4th generation coming 2015!

Are those some gentle, rolling, smoothly paved hills?? ..... cause going up the Dublin Grade towards Castro Valley, the Prius felt a bit wheezy, and I've been over that grade MANY times in my 2011. Not calling you are liar, 'cause your perception is yours, but so many big car outfits, Consumer Reports, Edmunds, Car and Driver, and more .... I just don't recall them raving about Prius as a wonderful highway, open road vehicle.

I do recall Dan Edmunds video years ago saying 'Prius is purpose built for the absolute maximum MPG fuel economy, but Camry is a better car to drive that still gets very good MPGs. My experience is Prius is purpose built for MPGs and, man, there must be better, more robust cars to drive out there.

 

Oh I doubt that .... but to play along, any sources with your claim??

Toyota doesn't need to get the 4th gen out next year. They are already way ahead of any other hybrid in sales.

The email from a Toyota dealership above is much more trustworthy than some one-off sites that may be confusing release year (2015), then calling it a model year 2015 and getting people's hope up. Well, not mine.

Hopefully I'll spend less time here when a good Accord Hybrid forum comes along

 

Quick, someone make an Accord Hybrid forum.

 

As I wrote, SPECULATIONS according to me, but no totally impossible.

But if Toyota's about to release 15 new hybrid models by 2015, all of those cant be based on the old HSD. Also the Prius IV Gen will be the first featuring the THS and thus the Prius IV could be introduced Q4 2015 with other models coming after in 2015. Makes sense to me.

Please Cycledrum - claim?! I didn't clame anything, just spoke of the speculations online.

Rendering - again. More sensible than the first ones at least.

2015 Toyota Prius gets rendered

 

This was the fifth cross the country trip for my 2010. This trip was 7,149 miles long. I find the car comfortable, and a joy to drive. Understand, I have another car that might be more comfortable, but I could not afford to take the trip in it. So fuel economy is a component of the equation.

I routinely set the cruise control at 73 mph, listen to a book , and she will maintain that speed up and down hills. I am a steady and consistent driver. I am not sure what "a bit wheezy" means, but I generally am not attempting to accelerate up the hills. Steady and consistent ..... I don't suspect Car and Driver have ever attempted "steady and consistent" road test.

 

I suppose I could set the cc at high 60s MPH and see what this 2011 will do over the Dublin Grade.

 

Are you kidding? That's a bump, and at sea-level! I climb twice that amount on my way to work every day, and that's starting from 5,400 feet of altitude. I've also done that driving directly into an 80mph wind gusting to 100mph (I do wind energy research so I have instruments recording data all the time so I know those are accurate numbers).

I've been over the back side of the Eisenhower Tunnel approach many times - 8,800 feet at the bottom, 11,200 feet at the top (6%-7% grade the entire way, starting at a dead stop at the light at the on-ramp in Silverthorne) with a fully-loaded 2004 (two adults, two kids, and an entirely full cargo area) and it does it just fine with the cruise control set at the speed limit (60). I've also been over Vail pass, Berthoud pass, and even the highest paved road in the US, Trail Ridge Road (12,183 feet) in the same condition.

If your 2011 can't handle a tiny little hill like the one you've described, I'd suggest you figure out what's wrong with it. I know people that do 6000 feet of climbing every day in their G3s just to get to and from work.

 

yeah, cause after all the power to weight ratio 134 / 3,050 is so amazing in Prius liftback. I'll go over some grades around here, we'll see what kind of engine howl comes with it.

 

You're missing the point. With probably 900 pounds of people and gear inside, it still does just fine on the open highway at high speed over 6-7% grades at 2 miles above sea level. You don't even have anything like that anywhere close to you. The grade you mentioned is probably 2-3%, and it's at sea-level where you have 25% more power available from the ICE than I do here.

I used to have a 300+HP muscle car and I still have a turbo-charged sport coupe, both of which could make these hills at 100+. But so what? The speed limits are 55-65 and the Prius is more comfortable to drive and quieter than either of those, and I often get 55+MPG on trips over these hills, fully loaded.

 

Let's do a bit of math, shall we?

