1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Visual Tables of Gen4 Package Combinations

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by TonyPSchaefer, Nov 18, 2015.

  1. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    22,032
    11,504
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Does any Softex car have the heated seat options? I've heard they might not be available with leather some places because the material is too insulating, leading to fire risks.

    Energyandair answered this. To use the test results over multiple trim or models, the vehicle weights need to be close. I don't know how close, but Toyota and the rest likely use the lightest equipped car that they can for the test.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,901
    16,125
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    LOL. Really? You think I'm making this stuff up?

    Sure. I guess those of us on the Prius Expert team weren't at Toyota HQ, in that boardroom, when they went over specifics for the Gen 4 in 2014.
     
    Netcub and bisco like this.
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,658
    49,371
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    when he said we're, he didn't mean you.:cool:
     
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,901
    16,125
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Maybe... I'm just as dumbfounded as he is. I just figured with TNGA, they could start fresh.

    On the plus side, any vehicle using the Prius' chassis will get the bonus of reduced weight so that vehicle can add more features too, hopefully without the same silly restrictions.

    I asked Prius Team. Toyota increased the damping force on the suspension on the Touring models.
     
    #144 Tideland Prius, Jan 6, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2016
    MrBillTulsa and Mendel Leisk like this.
  5. Netcub

    Netcub Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2009
    344
    170
    0
    Location:
    Kentucky
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    If you get a 3T or 4T, May the Damping Force be with you... with the Darth Vader Dashboard...
     
    bisco and Tideland Prius like this.
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    22,032
    11,504
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    With heavier wheel and tire combo, an adjustment of some kind makes sense, and to most of us the changes likely wouldn't be noticed between the two trims. More precisely, we couldn't attribute what pert of the difference is due to the tire size and what to the suspension.
     
  7. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    1,389
    949
    4
    Location:
    Foot of Pikes Peak
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    Thanks
     
  8. Vike

    Vike Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2015
    379
    303
    4
    Location:
    Albuquerque NM
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    As far as I can tell, heated/cooled seats are ONLY available with SofTex, since the heated seats are only on the Four and the Four only comes with SofTex.

    That said, I've been reading more about SofTex the past few days and gather that my initial impression that it was just hyped "pleather" may have been unfair. The couple of occasions I've ridden in a friend's SofTex-equipped Prius v, I haven't really paid close attention to its upholstery, but just had a vague impression of it as "nice" vinyl. If it breathes well and doesn't get a lot hotter than fabric in the sun (a point more implied than plainly claimed in what I've read so far), it might be okay after all. I'm thinking we're back to where we were week before last - a Three Touring seems the best overall fit (since I want foglights more than a sunroof or HUD). We'll just have to give up on the climate-controlled seating surfaces (talk about your first world problems....:LOL:)

    Nah, I'll own it. It sounded ridiculous to me, and I said so, but if TP got that straight from the horse's mouth, that's the way it is. It's a pretty stupid reason to cripple their configurations though, especially since it's a tacit admission that their MPG numbers are shot once my wife gets in the car (she's quite petite, but definitely weighs more than a space saver spare ;)). For Pete's sake, take the 1 MPG hit for the spare tire and be done with it, even if it means understating mileage for lighter weight available configurations (God forbid you'd exceed expectations). It's not like anyone else is even in the ballpark - sheesh.

    I can't emphasize this enough - a car without run-flat tires AND no spare is a personal ordeal waiting to happen, especially since this is going to be our road trip car. Good luck to those who blithely disregard the risk. We've needed to use a spare at least four times I can recall (mind you, we've been driving for almost 40 years), and on at least two of those occasions a "repair kit" would NOT have gotten the job done. That's a showstopper for us, no matter how much my wife covets my EV's heated seats.
     
    #148 Vike, Jan 7, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 8, 2016
    Tideland Prius and Caniac like this.
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,644
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yeah what is it with that? We have them: it's hard to even tell if they're on, or burnt out, lol. Many years back I was carpooling with a guy that had a Supra, excellent fog lights! What happened Toyota?
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,658
    49,371
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i actually agree with you on the spare. i keep one above decks, because the pip doesn't come with one, although i haven't had a flat in 20 years.
    i did pick up a nail a few years back and had a slow leak, but made it the gas station for a plug. i just like the idea that it's back there if i need it.

    i've never understood toyotas packages, but i've gotten used to them. plus, i never buy the goodies anyway. i do realize that a lot of people do, and want what they want.

    unfortunately, we're going to see a lot more of the missing spare with all manufacturers, and we'll be limiting ourselves to the models that have them. horse and buggy syndrome, i guess.
     
