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4th generation coming 2015!

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by edmcohen, Nov 6, 2012.

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  1. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    Hey, I'd like to see a cd of <o.25 on this thing, will help highway mpg.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I agree. A light duty AWD for suburban driving would be great (I'm not sure if it would help with your rural hilly area because wouldn't you also need ground clearance for deeper snow? I assume you're in the Nickel Belt area?)
     
  3. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    Yes, ground clearance has been an issue before. My wife once got the car stuck in the driveway when I hadn't cleaned the driveway and the snow was up to the floorboards. When our roads have been plowed, we left with a hard packed snow base that can be very slippery. There has been a couple of times when the Prius has struggled to make it up some hills on our road, or we've have to take a run at it. We live on a hill, and sometimes it can be tricky to get traction when leaving the driveway. We've gotten by with the Prius, but I am also considering looking at Subaru when we replace this car in a couple of years depending on how good the Gen IV Prius is. Yes, we are not far from the Nickel Belt area.
     
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  4. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    I came back from a long trip yesterday and was fighting a headwind the entire way. I noticed that my MPG's suffered significantly because of this wind and have noticed this on other occasions too. So it'd be nice if Toyota not only improved the highway performance but MPG's and if a slippery shape will do it, I am all for it.
     
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Even with studs? That's still pretty impressive. I've driven the Prius on hard packed snow (but much flatter terrain) so grip wasn't an issue accelerating but it can be an issue when braking (even with Nokian R tyres). Still, the TRAC is much improved over the Gen 2 which would've had issues (and I've had total power loss before thanks to TRAC in a Gen 2 but fortunately I was just pulling out of a curb in deep snow on a residential street).
     
  6. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    No, we don't run studs. We originally had Firestone Winterforce (studless) and now have Michelin X-Ice 3s. Overall, our Gen III has been good in the snow, better than our old Civic, but there have been several instances where AWD would have helped out.

    Now that I think of it, what I'd like to see for the next generation Prius would be the Prius body with the Camry Hybrid drivetrain (maybe as an upgrade option).. I'd take a sacrifice in a few MPG's for the much better performance of the Camry Hybrid. With the lighter and more aerodynamic Prius body, I bet there wouldn't be much of a difference at highway speeds. I just don't like that the Camry is stuck with the small trunk. We prefer the larger hatch of the Prius.
     
    #3126 72fordgts, Oct 28, 2014
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  7. Felt

    Felt Senior Member

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    I an challenging your statement, nor even questioning it, but ...... what do you think is different? I think the Camry has a v6, but I assumed that all other components of the HSI are identical???? I suspect, even the Lexus HSI is the same, with only a different ICE????
     
  8. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    The Camry Hybrid uses a 2.5L 2AR-FXE Atkinson cycle engine that makes 154 hp. Combined with the electric motors, the total output is 200 hp, which is actually more than the base Camry gas 4 cylinder and way more than the Prius 1.8L. The performance on the Camry Hybrid is very strong, much more so than the Prius. We do a lot of highway driving and I would pay extra for a more powerful powertrain to have better highway performance. I don't need a rocket, but the Prius is a bit on the slow side in modern day traffic.
     
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  9. Bill the Engineer

    Bill the Engineer Senior Member

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    If you want a bigger engine and a higher voltage Hybrid system for your Prius, go find a wrecked Lexus HS250h. It is the same body structure as a Gen-III Prius from the B pillar forward, and it has more umpf. I am REALLY surprised that Toyota hasn't done this on their own by offering it as a sport version Prius.

    Bill the Engineer
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I'm ok with the Prius using the 1.8 litre engine. I think the Prius v is the better candidate for the 2AR-FXE setup. The larger cargo area means that families will use it as a road trip vehicle and it'll struggle with the extra weight (it's already heavier than the Prius liftback so it's starting with a "handicap" if you will).

    There's probably tax or licencing incentives in Japan with smaller engines which is why they're keeping it under 2.0 litres. (Other countries tax on engine displacement too)
     
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  11. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    As much as I actually do like to tinker with cars, a drivetrain swap on one of these would be a bit out of my league!

