Featured Hyundai IONIQ - Prius competitor?

By that time you will see a lot 350+ miles Full EV.....Tesla is my next

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Wait until they results of plug-in models are winter tested.

Hyundai being able to compete with Toyota's vapor-injected heat-pump is highly unlikely.

 

Snow tires will still pull the Primes efficiency down.

 

Since both vehicles will be impacted by tires, what was the point of that comment?

 

Not every winter driven car swaps out the tires for winter ones. Variables will need to be kept the same for valid comparisons. The Ioniq review posted earlier wasn't one the Prius for the magazine's results.

 

I was unsure which tread to put this ... it is not my intent to offend Prime owners .......

I have said way too much about my opinion of the G4 Prius; however, I have said I thought the Prime was a small improvement,
but I never went this far:

"2017 Chevrolet Volt vs 2017 Toyota Prius
Car & Driver Magazine (on line right now if you are interested)

“Let’s get something out of the way right up front: The Prius Prime is unattractive. How something so graceless, gawky, and odd emerged from a company as conservative as Toyota is shocking. Its design is so off-putting, it’s almost an anti-car statement. Designers often draw inspiration from ordinary objects, or from architecture, nature, and so on. In Blue Magnetism paint—a metallic teal—the thing appears to have been inspired by a disfigured puffer fish, a turquoise ring you’d find in a New Mexico gas station, and a 1958 Edsel. Perhaps that’s why the wind refuses to touch it. How else can you explain the Prius Prime’s excellent 0.25 drag coefficient?"

Aside from the insult ..... it is a most revealing article about many aspects of the Prime and the Volt.

 

I don't mind even when folks bag on the car i have, as looks are so subective. Even such insults about our own rides make me laugh. One of our mods here is a huge fan of the rock band Rush - & yet one music magazine critic calls Rush, the anchovies of rock and roll. He'd likely laugh. No biggy
.

 

What does an enthusiast magazine reveal about mainstream buyers?

 

i don't put any stock in car and driver. they should stick to '68 chenille's. that being said, the market place will speak for itself. certainly, gen 4 pri looks have brought an emotional response from many quarters. some perceive that as bad, but that's not always the case.

 

The Volt 2 is a slight improvement in looks and only slightly different from the Volt 1. The Prime is a statement and looks way different from anything else on the road. Usually, I can spot out a sleak looking Tesla up front, from far away I see some Audis, BMWs..Lincoln's, but I am unable to tell which brand they are or if they are indeed a Tesla. From far away I can see the Gen 4 lights, I can see the prime. I have many people compliment the car and look at it.

Whereas the statement of the Prius prior was a "wedge" and made practical sense, the statement now is "This looks like a luxury car but it's actually a cheaper green car and it looks good." Sure one person @ C&D can make fun of the Prime's looks, does that mean they love the Gen 3 or Gen 2 looks a lot better? Or perhaps the echo-looking Gen 1? I see more polarizing opinions on the Liftback, but I for one enjoy looking at my car before I go into it and enjoy driving every morning.

I did enjoy driving and looking at my Silver PiP as well, but by no means was it "sexy" or a "muscle car". This Prime looks mean and is green.

The Liftback in my opinion looks crazy and green lol...but by no means bad in real life.

 

I appreciate the catch:

The article was posted online Jan 16, 2017 and we're already at the end of March so I'm not sure if there is any value in commenting about the technical flaws: (1) 12A is the default charge rate, and (2) their "MPGe" is grossly wrong because it contradicts the EPA metric of the same name. But about their sheet metal art review:

Perhaps the Prius Prime looks so horrible to them that the sensitive Volt drivers and delicate Car and Driver readers should avert their pristine eyes and crash into the nearest ditch. Mission accomplished.​

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob - Speaking of EPA MPGe, could you shed some light on it?

As I'm understanding, EPA MPGe is a set of tests that is MANDATED for the manufacturer to do (and I think EPA can double check once in a while). I'm trying to understand for the likes for Toyota and FCA where they originally stated lower figures. Did they then used the EPA test (which was not available before) and retrieved higher figures? ie, from 22 miles EV to 25. From 125 MPGe to 133 MPGe and then finally the 54 MPG HV mode.

FCA had a similar situation with 30 Miles EV range and 80 MPGe that went to 33 Miles EV to 84 MPGe.

I'm at odds why those two stand out. It's almost a marketing ploy but great news overall. IE, battery capacity doubled for the Prime so of course we'd expect 22 miles EV, but it's higher.

Yet with Hyundai it was one figure released, touted to beat all competition and EPA certified...How does the process work?

Anyone knows just in case Bob doesn't? ;D

 

- kWh/100 mile (EV efficiency)
- mpg (HV efficiency)

Volt rates worse in both categories.

Prime is more efficient.

 

It is the same tests the ICE cars go through. The manufacturer runs the tests, and then the EPA signs off on the results.

Announcing a set of lower results first is just marketing. The figures weren't EPA certified yet, but the manufacturer wanted to put numbers out there. Better to go low on this in case someone made a mistake.

Hyundai chose to wait for certified numbers before releasing any.

 

Second round. 2011 Volt 1Gen appeared, KO by 2012 PiP.

 

Efficiency alone does not sell cars.

 

True but inefficiency can keep one on the lot like the 2016 Prius Level Three with the dang moon roof and only 99.1 MPG on my test route.

Bob Wilson

 

Sorry, but my Volt knocked my PiP over the ropes.

 

Efficiency terms?

 

I'm driving 74% EV, while my PiP got only as high as 14%, but that's just one of the things that matters to me. As Trollbait mentioned, it's not just about efficiency, it's the overall package. That's from my first hand experience of both cars.