2017 Prius Prime (Plug-in Hybrid) Full Product Information & Technical Docs (PDF)

That deceleration assistance looks neat, but that's a bit annoying that it's tied to having the big screen...

 

"Although the deck board is higher than the Prius Liftback due to the larger battery pack, the concaved deck sides combined with side storage boxes help make up lost cargo capacity"

Pictures please!

 

OK that this good information!
Here are some implications:

Total Interior Space
Toyota Prime 111.3-ft3
Gen4 (2 eco) 120.5-ft3
Chevy Volt 100.9-ft3

• I assume Total Interior Space is not fudged as much as Cargo Space, so I currently take it as a true number.
• Prime has 9.2-ft3 less than Gen4 (no spare)...a few ft3 must be lost in passenger space
• Volt has 20-ft3 less than Gen4 (no spare) and almost 11-ft3 less than Prime.

NOTE: Chevy Volt quotes Cargo Space as 10.6-ft3 (true space) and 19-ft3 EPA Cargo Space. But the reason GM does this, is probably because GM does not want to say Volt's Passenger Space is a measly 81.6-ft3...so GM would probably rather quote True Cargo Space (10.6-ft3) and quote Passenger Space as 90.3-ft3 which is much more reasonable.

Toyota, with greater interior volume, is probably happier to quote the "inflated" EPA Cargo Space and still quote >90-ft3 passenger space. The problem with Toyota's approach is we are sort-of clueless on the True Cargo Space ft3 since Gen3.

I could give my estimates of actual Prius cargo space, but everyone has their own opinions on that, so that would make some unhappy.

 

**Prius Prime Plug-in EV Mode is a blended operation of electricity and gas and can work under certain conditions up to 22 miles on a full charge. Quick acceleration and braking, road and vehicle conditions, or climate control use may prevent or limit usage or effectiveness of EV Mode.

The above footnote in the spec sheet indicates that the 25 miles are blended mode, i.e. with some gasoline consumption due to ICE firing during the EPA test, similar to the PiP?

EDIT.
The 124 MPGe on the other hand may indicate that the ICE is not used during the test?

 

oy vey, i hope not. that caveat sounds like it came straight out of the pip specs. after all the horsefeathers about how prime was going to have a true ev mode.
i just hope it's an error. if they can't get 25 miles on the epa without the engine kicking on, they're going to take a serious pr hit.

 

Nothing in the docs about the gas powered heat pump system? The only reference I found had to do with air conditioning.

 

Where are those total interior space figures coming from? It should just be the the EPA cabin and cargo added together. The EPA rounds to the whole number

The EPA's for the Volt is 109 and the Prius(appears Eco) is 118; 110 is the midsize cutoff. The difference between the two Volt figures is simply measuring up to the seat backs and to the ceiling.

 

Where are you getting it? I know where you are getting, but I keep advising that is not the best source.

I am trying to take my numbers from Toyota and GM.
Volt I could be off...let's check...

Toyota Gen4 I believe is EPA is 117.7-ft3 for with spare and 120.5-ft3 without spare.

EDIT: Here is the sources for my GM numbers:
2017 Chevy Volt Electric Car Dimensions | GM Fleet

I stand by the ft3 sapce numbers above unless somebody sees a mistake. The EPA automobile compare website is inaccurate on some of this stuff, I feel.

 

A vapor-injected heat pump is just a way of making a heat pump produce heat more efficiently when the source of heat is very cold. This is how the thing will heat the car without the engine's heat down to -10°C or 14°F.

 

Right. But where is that referenced in the specs above?

 

Not in those documents, but in many other places.

 

Maybe i missed it, but there seems to. be no word about the charge drive mode!?
They are just talking about EV, HV and EV Auto in addition with Power, Normal and Eco .
Isn't it there after all?

 

There are drawbacks to the method used for EPA when comparing cargo space, but the discussion is about total interior space.

"For all body styles except station wagons and hatchbacks with more than one seat (e.g., with a second or third seat) equipped with seatbelts as required by DOT safety regulations, interior volume index is the sum, rounded to the nearest 0.1 cubic feet (2.8 L), of the front seat volume, the rear seat volume, if applicable, and the luggage capacity.

For all station wagons and hatchbacks with more than one seat (e.g. with a second or third seat) equipped with seat belts as required by DOT safety regulations, interior volume index is the sum, rounded to the nearest 0.1 cubic feet (2.8 L), of the front seat volume, the rear seat volume, and the cargo volume index."
Vehicle size class - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So it is possible to fudge the measurements between the front and rear seat, and between the rear seat and cargo area, but not enough for the Volt to lose or add nearly 9 cubic feet of interior space.

Unlike the MPG figure, the manufacturer is in no way required to use the cargo volume figure they submitted to the EPA in marketing. GM chose not to use the EPA cargo space on the Volt's site, but rather more conservative one that ignores the space above the tonneau cover. With rounding, the passenger space for the Volt on the Chevy site and Fueleconomy.gov is the same.
Compare Side-by-Side


In regards to cargo space, GM's site lists 10.6 cubic feet, and the EPA's is 19.

What you used for total interior volume isn't really the Volt's total volume, and you shorted it about 9 cubic feet. It means your comparison isn't like to like; GM's in house measurement for cargo volume to Toyota's EPA submitted one.

The Prius Prime has just 1 to 2 cubic feet more of interior volume than the Volt.

 

...wouldn't it be surprising if Volt is almost as big as Prime inside? Bigger batt and all.
I am not convinced yet, but I'll keep my eyes open for better info on it.

 

How do you engage it?

 

Such horrors!

MPG dropping below 50.

 

Thank you !

 

Not to me. The Volt shares a platform with the Cruze, which is a midsize sedan on the small side of the size class. The Prius falls on the small side of the midsize spectrum too. Since the first photos of the Prime's cargo area, it was obvious it wasn't going to have the Prius's interior volume advantage over the Volt.

It could have been an advantage, but Toyota prioritized the solar roof for the home market.

 

As long as the back seat of the Volt looks like this it's a non starter for me.

SPOTTED! *UNWRAPPED* 2016 Prius spotted this morning! | Page 35 | PriusChat