What are your thoughts on the Gen. 4 Prius?

also, do different pressures affect diameter? and for that matter, do all same size tyres have the same diameter when new?

 

No. It isn't the diameter which matters for odometer readings, it's the circumference. And that changes very little if at all as a tire wears.

What do you mean by "diameter"? When in use, tires are not circles, they have a flattened area called the contact patch where they rest on the roadway. The tread area of a modern radial is very stiff and so will not stretch as the pressure is increased, so odometer readings are not affected.

Again it's the circumference which matters, and that may be slightly different for different tires of the same size. Tire Rack shows revs for mile for different tires and you can see that it varies a bit among different tires of the same size.

 

Actually, some TPMSes actually use wheel speed to detect an underinflated tire. They only work in a relative sense, because they work off of differences in wheel speed, though - if all four wheels are going the same speed, it assumes they're all OK.

 

I think I covered all that in my post. You said there was a 5% fudge factor in the MFD. I took "fudge" to mean "error", and I laid out why the actual mpg is probably NOT 5% less than the MFD number: the odometer readings are measurably too low and the gas pumped numbers may be slightly too high, though gas volume is hard to check without a lot of expensive equipment (and time).

From what I have seen so far, the MFD readings on my Gen 4 may be closer to reality than the ones on my Gen 3 were.

If you intended "fudge" to mean "intentional manipulation by Toyota", is there any evidence that Toyota jiggered the calculation? You worked in the industry, after all.

It's possible that a GPS unit like a Garmin would be able to run a total distance covered. I'm not familiar with them and didn't want to spend money on one: I have a smartphone and the SpeedTracker app is free.

 

It would be interesting to know how that would work. The under inflated tire still has the same length of tread as the inflated one. So if there were a difference in rotation speed, one of the treads would have to be slipping relative to the pavement.

 

circumference. thank you.

 

I was at a local restaurant the other day, and noticed a Gen 4 Prius parked.
Kind of the first time I saw a Gen 4 "In The Wild" as they say.

At risk of upsetting a lot of Gen 4 owners, I'd have to say I just wasn't very impressed.
The side creases The rear Hatch, the Front Hood, all had a Frankenstein look to me, almost like things "sewn" on to create change for changes sake.

Accuse me of ownership bias-You might even be right, but even before I owned a Gen 3, I thought the evolution from Gen 2 to Gen 3 had a good organic look to it. There was enough difference between Gen 2 and Gen 3, and Gen 3 looks IMO sportier and more mainstream than Gen 2, but the growth and change looked very natural and organic.
I can't say that about Gen 4. It looks to me like a Gen 3 that has bad make-up on.

I think the Gen 4 looks more Right Angle, and sharp edged, but I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. For some reason even though I know it's not true, The Gen 4 looks smaller to me. Just an illusion.

Maybe it will grow on me. I had seen a Gen 4 at an Auto Show, before release. And on the Auto Show floor I remember thinking it looked OK. (Never have liked the rear end much)-Somehow on the streets, it just hit me as not looking as good as on the showroom floor.

At first glance my gut reaction was...what is that ugly Hyundai?
And I'm sure that's not the reaction Toyota was hoping for.

 

Been looking at the Gen IV also. I do agree it does "look" smaller, but have not really compared side to side or measurement to measurement.

Some of the color schemes seem a little awkward to me. I don't like the moonstone interior, looks like it would be hard to keep clean. But I do like the look of the front end, and the one's that have the side molding on them look better than one's without. Can't decide on the white bone china for the model 3 and up.

Only Gen IV I would buy today would be the Model Three with the Advanced Technology Package. Why that one? Really simple, #1 I want a spare tire, and #2 I want the adaptive cruise. Model Three with the AT Package ONLY fits that bill...

Hard to find in Texas, but have found one in California. Just might go see Diane Whitmire and make a deal with her.

 

Yes.

That's my reaction too. Suppose this will be the "misery loves company" thread. Anyway: I'll pass, think they stumbled in too many areas.

 

Thank goodness I bought a Prius to save money, not look good. (A Ferrari could not make me look good)

 

Some say Gen4 looks best in the darker exterior colors.

Reported interior space of the Gen4 is about +3-ft3 over Gen3, but whereas Gen3 has another 3-ft3 under the false cargo floor, I assume it almost exactly the same inside volume. I believe Gen4 has probably taken some space from the rear cargo area and moved that up front somewhere, not sure where yet. When Gen3 came out, Toyota was a little more open where they added space etc. Gen3 was quoted by Toyota as +3 ft3 over Gen2 inside.

 

What colour was it?

 

It was grey.

 

I saw my first commercial use of a gen-4 today. It was white, wrapped with the business's logo. That looked nice. It certainly wasn't the plain business car you'd usually see.

Think about how "not normal" the regard for Prius has been over the past +15 years anyway. Why not push the styling further into the unique category. That's where the industry is going. Notice how front & rear lights are rapidly taking on distinct looks? Heck, the EV will no longer have a grille, which was only cosmetic to make it look like other vehicles.

Think about how boring the SUV has become. The small ones all basically look the same now. What's the draw to that?

The age of "normal" is coming to an end. Hooray! I miss decades ago, when we saw the same cycle of blah to whoa. This time around though, there's fancy technology too.

 

I wonder which colour compliments the styling - grey is so boring a colour it blends in with the tarmac etc [technically, it's a shade of black]. I'm yet to see other than white in real life.

 

I'm perfectly OK with "Not Normal" in fact I've liked Prius styling since Gen 2 because it was "Not Normal" . I'm also fine with unique. In fact I tend to like vehicles with "unique" styling. I liked the original "Box" Scion XB and I liked Honda's Element because of relatively unique styling.

What I don't like...is ugly. And sorry, but I think this incarnation of Prius hits me as somewhat ugly.

Styling does change over time. But usually as the tide changes pretty quickly everyone starts looking similar again.
Really, at first glance I thought this Prius was a Hyundai.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course... I actually like the styling.

I also like the fact that the styling appears to be somewhat controversial and gets people talking about it. Whether they like it or not, the fact that - like good art - it makes such an impact on them that people find it worth discussing at all, makes me smile! I much prefer a bit of "spice" rather than bland conformity, and don't mind whether other people like it or not. With design you'll never please everyone anyway.

 

I agree with you TEM, on all points. The best word I've read that was used to describe the Gen 4 styling was "polarizing." Either you like it or you don't.

Before the Gen 4 was unveiled, I considered the idea of updating. Now I'm sure I'll be holding on to my Gen 3 for a while longer.

 

The first time I saw it live, I was like "cool! something different!"
And I agree fully with Colin.
You don't like it so much, buy something else....

 

Same here - when I first saw it (photos), I thought they'd lost the plot - like others have at times - (Subaru, Peugeot, some Toyotas (Corolla, FJCruiser, Yaris, even RAV from some angles), show me a proper good looking BMW - well many have been unbalanced) - and a Rolls Royce from just about any angle. But it could go to the other extreme - have any AUDIS or VWs looked at all interesting in the past 3 years ... no make that decades?

I didn't like it initially, nor did I like Gen 2 or Gen 3 initially, but they grew on me, they're "normal" now. I'm expecting stocks to arrive in the next week or so here, and I'll likely get a Gen 4. Unless the deals on left over 2015s are too good to miss out on - there are 4 or 5 base models, and 2 with Solar roof too.