4th generation coming 2015!

Ok how about Prius gets good Gas mileage, Tonto? Hi ho silver. Your ego is not your amigo!

 

Ok, so what we're basically tossing around with 4th gen looking something like an NS4 is .....

Will the 4th gen rear end look something like a Tesla Model S? (Saw one at Lowe's tonight and the rear end is super close to NS4 a few posts above.



I say, don't do it Toyota. Why? No offense against Model S, but I had a nice looong sit in it. The rear seat bottoms are lowered towards the floorboard, and headroom is a little tight, esp. with sunroof. Lower the seats and legs come up off the seat bottoms.

I don't think Toyota should gamble away one smidgeon of practicality in the Prius. No sense in trying to be a little Model S or NS4, fastback or whatever.

If they can add some power, lose some weight and squeak out some more cargo room like they did with Camry Hybrid, that will be winning ticket for 4th gen. They try to go more sporty, less practical with Prius, sales will go down.

 

You might have it backwards. The NS4 design would be the practical design for Prius, the most aerodynamic is the most practical for Prius.

 

Not just aerodynamics bro, they have to create very useable interior space for rear passengers and decent cargo room. If you think rear headroom would be worth a squat in that NS4, I think you'd be mistaken. 'Fastbacks' just do not have good rear headroom.....

unless they stretch the rear end out and lengthen the car a few inches (adding weight)

 

Let's look at some other images of NS4 ..

That's the look of a car with scant rear headroom and small cargo area, beltline too high and postage stamp windows. This could be some type of Scion, but Prius ... I hope not.



Sleek but not as practical as Prius liftback. wow that is a stubby front end.


Is Toyota looking for a way to lose split rear window in Prius?

 

Prius is a "fastback" and does OK. The NS4 design is more of a four door sedan, less of a fastback than the Prius. I'm sure Prius will still offer the V or something like it for those who want less aerodynamics, less mpg.

Prius note that increasing the aerodynamics was key part in increasing the mpg so expect an NS4.

 

Prius is more of a Kammback than Fastback -

Kammback - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As the Kamm tail's low drag helps improve fuel consumption, it features onhybrid cars designed for maximum economy, for example:

• 2000-2006 Honda Insight
• 2004- Toyota Prius

v and c sell 1/3 of the liftback.

NS4 is basically a Honda Civic with stretched tail end. So we'd have a cooler looking Prius, whoopee. v and c will never match sales of liftback. Screw up Prius liftback, they will have screwed up the world's best selling hybrid. Lot at stake here.



Toyota will do better by
* increasing Prius HP to match its weight (by improving intake / exhaust manifolds, etc...)
* Shaving curb weight to increase fuel economy
* Refine, refine, refine the interior !!!

 

The Honda Civic is more of Camry vs. the NS4 which is more of a Lexus IS.

Any move that acheives the 20% increase in MPG planned for 2015 Prius is a good move.

 

Trust me, in general, people aren't as ga-ga as Priuschatters over MPGs. That's why Toyota sells 26,000 non-hybrid Camrys a month, Honda sells 25,000 non hybrid Accords a month a so on. Prius family was 17.8k for February, not bad. People want a good size car with good power at a good price. Smaller is cheaper, bigger, more powerful costs more. Smaller with less power and costs a lot??? (Hopefully not 4th gen).... doesn't make sense to most.

If they make some odd shaped Prius with less power, smaller interior, but gets 60 MPG, only the enthusiasts will give a darn. The masses won't care. They'll just buy the Camrys, Accords, Civics and Corollas.

But, hey, the enthusiasts will get to play with their 60 MPG messed up Prius, which will serve as the messed up plug-in Prius chassis. ... like said, lot at stake.

Plot out gallons (vertical) vs. mpgs (horizontal) .... the curve flattens out at 'higher mpgs'. Yeah, it's nice, but the difference at the pump is ... a gallon or so.

Best to get people from 28 MPG sedans into 50 MPG to start with. That a nice gas savings at the pump.

All that said, I don't think anything in the US with a hatchback, liftback, fastback, etc... can match sales of a 4 door sedan with trunk.

