2016 Toyota Prius - What One Needs To Know .....

[FROSTYBALLS]

See - http://blog.toyota.co.uk/the-new-toyota-prius-heres-what-you-need-to-know

[Chris Dance]

I hear it also has anti chip paint. If this is true it would be good as my 2014 Gen 3 Prius paint chips easily. Looks good though have to see what the UK price is!!!

[PeteB]

I'm worried that they no longer fit Head Up Display - it's not been mentioned and I can't see anything that looks like the projector port on any of the pictures.

That would be a show stopper for me. I never thought I'd find it as useful as I have, but after 3 years with in in my Gen 3 I absolutely wouldn't want to be without it now. I hardly even look at the main dash, just an occasional scan for warnings, fuel etc.

I also worry the sloping rear roofline had destroyed rear seat usability like it did on the Yaris, and they seem to have drastically cut down on internal storage space.

[cuius]

Take your pick on pricing:

"As a result of the more premium mechanical package, the new Toyota Prius could move upmarket slightly, starting from around £25,000, leaving the Auris and Yaris hybrids for those on a tighter budget."

"The new Prius is due on sale in the UK in the first quarter of 2016. Prices are likely to stay broadly in line with the current edition’s, with a starting figure of around £22,000."

"Prices should start at around £25,000."

[Chris Dance]

I forgot to mention in my previous message that the new Gen4 will not be of much interest to me if it does not have a spare wheel. From all the folk I have spoken to who have tried the"GUNGE" it is as useful as a handbrake on a canoe. I agree with you Pete about the HUD; I rely on it a lot.

[kithmo]

There are loads of aftermarket HUDs or apps for your phone, but no spare wheel, that's the dealbreaker for me. Maybe a spacesaver is available if it has a wheel well to put it in.

[Sagitar]

It has been disappointing to see the way that Toyota has peeled away several of the nice details of the original Gen 3 T-Spirit.

1) Loss of the side facing sensors that provided the data for the dynamic position graphics on the reversing camera display.

2) Loss of provision of GPS data to the head-up display and now, apparently, the complete loss of the HUD.

3) Loss of the spare wheel.

It makes little sense in relation to a declared policy of continuous improvement, especially when such features are appearing on vehicles with a much lower price point and it all makes it much less likely that I will be buying a new Prius next year.

[YarisHybrid2016]

The pricing they have now is good. If they make it any more expensive, they will surely start to lose a lot of customers for it?

When I was originally looking at the Auris Hybrid, I was talking myself seriously into spending another £2k to get a Prius, but if they widen the gap, I wouldn't do it, especially considering how good the Auris is.

If they're not careful, they will be "victims of their own success".

[PeteB]

It has been disappointing to see the way that Toyota has peeled away several of the nice details of the original Gen 3 T-Spirit.

1) Loss of the side facing sensors that provided the data for the dynamic position graphics on the reversing camera display.

2) Loss of provision of GPS data to the head-up display and now, apparently, the complete loss of the HUD.

3) Loss of the spare wheel.

It makes little sense in relation to a declared policy of continuous improvement, especially when such features are appearing on vehicles with a much lower price point and it all makes it much less likely that I will be buying a new Prius next year.

It's not new for nice features to disappear: I kept my last Mk 1 (2002) Prius for 9 years 163,000 miles.

Although I clocked up over 50,000 in company Gen 2s, I wasn't tempted to buy one of my own because they had already dropped some things I appreciated and failed to add things like heated mirrors that I thought I'd never be without again since the 1980s! They also took forever to introduce electrically folding mirrors.

The Mk1 Prius was much smaller than later models, closer to the Yaris. Among its many quality virtues were:

• most comfortable seats and ride of any Toyota Hybrid since (with [for most people] more than adequate handling)
• TWO reversing lights
• TWO rear fog lights
• all four face vents had knobs to vary the airflow out of them
• FULL SIZE matching alloy spare wheel
• very high quality seat and interior trim (rumour was that during development they didn't decide until quite late on whether it would be marketed under the Toyota or Lexus badge)

I had hoped to buy a Yaris Hybrid, the pre 2012 Yaris was a perfect size for me and very flexible, BUT from 2012:

• they dropped the digital instruments in favour of dials in vogue a hundred years ago
• the flexible rear accommodation was ditched - I struggle to even get in the back of a current Yaris and have to sit with my head cranked over if I do get in - my 2011 Yaris had rear seats that slid to make larger boot or more space - four large adults could sit very comfortably, with more room than in an Auris. The rear seats also reclined, and both adjustments worked separately for each part of the 2/3 split rear seat - incredibly flexible
• one tiny glovebox replaced loads of oddments space - including 3 gloveboxes, a drawer under the passenger seat

All three things were show stoppers for me, which was a shame, as it's a great drive.

