Is Gen 5 Prius really better-looking than Gen 4 Prius Prime?

Newsflash! The G5 Prius wasn't designed for Uber drivers lol.

And the sleek, futuristic rear door handles are great! I've gotten all kinds of compliments/comments on them. Many people don't even realize it's a 4-door at first.

That all adds up to an award-winning design that makes the prior Prius generation look 100 years old.

 

On the driver's side, I push with my left hand thumb and use the finders of the same hand to pull the handle and open the door. I use my right hand for the passenger's side. It's also the most "efficient hand" to open the door as my body is toward the door opening and not toward the door.

 

With no prejudice.... I don't have a problem with any of the doors.

When my frail 96 year old MIL (Mother in Law) travels with us, she has no problems getting in / out by herself. As a gentleman I generally open the door for her but if I get delayed I find her in the seat by the time I get there. Once my MIL is seated I hold the seat belt to keep pressure off of it until she gets it snapped in. Her preferred seat is behind the driver.

The rear doors feel like they are pressurized, and that's kind of nice. I unlock the doors with the key fob as I approach the car. A simple touch and light tug and the door is open, ready for a baby in a car seat, a bag of groceries or a blue haired nonagenarian.

 

that's how most cars work, so aside from the defect. i guess they're okay. but i still prefer handles. never had a problem with my toyota door handles over 20 years.

 

Just realized they weren't a manual lever. Thought people were weirded out by the hidden, vertical position.

In terms of how it works, it isn't any different than a smart key system power unlocking the doors when you touch the back of the handle. Don't have a problem with that, you shouldn't have a problem with this. Some powered hatchbacks have been working this way already.

I'd just want a manual handle on the inside for safety reasons.

 

i'd have to try it. i didn't like the m3 handles, and i don't like the looks of the eqinox ev handles. i like my old old prius handles, the hycam handles and my bolt handles.

 

Flush handles do have an aero advantage. I'm iffy on the ones that using a servo to pop the handle out, like the Model S, with reliability concerns. Looks like the Equinox can be manually popped out. The Model 3's are manual and well thought out. Reaching with the hand you would normally use to open the door, push the back of the handle with the thumb, and then grab the handle. Pretty intuitive.

The vertical handle might be the next best for aero, though they are mostly about styling. I admit that I liked the Sonic's. Toyota's choice here eliminates the gap that would be at the front of a manual handle, which helps both aero and styling.

 

i'm not interested in the insignificant design of economy over function.

 

What function loss is there to the Model 3 door handles?
I can see it not being as easy with hands full, but holding enough stuff for that to make a difference is probably enough stuff to make paint scratches more of a possibility. Its and the Equinox handle pops out farther than the traditional design, making ring scratches less likely.

 

i don't remember. it was last summer, and i didn't like them as much as my prius. better grip maybe?
more difficult with arthritis:

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Well, if you're the driver, you can get the app to unlatch the door for you.

 

i would think in an emergency, first responders wouldn't be able to grip it as well either.

 

Are you talking about the Tesla Model 3 doors or the Prius Gen 5 rear doors?

The responders have fun toys to rip apart doors if they find the need to do so. If the doors are working, they can open them by hand just like we do with cold weather gloves on. If the jaws of life come into play, well, they win.

 

model 3, all teslas i think

 

Well, they are very common now so I guess they are familiar with them.

 

The door unlatches when you push the rear of the handle to pop it out. Seemed like enough space for heavy gloves, but it wasn't winter when I road in one.

The ones that only pop out when a 'key' is near can be an issue. Then again, the default setting for most cars is to auto lock the doors once it starts moving. First responders likely find traditional door handles locked after a crash. Then the use of double laminated glass on side windows is bigger safety issue in those cases.

 

Tesla unlocks the doors after a crash and also lowers the windows if the airbags have been deployed.

 

Shouldn't be hard to do, and others might also. It's a crash though. Things break in those. Then there are reasons for rescuers to get in beyond a crash. Already news reports of people dying in a Tesla cause first responders couldn't open the door or break the window.

 

Yeah, but it's better than having a door staying locked and windows rolled up all the time and with OTA update for the whole car (and not just the infotainment system), it means the car you currently have can get the new safety features without you having to buy a new car. Like my Model 3 that I bought in 2021, can since last year pretense the seatbelts even before an accident is detected by the hardware if the cameras detects that a collision is imminent. The windows rolling down and the door unlocking I think was introduced (to the whole fleet, not just the cars sold afterwards) in 2019.