Thread repository for ALL non-PriusChat 2016 Prius reviews

Toyota Prius (2016-) - Latest first drives - Choosing a car - Which? Car

 

Thank you for posting all these reviews. I really enjoy reading and viewing them.

 

2016 Toyota Prius Pre-Collision System

 

Toyota’s new Prius is actually fun, Motoring News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

 

"The other pleasures in the car pertain to its chic and ultra-modern design. Its use of an enamel-like material for its lower centre console and middle utility tray is refreshing."

Here is evidence for how culture can affect one's impression of the white console. Many in this country do not see it either as pleasurable or refreshing.

 

Saw this in the supermarket last night - the 2016 Prius is made the cover of the Consumer Reports annual car issue (April 2016). "The Power of Prius - a great green car just got better" The review is behind the paywall, of course.

Consumer Reports Magazine | April

 

I think I can take the rap for the "Darth Vader" Multi Function Display.

 

Thank you!

I drove around Huntsville for over two hours, 20 miles, and had given up on finding it. My last stop was the Kroger's grocery store, the original justification, and there it was. So I've done my first pass:

• 'Track Tested: Tried & True' (pp. 6-7) - this is the first time Consumer Reports (CR) shows an attractive graphic of their test facility. Too bad Google Earth doesn't show the same. Still they list four experts of the "staff of 30". Post a Google Earth overhead view and stop trying to fool us with 'art.'
• 'A Better Way to Find Your Next Car' (pp. 8-9) - they show four inputs to the "Overall Score": (1) Road test, (2) Reliability, (4) Safety, and (3) Owner Satisfaction. Huh? How the heck does their review of the test car included "Owner Satisfaction." The d*mn survey is done 'more than 230,00 vehicles less than three years old'. Dang it! Don't lie to our face and say something that is foolish on the face of it. Then in the last paragraph:
  • "The Overall Score will not be static. . . . " - well it hasn't been in the past!
• '10 Top Picks for 2016' (pp. 10-13) - it might be amusing to compare their top picks to what the top selling cars have been. Of course, there is no Prius.
• 'Practice Makes Prius' (pp. 14-15) - someone at Consumer Reports attended the November press day and wrote a nice article but it was not their standard review. The only waste of words out of the one page write-up,"Clearly, the public considers it the car for proclaiming one's green commitment." Of the whole page, 250-300 words, this stinking, dog-turd was injected by someone who was NOT the author. Their resident Prius-hater penned those words.
• The Prius hatchback (pp. 66) "TO BE TESTED" - Jesus, I wonder which Prius hater will get to eviscerate the car.
  
• 'Toyota Prius V' (pp. 72) - listed under "CARS: COMPACT"
• 'Toyota Prius' and 'Toyota Prius C' (pp. 80) - both are listed as "CARS: SUBCOMPACT AND COMPACT"
• 'TROUBLE SPOTS' has Toyota Prius, Prius C, Prius V (pp. 96) - rows of excellent, red dots.

Please understand, I appreciate the heads up that April 2016 issue had the 2016 Prius on the front cover. I don't regret driving around town to score a copy. Sad to say, it re-enforced my belief that Consumer Reports has corrupt car 'experts', people who hate the Prius so much their ability to do an objective, engineering analysis is suspect. No doubt, they think the same of us because have two Prius, a 2003 and 2010, and I drove the 03 to seek and buy this one issue. Fair enough, obviously we don't respect each other which is why we no longer subscribe. Since ultimately we are their pay-masters . . . time to toss the CR subscription cards in the trash and in a week or so . . . this issue.

Bob Wilson

 

Ugh, sorry to have been the one to call attention to this disappointing issue... Thanks for the summary. We're going to take our new-to-us gen 3 to visit my in-laws (long-time CR subscribers) next weekend, so it's good to know what's in there (including the pot shot about green commitment - ha).

I find it interesting that the cover model didn't even get a proper review!

 

Thank you as I figured it would be a couple more months before their official review. Just CR is going through a difficult time ... as in 'closing the doors' bad.

Hubris infected their automotive review staff and the rot is at the top. It won't get resolved until the fossils retire. That department really has problems but they are not alone.

Enjoy your visit and family time.

Bob Wilson

 

Oh I just got my issue of CR in the mail, these are the snippets. From the article, they had a full day of testing but plan to test further.

"[it] shows elements that previous versions lacked, such as more dynamic styling, a steadier ride, and rather athletic handling"​

After a paragraph about how buying a fuel efficient car still makes sense even with low gas prices:

"The bonus is that the Prius feels more fun to drive than the previous versions, which felt more like sterile, high tech appliances than cars".​

Overall, a very positive initial review.

(to be fair, I wouldn't subscribe to CR but my in laws did it as a gift and they like CR)

And I was amused that they put the Prius v in the compact category but didn't mention the Prius... You'd figure that they would recommend the Prius as a car to buy, I mean yes it is on the cover.

 

I get the online version been waiting for the complete test. Right now due to not testing the 2016 Prius the Prius V is rated at the top. Another interesting thing is a online section the worst of the worst by manufacturer you can select the manufacturer and see what models to avoid. Toyota not on the list.

