Prius ...It's not a Helicopter...or is it...

I would go for a used Tesla 3 next year, but the closest Tesla dealer is over 2 hours away. That's a deal breaker for me.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Good comments by rebound, however I must respectfully disagree with a couple things.

The 2016 Gen4 Prius might be considered "quiet" by the owner who is used to driving an older Gen2 or Gen3... but it is by no means a serene cabin. The cabin noise and road noise has been mentioned by several YouTube reviewer's. And print media.

When I am on the highway/freeway, doing 60 to 70 mph, you are likely to want to put in earplugs! I have the model 3, and I would guess there is very little sound insulation in that car.
I can honestly say, my Prius is probably the noisiest car I have ever owned. It is so annoying, it makes for a very unpleasant drive. Even in the city, on certain roads the noise is very nerve-racking.

The braking is smooth? I'm sorry to report that has not been my experience. This is my first Prius, so I did not know what to expect, but the braking has been very irregular and odd, to say the least. When slowing down and applying the brakes gently, and even just going down my driveway many times they will "grab" and the car comes to an abrupt stop and jerk. That is certainly not what I expected with a new Prius.

And as far as roominess goes, well, I am 6'4" and no adult is going to sit behind me comfortably. Not with my seat all the way back. Maybe two small children would be OK back there. (I can't get in the backseat at all. And I also can't get comfortable in the front passenger seat because the seat will not adjust down. So my head hits the roof.)

I guess these are all the "quirks "you have to put up with in order to get great gas mileage. And have you guys seen the thread by the driver who took a trip in snowy weather? All the safety sensors on the front of the car failed, due to snow. And he was left with annoying beeps that couldn't be deactivated, apparently. And another owner mentioned how the headlights freeze up and obscure visibility! That's crazy. I would like to hear more from owners in snow states.

 

if you want quiet and great mpg's, trade for a hycam. quiet, comfortable, smooth and 45 mpg. or wait for the new one, will probably be 50 mpg.

 

I don't want to discredit what you're saying; if that's your experience I don't doubt you. But my experience has been different.

I don't have any road noise or breaking problems at all, and I drive pretty fast on the highway. Maybe it's my Michelin tires, and the sound deadener I put in my doors when installing my speakers, or the plug-in feature, which keeps the engine off for the first 6+ miles of my drive and creates more silent, motor-free driving. And I listen to rock when I drive on the freeway.

I haven't owned a series of luxury cars before this one -- just a BMW 3-Series -- so maybe you have a different baseline. Or maybe after six years of Prius ownership, I filter out the noisy frequencies which bother you.

Every time I rent a car for work, it's a lot noisier than my Prius. I rented a Nissan Versa last week, and it was much louder than my Prius, despite being new.

I think if you rode in my car, you'd consider it quiet. Maybe you should check your tire pressure and deflate a bit, or consider replacing them early. And maybe install some Dynamat. I realize that you shouldn't have to do those things, but if you otherwise like the car, there are ways to reduce noise.

Your brake grabbiness is something I've never experienced except when braking hard. I taught myself to gently hold the brake pedal using the HSD display as a guide, so as to maximize regenerative braking. It takes a little while to get used to, but if you glide to a stop using regen whenever possible, your braking is very smooth, your gas mileage goes up and your brakes last far longer. And the car will make a cool sound when you decelerate.

 

As near as I can tell, Toyota deliberately left out a lot of the heavy sound deadening insulation that would normally be in a car, in their quest for a >50mpg EPA rating. (On the Gen 3, anyway)

Putting that insulation in yourself, or having an aftermarket audio shop do it (Doors, floor, trunk, roof, maybe firewall) would not be a minor job, would probably lose you at least 4-5mpg due to the extra weight, and would cost two or three hundred dollars just for materials. But... your car would be luxury-car quiet on the inside, and it wouldn't sound like a tin can when you closed the doors.

Only you can decide if it's worth it.

 

I think it's a good review.
Entertaining and informative.

If it's NOT getting a lot of hits or views?
Maybe it's indicative of a bigger "problem" or challenge for Toyota.
That is to get people to care about The Prius again.

IMO...The Prius is not longer, due to it's success, a fringe product. If you don't own one, you can play 5 degrees or less of separation and discover someone that does own one...pretty close to you. Who doesn't have a family member or friend/co-worker that doesn't have one?

That is to say, I think even Gen 4 reviews are probably being sought after less.
Toyota's success with Prius has created a very binary reality. Those that "get" Hybrids, know pretty much what they are about, and want them. And those that, may not understand them in totality as well...but do understand basically what they are....and for maybe nearly the same reasons...don't want one.

It's nearly impossible to preach about The Prius....without preaching to the choir.

So even with the admitted advancements and refinements of The Gen 4, most of us that are listening, ARE familiar with at least the basics of Hybrids and Prius.
And then I think there's a big camp of people....that just don't care...because they never have wanted to care about them.

For them? I think it takes more than defining the truth that myths of compromise in a Hybrid are invalid or highly overblown. It takes more than advancement of the idea that The Prius can be fun to drive, quiet and have amenities and tech gadgets that are impressive.

I'm not sure you reach that audience with a standard review.....even if that review IS good, entertaining and valid.
This is a challenge....for Toyota and Prius itself.

 

I put some insulation in the spare tire well. That's about it. I wouldn't be confident pulling the doors apart, or the headliner off of the roof.

I have driven mostly compact economy cars most of my life. And my new Prius is definitely just as loud as they were, if not louder in the cabin. Those are the breaks of the game, if you want great mpg.

 

I just went from a Gen 3 Prius to a new Honda Fit.
I can tell you....The Fit is louder at highway speeds. And arguably louder at city/town speeds as well. If only because the engine is always running...and you don't get the auditory benefits of an electric motor.
A lot of people judge how quiet a vehicle is by how much they hear when it idles at a stop. Well...with a Prius that is warmed up? You don't get much quieter than....engine off and nothing.....

True...The Prius is built to be light, economical...as much as possible. BUT I also have driven a lot of compacts, sub-compacts...in my lifetime, and I actually found The Prius to be significantly quieter than most.

As I age, the fact that most noise becomes "White Noise" is a benefit.
The Fit I'm now driving could hardly be heralded as "quiet". Arguably The Prius also wasn't absolutely the best either. But in comparison of the two? The Prius was a Church on Sunday...while The Fit...is a College Frat House on Saturday Night.

 

You're in California? If you're in the Bay Area, maybe you can come by on some Saturday and we'll do the doors. Headliner is too much work, though.

 

I don't think people watch your reviews based on the content, because they don't know what's in it before they view it.

Unless you build a following, and I think that's going to require you to do something different and unique. For example, there's a guy on YouTube who reviews guns. His name is Hickock45. He has a shooting range in his back yard that's about 300 meters long. What's unique about his reviews is that he is an insanely accurate shooter. He regularly hits a 9" steel plate from 300 meters using the ordinary pistols he reviews. That's pretty close to super-human.

The big periodicals test the cars on a track. You probably don't have that luxury. As you said, you need to come up with a hook. I don't think humor is it, because car buyers get very turned off when you ridicule they car they're about to buy. If you're going to put down a car, you should be direct: "Don't buy this car because it's terribly noisy, or the steering feel is bad, or the competing model is much better."

Maybe... maybe hire a mechanic who disassembles the car and talks about its design and quality. Pull the wheels off and point at spots where rust is already developing, or pull the whole engine and transmission and talk about it, describe the suspension components and whether they're well-designed, how they'll make the ride rough or soft, how the car will corner... then drive it and see if he's right.

I'm kinda tossing darts here. Good luck.