 

Toyota already went in the direction of better looking, more aerodynamic, higher mpg car in 2010 so they will likely continue in that direction for the Prius in 2015. Hopefully in the aerodynamic, stylish direction of the NS4.

 

So if after all this speculation, different possibilities, we'll just have to see. If I had to pick between a hybrid Camary and the so called NS4, I'd choose Camary.
I chose Prius for the following reasons:
1. Gas mileage
2. Roomy (trading my RAV4 no a big loss in room)
3. The hatchback, I love the lift back ease and convince.
4. Toyota quality
5. The futuristic dash board. No other car has the visual display of how the car is performing.
6. Surprisingly good acceleration, Not the break neck RAV4 6, but certainly more than enough
7. The illusion of a small sporty car. Everyone is amazed, it doesn't look as big as it actually is
8. It's quiet
9. I have a Four love most of the bells and whistles.
10. It looks like a Prius, it has an image, it's what the VW bug was in the 60's.

So, my hope is they continue to improve by building on the little sporty car, with a big intierior, quick acceleration, and big mpg's

 

Light weight is only a hindrance if you're worried about blowing over or blowing off the road sideways in a cross wind. Remember, 2/3 of the average car's losses over it's lifetime are rolling friction, which goes linearly with weight.

 

Toyota moved the Prius roof peak rearward from 2nd to 3rd generation to create more rear seat headroom. And they moved the B pillars aft for more front seat room (front to back). They kept the split rear window with spoiler in the middle. The essence of NS4 is lower tail line, getting rid of the split rear window. The tradeoff is less rear headroom and less cargo room. Show of hands who think next Gen Prius (and PiP) should have less rear headroom and less cargo room? Split rear window is a big part of what makes current Prius work so well. I don't mind it.

Plus, I'll wager the NS4 height is 2 inches less than current Prius, in the 56 inch range instead of 58. Ooops, there went the driver's headroom also. They'll need to drop the seats a couple inches towards floorboard. If they end up near the NS4 shape for 4th Gen, might as well give it a trunk as cargo space will be toast. Toyota might also want to promote a fitness program to aid in getting in and out of NS4 Prius.





Imagine trying to see out of the windshield of this NS4 shown above? At least I could sit back and watch Camry hybrid sales gain on NS4 Prius.

 

If it got 75 mpg, I wouldn't by that car. Just sayin. But that's what is so great about America we get a lot of choices. Hopefully, lots of folks think that is a fabulous style. I hope they sell millions and millions. So long to the iconic Prius, if that is indeed the change.

However, who knows, maybe the H2 fuel cell will ready in 4 or 5 years that may be the new choice for me:



Now that gets the heart pumping, I can only hope, it will there in a few years! That will be some awesome advances.

 

That certainly looks like the Prius evolution to date where form and function result in a more stylish car with better mpg.

NS4 is gorgeous. An AWD version would be fun but I've done so well on Micheline Xi3's in this years wild blizzards, I don't know that I'd get AWD again.

 

Nice cars - guess which one is a 2013 and which one may be the end of Prius?

Which one is the gorgeous NS4 and which one is a Hyundai Elantra?
It's as clear as mud, wow talk about originality and uniqueness.



Hey, nice car dude, my neighbor has one just like it, Hyundia, right?

 

There are lots of 'gorgeous' cars out there. Lexus IS250 is a gorgeous sedan. Trouble is, the back seat room is a joke.

From this angle, how would you fit a 6 ft tall passenger in rear of your NS4?

Look how short the height is of this car. I'll bet that guy is not a bit over 5'10" and he's towering over the car.



another angle

NS4 concept is logo'd as a 'Plug-in hybrid'. I don't know how much space consideration they've given to the concept for HSD, charger, and battery, but the Elantra ins't even a hybrid.

 

The same consideration given to Prius. We heard similar "it won't work" comments about the previews of the 2010 design change.

As see from the pic, the six foot woman driver fits well.

 

I've driven my 04 with LRR tires in headwinds, quarting winds, and crosswinds exceeding 100mph without issue, other than lower gas mileage and lots of wind noise.