What Can We (3rd gen) Learn from Updates Made to the 4th gen?

The biggest thing might be Li battery, but I don't think Toyota ever admitted that made a difference.
But another version of your question might be, how can a Gen4 level 2 (NiMH) get MPG more like a Gen4 2eco (Li)?

We don't even know the answer to that one, as far as I recall. Now I remember, by God it's the rear wiper removal.

 

a lot of the improvements are in the drive train and exterior design cd, so there's not much you can do. as wj says above, pull the wiper, lose the spare, get better tyres and pump them up, it's only a few mpg improvement.

 

Same lessons we always fail to learn:

Aerodynamics matter, do not hang things outside your car.

Weight matters, do not carry items you do not use.

Small wheels with thin tires get better mileage than large wheels and wide tires.

 

Remove the passenger side windshield wiper. Who cares if the passenger can see when it is raining?! For that matter keep the driver's side windshield wiper in the glove box and only put it on when you need it. Well, in fact, if you're single pull out the passenger and rear seats - you don't need the extra weight. And instead of that heavy 12v battery in the back just strap 8 AAA's together! The 12v battery doesn't have to start the ICE, it only has to boot the computers! And, as already stated, a can of Fix-A-Flat in place of that ridiculously heavy spare tire, jack and tools. Never play the radio because that uses extra electricity that can be stored in the battery. Make sure to keep climate control turned off. I keep my tires at 60 PSI because then I am just driving on a very thin strip of rubber in the middle that bulges out. Also, inflate the tires with helium.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other things.....

Yes, this was a completely sarcastic, fictional post ;-)

 

The 4th Gen EGR is revamped. Maybe a tacit acknowledgement of 3rd gen clogging?

 

Oh no. You've all missed the intent. You MUST rush out and actually -BUY- a 4th gen. Look into my eyes, watch the watch, go and buy the car!

Funny though, around here you can't find one on a dealers lot or in a showroom. I wonder how they think they will sell them?
Oh yeah, I'm in Alberta. It's SUVs and PUs here! Now I remember.

 

i thought the question was, what have we learned, that we can apply to our gen 3? not what have we learned overall, that is of no use to use unless we buy a gen 4?

 

You got PU's up there? I suggest a better acronym.

 

Geez, so much hyperbole in this thread.

This is what I think is learned on the Gen 4 that we can do to our Gen 3 car that improves fuel economy.

1. More efficient LRR tires (I read that as louder and less grip. Haven't driven an ECO 2 before but that's my expectation over other Gen 4)
2. Lithium Ion instead of NiMH (Get a PiP or an Alpha)
3. Rear wiper delete for aerodynamics
4. Spare tire delete for weight
5. Active grill shutters for aerodynamics

 

That might tempt me to buy the car, but looking at the G4 will sober me back up!

All kidding aside, I think that most of the G4s savings are thrust-to-weight, and from being slammed a little more than the G3 and (gobs of facets notwithstanding) a little slicker - according to some sources. The interwebs say that Toyota shaved about 50 pounds of sprung weight off of the hull which is why the G4 puts a little less power on the pavement (121 versus 134) but actually performs roughly the same as a G3 in driving. The G3 is a little quicker, but both are equally fast if you give the G4 enough time to catch up (+/- 112mph)
I'm thinking that the wieght-loss is somewhat understated though because they allegedly shaved 30 something pounds JUST off of the NiMH packs year over year and the Lithium Ion packs are 35# lighter still (according to the Googles.)
I thought that I remembered the G3 weighing 3200# versus about 3000# for the G4.
They're two different cars, with two different power plants, so there's simply not much you can easily do to the G3 to match the G4's fuel economy or Toyota would have done it and saved the bazillions of yen worth of R/D.
As much as people bag on the G4 for re-polarizing an already controversial design, the car itself represents a dramatic improvement in efficiency AND handling AND interior comfort (porcelain palace appointments notwithstanding!)

It's simply going to be really challenging to make the MPG gains backwards comparable for the G3s!

You can always lower a G3....
I personally don't like lowering an already too-low car, but I read that the G4 is 20mm lower.
Shaving 15mm from the width of the G3 to match the G4's more svelte middle might represent more of a challenge, as well as matching the much talked about boat-tail of the G4.
I personally think that LRR tires are more sizzle than steak.
You can replicate the billiard-ball hardness of LRR tires with the tires that you already have by inflating them to the max sidewall pressures.
I tried this on mine and if I might see as much as 1 MPG difference if I squint my eyes just right.
The Lithium battery back is also not much of a game changer.
They're more efficient to be sure, but they only weight about 35# lighter than the legacy NiMH packs.
Put six fewer gallons of gas in the car the next time you fill up and you can stamp "Mission Accomplished" on that one.

YMMV!

 

Same here, just doing informal poll while walking the dog: 60% plus seems to be driving gas guzzlers.

 

i always forget the grille shudders.

 

Yeah they are pretty cool.

 

I have them. They're manual (pipe insulation). More reliable, unless I forget to remove them.

 

Automatic grill shutters are a big step forward though. They open/close depending on various conditions. I believe they'll even shut at high speed, as long as there's not overheating?

 

I think as each generation passes...what we learn is that the center cannot hold.
That what was the latest and the greatest yesterday? Is tomorrows, old version.

We should just bemoan being stuck in that netherworld of neither having the newest, nor having something old enough to grasp the mantle of classic.

On the evolutionary timeline, Gen 3 just got passed.

Enjoy wondering why Toyota made an otherwise good looking vehicles rear end look like a cut scene from Close Encounters.

But admit...Gen 4, and Prius Prime...are now the crest of the Toyota Hybrid Wave.