For a 3,300 pound car to climb a 7% grade (the legal limit on interstate highways) at 60mph takes 37HP for the elevation change. Let's say it takes 12HP to overcome rolling friction and air drag which means you need 49HP to make that climb. A 2011 is rated at 98HP using ICE only - twice what is needed to make a really, really difficult climb.

The reasons so much more than actually needed is provided include being able to carry cargo up that hill (ups the requirement to 57HP), being able to do this in a head wind (could up it to 65HP) and being able to do it at altitude where available power is reduced by lack of barometric pressure (could reduce available HP to 74HP). As you can see, the worst-case available power of 74HP is still more than the worst-case requirement of 65HP meaning you can accelerate even under worst case conditions even without electric assist.

 

Isn't the 98 HP from ICE measured on output shaft of engine (BHP), not the 'engine portion' that would be available at the tires (on a dyno)?

Wonder what Prius dyno chart might look like

 

Yeah, good one.

When I went l to plan an upgrade from Prius to perhaps Camry Hybrid, I got slapped across the face with this. Were not talking about a fraction of an inch, this is at least 2" skewed or whatever it's called. Who wouldn't want their steering wheel directly in front of them??

 

I have really enjoyed reading the above exchange .... keep it up.

But, my original point was, what an engineering achievement the hybrid system and the CVT are. They work perfectly together to maintain a constant speed over the up's and down's, and maintain fuel efficiency. I also marvel that the SOC of the main battery barely fluctuates.

Then I was questioned about the Prius on the highway. I have 81,000 total miles, on my 2010 and quite possibly 3o,000 of which have been accumulated on my 5 trips across the country. Performance has never been lacking for maintaining a steady legal speed, passing when necessary, and driving 650 miles a day. If you haven't tried a long trip, setting the cruise control, relaxing and setting back and listening to a good book .... you should try it.

 

With what we know now from Toyota, this thread is meant to push the realistic expectations and theories of the 4th gen. So...out is the solar charging (lol).

This is what I believe will happen:

• Sportier design - how the change went from Gen II to Gen III, it will be the same sort of change
• Lighter Synergy Drive System
• Lighter Battery system
• Increase interior space (back seats + trunk space)
• 55 mpg

What I hope

• 12 gallon tank at least for the regular, 11.9 for the plugin
• Lithium iON based or some more efficient battery
• Can be duped as the longest range vehicle ever created
• Plug-in version will have an average of 20 miles in range, 22-25 in summer, 18-22 in winter
• Plug-in version will have a bit more space than Gen III in the trunk
• The space in crease is a little wider and more leg room in the back
• Space increase mean the Prius v will have an 7-8 seater without much compromise in the trunk - also will average 48-50 mpg with the new system and lighter battery
• Prius C will be a little smaller with an 8+ mpg increase
• Plug-in will have a better spare tire system
• Prius v Plugin will come out 2018 with 11 miles range and still be a 7 seater (Toyota can dub the longest range mini 'van' in its class with the best mpg)

With the above, I would by the plugin version And the 7 seater.

I have a Gen III with an average of about 49 mpg. Can't wait for the next gen

What do you think? Are we beyond the realistic realm still?

 

Well, the regular Prius already has an 11.9 gal tank upping it to 12 won't make much of a difference, I think the C will not change for a few more years, I hope the plug in will be configured to hold a spare (no spare is a deal killer for me). I imagine the v will also not change for the 15 model except for perhaps a new more efficient battery pack.

 

Stronger electric engine capable of higher speeds

 

I do not recall any LiIon powered car or airplane where the batteries have not caught fire. I am hoping for at least one more generation of NiMH batteries.

Every generation has been 5 MPG better than the last, I hope it is true again.
Every generation has handled better than the last, I hope that continues.

I hope for a Prius v PHV, perhaps by 'stealing' the front console space, or like the c, 'stealing' the under rear seat space. (but more likely by 'stealing' the spare tire space)

The Prius c has an under rear seat set of batteries, the Liftback, PHV, and v would benefit from that as well.

 

Shoot, my kids will be grown and driving their own cars by then.

 

I bought my daughter's first car when she was 5, by the time she was old enough to drive it, it was indeed the least sexy car on earth.

 

On demand 4wd .... Or work with their partner Subaru on some sort of AWD