The Auris didn't appeal either, mainly due to the antiquated instruments and lack of oddments space.

I know some people still like the old style dials; Toyota would do well to follow an Audi style graphical dash which can be customised to display digital or analogue gauges, or combination of both. Makes sense to me to have one design that can be used in many models - must be cheaper in the long run too.

[Ten Ninety]

The front's a bit try-hard, but I quite like it. That rear design, however, is a complete dog's dinner to me. Far too much overhang, far too much 'weight' above the rear wheels, and a whole lot of faffery with those ridiculous lights which look like they've been salvaged from a damaged noughties Cadillac. Just horrible. I'm sure they could have achieved a low drag coefficient without mangling it to that extent.

That said, I'm not all that bothered by how it looks. In black it will almost certainly be be less nauseating, and for most of the year I rarely see my car in the light anyway. If they've fixed the handling without destroying ride quality, constructed the interior out of something other than recycled Tupperware and, most importantly, solved the interior road noise problem then it may just be a contender for me. But no HUD is a massive negative and at that price it's going to have to feel properly premium to go up against a Lexus CT or a Golf Gt-e.

[mysecondavensis]

It has been disappointing to see the way that Toyota has peeled away several of the nice details of the original Gen 3 T-Spirit.

1) Loss of the side facing sensors that provided the data for the dynamic position graphics on the reversing camera display.

2) Loss of provision of GPS data to the head-up display and now, apparently, the complete loss of the HUD.

3) Loss of the spare wheel.

It makes little sense in relation to a declared policy of continuous improvement, especially when such features are appearing on vehicles with a much lower price point and it all makes it much less likely that I will be buying a new Prius next year.

Are you sure this information is correct or just guesswork at the moment? If this is true I would be very disappointed. I first proposed HUD in cars in 1977 and had to wait till my 2010 Prius to get the car I was looking for. If this has gone they had better have something very good to soften the blow.

[mysecondavensis]

http://priuschat.com/data/attachment-files/2015/09/93676_RAJ_0106-priuschat.jpg

I might have found an answer here.

[PeteB]

Fingers crossed! I might just buy one more Prius IF it has HUD, and (the option at least) of a spare wheel, and four wheel drive.

Failing that, I'll keep my Gen 3 until I see how the Tesla Model 3 stacks up.

[PeteB]

...That rear design, however, is a complete dog's dinner to me... those ridiculous lights which look like they've been salvaged from a damaged noughties Cadillac. Just horrible...

I'm with you 100%.

I wish someone would let Toyota's (and some other companies' for that matter) stylists into a little secret - lights are mainly to see/be seen!

That said, I will put up with any looks providing the car is fantastic in every other way (I had a couple of Mk1 Prius after all!) but it's nicer to have a tolerable appearance - I don't think the new Prius is that bad overall, and at least it doesn't look like it's trying to swallow several shoals of fish in one go like some models...

[mysecondavensis]

I don't think the new Prius is that bad overall, and at least it doesn't look like it's trying to swallow several shoals of fish in one go like some models...

That's a funny point- some cars, e.g the German one that begins with an A had hideous grilles.

I am finding the next Prius to be very striking and bold now.

[PeteB]

Agreed! I think the Audis are hideous

[Duffryn]

What is it with Toyota and rear-ends? Have owned numerous Toyotas since 1987 I can honestly say that, to my eyes, not one of them has had a rear-end that wasn't over-fussy, over-heavy, over-bland, or just not co-ordinated with the rest of the car. Do they design all their rear-ends at 5 to 5 on a Friday afternoon by any chance?

[Cyker]

I know! They need to get whoever designed the GT86 back on the case... When it first came out I was so surprised as I expected it to look crap and it was a relief to know they could still design such a good looking car, so clearly they must still have the talent in there! They need to get some of that into their regular cars!

[barrycoll]

As Jay says.....maybe a Golf Gt-E and offered at £24,750.....£9k discount