2016 Prius Test Drive Notes

[PeteB]

If anyone is interested, I've written up a few notes on my test drive last Monday here:

http://biwel.com/pmb01/PeteBs 2016 Prius Bus Ed+ Test Drive.pdf

[Shack]

An Interesting read Pete, thanks for sharing. I've not driven the Prius, only the Auris, Yaris and Lexus CT200h. Perhaps I should arrange a test drive.

From the looks of the picture in your notes, the rear window visibility looks drastically reduced, how did you find it in comparison to the older model?

I like the sound of the tweaked Eco Mode with more mid-range pulling power, I do find the ECO and EV modes in my Yaris are a little pathetic (I don't know about the Prius) but given the space constraints in the Yaris compared to the Prius what would you expect. It is also four years old now and I'm sure the technology has moved along quite a bit. 

Also, the fact that the lines in the rear view camera bend is something I was surprised to find that the ones on my Yaris did not do! I was under the impression that this was a standard thing for a reversing camera!
I agree about the 20mph cruise control, considering most town centres are now 20mph limits it makes sense. 

[PeteB]

I can't say I noticed any difference in the rear visibility between the Gen 2, 3 or 4.  I sometimes can't see if the car behind is indicating, but if I really want to know check one of the door mirrors,  What I do find useful is the fact that it often hides headlights of cars behind me so I rarely use the dipping facility on the rear view mirror (although it's automated now!).  I've done some 50,000 miles now in each of Gen 2 & 3 so I'm quite used to it (not to mention 167,000 in 2 Gen 1s [saloons]).

I could never feel the difference between ECO and Normal on a Yaris (driven 2 so far, but only about 100 miles combined), but the Auris Hybrids I've driven felt much like the Gen 3 Prius. I'd have a slight preference for keeping the ECO mode very gentle, as there are still 2 other modes for degrees of pressing on - ECO on the Gen 3 Prius is great for gentle starts on snow/ice.

The Gen 3 Prius had no lines at all on the reversing camera!

[Shack]

I can understand the hiding of headlight glare useful as in my Yaris despite the tinted windows and supposedly auto dimming rear view mirror I do find that the light from cars behind Is still rather intrusive, perhaps this is purely down to my photo-sensitivity. I had previously owned a Mercedes E300 and the auto dimming on that mirror was fantastic.

Wow so you have done plenty of miles in these then! This must be one of the reasons why people find your notes helpful.
The ECO mode in the yaris is noticable but it is only a slight dulling of the throttle response, very useful for driving in town centers and heavy traffic.

The Prius does sound like a great car, what sort of MPG figures have you returned in your myriad of miles in the Prius? 

I can only get between 55-56 MPG out of the Yaris whereas the official figures say more around 62mpg. Short of driving everywhere at 30mph I cant understand how these figures are achieved? All though it has been very cold recently and I found that the car really does not like the cold! I lots nearly 10mpg when the temperatures dipped below freezing, I even resorted to layering-up and driving WITHOUT the heater on!
I do find it rather baffling that the larger engine and heavier Prius and Auris can return a better fuel economy? I suppose more room for more batteries to rely upon..

[PeteB]

Cold weather doesn't help, but all cars suffer in the cold.  I keep my heater on 20 all the time.

First Prius was written off after 6 months, but 2nd averaged 55 mpg (calculated tankfuls) over 7 years, but lots of short journeys and hardly any long ones dropped that to 50 by the time I sold it at 9 years old with 163k on the clock.  Often got 60+ on a longer run.

Gen 2s managed about 50, but they were used in the year I spent as a minicab driver in London, so not representative.

Gen 3 overall average 56.25mpg generally rising, as for most of last 5 years I was looking after my Mum who died in January aged 98.  I was doing lots of cold starts for ¼ mile to 5 mile journeys, several times a day.  Once she had to go into a nursing home, the average started going up.  

During the last summer I was routinely getting mid 60s tankfuls (computer usually about 4% optimistic) with a best of 67.18.  Individual longer journeys (+120 mile each way, mixed A roads/dual carriageways) on summer tyres in good weather regularly see mid 70s to low 80s on the display (minus that 4%).  I've even seen 90 on a 20 mile trip.  Also, journeys lasting over 30 minutes on country lanes here in Norfolk can see reported mpg climb into the 70s.

Winter tyres certainly seem to make it slightly worse than winter alone.

I think the Prius scores partly because of its remarkable drag factor (0.25 for 15" wheels, 0.27 for 17" - a bigger difference than the numbers suggest, and 0.29 for the Yaris).  The Gen 4 is claimed to be 0.24 (at least with 15" wheels).

