2017 Prime Advanced vs. Gen 3

1) most say yes, some say no.

2) we won't know for 4 or 5 years.

3) a little more comfy in front and back, can you put a baby seat on one side instead of middle?
hatch is 3" shallower, there is no spare, and under hatch storage is tiny compared to gen 3.

4) about the same.

5) disclaimer: i don't own one, just a test drive.

 

Compared to the gen 2 which is in some ways superior to the gen 3. It rides and handles like a much more expensive car, but acceleration is the same which is painfully slow. The car feels more substantial and premium with more attention to cabin materials and layout. My main complaint is that the trunk space is really impacted because Toyota took the lazy route with packaging.

 

I switched from Gen3 to Prime recently. My Gen3 trim was Two, so naturally this was a huge upgrade. For me, Prime Premium is far more comfortable, better smoother ride and much quieter. It is virtually soundless with EV. Reliability, I wouldn't know, but Prime and maybe Gen4 Prius may have windshield that is prone to crack. Less than two weeks of owning Prime, I had windshield crack. Unless you have zero deductible glass coverage, it can be very expensive. The replacement of windshield requires recalibration of sensors that can be performed only at dealership with right equipment, which can be again very costly if not covered by your insurance. Also, currently there is a shortage of windshield right now, so if you need to replace it there is a long waiting period. Primes cargo space is tiny by comparison to Gen3. If you need to haul a lot of stuff, this is not a car for you. I find Prime's acceleration is far, far better than Gen3. I had to put Gen3 in Power Mode to get quick enough acceleration for safe merging onto busy highway. With Prime, I can easily accelerate into lanes even with Eco Mode. I have not switched into Power Mode with Prime yet.

 

Affordable was the priority.

Keep in mind that C-HR uses a lifted Prius platform. So, it's not like they didn't develop that next step.

 

There is a change to the EGR that should fix the issues the gen3 had.

 

i don't have any info on the egr or other parts of the engine, but i'll take @Trollbait 's word for it. no doubt they've updated most everything.
but then again, they updated everything from gen 2 to gen 3, and some things got worse, but didn't show up immediately.

 

PWR mode stays on if you restart the car. It doesn't revert to Normal mode. I agree with everything you said about the gen 3 for my gen 2. I'm pretty much agreeing with everyone here. It does feel very cheap. The numbers on the Prime/gen 4 are similar or the same as the gen 3, but it is a huge difference. The doors are actually solid-feeling now. Tire noise is a problem if you have the Toyo tires. For reliability problems, the windshields on the gen 4 are cracking like crazy. That's it and I doubt much will go wrong during ownership. The new rear suspension setup is night and day difference from my gen 2 when going around a tight corner fast. PWR mode makes the car feel fast in the city, but on the highway it's still pretty slow, not dangerous. If you drive in the city often, the Prime is worth it, but if you do mostly highway driving you might be better off with the gen 4. The EV mode in the Prime is more efficient in the city. Plus, the gen 4 has the middle seat and a large trunk. Coming from an M3, you'd like the Touring trims. I do think you should make the upgrade.

 

Strange. There is no correlation between those features and driving fast.

Were you thinking long distance travel?

 

Thanks for catching that. I edited it.

 

Definitely for me, but my 2010 Prius was a 5, so it had 17" wheels, which are definitely louder and rougher ride. I would expect that with even 15's there would be some difference though. For instance, all the dash and cup holder rattles are gone in my Prime.

I think we need to wait and find out on that, but <knock on wood>, I haven't needed any repairs yet. fwiw, I have a 70+ miles a day commute and can only charge at home, and I got 89MPG (calculated) last tank full. I get 2 weeks and 2 days between fillups, or close to 900 miles. It really does feel better driving in EV mode, but even if I don't charge, I get well over 50MPG and that is why I went with the Prime, no EV range anxiety.

Trunk space is a bit less in the vertical direction, but I think the back seat might be a bit more roomy. Not sure though...

From a standing stop, the Prime is better, but overall 0-60, about the same, the low end torque advantage goes away pretty fast. (when in EV Mode, in HV, it's pretty much the same all around.)