4th generation coming 2015!

I would say that from your posts, it's clear you are a stickler for personal ergonomics at a level most of us do not embrace.

I've never owned a vehicle that was absolutely "perfect". The most comfortable vehicle I ever owned for a short period, is one that I would never want to own again, a 90's Ford Taurus.

It's all relatively personal. I actually find the Prius to be- compared to my recent vehicles, 90's Accord, and 2010 Fit, to be one of the most comfortable vehicles I have owned.

Of course, for about a decade I drove small Nissan Pick-Up's with bench seats. So my standards for comfort and luxury are comparatively easily met.

 

Regardless of the structure of the centre console, I'd really like to see the main gauges dead centred on the steering wheel, either viewed through or over the wheel. The current concept, having a poorly lit digital display of speed way offset from the driver's position, borders on dangerous distraction, imho.

 

Electric, my legs are 36" ( 91 cm) long from crotch to floor barefoot. Vast majority here do not have legs that long. You're probably shorter than me, so I can't get optimal seating.

Inch more tilt down and telescopic adj range toward driver and seating would work much better for me. I'll bet there's room in column to increase the wheel adj range.

 

I agree. I don't mind the offset, I wouldn't call it way offset and I think it's easily visible....but to me, it's the dashboard and the main gauges that really could use an update.

In fact thank god for the center bridge, taken as a whole it makes The Prius interior at least look modern. If you just went by the dash and the gauges? You'd think you time traveled to the cutting edge of the 80's.

"Which is why I said, "It's all relatively personal".

But as you note, Toyota should/is designing for a standard majority. Your complaints about your personal ergonomic relationship with The Prius are valid, but I think very much your own.

I surely agree The Prius is not perfect. But for a majority? It's passable, and for some? Well believe it or not, I actually think The Prius is pretty comfortable.

 

Electric, don't you want to see more tall people be able to drop right into a liftback Prius and fit well?

My brother in law is 6'4" tall, really long legs, his son is 6'5". Lots of very tall people out there that might like to drive a Prius. The interior room and headroom is there in the car, as good as any true midsize sedan. They need to get out of the small car thinking and make it adjust for the short, average and tall drivers. Floating bridge console jutting into knee room does not help the cause.

What do you think when you loosen the steering wheel adjustment lever and push the wheel up and down?

Does it not appear to have a fairly pathetic adjustment range?

If you have a tall friend, someone 6'2, 3, 4", put them in Prius, see what they think about the seating.

When you have a car with a bunch of headroom like Prius, it invites the tall people in. Those tall people will probably be looking to lower their driver's seat far down. The gosh dern steering better tilt down enough so the airbag doesn't point into driver's upper chest, neck or face all of which go against the owner's manual recommendations. And in it's current state, I don't think the Prius steering wheel tilts down quite far enough for tall people.

 

I'm not short, I'm about 6'1.

I'm all for improvement in ergonomics. Like I said, The Prius isn't perfect, but I've never had a vehicle that was.

The thing is, the vehicle as it currently is? Is what it is. To me, did you not sit in the vehicle before you bought it? Did the model you test drove magically NOT have the floating bridge when you test drove, but then once you bought it, it appeared?

I suspect in the upcoming next generation changes will be made. They always are. And perhaps this will include the absence of a center bridge and perhaps other unknown changes.

But FOR MOST PEOPLE...the current Prius is acceptable ergonomically, and for me? I actually would rank it good.

For you, and other people shorter, taller, thinner or fatter....the real answer is to know the vehicle you are buying as well as you can- before you buy it. If it's uncomfortable to you, in a way you cannot adjust or fix? Don't buy the vehicle.

 

Yes, I knew of the scant steering wheel adj. range about 10 minutes into seeing the car in May 2009. When renting, the seat itself was always great, gave Toyota props for that improvement and still do.

When renting / choosing to buy, I banked on holding wheel down with left hand. Seemed it should be 'just' good enough for a go. I would keep the seat low, maybe 4 pumps up from full down for leg support, but over time have grown tired of steering wheel pointing toward upper chest.

Just a few days ago raised seat up to about 9 pumps upward which is unusual for someone tall as me. Puts the steering wheel in better position. I happen to think the steering wheel should adjust to me, not me to it. Defeats the purpose of a nicely adjustable seat.

