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Why does Gen4 feel a TON faster then Gen3?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by 4rpr15, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    @4rpr15

    More technical reason (and I think the main reason why the Gen 4 feels more sprightly)

    First Drive of the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime PHEV-22 | Page 2 | CleanMPG

    Which @Jeff N summarises from a PriusChat thread (it's all a big circle... or network)


     
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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's a bit troubling. Same here, in greater Vancouver: our nearby dealership at least appears to have nada. Got a call from them recently, asking if I wanted to trade up. They didn't say for what though. I've seen ONE 2016 Prius on their lot, they seemed to just have it as a demo.
     
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  3. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    Use PWR mode! Same MPG, touchier pedal, better A/C, much more fun. I've had PWR mode since day 1.
     
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  4. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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  5. Prius Five Guy

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    Because plastic is lighter than metal...? The new model seems to have a lot of chintzy plastic "stuff"
     
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  6. wrprice

    wrprice Active Member

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    But so did all previous Prius generations. There has always been an overabundance of plastic finish inside the Prius cabin.
     
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  7. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    The car does feel lighter but not sure if it really is on paper.

    Part of the weight saving is a knife comes out and makes you two inches shorter.
     
  8. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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  9. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    It's not faster. It's just a different pedal position to power curve. What used to be power mode in Gen 3 is now normal mode in Gen 4 and power mode in gen 4 is a more aggressive curve yet. So you get more power at the same pedal position but the same performance at the floor.

    This fools you into thinking the car is faster when it's not. If you get 1/2 power at half pedal position where you used to get 1/3 power at half pedal position, your brain extrapolates that ratio to the end stop when the reality is the end stops are the same.
     
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  10. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    Let's see. I came from a 2013 Prius C One to a 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T and now traded that in for a 2016 Prius Two. What I can say while it isn't a car with 375 HP it does feel find driving it on the highway, almost the same on regular driving and no it isn't by any means the same as the Challenger. I haven't really done many hard accelerations other than to pass a couple people, got the car on Saturday.
     
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  11. Dragon Rider

    Dragon Rider Active Member

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    They get to price them higher over there. I think.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I sometimes get to drive our previous Civic Hybrid, and am always taken aback by the hair-trigger accelerator response. I'm sure the Prius has a slight acceleration advantage, but it's soo much more linear/controlled. I prefer the latter. The 2016 Prius likely has a slight acceleration advantage over 3rd gen, but yeah, the impressions are mostly throttle and gas pedal response tweaks.
     
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  13. Dragon Rider

    Dragon Rider Active Member

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    We are not getting the full power on power mode ? Could this mean the Prius has more to offer ?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    None of the modes prevent "full throttle"; they just vary the intermediate response.
     
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  15. hb1148

    hb1148 Junior Member

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    The 0-60 specs are actually pretty anemic but I agree it feels faster than I had expected having read the reviews. And now after several weeks of ownership, I find I have no problem in the daily road race/commute and passing in traffic when I need to. It may not keep people from going wide open throttle to avoid being shamed by being behind a Prius, but it makes them burn a lot more gas in the process. LOL
     
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  16. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    If I remember correctly the Prius C was something like 11.8 seconds and the 2016 Prius supposedly reaches 60 just under 10 seconds. Might be slow for some but if anyone remembers the 80's it was quite common to have cars do 0-60 in 12+ seconds and were referred as a sports car. The worst 0-60 I've seen was a Pontiac 1000, took 30 seconds.
     
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  17. hb1148

    hb1148 Junior Member

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    Yeah the current Prius runs around 10 seconds to 60. That's not bad by historical standards, I'm just comparing it to today. My first car was a 1976 Mercury Bobcat (basically a Pinto) and according to the interwebs did 0-60 in about 12.1 seconds. Like I said though, the Prius doesn't *feel* slow.
     
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  18. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    I will also agree, mind you last week I was driving a Challenger with 375 HP which was able to do 5.5 seconds 0-60. I mean going from that to the Prius one would think they wouldn't enjoy how it drove but for normal driving drives just fine and able to pass other cars with ease. I can tell a difference but I can pass within a reasonable amount of time. I wouldn't want to attempt passing up a steep grade, I've done it in the past...better have a full battery if you do otherwise you might not have enough time.
     
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  19. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    They have fixed the avatar function where it works most of the time on most PICs. Come on guys. Time for real avatars.

    Cartoon characters, animals, and pretty women are my favorites. Please no wanted posters. However, legs hanging out from under a car would be a class act.
     
  20. raspy

    raspy Senior Member

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    How did Car & Driver manage to get a Prius Two Eco doing 0-60 in 9.4? Or I guess that's because it weighs less? Toyota Prius 0-60 Times - 0-60 Specs
     
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