Thread repository for ALL non-PriusChat 2016 Prius reviews

I echo bisco's question: "paddle shifter" on a CVT?

One final word on interiors: When I traded my 2010 Prius (IV) the interior beige looked almost new, even with 115,000 miles.

 

Well I hope I am not hallucinating !

It's this review I am talking about,and as I said I only assumed it was paddle shifters the reveviwer was usIng .

2016 Toyota Prius Eco Review: The Hybrid Toyota Needed All Along

"Putting the car in “PWR Mode” and opting to manually select gears adds a bit more torque and control to the equation when you get bored."

It is said under "Powertrain pros&cons"

He must be shifting with something !

 

ah! i commented on that in post #260, i thought the guy was just clueless.

see also 'doesn't like downshifting when coming to a complete stop'.

 

Uh, I shift all the time with our 2010 Prius. The HV ECU makes everything work. Typically going forward, I'm shifting between "D", "B", and "N" depending upon what I want to do.

Occasionally, I use "R" when teaching someone how to drive a Prius . . . to let them know the car won't explode at 60 mph if you shift into "R". Brings them closer to Jesus.

Bob Wilson

 

bob, how does that add torque?

 

The guy in the review is probably taking about simulated gears !
If I recall right the Honda insight also had simulated gear shifting as an option so its not impossible to do that with a cvt.

 

you're thinking they've added simulated gears and paddle shifters to the gen4?

i was thinking the guy had no understanding of the eCVT and was imagining things based on engine and motor feedback.

 

I don't know,but why would he talk about manually selecting gears if one gets bored ?

 

agreed. and if you can, why would you only do it when bored? maybe bob is right, d,b,r,n, spells 'no fun, no matter how bored you are.

i will say this, paddle shifter would be great, but since they already put the shifter on a good piece of real estate, it won't help much.

 

Well he is obviously aware of the different driving modes and he says when putting the car in power mode and opting for manual gear select it adds torque and control to the equation when you get bored .

 

ya, the torque thing bothers me. what is torque? maybe he thinks that because power mode has more sensitive pedal.

 

Who knows but I do remember a german car magazin mentioning that the new drive train of the Prius has 8 simulated gears .
Maybe the guy was driving an European version,the majority in Europe have manual gear shifting transmissions,so that aditional feature would probably be welcomed here .

 

My 2015 Legacy has Simulated Gears (Lineratronic) and Paddle Shifters, and it's a CVT.

 

i have to ask about the first sentence in the article, how do you test aerodynamic drag coefficients?

multi-quote bisco

if there are simulated gears, it makes more sense. but there have been many reviews to date, and no one has written about either one.

 

I can't and don't challenge what you say, I just don't understand it.
I have nothing to add to the discussion because I am not an engineer, but Iv'e owned a car with paddle shifters, and I owned a CVT Prius, and I cannot conceive how the two principles are mechanically compatible. The key word in your statement is "simulated." Sounds like a PR Department gimmick?

 

The Corolla has cvt/paddle shifter, at 3:00 min: First drive: 2014 Toyota Corolla

 

With all the hatred of CVT's in the past several years, I guess they just decided to add some pre-programmed shift points to the CVT.. It did feel like a regular automatic transmission, but honestly, I prefer the seamless transition of a regular CVT. The paddle shifters were also silly in my opinion... But I guess some people like them. I hope the 16 Prius has a regular CVT without the programmed shift points.

Here is a little bit of an explanation, if you are interested.

Subaru CVT - Why you should have it and when you shouldn't.

 

Net cub,

I appreciate the reference. I read it and now I understand a bit better how a CVT works.
My 2nd car is a BMW Z3 roadster, with 5 gear manual, so I get my "fun" other than my hybrid.

 

I shift for different reasons but to answer in engineering terms:

• Shifting to "N" removes all torque.
• Shifting from "N" to "D" provides positive or negative torque depending upon speed, grade, and accelerator position
• Shifting from "D" to "B" provides more negative torque when descending hills at high speeds
• Shifting into "P" when not moving and releasing the brake applies positive or negative counter torque to hold the wheels stationary.

I 'row' my shifter at any speed based upon my goals . . . usually to cheat the gas pump.

Bob Wilson