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

My Concerns with the New Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by Tideland Prius, Nov 21, 2022.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    • Premium fuel recommended (can run on regular but premium required for the full 194hp in FWD models)
    • Awkward tire sizes (195/50R19 and 195/50R17 195/60R17). I can't seem to find those sizes on Michelin, Goodyear or Nokian's websites. Even Toyo Tires doesn't have any listed (and it's the OEM tire on the Prius Prime as shown in the US launch videos)
    • Cloud-based navigation system (I assume it'll work after the 1-year trial ends, just without "Hey Toyota" and Google POI search since it can't connect to the server - IOW, it'll work like our old nav systems).There's a small chance it's actually subscription based and will be "locked out" after the trial ends (guess it's ok if you use ACP or AA)

     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Nov 21, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2022
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,467
    38,102
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Can that be? Wouldn’t the 17’s OD be significantly less? Typo?

    up super late due to airport run btw.
     
  3. #TeamPrius

    #TeamPrius Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
    9
    5
    0
    Location:
    Saint Louis, Missouri
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    There’s a lot to like. I’m going to miss the bright and cheery moonstone interior. Have always disliked black. I saw a YouTube video saying there’s also an option for light gray seats. But I’m not a fan of the red that seems to be obligatory with the prime models because they’re “the sportier” version. Never got into Prii for sportiness. RIP blue magnetism and seaglass pearl…
     
    JoeBlack and ukulelegeek like this.
  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Performance, exterior design, and color are the very last things on my priority list for my daily driver.

    Affordability, value, and efficiency are far more important to me. If it requires premium gas and odd-sized larger tires that alone will be a deal breaker. It will cost $$$ more than my current PP to operate.
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Nov 21, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2022
    MTN, SlidingBike, Matteos_I and 6 others like this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if we're going to go negative, there isn't enough paper on the internet :p
     
  6. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2018
    3,096
    2,163
    0
    Location:
    Taylors, SC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    I would not be an early adopter. After the third year, all these issues will likely be addressed and worked out.

    Tire companies by then will likely have addressed the replacement tire issue.
     
    hill, Louis19 and ukulelegeek like this.
  7. ems2158

    ems2158 Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2012
    221
    162
    0
    Location:
    Bucks County, PA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    2 inch lower roof and 1 inch lower seating position are the deal breaker for me. The odd tire size and premium fuel recommendation are another "nail in the coffin." I don't think this redesign will be a success. It seems like Toyota is trying to build a efficient performance car.
    There's a really small market for that.
     
    hill, tucatz, Louis19 and 2 others like this.
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,467
    38,102
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    And Tesla’s got it covered? ;)
     
  9. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2021
    1,260
    691
    0
    Location:
    SacTown, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Still no compact spare tire??? LoL
     
    Diemaster likes this.
  10. ems2158

    ems2158 Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2012
    221
    162
    0
    Location:
    Bucks County, PA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Seriously, I think Tesla does have the efficient performance sedan sector covered. At least until the Ioniq 6 hits the market.
     
    Biscuitman likes this.
  11. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2005
    1,298
    757
    1
    Location:
    Milton, Ontario, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XSE Premium
    Hmm, that is the first I heard about the premium fuel, which is disappointing, but also with the extended EV range, it is probably more of a psychological concern for many (including myself), as doing a high % of EV driving means the actual cost impact to the wallet of more expensive fuel is likely relatively low, unless travelling, etc. It just sucks when you are looking at the cost at the pump when refuelling. o_O

    A few questions/thoughts on this topic;
    • It sounds like Premium is needed to extract max power, but it sounds like you can use regular as well and sacrifice a bit of power? If true (and there are no other issues in doing so regularly), it could be a simple solution which works for everyone - if you don’t care for the extra power or fuel cost, just put regular and go.
    • Would the higher octane of premium fuel better protect the fuel from going stale? (Don’t know… genuinely asking). If so, this could be a secondary reason for the premium, if your use pattern is to drive mostly EV and often go multiple months at a time without adding gas.…

    Thanks! :cool:
     
    JoeBlack and Trollbait like this.
  12. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2021
    1,260
    691
    0
    Location:
    SacTown, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Most modern computer controlled engines will compensate for the lower octane fuel; though I do know that some older VW's will throw a CEL; if you try to fill-up with the cheap stuff. Don't know if that's still the case - not a VW guy.....
     
    pakitt likes this.
  13. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2021
    1,130
    1,118
    0
    Location:
    North Dakota - USA
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    Limited AWD-e
    Slightly annoying on the fuel, but I'm already using premium because it's the only way I can get ethanol-free in my area. Very annoying on the tires, but maybe that will work itself out in time. I plan to use AA, so I'm good there.

