Prime destined to be doa?

Not for those of us who are OCD

 

Oh, absolutely!
What I am referring is things like moving to 4 seats in the Prime.
Although, I may well me transferring some of John's com

It depends on the functionality of the screen.
If there are controls other than just nav, the larger the screen the larger the "buttons" on the screen are.
This makes them easier to press without looking, or just with a quick glance.

Depending upon the UI, a larger screen also allows for a less cluttered look (even if it has the exact same number of controls).

 

Why?

 

Unless GM seriously screws up, it ain't happening. The Volt 2.0 destroys the Prime in virtually every way it can.

I love the Prius, but if I had to pick between the Prime and a Volt 2.0, I'd lean to the Volt. More than double the EV range matters. The Prime wouldn't even get my wife to work on EV alone. The Volt would get her round trip.

 

okay, that's one volt.

but seriously, the prime has a lot going for it.

1) 'unless gm seriously screws up'. well, unfortunately for them, that's a huge disadvantage because of past performance. strike one.

2) not everyone needs more than 22 miles. in some cases, purchases will be made based on other factors. (your wife and many others excluded of course.)

3) price and tax credits will be important. (we do not have details yet)

4) actually sitting in and driving both cars will be important. (remains to be seen)

so in my opinion, they'll both do okay, but still remain niche vehicles.

 

1 - they've been doing decently well with the Volt 1.0. I don't see them doing any worse with the 2.0. They fixed EVERY nit I had with the 1.0 in the 2.0. They listened to feedback.

2 - of course they don't. But many of the people that need less than 22 miles have a myriad of other choices. If you're that close to work RT, there's a decent chance you live where PT can cover you.

3 - what tax credits? Unless Tesla lobbies successfully to remove/raise the sales limitation, Toyota has been done for YEARS thanks to the Prius. The tax credits are on a manufacturer basis, not model, and Toyota is done.

4 - yep. That matters to me highly. I can tell you that the Volt 1.0 beat the crap out of the PiP in drive feel, so the Prime has a steep hill to climb. TNGA will do wonders, I expect it will make it oh so fun to drive, but I don't know if it will put it far enough ahead of the V2 to make up for the pathetic range and seating. And it doesn't matter enough to my wife. She gets above 50mpg in her 04, she's not exactly driving it spiritedly. To her and many others, it's just an appliance that gets her where she needs to go. She thinks her car is ugly, but doesn't care as long as it gets the mpg. With a V2, her mpg would crush that of the Prime, as she'd only be using gas when the ECU forced it for system exercise. In the Prime, she'd use gas daily, even if she charged at work.

 

wrong on all counts. you need enlightening. (sorry, i can't help)

1) gm's reputation precedes them, in some cases, doesn't matter how good volt is, some will never buy it due to the past.

2) this statement is meaningless without data. i had a 14 mile commute, and bought a pip. i know, that's one.

3) there is a $7,500. tax credit on volt, until they run out, and there will be a $4,000. tax credit on prime. not to mention tax credits in some states.

4) prime has already climbed the hill according to what we know so far, so please leave pip out of the equation. yes, your wife doesn't care, we get that. but i wish you would let the other hundred million drivers decide for themselves.

 

Especially the tax credit. Separate tax credit on Plug-ins. Toyota still has about 185,000 to go.

 

1920 x 1080 was mentioned in one of the Toyota videos.

Us might include some more of "us."

There was an interview video with one of the Toyota folk that went over the larger screen's features. I've been trying to find that link since watching it a month ago.

 

That's it! Thanks!

 

was it glossy, mat or something else? wonder how it will perform under the sun light

 

Again, I ask why it matters what the resolution is? Unless the screen is 100x100, it shouldn't matter.

My only complaint with the base touchscreen in the PiP wasn't even with the screen, but instead the lethargic processor. It takes ages to operate the nav, control the audio, or wade through menus.

If Toyota can get a processor at least as powerful as a 5 year old smart phone, touchscreen buttons will be acceptable.

I just don't see this being an issue with an upcoming model. Surely they will update the processing power. The only visual device I'd be interested in seeing on the Prime is a HUD. I've never had one, but if it's good enough for fighter pilots, it's good enough for me.

 

Well they take out the gun lead and missile lock it'll be perfect. On the other hand @hill might just want to keep the missile lock.

 

Has the link gone dead now?
The whole resolution thing is kind of funny. The 2nd gen screen for example would take ½ minute to reach full brightness on cold days.

 

The only thing that the Prime seems to have going for it among the posters here is the Toyota hybrid reputation. Though, there hasn't been a newsworthy quality issue with the other PHEVs for sale now. All the available competition can haul 5 people if the need arises. The ones that we can say will have reduced cargo space compared to the Prime for sure at this point are the sedan PHEVs, but they have more passenger space. The others appear to have about the same amount of cargo room.

Another Prime plus is the Prius efficiency, but PHEV shoppers seem to prioritize EV range more.

 

I think rear seat roominess of the Prime makes it a great car for 4 adults, say HOV-3 car pool system we have in Virginia.

I don't think Toyota wants to sell hundreds of thousands. They are probably happy with 12000 a year or less in USA.

 

What bothers me is how cramped middle rear seats actually are.

I sat in that position last weekend in a full-size sedan (Sonata) for proper measure. It was not by any means comfortable.

3 adults don't fit. You're squished up against each other.

 

Middle seats aren't intended to allow 5 people to travel long distances in comfort. If you're going on a road trip with 5 or more people, a van is the way to go. You wouldn't be able to fit the bags for 5 people in a normal sedan anyhow.

For quick jaunts around town, the middle seat is fine. Anyone in the rear seat of my car is getting a free ride. As David Letterman says about his show, it's free, so you can't complain about the quality. Similarly, I'm uninterested in what people think of the back seat of my vehicles.

 

That's an opinion... not necessarily shared by the person in the middle roasting from not having a window or vent, just 2 sweaty people.

That's why I welcome the quality focus... like heated rear seats.