    The 1.8L engine is adequate for our needs, it gets the job done but nothing more. I have owned slower cars, but they were all from past generations. If they do stick with this engine, I hope that the new more powerful electric motors will boost the net output. While 134hp it currently doesn't sound bad, the Prius is relatively heavy and these Atkinson cycle engines don't have much torque.

    I agree the Prius V would be a great candidate for the larger and more powerful engine. Actually, we'd gladly take the extra space of a Prius V if they made some improvements to the powertrain in terms of performance while maintaining similar MPGs. I have actually been looking at Subaru's Forrester as a possible replacement for our car, but I don't think that much of a gas mileage penalty is worth the extra room and the AWD. In the mean time, since we plan to keep our Prius for another year or two, I wait with anticipation to see the Gen IV models and hope that the new version will better suit our needs.
     
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  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The question now is whether Japan would agree because the v is sold around the world so they have to weigh the option of increasing the engine size for everybody or deal with the extra cost of manufacturing two types of drivetrains (they currently do with the two different batteries)
     
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  13. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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  14. inferno

    inferno Senior Member

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  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Here's the luxurious version of the Voxy/Noah twins that Toyota just launched - the Esquire.

    And here's a funny ad


    Talk about a soundtrack to advertise a minivan :)
     
  16. cmth

    cmth Active Member

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    I wouldn't bother too much thinking about what exactly the engine capacity should be for Gen4. Did we know before Gen 3 came whether it was going to be a 1.8L and if we did know, how would we have reacted because Gen2 ICE was 1.5L? These days, with turbo charging, supercharging and direct injection, Atkinson Cycle, etc. engine capacity taken in isolation means very little, even less so in the case of a Hybrid Powertrain.

    In terms of Gen4 powertrain enhancements, I am looking for :

    1. Improved performance over Gen 3
    2. Improved Real-world Efficiency over Gen 3 especially on motorway @ 80mph
    3. A more refined engine e.g. Smoother and less noise getting into cabin
    4. Reduced emissions by a good margin over Diesels

    I did not put figures against each of these points because ultimately, it will be the overall improvement that will be taken into account if I am to ditch my current Gen3 for a shiny new Gen4
     
    #3136 cmth, Oct 31, 2014
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  17. 72fordgts

    72fordgts Member

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    I agree with you on displacement. I really don't care what the displacement of the engine is, as long as the new drivetrain gives better performance I'll be happy.

    I like you list of needs, it pretty much exactly reflects what I am looking for in a Gen IV, especially 1,2 and 3.
     
  18. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    Heck, the monetary difference between 40mpg and 50mpg is already very small—it would be minuscule going from 50 to 55.

    It comes down to marketing though. Each successive generation really needs to be more efficient simply because it makes the sales message that much stronger.

    It's like the horsepower wars, but in reverse.

    I don't need all-wheel-drive, even up here in Vermont—snow tires is enough to get us around. I would love the option of a bit more ground clearance, and I really like the idea of the V getting the Camry hybrid's motor. I think that would be a slam dunk, more power in the bigger package.

    Our 2010 is nearly paid off and we intend to keep it a very long time, but I'm still interested in what the NextGen brings forth.
     
    #3138 Sporin, Oct 31, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2014
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  19. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    I do not know, a lot of what I'm reading here is reminiscent of what I see on Apple forums. "Oh, Apple is doomed if they don't do x". Except that Apple doesn't do it, and they aren't doomed, and they keep hitting record revenue/profits with every quarter.

    We don't really know what Toyota is up to. I do think their bet on H2 vs. EVs is shortsighted and the fact that they didn't pursue their partnership with Tesla further will come back to bite them in the nice person eventually. At the same time, I think that most of the things that people here are listing as "must haves" for the next-gen Prius to remain relevant are not really as critical as they are perceived here.
     
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  20. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Please specify what 'better' means to you.

    At 80 MPH hybrids are a waste of time; all that matters is Cd.

    Of course then people bitch and moan that the car is too low to the ground and visibility is impaired. Your shopping list mostly just displays an ignorance of physics.
     
    #3140 SageBrush, Nov 2, 2014
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