Prius Gen4

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AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Thursday 20th August 2015
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Revealed on 8 September apparently. It will be interesting to see what Toyota have been up to during the last 6 years...

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Saturday 22nd August 2015
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I need to see it in the metal to make a judgement but this is definitely on the shortlist for my next car (looking to change in Jan).

Looks wise, I'm not sure. On the one hand, the photo does not have me racing for my chequebook. On the other hand, it does seem to have a distinct identity, and I like that.

I wonder what the fuel economy will be like. The web rumours seem to be averaging out at a 10% improvement over the Gen3. I'll take that.

I'm also interested to see whether this is simply a mild evolution of the current drivetrain, or whether there is something genuinely new in there.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Agree with all of Jonny's points.

It will be interesting to see whether Toyota stick with NiMH batteries or whether they follow everyone else and move to lithium ion. At one point, they were saying that they were going to stick with NiMH because they are cheaper and more reliable, and that they had found a way to significantly increase the energy density of NiMH batteries, thus negating the key advantage of lithium ion.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Saturday 29th August 2015
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I really like that, especially the rear.

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Saturday 29th August 2015
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AnotherClarkey said:
Yes, the Prius continues to plough it's own furrow. I would have been disappointed if it looked as bland as something like a Golf.
Agree. As Jonny said, it needs to turn heads and look like nothing else on the road, and it does that.

Need to see it in real life but it looks promising, especially in silver. I like the rear, with the deep creases and boomerang lights, and I like the way that the headlights go right into the front wings. The C-pillar treatment is quite cool too.

It's a brave design, it looks forward rather than backward, and it feels distinctly Japanese. I like that.

AnotherClarkey said:
Lets see what the specs. are like - September the 8th I think?
Yes, September 8, although I am sure some snippets will leak out before then.



AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Wednesday 9th September 2015
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So far I like it. The exterior looks quite daring, it's certainly a challenging design, and for me part of the appeal is the fact that unlike so many other modern cars, it makes a statement rather than playing it safe. (Compare this design to some of the stuff that VW Group are showing.) The interior looks a little messy, and I'm not sure about the white plastic bits near the bottom, but again it's an interesting design and it makes ergonomic sense. I could see myself in one of these.

The boot looks quite deep compared to the Gen3. This, plus the shape of the centre console, makes me suspect that they have put the battery into the centre console (like the Prius+) and thus made the boot bigger.

It has independent rear suspension (no more torsion beam) so hopefully it will drive better than the current one.

Apparently full technical details will be announced at the Frankfurt show. Hopefully the white plastic interior trim will be optional smile

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Friday 13th November 2015
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It's on the Toyota UK website now. Orders being taken, delivery in Feb.

No UK price or spec details yet but apparently it will start at around 22K and the trim levels will align with the rest of the Toyota range so we will get Business Edition, Excel etc.

You seem to get a lot of stuff as standard. Apparently even the base model comes with LED headlights. And there will be space for a spare wheel, since the battery pack has been moved.

There are lots of colours. I really like the aquamarine blue but there is also a Kermit the Frog green (I am sure it will be called something different in the brochure...) which has special heat reflective properties.

The most astonishing thing is that they have managed to increase fuel economy by 18% compared to the Gen3. I was expecting 10% best case. An 18% improvement on what was already one of the most economical cars in the real world is amazing, IMHO.

I must say, I really like the look of it. I think they will do well with this. What do others think? If you're an existing owner, are you looking at this or are you looking more at plug-in EVs?



AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Monday 16th November 2015
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Frimley111R said:
Styling won't matter to the thousands of taxi drivers who mostly buy them.
The new one has a much bigger boot, plus the ability to take a spare wheel, plus 18% better fuel economy. I think that taxi drivers are going to love it smile

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Wednesday 18th November 2015
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liner33 said:
I do wonder if they will be quite as popular as Taxis now the congestion charge limit changed
It comes in at 70g/km of CO2, which I think means it will be congestion charge exempt.

It gets 94mpg according to Autocar, in their completely predictable review.

I will go and take a look once they are available in the UK. Website says February, dealer reckons they will have demonstrators in before then...

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Thursday 19th November 2015
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The CO2 and mpg figures come from the Autocar review.

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Friday 20th November 2015
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liner33 said:
AmitG said:
The CO2 and mpg figures come from the Autocar review.
this bit ?

