4th generation coming 2015!

Well, Specs of the Merc CLA, a small compact, is 3 cu ft smaller than the 2014 Hyundai Accent 4-door.
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Is that a new Woody Prius?

 

I wonder how much Toyota is thinking about competing against the top selling sedans Corolla, Civic, Elantra, Focus, Cruze, etc... and to lesser degree Altima, Camry, Accord, etc ... cause now Prius is getting whupped pretty bad in sales. If they think mostly about competing against other alternative cars in sales, well, that bar isn't very high.

I'm interested to see if Toyota is going to make the 4th gen cooler and more mainstream or will they cave into the 'Green' enthusiasts and end up with a car whose sales are tied to gas prices.

 

Looking at the interior photos I am seriously disappointed.

I'm 6'3", bad knee, love my 2005 Prius. Went shopping for wife and the Gen III cockpit is so restrictive with that knee killing center console that we searched for months before we found a 2004 Prius with 15k miles.

Looks like no new Prius in our future. When my 05 poops out it'll be another agonizing search for a low mileage Gen II.

Perhaps some of the sales dropoff is due to cockpit ergonomics for tall drivers.

 

It's the IKEA Edition.

 

Flintstone HEV.

 

Yup, just send me a private message using the "Conversations" feature here.

 

I'm 6'2 and have absolutely no issue with comfort. I don't even have the seat all the way back.

 

Have you had any knee surgeries? The Gen 3 is excruciating to drive. In gen 2 knee has lateral movement, in Gen 3 it's stuck almost straight up and down.

 

I know our physical bodies are all different, and knee surgery would certainly be a major factor. I am grateful I have avoided that thus far. I have friends that have endured knee surgery, and they have really suffered.

I too am 6'3" also and find the Prius very comfortable. My most comfortable driving position is with the seat "raked" back (not extreme, but certainly not straight up), but slid a little closer to the wheel. Each year I drive the Prius across the country. I am looking forward to the May trip. BTW, if I drive a long distance with my leg canted to the side, my knee aches, so each of us have to find our most comfortable position.

But that said, you mentioned the "interior photos." Unless you know something different, I don't think any of us have seen the "interior" of the G4. I suppose you are referring to the interior of the test mule ..... I seriously doubt that is the final design.

We shall see. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

 

OK Toyota, after today I need the GenIV like tomorrow ^&%^#@(!

See-Fire Sale | PriusChat

 

Oh how terrible. My first thought was .... why a block heater? Then I noticed the snow bank behind the car. Next I looked at your "Location" and it all made sense.

It is too bad that Toyota will not be more forthcoming about the release of the next generation. If it is introduced as a 2015 and in the showrooms the latter part of this year, it would be so much easier to plan what to do. I am in the market for a G4 as well, but I can wait. I see that sales of the 2014 are slow, so perhaps they will proceed to bring the new model on the market ... at least we can hope it is ready and they will release it.

 

We'd like to know more, but that isn't likely.

Avoiding the announcement of a product too far in advance is how the market works. All manufacturers in all industries wait as long as possible. But in the automotive market, there's an added benefit from short notice.... it creates a supply of low-mileage used older models. That's the kind which are easy to sell and provide a decent financial return. (Dealers don't get stuck with a large supply of new older models either.)

 

Wait 1 month. There'll be more then, right now it'll just be quiet.

Yeah 1 month is far too long. But why rush through the year

 

Thank you John, and I do agree. It is not my nature to be argumentative, but there are exceptions. For example, motorauthority.com shown pictures of a number of 2015 vehicle (spy shots) such as BMW M4, Land Cruiser LR2, Mini-Cooper S, and a 2016 Cadillac CTS-V and many more. But, we have seen "spy-shots" of the Prius as well, so let's disregard the list above.

But they also have a section on "First Drives." They report on: the 2015 Mercedes C Class, 2015 VW Golf R; 2015 Suburban WRV, 2015 Aston Martin, 2015 Nissan GT-R, 2015 Audi S3 and more.

inferno said it best: "Wait 1 month. There'll be more then, right now it'll just be quiet." That is what I will try to do.

 

Are there any examples of high-volume vehicles revealed early?

 

I'm 6'2" tall and am getting by in the 3rd gen Prius, but with modifications and a habit to avoid.

The minor modifications are 1" foam pad on center armrest and 2" foam pad on door armrest. I rest my elbows when driving, I don't care what anyone says. In intense traffic or turns I've got both arms and elbows up, but for cruising straight or in town, ... elbows resting. If the steering wheel wasn't so darn far away by design, I wouldn't need nearly as much padding on the armrests.

The habit to avoid is to not look down at the bottom of the steering wheel or my knee(s) when stopped. My knee(s) is / are more cramped underneath the steering due to it being awfully close to the dash and the fact the front edge of seat doesn't lower all that much, mostly the butt of the seat bottom. ... so I keep my eyes up. Tilting the steering wheel up to give more room for knees doesn't make it easier to reach, only harder.

If someone doesn't understand the importance of a steering wheel pulling generously close towards a tall(er) driver, don't look at me to explain such a basic, rudimentary concept.

I will be looking to see if Toyota pays more careful attention to detail and layout in the 4th generation Prius, or if they 'check the feature boxes' and schlep some of the parts together.

 

Newbie here, thinking about dumping our 2011 Cruze and moving (up or over) to a Toytota Hybrid. But, which model year? Looks like there are quite a few 'leftover' 2013 models--and new 2014's--STILL sitting on the dealership's lots.

So, what's one to do? Wait for the "new" 2015 Gen-IV (that nobody's seen) or shop for a 'good' deal on one of the 'leftovers'? What say you?

 

What is your commute like? There are some great prices on the Plug In right now!

 

Open to interpretation, but this site is estimating 05/12/14 as the final order date for the 2014 Gen3 Hatchback. Seems like 2015 production would startup several months after that.

Toyota - Build Out Final Order Start Up Dates