Consumer Reports review of 2016 Prius Three

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Gokhan, May 25, 2016.

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  1. Gokhan

    Gokhan Active Member

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    Consumer Reports tested the 2016 Prius Three as the most fuel-efficient gasoline-only-powered car ever, with the city/highway/combined MPG numbers being 43/59/52, respectively. Gen3 Prius overall fuel economy was only 44 MPG; therefore, there is a phenomenal 18% improvement in fuel economy from Gen3 to Gen4.

    Other than that, 2016 Prius failed to shine, scoring below most other hybrids in the road test and overall, including even Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

    Overall score/Road-test score: 76/75

    Pros:
    • Phenomenal fuel economy
    • Likely to be very reliable
    • Hatchback versatility
    • Rides and handles better than any preceding Prius
    Cons:
    • Hampered rear visibility
    • Some odd interior quirks, like the joystick shifter and glossy white plastic trim
    • Lackluster acceleration
    • Feels insubstantial for the price
    • Expensive to get some desirable features, like blind-spot monitoring or heated seats
    0 to 30 mph, sec. 3.64
    0 to 60 mph, sec. 10.26
    45 to 65 mph, sec. 6.53
    Quarter-mile, sec. 17.78
    Quarter-mile, mph 80

    Avoidance maneuver, max speed 53.4

    Braking from 60 mph dry, ft. 134
    Braking from 60 mph wet, ft. 148

    CR's overall mileage, mpg 52
    CR's city, mpg 43
    CR's highway, mpg 59

    Consumer Reports scores for some hybrids and an electric vehicle:

    Car: Overall score/Road-test score

    VW Jetta Hybrid: 68/75
    Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 75/83
    Prius Three: 76/75
    Ford Fusion SE Hybrid: 76/80
    Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: 77/80
    Tesla Model S P85D: 77/100
    Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE: 84/87
     
    #1 Gokhan, May 25, 2016
    Last edited: May 25, 2016
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  2. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    "Feels insubstantial for the price" - let's see how insubstantial it still feels compared to a similarly priced car, after 5-10 years...
     
    #2 pakitt, May 25, 2016
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  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Frankly I think the best value right now is an Avalon Hybrid. It's a underrated car. It has great fuel economy for a full size sedan, it's very spacious and it has better materials and fit and finish than the Camry. It's reasonably powered (200hp net) and a decent sized trunk (14.0 cu. ft. or 396 litres)
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, May 25, 2016
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  4. PriUncut

    PriUncut Active Member

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    Hmmm, interesting. I can tell you this, in Southern California the Avalon is selling very poorly. As in 45 only sold over the entire region (as of last weekend).

    Number One selling car (in So. Cal.) - the Corolla, followed by the Camry... then (believe it or not) the RAV4! Yup, it out sold the new Prius (which would be in 4th place) in So. Cal. as of last weekend. By the way, the RAV4 beat the new Prius last weekend by only 5 cars (in the whole region). That's all I should say... or I'll get in trouble.
     
    #4 PriUncut, May 25, 2016
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well the Avalon Hybrid isn't even sold in Canada. I think Toyota sells 5 Avalons a month. (Yep, single digit 5).


    California sounds like Canada lol. Ours is Corolla followed by RAV4. I'm not sure which is third. Probably Camry.

    Our best selling hybrid is the Camry Hybrid then Prius family. I strongly suspect the RAV4 Hybrid is going to supersede the Camry Hybrid as the best selling hybrid in Canada even though it costs more ($34,715 for a RAV4 Hybrid XLE vs. $29,235 for a Camry Hybrid LE. Freight/PDI is $1,495 for Camry, $1,595 for RAV4)
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, May 25, 2016
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  6. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    I have a 2014 Avalon Hybrid Limited. Great car. Was heavily discounted when I bought it. Can get 40 MPG without much effort. It is our road trip car.
     
    #6 krmcg, May 25, 2016
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  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Excellent road trip car. Quiet, smooth and fuel efficient. Plus an even bigger discount compared to the ES300h ;)
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, May 25, 2016
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  8. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    How big is the Avalon in terms of size, weight and trunk space compared to the Prius?
    If I lived in the USA i'd buy/drive the hybrid version of any vehicle only....
     
    #8 pakitt, May 26, 2016
  9. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Its a much roomier car then the Prius, its more the size of a 5 series BMW or E Class Mercedes.
     
    #9 orenji, May 26, 2016
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  10. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    What about trunk space? Does the Prius offer more L of volume or I remember the numbers wrongly?
     
    #10 pakitt, May 26, 2016
  11. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Not sure, with the seats down you would think the Prius offers more trunk space.
     
    #11 orenji, May 26, 2016
  12. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    (Hope this isn't a repost)
    Toyota Prius Sets New MPG Standard in Consumer Reports' Tests - Consumer Reports has a brief story that anyone can access.

