Toyota Unveils Advanced Prius Tech

A multi-link suspension like toyota is using on the gen IV is a better suspension ATBE than a torsion beam. It should provide better road holding and be better able to absorb road bumps than a torsion beam.

The trade offs are cost and space, things very important in the gen II. The cost premium has been reduced and quality improved of multi-link since the gen II design. So why not add better handling to the prius. Toyota was able to move the 12V battery to inside the hood, freeing up space in the rear, and allowing it to be less expensive as it doesn't need to be sealed like the current one inside the the back of the car.

Perhaps the suspension allows for better packaging of the battery like it does on the lexus ct
2011 Lexus CT200h Hybrid First Drive – Review – Car and Driver

That should improve the cg also adding to better handling. The newer prius isn't going to handle like a porsche but maybe it will handle much better than the current one.

 

Gen3 has notorious understeer. Please enlighten me how wishbone on rear will fix it.

There is no doubt fully independent suspension multi-link or wishbone is superior to semi-independent, but all it would do is increase rear grip, and make understeer worse. Perhaps if show a video of your 100% stock Prius rear-hopping, I will change my opinion.

 

My 2010 GenIII hatchback already has a cargo light - standard! I can turn it on, or off, even if there is no cargo. These hi-tech features don't get better than that, do they?

 

Amazing you had that hi-tech stuff in 2010. We v owners can only wish.

 

This is purely theoretical.

The reality is that all Toyotas and Scions with "inferior" torsion beam rear currently sold in US have far more rear grip than more "advanced" McPherson front. And unfortunately chain is only as strong as the weakest link, so improving rear without addressing front will not make things better.

Fortunately for potential Gen4 buyers Toyota says it lowered CG and addressed front steering geometry, so Gen4 will likely handle better. But not b/c of better rear suspension. So in this application rear wishbone marketing gimmick? Yes. Better packaging? maybe. Improved compliance? only if they spec'ed out better shocks.

 

Every Honda we've driven had independent rear suspension. They typically employ double wishbone in front, and independent springs/shocks with a trailing arm in the rear. This Prius is the first car we've had with a solid rear axle. One of our sons had a Maxima with a solid rear axle.

In my limited awareness: no difference.

 

'Solid rear axle' has me thinking about the old Ranger, which is technically a live, solid rear axle. After dealing with axle hop on a RWD, anything is an improvement.

 

Ok lemmee rephrase: I've driven a lot of Hondas with independent rear suspension, then this Prius with a solid beam in the back. Not noticing any difference.

For the rest of it, actually trying to describe the nature of those Honda suspensions, I better keep my trap shut, don't really know what I'm talking about.

 

The difference usually comes into light when the car is pushed into turns on broken pavement. Other 99% of the time it is strictly irrelevant. Also if you take performance and luxury out, most of the cars come with the cheapest shocks mfg can get away with; this is why most of the time upgrading them makes more difference than the actual design.

 

Not theory at all, and I did add ATBE (all things being equal). A independent multi-link is going to perform better than a torsion beam. How much better depends upon implementation.

I'm not sure what this has to do with the front suspension. I hope given the back toyota improves things here too. There is a lot wrong with handling in the gne III prius, and going multi-link, in this case double wishbone can only do so much. How much improved will require some measurments and test driving, which will await the real release of the final gen IV.

I can't tell how much each individual change will make, but going from a live rear axle to a double whishbone should allow toyota to remove some of the softness and rolly polly nature of the beast for a fairly low cost. Toyota tried this upgrade first to the prius in the Lexified ct200 version. I'm sure they have lots of measurements to see if its better. I'm sure toyota tested a lot of cars with struts in the front and multi-link in the back and liked that better than torsion beam. A multi-link (doesn't have to be double wishbone) should allow for a stiffer rear suspension, while absorbing bumps allowing for greater comfort.

There are lots of aspects to handling
Best-Handling Car For Less Than $40,000: 370Z vs. Evo, Mustang GT, GTI, Miata, Mini JCW - Feature - Car and Driver

Now I wouldn't expect the prius to perform as well as any of those on the test. It is a fwd car with center of gravity far forward. I think it can come closer to other cars like it in terms of handling. I would study the mazda 3, ford focus, honda fit, vw jetta hybrid, c-max hybrid, etc. I don't think it needs to beat these cars in handling but it should come closer..

