What are your thoughts on the Gen. 4 Prius?

That's how it is on third gen. I was going to pipe up, but thought: with all the new bells-and-whistles, maybe a whole new system.

Yes. The intitial sample is so small, you're guaranteed to see some depressing numbers for a while, till it settles down.

I reset Trip A at each fillup, just to give myself some feedback. And the fuel economy numbers it gives are relentlessly optimistic, to the tune of 7.5% on average, on ours. It jumps around a bit: as low as 5%, as high as 9%.

 

You have to be careful with the clear button on the big Eco Screen because it does exactly what you found out.

The button to press on the big Eco Screen to reset MPGs for a specific interval and have them show on the bar graph graph on the big Eco Screen and next to your total miles driven on the odometer is labeled "update".

Looks like you may have found another way to do the same thing....

 

In line with the thread title, my thoughts on the Prius:

I love it. I don't want to love it because it's a commuter...a tool to carry me on my 225-230-ish mile daily round trip commute. But there's just something about it that makes me want to drive it. Comfortable, quiet, great fuel economy, and I like the look of the interior.

Things I don't like?
- The AC controls...3 knobs could take care of it and be simpler. It always seems to take several button-pushes to get what I want.
- Something about the interface between my phone and the base stereo means if I stop for a minute, then get back in the car to keep going, I need to manually resume playing the podcast. The Honda I used to have would do it automatically.

 

I zeroed everything out. Including everything on the big eco screen. And after a few miles, I'm right back up to 64.6 mpg on the odometer screen. Well, I don't claim to understand it, but I'm just happy to be getting somewhere between 50 and 60 MPG's.

I agreed with everything you said... up until you said quiet.

I'm riding on Toyo Tires. How 'bout you?

 

Thanks, this is very helpful. I have kept it set on ECO since the car was new. You're right that having a ScanGauge is very helpful.

Coincidentally today we had the first warm-ish morning: air temp 62F rather than the 40's we have had for days. I was shocked when my Gen 4's gas engine did not kick in after a few seconds as it had been doing in cooler weather (and as the Gen 3 always did). I went along on the battery for about a mile before it turned on. I could see that the coolant temp was 62F as well. All of this is right in line with your comments above.

I was also very surprised to see the battery SOC drop to 1 bar. In the Gen 3 and up until now in the Gen 4 the gas engine would kick on while two bars were showing on the SOC. It had seemed pointless to have two bars (rather than one) as the lowest level the battery could reach.

 

Yep, Toyo tires. 42 psi front, 40 rear. Sure, on some surfaces they transmit noise, but no more so than in other vehicles I've had.

Car & Driver tested a Two Eco recently....66 dBa at 70 mph. The last previous-generation Prius was at 72 in the same test. My last car was at 71 in the same test. So objectively, assuming they do their tests in the same place, the Eco is a quiet car. Overall, my perception is that of a quiet car...very little road noise on most surfaces, low wind noise except when I'm driving into a strong headwind, and not much engine noise either.

But everyone is different and is bothered by different types of sound.

 

That's a BIG difference in battery use!

 

Got my rental today for the week and am quite impressed so far. Car is a 4 non touring. Took a highway trip downstate and back and pic attached is what I got on the return after I filled the car up down there. Won't be able to check accuracy of numbers until next Sat when I return it, and it won't be the same pump but should be close enough. The car is pretty quiet at highway speeds, only thing I noticed was tire noise, nothing some country music could not drown out. QI charger is a little bit of a pain. Only way I could get my phone to charge was removing case, and even then bumps moved the phone so it wasn't positioned quite right to get charged. Other than that no complaints at the moment. Tip of the hat to whomever pointed out how to fold the rear head rests down, that helped visibility a lot.

 

I've always wondered how they do those noise tests... on a nice smooth road? In a lab? Car & Driver needs to come ride with me, on the crappy roads of L.A. County.

I'm only 4 psi over the recommended pressure (which is 36/35). Car handles well; gas mileage is good. And I keep an extra supply of ear plugs in the glove box for passengers...