    I found the statement "Our test car has a plastic center console that looks like a Stormtrooper’s bedpan", funny. So much for it being "reminiscent of fine bone china".



    Merged.




    Yeah, these figures are amazing. For reference, Gen 3 Prius in their tests (per The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars | Best Cars for Gas - Consumer Reports) got 44 mpg overall, 32 city and 55 highway. Back then, it was the most efficient non-plugin vehicle, easily beating out diesels in their overall figure.

    Once the VW diesel cheating scandal broke, they removed VW cheater diesels from later versions of that page like Most Fuel Efficient Cars - Consumer Reports.

    For reference, ConsumerReports.org - Most fuel-efficient cars has their Gen 2 figures.
     
    #12 cwerdna, May 26, 2016
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  13. ETP

    ETP 2019Prius(Limited),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    VW rabbit was my last diesel. Just got tired of all the work arounds.
     
    #13 ETP, May 26, 2016
  14. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web i3 and Prime

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    model overall score performance
    1 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE 84 87
    2 Tesla Model S P85D 77 100
    3 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 77 80
    4 Prius Three 76 75
    5 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 75 83
    6 Ford Fusion SE Hybrid 76 80
    7 VW Jetta Hybrid 68 75
    8
    9 BMW i3-REx 64 79

    Sorted by the Consumer Reports, overall score. Personally, I am glad to see the 'performance' score which I don't remember seeing when we had a subscription. Here is the same data by 'performance' score:
    model overall score performance
    1 Tesla Model S P85D 77 100
    2 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE 84 87
    3 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 75 83
    4 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 77 80
    5 Ford Fusion SE Hybrid 76 80
    6 Prius Three 76 75
    7 VW Jetta Hybrid 68 75
    8
    9 BMW i3-REx 64 79


    Bob Wilson
     
    #14 bwilson4web, May 26, 2016
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  15. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    With the seats up, I would call it close to even on the trunk space. (The hybrid Avalon has a large conventional trunk) With the rear seats down in the Prius there is no contest - the cavernous yaw of the Prius is supreme.
     
    #15 krmcg, May 26, 2016
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  16. Tideland2005

    Tideland2005 Member

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    How did they manage such lousy city mileage? And, their highway mileage is pretty good.....

    Something is wrong with their "calculations".
     
    #16 Tideland2005, May 26, 2016
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  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web i3 and Prime

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    Their "city" testing is broken, badly. Several years ago, I spent an afternoon at the library looking at old issues and soon discovered their 'city' testing is excessive on the throttle with a cold engine. The data suggests they start with a cold engine at the bottom of a hill or grade and do a maximum acceleration up the slope at a fairly high speed. Then the do a hard brake, going down grade to a complete stop. They repeat this hill climb accelertion and down grade to a strong stop several cycles.

    Thanks to the OP's help, I learned the BMW i3-REx got 135 MPG city and 140 MPG on the highway. The EV mode, BMW i3-REx has no warm-up and the regenerative braking via the 168 hp motor is impressive. In effect, it defeats the Consumer Reports cheat. To my eyes, it confirms their 'city' testing is terribly broken. But that have other vehicle testing issues when they make up their 'score.'

    Bob Wilson
     
    #17 bwilson4web, May 26, 2016
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  18. Gokhan

    Gokhan Active Member

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    Actually, it's the opposite. Until last year, Consumer Reports only had the road-test score (what you call performance score). This year they also introduced an overall score. They didn't have an overall score until this year but only the road-test score (performance score). I am guessing the overall score might incorporate predicted reliability, owner satisfaction, etc.
     
    #18 Gokhan, May 26, 2016
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  19. Gokhan

    Gokhan Active Member

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    I wouldn't call it broken or flawed. My friend who owned a Gen2 Prius was getting an MPG in the low 40s in combined driving in LA. He is a regular driver, not a hypermiler as many folks on PriusChat, and LA is where you would see real city driving with many traffic lights and repeated short trips. To me 43 MPG city is phenomenal. Many cars get below 20 MPG city here in LA. Also, the more important thing is to have a consistent real-world testing in mostly controlled conditions rather than a semitheoretical testing like EPA does. I would rather have the city testing procedure represent cold starts, repeated short trips, frequent stops, and stop-and-go traffic, which is what city driving is, rather than small-town driving where you go 35 MPH for 5 miles with only two traffic lights and no traffic. The latter is not city driving.
     
    #19 Gokhan, May 26, 2016
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  20. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Excellent commentary. I agree.

    And even with all that, I'm getting a consistent 60-61 mpg (displayed), which is probably 56-58 actual calculated. I drive my Prius like a regular car. I don't understand how CR got such poor city mileage.
     
    #20 Coast Cruiser, May 26, 2016
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