What I don't like about the 2016 Prius

Ah, the squiggly lines are the taillights. Thanks, Tideland.

 

I picked mine up Thursday. A few things I've noticed could be improved:
1. Pop hatch with key fob button
2. Remote start standard
3. Seat back doesn't move forward without assistance when trying to adjust (not a big deal)

 

Oh no.

3 weeks in, and I heard my first rattles today. It was very warm (91) and the car must've loosened up a bit. I was only driving 40-45 mph, and on a smooth road. The rattles are coming from the right/upper dash area, and also the center/front of the headliner by the map lights. It's not very loud, but it's definitely noticeable and annoying. It cuts in & out.

I have nothing in the glove box, and no sunglasses in the holder. It's gotta be internal, somewhere. So now the rattles are competing with the Toyo Tire noise to see who wins! I've never owned a Prius before. In the past, I drove a '95 4-cyl Camry, and a '05 V6 Camry SE. The fit & finish on those two cars was excellent, and in those 20 years I never once heard any squeaks or rattles. Never.

So I hope the rattles in "Penelope" are just temporary because of the heat. Maybe she will quiet down and tighten back up in the Winter. But still, it's disappointing. I was so used to driving those "solid" Camrys... I keep comparing my new '16 Prius Three to those cars. (Today I had to keep telling myself: Don't be mad, You're getting 60 mpg!)

I got a few other nit-picky things, but I can live with them. The "Harvest Beige" cloth seats don't feel very supportive to me. But I'm a pretty big man(6'-4", 250 lbs) and it's hard to find ANY seat that feels good to me. (Maybe a Ford F150 "King Ranch" leather seat can be transplanted into my Prius. )

The steering feel, handling, cornering, and suspension all feel better than my Camry SE did. And I really like those white bright LED headlights. And today I accelerated more powerfully than I usually do, and the Prius has plenty of pick-up and is perfectly adequate when merging onto the freeway. I took it out of the ECO mode, and drove in Normal. Haven't tried "Power" yet, but don't feel I will need it.

That's about it. I'll report back if the rattles get worse, or multiply. Keep up the good work.

 

One other thing. Which part of the tail light is the actual "brake light"? I need someone to sit up front and press the pedal, while I go to the back and look.

The Z-Bolt is obvious, but that is not a brake light, correct? And then, from top to bottom, I see :

-the yellow blinker bulb in a clear housing;

-below that is the back-up bulb(?) in a clear housing;

-and below that is another slightly larger clear housing with what??? If that's the brake light, why is the plastic housing not RED?

-and on the very bottom I see a strip of two-tone red reflector.

Excuse my ignorance. Thanks for a great forum.

 

Thanks, Tideland. Good pictures. It's odd that the brake light lens is clear, not red. And someone mentioned in another conversation, that the "Z" lights are not brake lights.. They are just tail lights. I gotta check and see.

And regarding the screws vs clips, thanks for the info. I hope these new rattles are not a preview of things to come. The Prius is only 3 weeks old. I can deal with the tire noise and the road noise... but rattles grate on my nerves.

 

Thanks again Tideland.
It will be interesting to see how the new generation "global platform" holds up over the months and years.

If I am already developing rattles at only 3 weeks, that's certainly not good. And what is so odd, is that the road was perfectly smooth and I was only going about 45 mph. It may have been a vibration somewhere that was causing the rattles. I don't know.

I wonder if I can get my '05 Camry back. .That old girl girl was rocksolid. But she drank gas like a drunken sailor.
:-(

 

Oh no, I hate hearing the new Prius has rattles. My 2012 Volt had a rattle in the rear right, that the dealership couldn't hear, let alone fix. I was starting to think it was going to be what we called some American cars many years ago "rattle traps". It was a lease, so I grabbed a 2008 Prius to hold me over while I waited for the next gen Prius and Volt. The funny thing is my Prius has over 215k miles, and no rattles! I probably would have bought the '16 Prius already, if it wasn't for the what I consider a hideous rear end. The rest of it is OK in my book, but the rear... yuck! BTW, was anyone actually seen one on the road yet? I am a car guy and am always on the lookout for certain cars, like the Volt (only saw one 2016 so far) and Teslas (see them daily) and Leaf (saw two total). Is the Prius not selling well..... anyone know? Maybe not just selling well in my area, although driving my NY to Key West this winter, still didn't see one.

 

Early days, so I wouldn't read too much in not seeing many yet.