[Heidfirst]

14 hours ago, Shack said:

I can only get between 55-56 MPG out of the Yaris whereas the official figures say more around 62mpg. Short of driving everywhere at 30mph I cant understand how these figures are achieved? 

In a laboratory under lab conditions which over the years the manufacturers have become very good at exploiting to the max.. They are no longer a good indicator of "real world" figures (in latest generation cars the official test & likely real world figures may differ by as much as 1/3) but do give a benchmark to compare 1 car against another (under those conditions).

There are ongoing discussions about a new, more real world relevant test cycle.

[Cyker]

Yeah, I really hope they include the Boy Racer Cycle rating I suggested too :lol:

[PeteB]

3 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

... They are no longer a good indicator of "real world" figures ...

I don't think they ever were.  In 1959 when the first Mini came out it was hailed as being able to do 40 mpg and 70 mph, but no one expected both at the same time!

Real world figures are always likely to be a best possible under certain circumstances, because of such widely varying usage patterns.

The two neighbours with the same model of car, but where one is a rep spending all day on the motorways in the right hand lane, the other a pensioner who does ½ mile each way to the village shop every day are going to see massively different figures.

[barrycoll]

Great read Pete, thanks very much for the effort.

now it will be interesting to hear the comments from first owners.....especially whether 15s make much difference to 17s, as you seem slightly impressed with the test cars 17".

I am now wondering whether the space saver from my 2013 T Spirit would fit a 17" Gen 4??

We all agonise about every aspect of vehicle servicing and the mechanics of the drive, and yet today here in Goa, we had a 70 km taxi ride in a Toy. Innova, here the chap started in 2nd gear, and then left it in third, while pumping the throttle as though inflating an air bed, slipping th clutch to keep it moving from an almost standstill.....the only time he changed into 5thwas on a hill!

the car has no problems apparently!

[PeteB]

Hi Barry

Yes, I could certainly live with the ride comfort and noise levels in this car.

The 15 & 17" tyres are the same sizes as the previous model (although cars with 17" don't get the space saver option apparently), so your existing spare should be fine - although it would probably have to live loose in the boot.  Big relief too, as my winter tyres will fit it.

The 15" I've ordered mean I'll be able to register for the London Congestion Charge exemption whereas the 17" push the CO2 to 1g/km over the threshold (also costs company car drivers an extra 4% benefit in kind tax per year).

When my car arrives It will be interesting to take it on my test stretch of road in the dry with my decibel meter to get a factual comparison with my present car.

[Shack]

5 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

In a laboratory under lab conditions which over the years the manufacturers have become very good at exploiting to the max.. They are no longer a good indicator of "real world" figures (in latest generation cars the official test & likely real world figures may differ by as much as 1/3) but do give a benchmark to compare 1 car against another (under those conditions).

There are ongoing discussions about a new, more real world relevant test cycle.

Surely this is false advertising on the companies part? I suppose they would have covered their butts in some small print somewhere I'm sure. It's good to know that they are looking at providing better 'real world' figures though. I don't like to be misled as much as the next person.

 

19 hours ago, PeteB said:

I think the Prius scores partly because of its remarkable drag factor (0.25 for 15" wheels, 0.27 for 17" - a bigger difference than the numbers suggest, and 0.29 for the Yaris).  The Gen 4 is claimed to be 0.24 (at least with 15" wheels).

That is quite a substantial amount 0.29 compared to 0.24. The way the new model is styled it doesn't look very streamlined in the traditional sense. Interesting stuff.

 

[Heidfirst]

 

4 hours ago, PeteB said:

I don't think they ever were.  In 1959 when the first Mini came out it was hailed as being able to do 40 mpg and 70 mph, but no one expected both at the same time!

& nobody expects current cars to do max mpg at max speed either ...

The official EU tests give "urban", "extra urban" & "combined" figures. There is plenty of evidence that shows the differential between "combined" (which was meant to give an approximation of average real world) & users average real world figures has been widening as manufacturers learnt to game the test better.

As an example the lab test for urban specifies a "cold" start but with an ambient temp. of between 20 & 30C & I imagine that they pretty much all start off with it at 30C (the average max. temp in summer in the West of Scotland is 19C, winter obviously much less) ... 

 

1 hour ago, Shack said:

Surely this is false advertising on the companies part?

In the EU they are the only consumption figures that they are legally allowed to advertise. Everyone (incl. the manufacturers) agree that they are not actually representative.

