I really like it, if they made a TRD version with some larger brakes (doesn't need to be brembo's), slightly sportier suspension, a sport mode for the Hybrid combo/CVT and an LSD (or eLSD if it works) that would be a lot of fun.
Having said that, I daily a 2010 Prius for work and stock it's a great car and not even that bad in the twisty stuff on the street.
Its good looking! I think it is good looking this time because it has to be....
Previous generations were "high tech" of their time and this "tech" was accentuated by being different. The current, outgoing version was the "weirdest for the sake of being weird" trying to look high tech with a 20 year old technology.
This time, the world is different, you can get these "Prius technologies" elsewhere . Heck, most everywhere. The Prius sales have been loosing ground from a place they used to dominate to a place where they are just another competitor.
I'm glad to see the Prius name live on. There were rumors and speculation that Toyota might do away with the name, the model. Pretty much everything Toyota offers these days comes as a hybrid version too. Some ONLY come as Hybrid like the new Sienna and the new Venza.
In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
I like the first and second gens. The first most people don't know about and the second is the bar of soap everyone pictures when they think Prius. They're both fine for what they are.
The [edit: fourth] gens are just hideous from stem to stern. Wretchedly awful in a way only overdesigned Japanese cars (and boom boxes) can be.
I like this version quite a bit, looking at the pics.
Duke said:In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
The third gens are just hideous from stem to stern. Wretchedly awful in a way only overdesigned Japanese cars (and boom boxes) can be.
Are you confusing the third gen with the fourth? Fourth is the origami abortion that's being sold today. The worst thing about the third gen is the 1.8s penchant for burning oil and EGR cooler issues.
I agreed with Duke and then realized there was generation confusion... The one that was a hybrid Echo was fine but boring (though I liked the Echo better). The second was meh, the third was better, and the fourth needs a time traveler to go back and destroy the designs. Quickly, before it goes to production!
The new/fifth one looks better than all the prior ones, by quite a lot!
Also hoping the drivetrain is crisper. I feel like the hybrid Rav4 I drove a few months ago didn't feel as much like a horrible faux-CVT as I remember the Prius being...
Jesse Ransom said:The one that was a hybrid Echo was fine but boring (though I liked the Echo better).
Just a quick note that these are completely different cars. The Gen1 is *not* a Hybrid Echo, even though the styling is very similar.
This car makes for a rather nice third Generation Chevy Volt 
. I think by the time I'm ready to move on from my first generation Volt I'll be ready to go full EV. But having owned a PHEV with some real EV only range has proven to me how little one really needs the engine as a generator for the daily commute.
As for the styling, I'm seeing a lot of Toyota Crown in the front end.
I like the power increase and looks, but I wonder if they can match the MPG with that power. The new Corolla Hybrid has more power but gets less MPG.
Finally Toyota is embracing the concept of a handsome design in a car that might actually slow down our damage to the planet.
I think in the first few generations they made it intentionally quirky (ugly!?) because many of the early adopter buyers wanted a "look at me I'm saving the planet" style to the car.
I like it. I wonder what the radio/HVAC controls are like. Red with a set of Enkei RFP1's sounds nice. Curious what it costs to get one with a sunroof.
In reply to ProDarwin :
TIL... I never even paused to think they could have been distinct and just assumed.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
I like it a lot. I am a "color" guy and I really like the yellow too. Are you listening Mazda Miata?
This probably belongs in the Automotive things that you'd never thought that you'd hear yourself say... discussion.
"The new Prius is pretty good looking."
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:If thats what really lands in the showroom, good for them. Its the first Pruis thats not ugly.
The first and second generation were okay (first was just an Echo after all) but the third... yeesh.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Apparently they snuck an extra generation in there that some of us didn't notice.
I'm told the recent hideous goblin ones are fourth generation.
Any chance this does not come with a CVT(Continuously Variable Trash)? A standard transmission would be lovely.
In reply to kevinatfms :
The CVT in the Prius (and similar system in the C-Max) are not crappy overgrown snowmobile transmissions. They work pretty seamlessly and don't make the cars feel like they're powered by a hamster wheel and rubberbands.
Nitroracer (Forum Supporter) said:This car makes for a rather nice third Generation Chevy Volt
As for the styling, I'm seeing a lot of Toyota Crown in the front end.
You might be on to something. When I saw a sneak preview of the Prius, it also had a Crown with it.
Jesse Ransom said:Also hoping the drivetrain is crisper. I feel like the hybrid Rav4 I drove a few months ago didn't feel as much like a horrible faux-CVT as I remember the Prius being...
The newer Toyota hybrids definitely seem a lot better. SWMBO's mom has a 2021 Rav4 Hybrid (not the plug in one) and I can't say I've found anything objectionable about the drivetrain the few times I've driven it. I don't love the overall vehicle, but I do like the drivetrain.
I wish I could say that about SWMBO's gen 2 Prius. In so many ways it's almost good, but not. It's like the engineers got to 80% and just went home and forgot to finish the next day. There are so many bits of tech in the car (like the traction control) that should be really good based on the hardware, but are just implemented poorly. I hate the regen braking implementation in the older Prius as well.
If Toyota has baked the same drivetrain improvements the Rav4 and other hybrids have gotten into the Prius, it should be a pretty good package.
Having just ditched my Prius C last month, I really like this new model. My main complaint was that the Prius C was dangerously slow, a newish car with less than 100hp is a death sentence on today's roads. If this new Prius halves the 0-60 time and can handle the wind noise of the previous one, it might be a winner
In reply to stuart in mn :
The 2023 Prius, along with the thought that a used E36 M3box 2nd Gen Prius is probably currently the coolest car that is readily available to the masses, pretty much inspired that thread.
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Yes, I've seen that image as well. Static image is one thing, using it for a few days is something else again.
Looking again at that instrument "cluster", it's almost like what's on some modern motorcycles. Wondering if a hood / glareshield might be a nice thing to add? It looks oddly sparse and flat there and I wonder about interference from outside light sources.
Also remembered how the seats in previous Prius used to really not do it for me. Wondering if that has been improved here.
As someone that has only owned manual transmission cars and generally gets frustrated with automatics as they hunt for gears or kick down when you want to accelerate the CVT in Gen 3 is one of the best things about it. It just works like it should without trying to be something it isn't (I've heard some CVT's "shift" to simulate gears). I can't say I've heard of them failing either and I honestly think the car would be significantly worse at what they are good for with a manual.
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