I've seen a couple myself, the dark blue and the white pearl. I have to say, cars look quite different on the road from how they appear up close on a lot or in photographs. The blue still seemed fine, but the white one was rather, umm, arresting when seen from behind, especially the rear 3/4 view. Frankly, in full daylight it kinda looked like it had been hacked off, leaving exposed electro-mechanical "innards" or something in the corners. The combination of the deranged explosion of angles and lines back there with the black "floating look" C pillar gave an impression of something being kinda wrong; and since this was a Touring, the busier lower panel in back only added to the chaos. The nearest I can figure is that a light color makes all those peculiar lines more visible and the C pillar contrasts more sharply with a light background. Going back to look at photos, I think the red should work, but I'm going to guess silver and sea glass green are going to have visual issues similar to the white. As ever, I imagine this is largely a matter of taste, but my impression of that white Prius on the road was quite different from how it seemed on the lot. It would be enough for me to avoid the lighter colors.

 

I saw a Black gen4 last week and there was a blue gen4 parked in our home tract today and I think they live there. They are starting to show.

 

Today I noticed a minor rubbing noise somewhere in the dash area of my Gen 2 ECO when I first started out. Perhaps it was related to low temperatures? My 2011 Prius also had a noise in the dash on cold days when it was new. I didn't notice it recently so either it went away or I got used to it and stopped being aware of it.

Styling is way down on my list, far far behind fuel economy, comfort, practicality, reliability, and driving experience. After all, I don't have to look at it while I'm driving. Only a few cars are so ugly (to me) that I'd have a hard time owning one. When I saw the Gen 4 I didn't love the styling, it looked sort of generic-current-small-car in the Mazda/Kia/Hyundai genre, but it seemed "OK" if a bit busy. Maybe it will grow on me a little with time, in the same way the Gen 3 did. Based on the designs of the Gen 2 and Gen 3, I get the impression that Toyota tries to make the Prius look a bit distinctive.

When I read the comments sections of various car reviews, it was striking how most of the reviewers were falling all over themselves to find new and clever ways to deride the Gen 4 styling. Whether they felt obligated to bash it because it is a Prius or because they have a hard time dealing with anything different I couldn't tell. Reminds me of a comment that pilots of more attractive military aircraft made about the A-10 Warthog: "The wings are too stubby to keep it in the air, it flies because it's so ugly the Earth repels it."

To me, both the Volt and the Tesla S have unremarkable styling. The Volt is after all just a Cruz with a sealed grille and a few special bits. And the Tesla's looks are generic, so similar to certain other large 4-door sedans, I think Ford and Kia?, that I have to look for the badge to be sure. Please don't get me wrong, I think the Tesla is a technological triumph, I just don't think the design is particularly distinctive in the same way that a Porsche Panamera (another classy 4-door sedan) is instantly recognizable and charismatic.

Life is a compromise. If I could not own a car that I did not think was absolutely beautiful, I'd be walking or bicycling, because these days all of the cars I think are beautiful cost WAY beyond what I can afford! When I do see one of the beautiful ones, I'm just glad that somebody laid out the cash to buy it so that I can get some pleasure out of it for free. And don't have to deal with all the inconveniences of a fancy car (special servicing, having to park in the far corner of parking lots to avoid nicks, etc).

 

Vike, I totally agree with you, on red being the best color to hide the rear styling. I wouldn't consider any other color, but that's my first choice anyway. My Volt was red, as is my Gen 2 Prius. As a matter of fact my last 4 cars were red.

JohnF, I realize good styling is in the eyes of the beholder, but when something actually hurts your eyes looking at it, plucking down 30k is kind of tough. Of course I'm exaggerating, but I sure don't get the same feeling when seeing the rear-end of a Tesla S. That is what I consider an excellent design. IMO one of the best made today. Of course, I like sleek cars, so I'm bias to a clean look, like the Jaguar XKE I had years ago (in red, of course).

As far as the Volt, I appreciated the muscle car look to the Gen I, and don't at all like what they did with the Gen. 2. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't buy another Gen 1 Volt. There are a lot of good buys out there, at about half the cost of the 3 Touring I'd want.

Lots to think about these days, with all the new hybrids and electric coming down the pike, like the new Hyundai Ioniq, in three drivetrain flavors.

BTW, I think I know where Toyota got their rear-end design ideas: zanti misfits - Google Search

 

The auto companies are lucky that everybody sees things their own way. Which is why I have to point out that "it actually hurts your eyes" doesn't apply to everybody, and certainly not to ME. As I said, the styling of the Gen 4 doesn't bother me at all, just seemed a bit busy at first, and I have met lots of other people who have no problem with it. I think what you really meant was "it actually hurts my eyes" ("my" referring to you).

And I didn't plunk down anywhere near $30K for mine, more like $26, and spread the load out on a 1.9% loan. $4000 is a big difference, at least to me.

As far as the Tesla S, its nondescript look (TO ME!) would be a minor minus in my considering buying one. If I'm plunking down $75K (or roughly THREE times what I paid for my Gen 4) I'd hope for more distinctive styling, like the Porsche Panamera or the XKE (one of the iconic designs of all time, we're totally in agreement there!).