Pretty sure I have longer legs and shorter sitting height, but still think wheel should adjust more. I know an Accord steering wheel tilts quite a bit more down.

But, I should be able to stick it out for a few years or so, but obviously am still looking.

 

just my two cents, i don't like any of them. for me, it's very personal. i would have to be able to customize my own. i'm glad the prius shifter isn't as big as the others. what is the point of a shifter in an automatic? i like that dome shape many are adding. i've owned alot of cars, can't say there is one i particularly liked. our first camry was pretty good. 5 iterations later, they only gotten worse, imo. but i'm sure what i like won't appeal to many. you have to appeal to the masses with these cars. thanks for the pics cycle!

 

I agree, I believe the MID really needs an update in terms of design. The monochromatic screen looks as if it were taken from the original Apple Macintosh. Also, the shifter should be activated via buttons to free up more space as opposed to the unnecessary gear lever.

 

was already used to it in my other car so it doesn't bother me

 

I don't understand why some believe the competition using ICE only has caught up to Toyota's HSD. Mercedes is a horrible example of a Automobile manufacturer who has no clue about air quality standards as it continues to push Clean Diesel Technology. Maybe the Germans should read the World Health Organization's report on Clean Diesel Emissions. Something akin to a 2-pack day smoker with lung cancer. MB will probably end up like Ford with egg on their face with their outrageous claims of 47 MPG combined for both the Fusion and the Cmax Hybrid and having to face lawsuits on these false claims. The competition is all salivating in anticipation for the expiration in 2014 of Toyota's 3rd Gen HSD patents and who will snatch them up?

 

^ Yuck, LOL.

 

4EV - the EU is all pushing clean diesel. They prioritize co2 emissions. Mercedes is following what the EU buys, which is diesel or power. They also have recently gotten hybrids. The WHO report was not talking about Euro 6 or US EPA clean diesel, they were talking about quite different emissions.

Mercedes mainly cares because they get charged penalties if they don't meet cafe or co2 guidelines. They normally just pay and add the price to the car.

The CLA has drag 20% lower than a prius and is a 4 cylinder gasoline, efficient car. In europe where people are paying way too much for gasoline, they will offer a version a little slower than a prius and very low on gasoline. In the US we will get a 200 hp turbo charged version, and an AMG with more power. Mercedes does not want to hurt their reputation in the US by bringing the eco version over. Even with the standard version, with the cruise control set at 65 mph or above I bet the mercedes will get the same or higher gas mileage as the prius. It will get much worse in city traffic though.

The reason I brought mercedes up, is they compared their cd to the prius and bmw, and decided that they needed to significantly best the aerodynamics in a mainstream for mercedes car- $30K. Mercedes is one of the most inovative car companies, so I am sure toyota will attempt to use what ever tech they can. That includes designing the front of the car to be more aerodynamic.

 

autingreen,

Going from .25 cd (3rd Gen Prius) to a .23 cd for your MB, using ICE vs Toyota's 3rd Gen HSD, and a 6 Speed tranny vs a CVT does not a achieve a greater HWY MPG than a Prius? The only way MB can best the Prius in a Hwy MPG contest is going downhill with the engine off! Are you that biased towards the Prius? I just completed a 220 mile round trip @ an average of 74-75 MPH with a 56 MPG avg with my 2011 Prius carrying 4 passengers. So you are basing your hypothetical judgement on cd alone, when other factors are ignored?

The emmssions that all german manufacturers ignore is NOX3, which is the carcinogenic byproduct of Diesel Combustion. The EU is more stringent on gas ICE and rewards Diesel ICE hence the penalties on CO2 emmssions. The most stringent emmissions standards in the world are by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), where the latest Clean Diesel from MB can only achieve a smog score of a gas ICE design from 10 years ago and will never attain a PZEV rating. The World Health Organization has stated even clean diesels have levels of NOX3 that can cause upper respiratory diseases and illnesses.

You forgot to mention, that MB is a knuckle dragger when it comes to reliability as it is always perrineal cellar dwellar in CR and other rating services.