Toyota hasn’t issued any definitive CO2 emissions or fuel economy figures - it says EU NEDC numbers will be released at a later date - but it has revealed that this Prius will bring efficiency gains of 18% over its predecessor. That's the biggest jump between generations in Prius history, and could give the car CO2 emissions and combined fuel economy of 73g/km and 85mpg.
I think the Autocar review gave the actual figures. In any case, they're on the Toyota UK blog now:

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/2016-toyota-prius-mpg

In particular this bit:

Toyota blog said:
As a result, CO2 emissions for the new model are from 70g/km, with average fuel consumption from 94.2mpg. This compares to the 89g/km and 72.4mpg achieved by its predecessor.
I am pretty sure this is for the non-plug in version, since the plug-in version has not been announced, and I would expect the mpg for that to be comically high.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Sunday 10th January 2016
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Will be in UK showrooms this month according to one of my local dealers. They are expecting details of UK prices, trim levels etc. "imminently" and asked me to call back in a week's time.

Has anyone seen one in real life yet?

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
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I love the exterior but I'm really not sure about the interior. From the pictures and video it looks rather uninspiring. I really need to see it in person.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
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Joedarkness said:
At the moment I have a old Airwave but I'm wondering about a new prius or the new Fit Shuttle http://www.honda.co.jp/SHUTTLE/webcatalog/styling/...
Love that Fit Shuttle. If Honda sold that in the UK I would buy one.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Popped into the local dealer again, they said they are expecting the car in showrooms on 22 Feb or thereabouts.

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Saturday 5th March 2016
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Local dealer just got one into the showroom so I went to take a look. I liked it.

Looks very striking. Much better in real life than in the photos. The fastback profile and floating roof work really well. And I like the front, with its sharp angles and mix of convex and concave surfaces, looking as though it has been hacked away with a samurai sword.

Driving position is good. Feels lower than the old model, which is nice. You feel like you sit in the car rather than on it. A-pillar visibility seems to be better. Interior is not class leading but feels plusher than the Gen3 and Prius Plus. Not very keen on the pearl white interior bits, IMHO they look out of place and really need to be black.

I loved the dashboard. The dual TFT displays are ace. Really swish. The HUD now shows instantaneous power and some other stuff, and is crystal clear. Very nice.

Infotainment system is very good. The graphics look a bit fussy and out of date but it all seems to work well.

Boot is a little narrow in places (93cm between the arches) but is otherwise a very decent size. Front passenger seat reclines all the way so you can carry long items.

Sales person was really nice and offered a very good deal so I've ordered an Excel in pearl white, I should be getting it at the end of April woohoo

AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Wednesday 16th March 2016
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I reckon it could be the new plug-in. It can't be the C-HR because that's already been revealed. I don't think it can be the new Prius+ since it looks quite swoopy.

I guess it could be a new saloon to replace the Avensis, or possibly - long shot here - a hybrid replacement for the GT86.

I'm amazed at how quickly Toyota is rolling out new models. I expected the plugin to be revealed at the end of this year at the earliest. And the C-HR is already on the Toyota website.

Spoke to my dealer today about progress on my order, he says it's being built as we speak and ETA is end of April.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Wednesday 23rd March 2016
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ajprice said:
Teaser of the rear lights on something Prius related being shown at the New York motor show. Car reckons it's the plug in hybrid version.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-...
Looks like it was the plug-in hybrid version. Looks pretty cool. I love the double bubble roof and rear windscreen. Wish they'd done that on the normal version.

Solar panels on the roof as well.

It's more different to the normal Prius than I thought it would be.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Sunday 10th April 2016
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My delivery date has moved to late May frown

Apparently global demand has been much higher than expected.


AmitG

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

160 months

Friday 20th May 2016
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Just got mine





First impressions:

It looks sensational IMHO. Really, really good.

I love the c-pillar treatment. Note to Jaguar: that is how you do a floating roof.

The light signature is beautiful - instantly recognisable.

Definitely quieter than the old Prius. The engine doesn't rev so hard. It seems to spend much more time in EV mode.

I love the low driving position - massive improvement. Visibility is great. Handling - from a very limited test on urban roads - appears to be very good. Steering is very light, which I like but others may not.

Some of the trim feels a bit flimsy, but I'm coming from a Citroen DS5 whose cabin was made from very, very high quality materials. I would say the perceived quality of this interior is better than the previous Prius, but could be better. Mind you it should last forever.

Infotainment system appears to be very functional, but the graphics look like an old Nokia phone (in fact I could swear the font is the same...). Needs a refresh.

Haven't tried the audio yet. This one has the JBL 10-speaker audio so I'm hoping it's good.

Very happy so far.