    (Yes, I know it's a bit strange that a Prius owner chooses to avoid ethanol, but I'm in the camp that believes ethanol can do small amounts of long-term damage to an engine. If it was a car that I only planned to own a few years, or it was likely to die before 150k miles like most domestic cars, I wouldn't care. But a Toyota can go 300k+ easily with proper maintenance(cough5000mi/6monthoilchangescough) and, like most Prius owners, I tend to keep my car for 10-20 years.)
     
  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    upload_2022-11-21_11-17-28.png

    Possibly. I can't remember the 17" specs.
     
  15. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2005
    1,298
    757
    1
    Location:
    Milton, Ontario, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XSE Premium
    Sharp eye on the fine print there. Nice. ;)

    I think the best strategy here would be to use premium fuel when doing regular driving mostly in EV, where the tank will last weeks or months. But if travelling on a long trip, you could choose to save a few dollars and put 87 in if you will burn through multiple tanks... Or not, and just spend the extra $5 or $10 or whatever, since the car is hyper-efficient and the owner can clearly afford a brand new car anyway, so I doubt this will break them. :cool:

    In the end, it is probably just splitting hairs...
     
    PebblePrimer and Tideland Prius like this.
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,467
    38,102
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    The Owner's Manual will for sure address this. Hopefully pdf becomes available soon, say from Tech Info. Not there yet:

    upload_2022-11-21_12-31-49.png

    Likely will be added around same time as the car's for sale with the paper manual?
     
    PebblePrimer likes this.
  17. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,945
    1,785
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II
    I agree...Heck, I just might go for a used Prius C instead of the new Gen 5 to tide me over until Gen 6....haha. (y) And I'm certainly not going to pay a dealer markup for the Gen 5...so I will have a long time to wait just because of that! In fact, I kind of hope the Gen 5's are really popular so it frees up many more used Toyota hybrids.

    One thing I'll say about the Prius C is that it is incredibly cheap to maintain, tires are cheap, etc...
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Honestly, with so little fuel used, I think the premium fuel is justified on the Prime. On the regular Prius? Maybe 87 is fine, especially if you're taxi driver or rideshare since you won't need the full performance.

    We'll see how much this blows up lol. On the Volt and the smart fortwo that requires premium, I didn't think it was a big deal given that, for the Volt, you rarely use fuel anyway and on the smart, it costs the same as a Yaris to fuel up (Because the tank is smaller) so it's not that big of a deal. But I guess a certain subset sees "premium" and just assumes an exorbitant fuelling cost.
     
    douglasjre and Sarge like this.
  19. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Up until I purchased my current PP Limited, the most expensive car I have purchased was a 2005 Sienna AWD XL purchased new. I can't remember the exact price I paid, but it was around $35K. It was the very first car I ever purchased new. Until then, I always had one of our more expensive cars (minivan or SUV) leased, and another car was purchased used economy compact car that was cheap to maintain (i.e. Honda Civic). On the leased minivan or SUV, I spent absolutely nothing on maintenance or upkeep. Routine services were included in the cost, and I never purchased any tires. It was a fixed monthly rental cost that was easy to budget. But I was getting tired of keep paying for a monthly lease for a minivan year after year, although it was nice to be able to drive a new car every 3 years. When I purchased a Sienna AWD minivan, I thought it was expensive. Then I realized that purchasing a new expensive car can be more expensive than leasing it. I had to pay for the routine services, and I had to buy tires. I had hoped the car would run many, many years trouble-free with minimum repair cost, such that it would be cost-effective to buy a new minivan and keep it for a long time than leasing it every three years. In the end, that plan did not pan out. The Sienna was probably the most expensive car I have ever owned (cost to purchase, maintenance, repair, and final value when sold, all taken into consideration).

    Yeah, the set of tires for Sienna costs ~$1,200. (edited: I exaggerated the number a bit. Apparently, it wasn't $2,000. It was $1,200 back then 17 years ago.) As per the manual, I had to change all 4 tires even if only one got flat.
     
    #19 Salamander_King, Nov 21, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2022
    farmecologist likes this.
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,467
    38,102
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    What year was the Sienna? I want to take a look at the manual, curious about that one flat and it's new tire time.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.