[johalareewi]

We had our gen4 prius test drive today. The salesman seemed quite pleased we already had a prius so he could skip all the hybrid stuff and focus on what was new. So here is a summary of what I can remember.

The electric motor has been improved and the power/normal/eco modes do a bit more than alter the accelerator.  The car does seem smoother and is a lot quieter than the gen3.

The HUD lives and is now in colour; The MFD is also colour and has lots of info on it. Didn't have time to play with it. 

The door mirrors have blind spot indicators that light up when something is detected in the blind spots.  These were really handy.

You can control which bits of he car get heated so if  it is just you driving, you can stop the prius heating the passenger areas. And heated seats are standard.

There is a camera behind the rear view mirror that spots speed limit signs and displays them on the MFD. This sounds cool but in reality is more of a gimmick.  The other annoying thing was when the built in satnav thought you were exceeding the speed limit, it would display what it thought the spped limit was in the HUD and remove the HSI display from the HUD.  Not sure if this can be disabled.

You can turn traction control off should you find yourself in a situation that requires it.

Seats seem a bit more comfortable.

The auto headlights can't be disabled but you can turn the lighs on manually.  There is also auto main beam but this can be turned off.

There is now only one glove box and it isn't as big as the gen3's.

There are no sockets buried at the bottom of the centre console and the centre console lid lifts sideways instead of sliding backwards. The 12V power socket has been moved from the bottom of the centre console box, to the outside of the box on the rear (so you can use it from the back seats).

[barrycoll]

Thanks Pete, Good news about old space saver fitting  Gen 4, but would still need to be tied down.....I hate to think of the Kafka-esque hassle of trying to ring a space saver out of Jemca for a 17" Gen 4

i now wonder whether the Thule tow hitch fitted to my Gen 3would fit the new car....best consult Thule, methinks

Once upon a time mpg was assessed at 30mph, 56 mph and 70 mph, but whether that was 'live' or rolling road I don't know

 

[PeteB]

12 hours ago, johalareewi said:

... when the built in satnav thought you were exceeding the speed limit, it would display what it thought the spped limit was in the HUD and remove the HSI display from the HUD.  Not sure if this can be disabled....

That's actually from the forward facing camera.  You can turn it off (p676 in the manual) using the multifunction display next to the speedo and you can also change the default warning level from 1 mph over to 3 or 5 over.

The SatNav will separately warn you in the SatNav screen (if on) and that too can be turned off or the warning level changed.

On one occasion on my test drive I turned from a 30 mph road into a 40 mph one with no visible speed limit sign so the HUD still displayed 30 until I passed another sign, however the SatNav correctly showed 40.  From experience with the SatNav on my Gen 3, the camera is likely to show the correct speed more often that the SatNav, but it's always the driver's responsibility to know (and observe!) the correct limit.

[Desmond22]

I haven't had a test drive so thanks very much for that very thorough report PeteB.

In fact though I'm not even sure about having a test drive yet unless/until Toyota give some more colour options on that white porcelain wash basin. The pictures in the brochures are obviously doctored because it is far more eye-catching in reality than it is in the pictures. I spent 10 minutes looking for the taps! A matter of taste perhaps but bright white trimmings are definitely not to mine. Apparently, according to the salesman, I am not the only prospective buyer to pass negative comment on it.

But the car is nice, very comfortable and surprisingly spacious in the front although it is actually narrower than my Lexus CT200. The display is good, better than the CT for brightness & clarity. I like the boot shape and space though the height of the tailgate when open looks as though it might be dodgy in my garage.

[YarisHybrid2016]

The Yaris Eco/Normal mode is quite distinct, but you perhaps need some time driving it to really notice. I drive mostly in Eco mode, and definitely notice when I put it in normal! :D  Actually, I'll start a seperate thread on that.

I haven't read your report yet, but thanks for taking the time to write it!

[johalareewi]

22 hours ago, PeteB said:

That's actually from the forward facing camera.  You can turn it off (p676 in the manual) using the multifunction display next to the speedo and you can also change the default warning level from 1 mph over to 3 or 5 over.

The SatNav will separately warn you in the SatNav screen (if on) and that too can be turned off or the warning level changed.

On one occasion on my test drive I turned from a 30 mph road into a 40 mph one with no visible speed limit sign so the HUD still displayed 30 until I passed another sign, however the SatNav correctly showed 40.  From experience with the SatNav on my Gen 3, the camera is likely to show the correct speed more often that the SatNav, but it's always the driver's responsibility to know (and observe!) the correct limit.

