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Raising of cargo space floor platform

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by LithiumMan, Oct 5, 2016.

  1. LithiumMan

    LithiumMan Junior Member

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    Does anyone know how high the cargo space floor platform sits above that of the plain hybrid Prius?
    It looks from the pics that it might be 6-8 inches? I read somewhere that when the rear seats are down, the cargo floor drops down to the level of the seat backs, thus providing the equivalent of the standard Prius' vertical cargo space above the back seats. Anyone else hear this?

    The Prime is spec'd at nearly 4" longer than the hybrid Prius, so I gather some of that extra length translates into extra depth of the cargo space (perhaps this extra depth is realized with the rear seats down?).
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the deck is about 3" higher than the lift back with the spare tyre. when you fold the seats, it's supposed to be level.
    the car is longer, but the hatch door deeper. the inside is the same depth as the lift back, unfortunately.
     
  3. LithiumMan

    LithiumMan Junior Member

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    "the hatch door deeper" -- are you referring to the "thickness" of the hatch door below the glass part?
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, when it's raised in danny's pic, they talk about how thick it is.
     
  5. JamesBurke

    JamesBurke Senior Member

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    See Danny's walkaround video. Shows and explains the floor, rear seat, and hatch.
     
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  6. LithiumMan

    LithiumMan Junior Member

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    Hmm, must be thick to house the rear-facing sonar. Or, maybe, cause it's made of carbon fiber and needs more structural support?
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think the latter. or because the battery comes so far back they had to extend it into the bumper, but didn't want to make the sides, roof and bottom of the car longer.
     
  8. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The hatch is really thick ..sounds like purpose is to fill in that extra 4-inches, so maybe not too much xtra space as Bisco suggests...

    with the seats down, Prime floor is not level, rather it has a slanty ramp down to the seat top level. So yes the seat tops are approximately the same level as the Liftback. We can only say approx. the same. For example, I am wondering if Gen4 w/ spare and w/o spare are exact same seat level or maybe a little spacer helps to keep the floor level in the w/ spare case. I deduce this from the differences in the Cargo Space and Total Volume quotes.

    I do not have the exact inches raised for the the floor.
     
    #8 wjtracy, Oct 5, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2016
  9. Mister MMT

    Mister MMT Active Member

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    On my favorite Forum Prius Touring Club, Less Polluter has put a number of pictures (from # 426 on) he took at the "Mondial de l'Auto" exposition taking place in Paris.

    [​IMG]

    Forum Prius Touring Club - Afficher un message - Prius 4 Prime (PHEV)

    [​IMG]

    It clearly appears that under the tonneau cover, the luggage compartment is very shale. I believe that as a whole, this space will be a bit smaller then that of my Gen 2 Prius. I asked that somebody would measure the major dimensions, and if I get them, I'll report back.

    Jan
     
    #9 Mister MMT, Oct 6, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2016
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  10. civicdriver06

    civicdriver06 Active Member

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    Here's a nice comparison Mister MMT posted on German version of Priuschat between the actual Ioniq Plug-in and Prius Prime trunk,but what really surprises me is that the Ioniqs Plug-in battery seems to be so much more compact,although it even has slightly more capacity than the Primes battery !
    Why is the Prime battery so big and heavy ?


    2016-10-06 15.31.23.jpg
     
    #10 civicdriver06, Oct 6, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2016
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  11. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I did not know there was a German version of Prius Chat.
    If the IONIQ is the hybrid version the smaller batt make sense.
    If it's the PHEV version looks like they have Prime "over a barrel" (more space).

    In the USA we do not get much technical information about Lithium batt types and sizes, so all I can say is maybe IONIQ has the same type of Korean battery as Bolt which could be smaller.

    IN another thread we have recently posted IONIQ PHEV total space shows +8-ft3 more than Prime.
     
  12. civicdriver06

    civicdriver06 Active Member

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    Yes the Ioniq has undoubtedly a "bit " more luggage space but the Prime has more passenger room in the back,well at least for the 2 leftover seats and i guess similar to better space in front and at least in Europe the way better goodies!
    Is it just me or does the Primet have a wider loading area than compared with regular Prius ?

    German version of Priuschat is Priusfreunde.de
     
    #12 civicdriver06, Oct 6, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2016
  13. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Shall we say: IONIQ is more Volt-like in the rear seats, and Prime is more Volt-like in the cargo space...one must decide. Prime looks very nice to me. I personally do not need a plug-in yet as we get no incentives in my state, not to mention I am still holding my current cars.
     
  14. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Part of the Prime's extra length is to also enlarge the crumple zone for protecting the battery and passengers.

    The Prime has that solar roof option in some markets. That includes a NiMH pack about the size of the hybrid's, that sits under the rear seat too. So the Prime's traction pack has to be placed behind the seats in the cargo area.

    The Ioniq is free to put part of the traction pack under the rear seat. It may not have an independent rear suspension, which frees up some more space back there. Then the use of liquid cooling, if used, can also reduce the pack size further.
    The raised floor does mean it is at a point where the hatch opening is a little wider.
     
  15. evpv

    evpv Active Member

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    Trunk pics I took at the OC Auto Show today. Trunk space is definitely small and compromised.
     

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  16. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Are these still prototype cars, or production versions being shown at these events? I didn't see any tie downs in those photos.

    Were the front seats all the way back in that photo of the rear foot space?
     
  17. evpv

    evpv Active Member

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    They appeared to be pre-production cars.

    I'm not sure about the front seat position. The driver seat looks like it's back because the headrest is hitting it.

    For me the issue isn't how much space is available with the seats folded down. Most of the time the seats are up, and in that configuration the available trunk space looks to be about half of my gen 3 trunk. The photos actually make it look bigger than my perception at the car show.

    It's a deal breaker for me, for the same reason I'm not getting a Volt: small trunk, no 5th seat, compromised rear headroom.
     
  18. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    US spec head rests easily hit the front seat when trying to fold them down.
     
  19. evpv

    evpv Active Member

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    More pics for reference. The rear hatch didn't appear to be carbon fiber on the pre-production cars. Wheels appear to be the standard gen 4 15" alloy under a new hubcap.
     

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  20. civicdriver06

    civicdriver06 Active Member

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    I do admit it took me a while,but I really like the Primes look now,but I still can't figure out what went through Toyotas mind that people would favour a 4 seat configuration over a five seater ?
    I am positive nobody would have said,oh no,why didn't they make it a four seater ?
    First they said it was because of weight issues but now they are saying it was done to enhance backseat comfort .
    If there's nobody sitting in the middle,why would the remaining 2 backseat passengers feel uncomfortable in a Prius ?
    I don't get the logic!
    I usally drive alone and to be honest and I didn't have many occasions in which all seats were occupied in my Prius up to now,but what I did do several times was that I placed larger items alongside the back bench,which is simply not possible in the Prime because of the extra and non removable center console .
    Prius is not just about fuel efficiency ist also normally stands for practicability,but by raising the cargo floor just a little to much and getting rid of the 5. seat I don't think you can say that for the Prime !
    It will be interesting to see what wins,practicability (Ioniq) or outstanding fuel economy and fantastic high tech (Prime) .
    I am quite sure the customer will decide how fast Toyota will react to solve those issues,at least in the US I don't think it will take until the refresh to see some changes,they don't care so much for Europe .