 

Here is a non-pay overview they mentioned in the article:
Go to ConsumerReports.org/prius for a Prius/Hybrid retrospective
Guide to Toyota Prius - Consumer Reports

 

Consumer Reports review on the Gen 4 Prius will probably be great. However, it's also making the previous generations of Priuses look pretty bad, with some day-and-night improvements:

"The bonus is that the Prius feels more fun to drive than the previous versions, which felt more like sterile, high-tech appliances than cars."

Consumer Reports Toyota Prius Road Test

First Drive

Behind the Wheel of the More-Efficient 2016 Toyota Prius Hybrid

Overview

There isn't a more sensible car than the Toyota Prius. With the interior room of a midsized car, the footprint of a compact, phenomenal fuel economy, bulletproof reliability, and hatchback versatility, it's a genius transportation solution. For that reason, the Prius is among Consumer Reports' subscribers' most popular cars. It just works brilliantly as a headache-free transportation solution.

For 2016, Toyota rolls out the fourth generation-promising to retain the sensibility but add ingredients the Prius never had, namely styling and a fun-to-drive quotient.

Based on a new platform to be shared with the next Camry, the 2016 Toyota Prius hybrid includes a more sophisticated independent rear suspension in order to optimize ride and handling. The car is a bit longer, lower, and slightly wider. It retains its hatchback configuration, although that may not be obvious from the outside, due to the loss of the third side window in favor a blacked-out rear roof pillar. The styling bears a family resemblance to Toyota's fuel-cell car, the Mirai, granting it a high-tech look that might resonate with some buyers.

The powertrain is largely a carryover, relying on a 1.8-liter gas engine that's augmented by an electric drive that Toyota claims is now lighter and more compact. The continuously variable transmission, or CVT, is also improved.

The 2016 Toyota Prius hybrid goes on sale in January with pricing starting at $24,200 for the base Prius Two trimline and reaching $30,000 for the Prius Four Touring. Only the base Prius retains a nickel-metal hydrate battery; all other versions get a more compact and advanced lithium-ion battery.

Toyota Safety Sense is an advanced suite of active safety features that comes in the $1,935 Advanced Technology package. It includes auto braking from 6 to 25 mph, lane-departure warning with a slight lane correction, and active cruise control. Fortunately, if you just want blind-spot monitoring, you can get that in the Prius Four, priced at $28,650.

In a peculiar quirk, the Prius' total system horsepower is 121, which might seem underpowered compared to the outgoing car's 134. But Toyota says that's due to a different Japanese calculation method that takes into account the gas engine's 95 hp and the electric motor's 71 horses. Toyota declined to give an apples-to-apples horsepower comparison.

An AWD version will be available in Japan, but it is still under consideration for the U.S. We think it would be a hit in the Snow Belt. A plug-in version is also coming down the road.

Impressions

Based on an initial drive, the car is quicker to react in passing situations. The EPA estimate for combined fuel economy is 52 mpg. An Eco trimline, which will account for about 10 percent of sales, is rated at 56 mpg due to limited options, higher tire pressure, and weight-saving tweaks such as eliminating a spare tire. The outgoing Prius got 44 mpg overall in Consumer Reports' test cycle.

Our drive included a mix of suburban driving and some freeway cruising and yielded an average of 50 mpg-according to the onboard computer in uninstrumented conditions.

The engine now roars less when you tromp on the gas pedal, and the CVT is more palatable without overly amplifying engine noise. As before, the Prius can propel itself solely on electric power, typically up to about 20 mph, which is handy and gratifying in stop-and-go traffic or just when loafing around on Main Street.

Evidently, Toyota worked on making the brake pedal response feel smoother, more progressive, and less grabby than that of a typical hybrid. The Prius' ride comfort is improved, both in terms of bump absorption and in keeping the body steady and more settled. Road noise isolation is improved as well over the outgoing Prius, but not by a huge margin. Rough pavement still comes through with a noticeable rumble.

Handling is more responsive with prompt turn-in, sharper cornering, and less tendency for hippo-like body roll-all of which make the car more enjoyable to drive. That said, it's still doesn't possess the agility of a Ford Fusion Hybrid. The powertrain and handling improvements might be more evolutionary than revolutionary, but the interior shows a major upgrade. Gone is the hard and hollow plastic interior of the previous generation. Instead, the 2016 Toyota Prius hybrid brings some soft-touch surfaces, flashes of chrome, and a modern, high-tech look. It has a colorful touchscreen that interfaces with audio, phone, navigation, and energy flow readouts.

Due to the car's lower stance and seating position, getting in and out of the new Prius requires a bit more ducking, and more of a controlled fall than a proper sitting motion. Slamming the doors results in a rather tinny sound. The seats are fine for a short drive, but the lack of lumbar support adjustment in most versions becomes uncomfortable on a longer trip. Power lumbar adjustment comes with the power driver seat and faux-leather upholstery in the Four Touring, which is a $30,000 car.

CR's Take

Toyota clearly managed to instill more able driving dynamics, created a vastly improved interior, and included all the latest connectivity and active safety features, while retaining much of the Prius's laudable practicality and fuel efficiency. But in a true conservative Toyota way, this redesign amounts to an incremental improvement rather than a metamorphosis. For a successful, genre-defining car, that may be a good thing.

We bought a Prius Three for $27,323 and looking forward to fully testing it.

 

So tell? somebody already found what rigidity of the car?

 

Here you go, Bob: Google Maps