Good to know it can be turned off.  It was most annoying to have the HUD HSI replaced by a 50 sign then at the end of the test drive to be told I should take more notice of the HSI.

 

[PeteB]

2 hours ago, johalareewi said:

Good to know it can be turned off.  It was most annoying to have the HUD HSI replaced by a 50 sign then at the end of the test drive to be told I should take more notice of the HSI.

One thing that was new on the HSI when displayed on the dash is a blue bar (called "accelerator guidance") that moves behind the power delivery bar - apparently if you to keep the delivery bar within the blue bar you maximise the economy.

[Rav4ster]

Looked at the Business Plus at the weekend and left disappointed with the few things:

Driver seat still does not have the power adjustment
Something inside the back of the driver seat was making a clicking noise, every time I moved, sounded like something is not fixed properly
Less hidden storage space: small glovebox and no storage box under the floor in the boot.
The biggest 'surprise' was is why on earth they put glossy white 'toilet seat' surround around cup holders? The car had only 300 miles on the clock and there are already been marks, finger prints and dust from the black cloth interior.

I have looked at the Japanese version and it looks like they have a choice between black and white, I copied the picture below from the car auction

https://carfromjapan.com/en/car/56c8449eb65af53f69c8df3d-used-toyota-prius-2016

 

[posing]

Comparing gen 4 test drive with gen 2 (no idea about gen 3):

I find road noise is noticeable and with my ears, nearly about the same as a gen 2. I don't have a measuring device so don't have any stats.

During your test drives, did you have any passengers in the back? I went in the back and back seat visibility out the front window seems to be less than gen2.

Don't know if it was me but the back seat slopes slightly but noticeably down to the back compared to gen 2.

No protruding hump in the back seat floor compared to gen 2 is great.

Dashboard gizmos is great fun to play with.

Drive felt solid and overtaking acceleration is great.

Haven't checked out the music/radio audio unfortunately.

So 15" is better mpg and emission wise?

[PeteB]

2 hours ago, posing said:

Comparing gen 4 test drive with gen 2 (no idea about gen 3):

I find road noise is noticeable and with my ears, nearly about the same as a gen 2. I don't have a measuring device so don't have any stats.

During your test drives, did you have any passengers in the back? I went in the back and back seat visibility out the front window seems to be less than gen2.

Don't know if it was me but the back seat slopes slightly but noticeably down to the back compared to gen 2...

So 15" is better mpg and emission wise?

It's about 7 years since I last drove a Gen 2, so memory is dim, but from the driver's seat I'd say the view to the front is better - can actually see a little bit of the bonnet..

I was on my own for the test drive, but sat in the back briefly in the showroom.  The main thing I was aware of was the lack of headroom (and my head being inclined by some 30°), so I wan't concentrating much on the view to the front.

The 17" wheels are wider (circumference almost identical), hits the drag factor by 0.2 (Gen 3*) and adds 6g/km to the CO2 figure, enough to cost company car drivers another 4% benefit in kind tax and to miss out on London Congestion Charge exemption (* in the configurator the Gen 4 is claimed to be CD 0.24 for both sizes, but this can't be right!).

Official Combined mpg is 94.16 (15" wheels) and 85.6 (17"), a staggering difference, but I suspect not quite as bad in reality.

[PeteB]

5 hours ago, SponsorUK said:

Looked at the Business Plus at the weekend and left disappointed with the few things:
Driver seat still does not have the power adjustment
...
Less hidden storage space: small glovebox and no storage box under the floor in the boot.
The biggest 'surprise' was is why on earth they put glossy white 'toilet seat' surround around cup holders? ...

Yes - the Toyota blog said all models would get power seat adjustment, guess what, none do!

That lack of glovebox space is really annoying - WHY do they do this???

Personally, I don't mind the so called toilet seat - I don't think it's that bad with the cool grey interior I've ordered, anyway:

see https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/prius/index.json#/gallery/3060-590454/5

[johalareewi]

I sat in the back for the first part of the test drive and it wasn't as bad height wise as it looks from outside my head didn't hit the roof (I am 6ft tall).

When in the front, I noticed the toilet seat between the 2 cup holders can be depressed. Not sure what for.  Also asked if there was another colour apart from white and there isn't (for the UK).  The demo car was all black (inside and out) so the white sanitary ware really stood out.

The gen4 has some handy new tech (and a lot of new gimmicks)  but in other ways, it is a step down from the gen3 and this is the stuff I use a lot so I wasn't tempted to move from gen3 to gen4.