 

So knocking 4mpg off for largely cosmetic biggie wheels is okay, but God forbid you'd give up 1mpg hauling around a potentially life-saving spare tire. (If you disagree with that characterization of a spare, I can only say I pity your lack of imagination.)

Somebody at Toyota needs to get their priorities straight - or perhaps their heads examined.

 

Regarding the OP topic:

When I actually went to a dealer and test drove a Gen4 Touring, the ride, handling, and quietness of the car (on bad roads I'm use to) was much better than I thought it would be. Completely happy with that... although when making a U-turn, the turning radius I've read about became evident.

Another surprise for me... the colors. After obsessing over the colors online for many weeks... when I saw what I thought I wanted in person, I didn't care for it as much. There were other colors not so much on my radar that I feel in love with. I found the car in person to look different (in a good way) to all the pictures and videos online.

 

My feelings have been much the same. Some angles are better than others, but overall I think the car photographs a lot worse than it looks in person.

 

The longer I have the car and am able to compare it to the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Prius' I see, the more I like it

 

Really nice rims! Great job with the black on the roof... you even got "the fin" color coordinated! Love it!!

 

Loving it, wonder if dealer will sell me the lease vehicle since it's already broken in. Took it to run errands at edge of city/suburban driving and decide to see what kind of numbers I could pull. Most impressed at the end of the day.

 

I really like how you've added some tasteful accessories and customized your Blizzard pearl. It looks great!

 

Since a buddy of mine got a 2016 Prius, I thought I'd swing by and check out the 4th Gen.

Not very impressed. I know they made some improvements, but these issues deter me from wanting one unless Toyota changes them.

1. The 4th Gen clearly has less interior room. I know they went with a sportier look, but you might as well go with a Prius C (which I'm sure has even less room). If you don't carry much, you'd be okay, but I like how my late 3rd Gen Prius has a sportier look than the earlier 3rd Gen without sacrificing interior space.

2. I can't say a test drive is enough to get used to the new display. It's nice that it's centered on the dash, but it's very "busy." I get enough comments about the 3rd Gen looking like a spaceship. I already don't use certain display options because I find them too distracting from watching the road. Perhaps with some fiddling with the settings I'd reach a setup I find more pleasing.

3. Trim definitely needs reworking. I don't know who at Toyota thought to go with gloss white trim pieces and gloss black trim pieces, but they should be fired. Those will show dirt and smudges like crazy...not for those OCD types who like things to look clean. A textured or matte surface at least conceals dirt and smudges to some degree. It makes every speck of dust obvious in the 4th Gen. The white was just wrong. If you want a neutral color, go with a grey or charcoal. White is just too bold.

4. The drive seems decent. A bit smoother on all sides from Gen 3 but nothing world-shattering. I thought the shifter position would be an issue, but it really isn't outside of reach if your seat's adjusted correctly. It just looks farther away. The change in drive mode buttons don't seem like an issue because most times you don't bother fiddling with it.

I'm not really in the market to trade to a 4th Gen, but I'll keep an eye on next model year to see if they address any of these issues. I don't expect a rework of the shape, but I hope they might refine the interior trim and features. Those glossy features would just be a constant source of irritation to my OCD nature.

 

to each his own, as they say. some agree on different points, some don't. there are thousands of posts here , both positive and negative. (in the gen 4 forums)
what we have to remember is that toyota is not content with the status quo, and is looking for a new market. all the best with your next vehicle.

 

I haven't driven a 2016 Pri. But, I personally can't get past that UGLY front end. I'll run my Gen 3 until it dies. The same goes for new Camry. We will keep our 2012.. If were forced to replace either car. We will look elsewhere!

 

What's wrong with the front end? When I park it in front of a store with reflective windows, I am just stunned by how futuristic and cutting edge it looks. I have to agree with you on the new camry design. It is so ugly, especially the back. It looks like a car from the 90s trying to look modern.