumstances. I wouldn't be buying a new car or even a relatively new used during those times, whether they'd be AWD or 2WD. If you can afford to buy a new AWD car, then you can afford to buy a set of winter tires to go with it. Also, if I lived in British Columbia (as opposed to Alberta, Ontario, or Quebec), I might be tempted not to get winter tires. However, if I lived in New York or Maine or Massachussetts, I'd most definitely get winter tires.

What I did learn though is it also makes no sense to buy cheap winter tires. I made that mistake one year. What a waste of money. I had very good all seasons, and the cheap winter tires were actually worse than the all-seasons in winter. I couldn't believe it. Slip, sliding around everywhere. Champiro branded tires, that the tire shop was pushing. What's worse is that I only "saved" about $200 overall on that set of wheels. Fast forward a little later and I got more well recognized winter tires, and they were a huge improvement.

 

I know this is a Prius site, but let us know how you like the RAV4 hybrid and what real world mileage you get.

 

OK will do. However, while the car was ordered about two and a half weeks ago, it may still be another month or longer before I get the car. I will post here:

RAV4 hybrid coming? | PriusChat

Note that I might not be the best person to tell you about real world mileage. My real world mileage for my Prius 2004 was considerably worse than average here, partially because of the climate, but more because of my driving habits.

 

Studded tires are allowed in Northern Ontario, but that's basically the middle of nowhere.
Hey - I like Sioux Lookout Great Walleye fishing there.........

 

This is exactly why I gave up my AWD and got the 2016 Prius. I have primarily purchased AWD cars wanting that "security" for when things got inclement or slipper outside. When I saw that report it just didn't make sense anymore to spend that extra money, the maintenance it requires, and even the concept of having to replace all 4 tires simultaneously for AWD's (if you want to do it right).

That FWD with winter tires perform better than AWD on stock tires was enough to make the switch (or use cable/textile chains for areas without consistent snow, but you have temporary need for extra traction for specific time periods or trips -- and you only need to worry about putting them on the front tires).

Definitely not an off-road vehicle. Moreso than not having AWD (AWD is not really off-roading capable.... 4x4 is), there is no ground clearance on the Prius to do any off-roading really.

 

Well that makes no sense to me at all. If you are in an area that needs winter tires, then you need winter tires regardless of the car you drive, whether it is 2WD or AWD.

The point is AWD with winter tires is better than 2WD with winter tires. And it is not for off-roading. It's for better and more consistent traction on slippery surfaces in the city, so you actually confidently get up that steep hill after last night's freeze and 5 cm snowfall.

Ironically though, outfitting my Prius Plug-in 2WD with winter tires costs more than doing the same for my RAV4 Hybrid AWD, because the Prius has TPMS but the RAV4 does not. (TPMS is not mandatory in Canada.)