Lowering the cg in the gen IV as you say should help, as should better struts that take advantage of the of the lowered cg and independant rear. Its a whole package. Toyota claims that the nose movement will be reduced on acceleration too. I don't expect miracles, but I needed to modify my gen III to be good enough for me, hopefully the gen IV will be good enough (for drivers like me) out of the box as stock.

 

Funny that you brought that article to confirm my point: dead last GTI had multi-link rear, and Mustang GT with solid rear axle scored #3, behind EVO and Miata, ahead of 370Z and Mini.

BTW twist beam is NOT a solid axle; it is semi-independent as it is designed to flex.

 

In support of this statement and providing food for further thought: it needs also be considered that as you add sway bars across an axle, each side becomes less independent and despite control arms being articulated independently... the behavior of that axle becomes more semi-independent. More so as you opt for higher-rate sway bars.

 

At 60/38.8 is only 99% total

I guess that must be why I scratch the bottom on curbs when angle parking

 

All I know is my gen III prius needed help with the set up. I did some mods. It ran better. Hopefully toyota corrected this in the gen IV.

Spend more on tires and braces you can improve the gen III's handing, but why not start from a better point.

Ford has since that review improved the handling by .... going multi-link in the mustang. Still the mustang improved the suspension in the basic set up.
2015 Ford Mustang GT vs 2014 Ford Mustang GT, IRS vs Live Axle Rear Suspension Comparo - Video - autoevolution

The vw gti is revered as about the best you can do in a 4 door sedan that is low priced and fwd. That mustang uses rwd and better weight distribution. The vw and prius would rather get the higher efficiency and lower cost of front heavy fwd. But that doesn't mean that the prius needs to handle badly.

I cautiously await reviews to see if they have fixed some of the handling. Ofcourse for many prii fans, bad handling reminds them to slow down

 

Indeed... thats the whole point of TNGA anyway.

For people who think differences between torsion beam and multilink are not existant, they can drive new Scion iM and then drive Corolla... same platform, difference in some tuning and rear suspension only.

If they cant feel the difference, better buy G3 at discounted price now.

And of course, TNGA is all new platform, it is going to drive different than Prius, it basically wont have anything to do with old car.

 

The truth is that Gen3 which rides on the same platform as xB and US Corolla or C which uses the same platform as Yaris are not that bad. With minimal changes (rear sway bar, camber kit upfront) my C is good enough to lift front tire in sharp turn on stock 15" LRR FuelMax. Have not tried it on Gen3 usually slow down b/c of body roll.

Not to say that Prius platform is not limited, but with minimal corrections it is more than capable to out-handle street tires in most conditions you'd be exposed on public roads.

For me it is a bit of mystery why Prius and other Toyota's handle so bad. Is it b/c 1) lawyers told them "cars should understeer" and they are paranoid to get sued. 2) it is a conspiracy to sell Lexus. 3) they are incompetent 4) they just don't care.

#3 is not likely from company which built FRS, Supra and many other fine handling cars. So I suspect it is 1,2 and 4, and perhaps lack of market demand.

I am glad that Mazda stepped to the plate and started building "affordable and reliable german cars"; cars which handle, have decent looks, and cheaper, get better MPG and more reliable than BMWs or Audies. If the bar goes up perhaps Toyota will start paying attention to it too.

 

I drove back to back 100% stock 2015 Mazda3 and my modified G3 through twisties, and in no way my G3 felt inferior. Actually the rear shocks (upgraded to Excel-G) felt slightly better than OEM Mazda, and G3 had more body roll due to higher CG. Otherwise they were on par, both limited by LRR tires (Ecopia 422 on Mazda and Energy Savers on G3).

Now there hasn't been any major investments into G3 suspension: rear sway bar, STB, camber kit and 2 rear shocks. So I am convinced that the major difference btw iM and Corolla is "some" tuning.