 

We went thru these predictions before: Ford : C-Max Hybrid to have better fuel economy than Prius v | PriusChat

 

Well, my prediction is the opposite Ford said they would beat the prius v in mpg with the c-max despite it being heavier, with higher rolling resistance tires, and more drag. c-max did beat the prius v on the epa test, and it looks like it does better in the city, but in the real world with higher speeds the c-max can't overcome its higher drag. If you are driving the c-max on the highway, at some speed that prius v is going to be more efficient, and it looks like that speed is much slower than americans typically drive.

The CLA for the same reasons at higher speeds, because of lower drag, will start getting better mileage than the gen III prius. The prius will of course get better all around milage and win on the EPA sticker.


This is not a bad thing. I think the c-max will push toyota to add better handing to the prius, and the cla will encourage it to reduce cdA. Competition will make the gen IV a better car. The only drag trick that ford and mercedes use that costs money are the automatic grill shutters, and that may save prii owners in cold weather from grill blocking. Otherwise it changes the styling and will make the front wedge less wedgy. That may make visibility better at sundown/sun rise with a different rake to the windshield.

 

Not at mercedes 7 speed transmission is more efficient at higher speeds than the eCVT in the prius. At higher speeds that hsd needs to do its electronic dance, and put more power from generator to motor. Its all part of the design. That same dance gives the eCVT efficient acceleration at low speeds. Drag is proportional to cdA, when you look at the lower frontal area the mercedes has 20% less drag at the same speed. To make up for that drag you need the ice to be much more efficient.

I'm not sure where you see the bias. I own a prius. I have never wanted a mercedes. I do understand engineering. If you think the prius is perfect why are you on this thread. Why change one inch of the interior plastic. If you are interested in how to improve it,you would not be so combative.
My guess if you are filling with magic gasoline that ford used on the epa test, and not the E10 I have to settle for down here, when you get 56 mpg @75 mph.

Again the CLA is gasoline not diesel. If you can't understand that its hard to follow improvements in drag. My point on the CLA are purely in the area of aerodynamics. They are improved, and I think the boys at Toyota have known about this stuff for years, and will make the next generation prius more aerodynamic by dropping cda. Again, European regulators are cheifly concerned with carbon dioxide, which is why so many diesels are sold in europe even by ford and gm. Toyota doesn't sell as many because their diesels aren't as good, which is why they are going to start buying some from bmw. Toyota just like mercedes will sell diesels if there is a market. The texas truck plant is pumping out lower efficiency light vehicles at capacity right now, helping with american employment and Toyota's profits.

 

<"My guess if you are filling with magic gasoline that ford used on the epa test, and not the E10 I have to settle for down here, when you get 56 mpg @75 mph."> No, I used the same gas CR used to test the Ford C-Max and Fusion! Shame on you. You should read the mileage posts by fellow Prius drivers like you claim you are. You must have a lead foot?

 

Not sure, I own a prius, and you said 75mph. clean mpg got 46 mpg at 70 mph. I don't doubt you think you went that fast and got 56, but try measureing it, going both directions, and checking gasoline used. I do use E10 though and I don't get 55mpg in others peoples prii at 75mph. There is a big drop off at 65 mph gps.

I believe CR is quite bad at testing and get 44mpg on the prius. It does do a decent 65mph test, and get 55mpg on the prius at 65mph. You claimed better milage in a full car going 10 mph faster. That is another data point for your magic gasoline.

For those of us with hills and air conditioning, and yes I have aftermarket tires, we don't get close to 50 mpg at 75. My car does not drop off very much from other prii driving my same routes. YMMV, but you need magic gas to overcome the prius engine efficiency and drag.

 

The CLA is a beauty, designed by a Slovenian Robert Lešnik.

From the specs there is only one diesel option and 3 petrol options (at least in my country), the PETROL 180 blueefficiency with 1.6 turbo engine produces 90 kW and 200 Nm from 1,250-4,000 rpm. Performances are better than Prius (just), fuel consumption obviously is not. From the specs on the NEDC cycle it consumes 30 % more gasoline than Prius, we will see what the real world difference will be (1.5 - 2 l/100 km difference?)

There is a diesel option with lover fuel consumption but if you account energy value of the fuel a diesel option in CLA is around the same in efficiency as the petrol option, but it does produce more power (125 kW).

The question on the highway is the question how high is the 6 gear (7 speed auto is NA in 180 blueefficiency), high torque suggests that it could rev under 2.000 rpm at 60 mph.