My Concerns with the New Prius

Same with my 2016. I think tank cap had a crossed out E20 label though. I thought it was because ethanol blends are sold in divisions of 5, and it was a less confusing label than <E16.

 

Have you been sleeping under a rock? The whole of the auto industry is catering to that crowd. People often know little about their car except the 0-60 time. Every car "journalist" says that 10 seconds to reach highway speeds is pathetic.

America is especially guilty of this mindset. That's why the new Prius will continue to offer the slower 1.8L engine version in Japan but not in North America.

 

I thought the non-AWD noplug Prius would have the 1.8L option in the US.

 

I might be in that "small market"...

Going from gen 3 to gen 4 the Prius gained a little efficiency but lost power down to only 121 HP. Meanwhile each generation of the Camry Hybrid gained both efficiency and power. I really liked my Camry Hybrid because it got nearly the MPGs of the Prius but also had over 200 HP. It was a no brainer for me to have the best of both worlds.

Now that the gen 5 Prius has nearly 200 HP, looks nice (to my eye anyhow), and has wireless AA, I'm thinking my next vehicle might be a gen 5 Prius or even a Prime.

 

Will it have a tow rating?

Does it come with 5 seats?

Will I be able to install a tow hitch that doesn't drag on the ground behind the Prius?

Will the infotainment center actually work and not die in a year or two after purchase?

Will it have enough clearance for tire chains?

Will I be able to swich rims to a set of snow tire rims and reprogram the TPMS for the other set of sensors by myself?

Will I be able to do a complete brake fluid flush myself without needing to subscribe to Techstream? What about other common maintenance items?

Will the fog lights actually do something useful?

Will it have an option for heated seats both front and rear?

Will it have dual sun visors so I can put one on the side window and one down in front on the windshield at the same time?

Will the US version get a spare tire?

 

I think you'll have to live in Europe in order to get a tow rating. Same with the useful fog lights.

There was a change done to how a hybrid's system power is calculated at some point.

 

I've always considered you among the most knowledgeable folks on these forums but I'm missing your point. Are you saying the rating change was responsible for the HP drop between gen 3 and 4 Prius? Or that the gen 5 is overrated?

Regardless having nearly 200 HP is preferable to having around 120 or 130, especially if you are not giving up much in the MPG department.

I drove to maximize efficiency most of the time but every once in a while it was nice to have a little extra get up and go.

Also when I let a friend who had a Prius drive my Camry he couldn't get over the torque in reverse. Evidently the Prius was a bit wimpy in that department...

 

Reading thru these debates is interesting. However, I'll wait until we have the engineering details for the Gen5 before offering my two cents.

 

• no tow
• five seats
• very good multimedia unit (same as in bZ4X)
• no fog lights
• heated rear seats only an option on the highest trim with the optional solar/glass-roof package
• no dual visors

 

My 50,000¢ for a guardian-gray Prius Prime XSE Premium with the solar-roof package has been with the dealer for close to a year now. You are way behind the competition with your 2¢.

 

Update:

I am No. 16 on the wait list with my 50,000¢. I should go down to first ten by the time the 2023 model year arrives.

The dealer confirmed that the allocations from Toyota to the dealers are totally random, and the dealers have no control whatsoever over who gets what. Let's see if I they can get me a guardian-gray XSE Premium with the solar-roof package. The only way it would work is that I would have to be No. 1 before it arrived, as otherwise someone else would grab it.

 

Haha no doubt...We are still rocking a 2012 v wagon....that "has issues". Totally skipped Gen4.

 

I don't think I will ever get rid of the Gen 2 but in 4 years, I will consider the Gen 5. I don't care for going fast, I care for reliability and usability for my daily needs.

 

Newer cars are a lot safer.

 

For that matter, one could argue that building e-bikes can pollute the earth!

As well as that, a lot of American drivers think that the SPEED LIMIT means "minimum speed", not maximum legal speed.

 

Agreed. We have a freeway going through the city here with a speed limit of 55. I'd be afraid of being rear-ended if I went 55, so I usually go 60. But I'm still pretty much the slowest on the freeway. Cars zip past doing 80-90.

It's like the old joke about the guy doing 66 on Hwy 66, on I-80 he does 80, then on HWY 101,... Our freeway is part of 151, and...

Maybe once a year the cops do a day of enforcement. Which is announced ahead of time!

 

And yet, despite prior announcements, the officers stay fully busy issuing citations during the entire special emphasis event.

 

You're likely correct.

 

On top of all that, in my area it seems like there are a ton more angry drivers who drive recklessly. Seems to have started after people started driving after not driving for quite a while during the pandemic. Very strange. Should be an interesting winter.