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,901
    16,125
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Under normal driving, probably not. I'm curious to hear from @Danny if he had the opportunity to try Touring and not Touring models and whether he could tell the difference.

    I would rather have a spare than run-flats. Now I've never had run-flats but I've read stories on their stiffer rides because of the reinforced sidewalls and the higher replacement costs. The former makes sense. I can't verify the latter. I've never had to use the spare but it's a nice to have. It would be nice if Toyota just offers one as an accessory like what Honda did for the Fit.

    It does sound ridiculous. There were similar compromises made for the 3rd Gen too (hence no moonroof with the 17" alloys anywhere in the world. It looked ridiculous in the UK where only the base model had 15" wheels but the moonroof option on the T4 and T Spirit trim levels meant swapping out the 17s for 15s). In the case of the 3rd Gen, we were told it's chassis weight issue. I don't know if it's directly an mpg issue (although it's certainly indirect at the minimum since weight does affect mpg). I'm just wondering if there are limitations with the EPA and how big of a weight range between the base model and top model you can have without having to certify a separate model.
     
  12. fsu23phd

    fsu23phd Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2010
    185
    114
    21
    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    ? Wait, does this mean that the 2 ECO does not have a rear windshield wiper?
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,644
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Correct. It's shown in the table on page one, easy to miss tho.
     
    fsu23phd likes this.
  14. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    1,389
    949
    4
    Location:
    Foot of Pikes Peak
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    Here is how they are describing it on their website: "Prius Touring models feature unique suspension tuning to help take the fun to a whole new level. Each component has been engineered to give you a thrilling driving experience, giving you the confidence to take on your favorite twisty road."

    A little hype, maybe?
     
    mike091020 likes this.
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,658
    49,371
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    probably the most hype ever, from toyota.:p par for the course for other mfgs.;)
     
    mike091020 likes this.
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,644
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    When I went with Canadian Touring back in 2010, it was because I really didn't like the look of plastic wheel covers on the 15" alloy rims. It was a real "say what" moment, is there anybody else foisting this on their customers?

    Of course for 2016 they've all got plastic wheel covers. Over utilitarian gloss-black alloys. And if you take the plastic off, especially on the 17", it's somewhat akin to what my teeth look like if a crown pops off. :(
     
  17. tmacrp

    tmacrp Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2015
    74
    47
    20
    Location:
    Santa Rosa, California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Yeah, a little bit of hype... you won't really notice the difference in the suspension...

    Most of the change in driving will be from the wheels. So, needless to say not much.
     
  18. MrBillTulsa

    MrBillTulsa Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2011
    174
    35
    0
    Location:
    In the hills west of Tulsa
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I, too, am very interested in any any suspension changes made to the Touring models, either factory or aftermarket. Hopefully soon we will be able to search and find any part number changes that may exist in springs, bushings, swaybars, and other suspension components. Again on my 2012HB5/ATP, I (and Dianne Whitmire) had TRD install Prius Plus Springs and Rear Anti Sway Bar before I took delivery; the difference was night & day in road handling and appearance, and it is very much to my liking!

    :eek:
     
  19. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2003
    7,093
    2,107
    1,174
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I don't remember a difference, so I'm going to say no. But the wheels sure are pretty. And the packaging is better.
     
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,901
    16,125
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It's marketing, what did you expect? ;). I have a poster of the Gen 5 Camry that says "So striking, it's distracting".

    Not really. An all black wheel with that thin 5-spoke design is pretty cool. People pay extra to have gloss black wheels on their Boxsters or Cayennes. On the Prius, you just have to remove the plastic pies. Besides, it's not that obvious. If we didn't mention it in Las Vegas, you guys probably wouldn't notice (except for those that poke and prod and ask about interchangeable wheel bits.. you know who you are :p)

    Yeah I haven't received a more specific response but I just read it as slightly stiffer spring rates and some changes to the shocks bound/rebound settings. Nothing too drastic.