What I don't like about the 2016 Prius

My wife and I sat down and watched that "what drives us", the debrief episode. We were impressed that you guys could sit around at 1 am, looking kinda chilly (overactive AC, cool Las Vegas nights?) and cheerfully go through all the points, compare notes. The audio got atrocious in places, but never mind.

And seeing the people behind the scenes is mind blowing, appreciate all your efforts!

 

So ugly. I'm actually a fan of the Lexus origami predator styling, but this is a disaster.
It looks like a Pontiac Sunfire had sex with a MacLaren P1.
Maybe somebody can salvage it with an aftermarket bodykit.
Toyota has been so enthusiastically using piano black trim lately, maybe they could try it on this.
I don't know what to do about the rear end.
What do you think?

 

I think external styling is irrelevant, but this one is just fine. At least it doesn't look like a Jelly Bean like every other sedan or compact on the road.

 

I agree with most of this, but think the EV button can go away on hybrids and no one would really notice. It's only real practical use is for shuffling the car's parking spot in a driveway. Using it elsewhere can lead to using more fuel, and its existence may have lead to the fixation on hybrids' top EV speed spec, which is about as useful to most buyers as the engine horsepower.

As mentioned the exterior size between the tires is nearly the same. Having a slightly different sized spare on with 3 normal tires isn't a problem for most cars. I understand that Subarus need a fuse pulled to disable the AWD when the spare is used, though.

Interior size of the spare can be an issue; depending on the size of the 17" wheeled car's brakes. The spare of the HHR couldn't fit the front wheels of the SS model because of the large discs there.

 

After 35,000 miles of driving where I actually use the heated seats often (for my back), I've found the placement of the switch doesn't give me any trouble. Would I prefer they were on the main dash? I suppose, but it's not like I switch them on/off constantly.

I kind of like that, just 1 button to deal with and I can see which mode on the display, not that I change it that often.

 

If the car doesn't come with a spare I hope Toyota offers it as an option along with the necessary hardware to fix it under the cargo floor, and include a jack.

 

a 2016 Re--designed Pri C?

 

I didn't read through all of the complaints, but I'll wait until I see one, up close and personal. I recall when I first purchased my Gen III in 2010, and all of the complaints about the center bridge. You'd think somebody built the Great Wall between the driver's side and passenger's side. Not hearing much about that lately. So, what everybody complains about today will go away tomorrow.

Don't forget, we are now "mainstream," whether we like it or not.

Mike

 

The Prius never was much to look at...probably never will be. I will reserve final judgement for OTD price, TCO (reliability, cost to repair/maintain correctly, mpg) and fixing those uncomfortable seats...yes...even the powered, heated ones with lumbar support.

 

no, you were asking for a smaller hybrid. prius c will get a redesign soon though.

 

I know--but it may not be for a while :-(

 

maybe not, should be about 6 years from first release of gen I c.

 

Depends of the generation cycle of the Yaris, cause the c is just a Yaris hybrid or Aqua in the rest of the world.

Haven't checked it in awhile, but Fiat was charging $300 for the optional spare to the 500. Can Toyota be much higher?

 

The Star-Wars influenced frontal styling in the complete Toyota line as well as the 2016 Prius is the wrong trend to mimic. Each grille reflects an ugly frown which is off-putting to a consumer who wishes to purchase a dependable Toyota. I foresee a backlash from the styling and expect comments from the public in the vein of the 1958 Edsel grill--it was decried as a horse-collar and worse when it debuted. Toyota, you have made a serious mistake in the 2016 Prius and the rest of your car line.
We voted with our wallet when we bought the 2013 Prius v top line model. It has and will continue to be stylish, swoopy and handsome, a package worthy of the Toyota brand.

 

well, the public will vote with their wallets, comments from haters won't matter. let the games begin!

 

I think the single most hideous part of the design of this car is how the cut-out is executed. I'm not even against the idea of the cut-out as I can live with it, but the fact they made it pointy downwards. It makes those portion of the roof look like ends of a tent held down by black strings to the rear. It makes the rear look flaky and just ugly.

If I ever buy this car the 1st thing I'd do is straighten the cut-out by cutting off the pointy fangs, match paint them with the rest of the C pillar like this:

 

You could go a step further and paint the C-pillar right behind the rear door's window to match the body. Then it might give the illusion of being a sedan. But even taking off that point improves the sedan illusion.