4th generation coming 2015!

It is well known that 'old farts' are just as appealing as 'new farts.'

Pious, one and all

 

The Prius handles fine for an economical smaller vehicle. It goes where it is pointed, accelerates fine and stops.

It is a tool designed for a purpose and is not a sports car. I drive the Prius and a BMW Z4. I do not expect the Z4 to get 50+ mpg and am not looking for the next Gen Prius to rip through a turn. Prius Gen 4 hopefully safe, reliable, more efficient and more comfortable.

 

-1

Do you honestly think that a better suspension, steering rack, steering motor, and software would reduce mpg?

The rumors are that toyota is finally going to address some of these short comings in the gen IV. Are you one of those voices that hates improvements.

 

No I do not but it could change the cost and comfort. Handling is not a priority for this class of automobile. This vehicle needs safe not sporty handling.

I do not hate improvements. I am also an engineer that understands design criteria, trade offs and cost constraints. There is no free lunch unfortunately.

 

Then maybe you are just misinformed. A multi-link suspension should be safer not less safe than a live axle. Better handling does not hurt safety, it improves it. It allows less body roll. Overly boosted steering, again, is not a safety device, it hurts safety.

Well yes, it takes money to improve handling versus keeping a very old design. Certainly a geo metro gets almost as good of mileage as a prius, and isn't nearly as expensive. Most people like the trade off.

What toyota is talking about in improvements in handling costs very little money. In europe the auris hybrid has multi-link and costs less than the prius. It should have no effect on mpg if the cars are driven the same way. Better handling may cause drivers to brake less, increasing mpg, or go faster decreasing mpg in the real world. Your complaint wasn't that you did not want to pay the small amount more for better handling, it seemed to be that you just didn't even want them to change a thing. Hence my visceral reaction.

There were some on this board upset, yes actually upset that toyota might fix a bug in the gen III braking, and claimed that it wasn't a bug but a feature that gave us better mileage. Funny thing is no one reported worse mileage after going to the dealer and having the software updated without the bug.

 

Agreed on the rattles, my 2010 is a rattle box, especially in cold weather, moreso then any car I've ever owned including my 96 Accord which is still tight as a drum. I think the flying bridge is a big cause of this. It's hard plastic that vibrates rattles throughout the cabin, bringing noises forward.

Ride quality: I'm generally ok with mine but Toyota needs to understand that owners run high pressures in their tires and that the suspension setup should accomodate this a bit better then it does now.

Steering feel: I'm blasé on this one. Electric power steering setups in every car that uses then are generally pretty numb. I will say that the Prius steering is generally quite precise and well weighted.

I feel like going to a non-LLR all season tire has improve both ride and handling for me, though it's not a blind test so I'm sure some of that is placebo effect.

 

I was in Dallas, TX last week and rented a Jetta sedan. I found no noticeable difference under normal driving condition compared to PiP. I did not push the car, just went as high as 80 on 70mph zone.

One thing I noticed was the extremely loud rattle around the cup holders. Perhaps, it was that car only and not all Jettas are like that.

The step gear transmission was inferior. The engine revs 2,000 rpm at 62 mph. Pretty high.

 

On a standard EPA test loop? No.

On a curvy road with a lead foot, having more fun? Definitely.

 

Toyota has recently stated a few things publicly about the next generation- basically that it will get better mileage and be lighter and sit lower and have a nicer interior -

Toyota says new Prius, fuel cell car due in 2015 - SFGate

My guess is that it will be like a larger Prius C in terms of interior and body styling.

 

I think 'handling' means different things to different people. When I say I want a Prius that handles better, I'm really not expecting to go canyon-carving with it. Sports car levels of grip are best found in sports cars, and as much as I enjoy a 'sleeper', I'm really not suggesting the Prius be made into one. But, an improvement on the existing chassis would make for a safer car. Being able to negotiate wet curves in a downpour, staying the course in a brisk sidewind, and quickly swerving out of the way of an obstacle are things that come to mind when thinking a better-handling car is a safer car.

 

Quoting from the article "The new Prius will ride on a new, lower chassis to improve its handling and aerodynamics".

Great. With the ground clearance of a vacuum cleaner now, this ought to be interesting.

 

That would suck

SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 ? 2

 

sounds too good to be true!

 

Look at the gp100m vs mpg graph and you will see a 50 to 55mpg gain saves you almost nothing.

SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 ? 2

 

The one thing I liked least about the 'new' 2010 was the interior. I understand it was changed to appeal to a broader range of buyers, but I LIKE 'different', and that's why I bought a Prius.

 

The Auris is just what they call the Corolla in the EU. More likely someday we'll see a Corolla Hybrid in the US (and I hope we do!).

 

I saw some spy shots of the supposed new Prius, and the interior looks similar.