P.S. The eye can be deceiving. The XKE certainly looks sleek, but its drag coefficient is 0.4:
Jaguar E-Type - Icon - European Car Magazine
Despite all the fussing over the Gen 4's styling, it actually works and IS sleek.

 

Two months after I got my Gen3 in 2009, it developed several rattles. With a lot of patience and perseverance, I was able to attend to some but those coming from dash remain till today. On the contrary, the two year old Auris we got last year has no rattles - None. Almost seven years on, I can't believe we are still talking about rattles again with the new Prius. Obviously not enough feedback from Gen3 users seem to have made it back to the designers.

W.r.t to Gen 4 looks, I am afraid I am in agreement with Danny Troy, no matter how much I appreciate the Gen 4 technology achievements, I would not want to spend £24k on a car I know I don't like the look of. You can't also ignore the argument that if they had made it less polarizing, they could have sold it better and to a wider audience which is what they wanted to do anyway. Imagine what would happen to their best seller Corolla if it got the rear and side profile of the new Prius.

Then there is the whole e-four saga. Here is Toyota with what can only be termed as a fantastic technology to be able to offer light AWD capability to its hybrid cars especially useful in colder countries where strict emission standards mean this tech could have been a key differentiation over traditional AWD. However, Toyota instead decided to only offer E-Four in Japan. Not even the C-HR gets e-four. An AWD SUV with sub 100g/km CO2 would sell very well here but no, Toyota did not think so.

As I said a while back, Toyota gets most things right these days but a few, catastrophically wrong.

 

Hi Danny and all. I have not seen any other 2016 Prius on the road yet. And I'm in the huge sprawling Los Angeles County, the car capital of the world. Even my salesman said, "You will be the first!" But I have seen 4 new Chevy Volts in the past week!

I get a few weird looks from other drivers. An older couple were staring at my Blizzard Pearl Prius, and they appeared to be shocked and disgusted. I just smiled. When it came time to buy, I couldn't decide between the Two model or the Three... and the Red or White. But I've owned 2 Red cars in the past so I went with White this time. The "Pearl" in the paint looks nice when the sun hits it at certain angles. But it also seems to get dirty, real fast. Also, the salesman was discounting the one White Prius Three he had. $25,109, and that included the $850 transportation fee. That was $1,000 less than any other dealer (at the time.) The prices should be even better by December.

In my opinion, the Prius is a "basic economy car." That's what I have to keep telling myself. It will never be "Lexus quiet", or even Camry quiet. It's a great commuter car for getting to work, and a great car for running errands in the city. The hatchback area (trunk) seems very small to me. And I'm not sure how those flat hard seats will fare over a 2,000 mile road trip. (Again, that's only MY opinion; other people may love the new Prius seats.) In hindsight, I now wish I had waited a few more months, and rented a '16 Prius for a week and given it a thorough going over. I would highly recommend that a FIRST TIME Prius buyer, rent one before purchasing.

I think my expectations for the new Prius were just a bit too high... especially after reading about the new redesign, and the new "global platform", etc. I don't expect perfection, but at the very least, I shouldn't be hearing any damn rattles in my brand new '16 Prius dashboard! I had 20 good years driving Camrys... TWENTY years, and not ONE rattle, squeak, or vibration!

The bloom has come off my "Pearl White Rose."

 

To me, this car looks smaller than a Gen 3. I'm not blown away by the styling but it's growing on me. I got to drive a Two Eco this week and it WAS fun to drive, much more so than my Gen 3. So I'll be thinking but other models are under consideration too.

 

I would say that most people like bland looking cars, hence so many BMWs around and all sedans basically look the same and it is the reason that cars come mostly in bland colors. So prius gets criticism because it doesn't look like all the other cars out there but I like it

I hated the grille on my Audi when I bought it and never really cared for it but when from hate to indifference because I didn't buy it for its looks. I know a lot of people have a lot to say about cars that look distinct rather than the same old same old.

I've been driving my car around for about a month, no rattles as of yet but rattles come with cars eventually. If a new car was rattling, I'd take it in for service but that is me.

 

I did take my Gen 3 back Three times to the dealer a few months after getting it. They took down the dash each time and on the 3rd time they replaced the centre display section attachment saying new ones they have are better. The fourth time I went they wanted me to pay for it even though it was barely 6 months old and I can understand it it is very time consuming to remove the dash. Since then, I have had to get used to a £ 20k car rattling.

And no, most cars nowadays don't rattle. Our previous Nissan micra was 8 years old when we sold it but didn't rattle. The Auris HSD which replaced it was 2 years old when we got it and to this date the only thing that rattles in it is the child seat clamp.