Wish list for NEW Generation "c."

I only have two real complaints about the C - road noise at highway speeds, and harsh ride on bad pavement. I realize these were part of the compromises made to save weight and increase gas mileage, but I think there is a middle ground that many C owners would have been happy with, where only a small mileage penalty would surface.

So for the next gen C, let's add a new model. Call it the CX or something, to keep it out of the gas mileage computation for the regular C.

The CX would add back many of the things Toyota left out to save weight and improve mileage in the original C.
1. Better sound deadening material, and more of it. (estimated weight added - 100 to 150 lbs)
2. More sophisticated suspension (mainly rear) for a better ride. (estimated weight added - 250 to 300 lbs)
3. Padded dash and door sections for a softer less hard look and feel in the cabin. (30- 40 lbs)

I think the mileage penalty would be minor. After driving the C for two years now, I have become sufficiently Priusized in my habits, that I think I could overcome the effect of most of that added weight with driving techniques.

Oh yeah -almost forgot one other thing - Low Profile Rear Head Rests, please

 

I guess a do-able wishlist to keep the price around the same, would be:

TRD (or whatever better spoiler they come out with) comes stock
push start for all trim levels
touchscreen radio for trim 1-2 (don't need to have gps)
a better thought out foam insert (or no foam insert) to get more space/sound deadening out of the back luggage
remove the conventional shift knob and opt for something that'll take less space in the front (so more space in the front center aisle)
change the rear headrest to something smaller, less obscuring
LED (for higher trim 3-4?)
Lighter/more battery umphf
60mpg+ rating in city, 55mpg+ rating on highway

 

Two simple gripes I wish my car had are better interior lighting and automatic headlamps.

 

I actually love the shifter on the "c" that's one of the reasons I wanted it. The smoothness of moving the shifter around, the feel of the shifter, the blue color knob I just wish the letters were laser engraved, but then they wouldn't glow in the dark like they already do.

Let's see, I wish the top of the car was closer to the ground; that would save on fuel economy.
Ambient lighting (I picked up an LED kit which looks so sweet)
Real leather (not SofTeX vinyl - it feels thin)

And a quieter engine at higher RPMs!

For comparison my SUV was a 6 cylinder and it sounded great all the way to 6k

 

Get rid of the squeaks in the dash. Power seat with lumbar adjustment. Turn on the hvac when you change the temp, my 1991 Oldsmobile did that why not the Prius!

 

Push button start - 1912:


Push button shifter? No - too much like some of the late 50s, early 60s V8 & Slant 6 "boats" and banana wagons I learned to drive on.

Sorry but I like the key and the shifter just fine.

Pushbutton Shifting - Popular Mechanics
5 New Car Features That Aren't Really New

"NEW" SELLS (WELL, UNLESS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NEW COKE). BUT WHILE MARKETERS TRUMPET EVERY CAR FEATURE LIKE IT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE, MANY "NEW" FEATURES OF TODAY FIRST APPEARED DECADES AGO.

First hybrid? 1901:

Hybrid Electric Drive

The world's first hybrid, the 1901 Lohner-Porsche featured components and technologies that mirror those found on contemporary hybrids, including electric wheel-hub motors, batteries, and generators.

The engineering of the first hybrid was so significant that, even though it was decades old by the 1960s, NASA studied this vehicle as the space agency developed the Apollo program's Lunar Rover. The thinking behind the first hybrid was so solid and practical that the series hybrid design is used to power many modern railway locomotive engines.

Engineered by Ferdinand Porsche, the hybrid electric Lohner-Porsche remained in production until 1906, beating today's generation of hybrids to market by about 90 years.

YMMV

 

Not to say there can't be improvements.

My 2001 Chevy Prizm - the economy model - had auto headlights.

I'd like a little more traction battery as the ICE often has to kick in when stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway.

For the HI people - for me it's the infamous Ft Shafter to Punahou stretch going Kokohead and the Red Hill to Waipahu or vice-versa stretch when there's an accident.

YMMV

 

"For those who are NOT tech-savvy..."

Yep - that would be me...A Luddite to the core.

"Fly by wire" - I keep thinking of the F16 - nickname "Lawn Dart".

When the F16 loses power - the controls go south and the plane turns into...a Lawn Dart.

Microwave ovens are cheap - and they often break down when the controls go bad. Even the good brands - some last for years, others go belly up in months - I'm sure someone will figure out a way of replacing the controls with a smartphone ap - "BT" controls - sorry - not for me:

"Both are no more complicated or more expensive than a simple appliance control board like that on a microwave oven. A complete microwave oven can be had for less than $50 retail."

YMMV
What the Luddites Really Fought Against | History | Smithsonian
Definition of LUDDITE: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change.
Merriam-Webster

There's even a mention of the Prius in this article :
"We try to simplify our lives by shopping at the local farmers market—then haul our organic arugula home in a Prius."

 

I do know it's cheaper to make the electronics. Still not convinced it's better.

F16 pilots have died because the electronics have stopped working. The best modern fighters are "unstable" without the electronics - when the circuit board goes bad - the pilot's only option is to punch out...if it's possible at that point.

The Raptors are a whole different ball game - thrust vectoring gives it the ability to fly like no one's ever seen before. Also used in planes such as the MiG 29 and SU 37 and others.

There's an old saying: "Speed is armor" - see the article below to see why this may still apply.

However - see this article about the strengths and weaknesses of thrust vectoring:
F-22 Won't Win A Dogfight - Business Insider

 

Computer controls mean the death of simplicity. Everything is a tradeoff.

Good point.

My 2001 Chevy Prizm now sits dead in my carport. Two different mechanics tried to fix it. Both mechanics said everything mechanical was working or repaired. The codes the car kept throwing didn't make sense.

The only thing left was that it was probably the "computer" and for this car it was expensive.

My friend, a professional mechanic, told me to give up, cut my losses and go buy a new car.

So I retired my beloved ( I know I'm a little weird) 2001 Prizm - kept driving the '97 Prizm and eventually bought my C.

YMMV

 

Yep - both Prizms made in Fremont(?) at NUMMI.

Funny is that a lot of the small parts did not interchange with Corollas.

Drove some of the mechanics crazy as the parts supply computers showed the parts as interchangeable but the Chevy specs were different. Toyota parts often didn't even come close to fitting.

One parts company kept sending the wrong door handle - three times - their computer said it fit the Prizm but it didn't. Mechanic finally ordered the part from Chevy.

YMMV