2016 Toyota Prius (photos, specifications, Cd 0.24)

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

The question then is what happened to the 18% improvement on the European cycle Toyota claimed?

The G3 was rated 48 MPG EPA
The G4 ECO is rated 56 MPG EPA

That's a 16% improvement.

The G3 is rated 3.9l/100km NEDC
a 14% improvement would be in the order of 3.4l/100km (83mpg UK).

We can't directly translate percentages like that, there are nuances in the drive cycle that can favor one car over another. The gentler NEDC cycle may yet still see an official 3.2l/100km rating for Europe and the rest of the world. 3.4 would still be pretty damn good, assuming we can get that real world, but to date the Prius has been pretty good.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

The G3 was rated 48 MPG EPA
The G4 ECO is rated 56 MPG EPA

We can't directly translate percentages like that, there are nuances in the drive cycle that can favor one car over another.

I consider Fully data to be the best indicator of relative efficiency. I'll be looking forward to seeing what averages the Gen IV receive.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Generally speaking, when things cost less, they also consume less resources.

I go by the same rule. If it weren't for the tax on petrol it would be much cheaper than our 87% coal grid.

I don't consider Fuelly all that useful as a hypermiler, I prefer the EM garage

Failing that I go to Spritmonitor.de, each of my cars would be in the top 3-5 on that site (which lets you query by make, model, engine, trans and sort by efficiency).

[sendler]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I consider Fully data to be the best indicator of relative efficiency.

Fuelly and Spiritmonitor are both very useful and show the same average for the Prius. Fuelly displays a bar graph of all the respondents which is nice in providing a quick idea of distribution and median at a glance.
.
It's interesting that looking by model year, the 2004 to 2009 Prius all show the exact same 44.5 mpgUS, 5.29 L/ 100km. Very consistant. The hallmark of a good hybrid. The 2010 to 2015 takes a big jump to around 48 mpgUS, 4.90 L/ 100km.
.
The new Prius C is doing great numbers with an average of 51 mpgUS, 4.61 L/ 100km.
.
.

.
.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

The G3 was rated 48 MPG EPA
The G4 ECO is rated 56 MPG EPA

That's a 16% improvement.

Hold up there--those numbers are the G3 EPA highway rating vs. the G4 Eco EPA combined rating. Apples to apples:

G3: 48mpg highway
G4: 50mpg highway (4.2% improvement)
G4 Eco: 53mpg highway (10.4% improvement)

G3: 50mpg combined
G4: 52mpg combined (4% improvement)
G4 Eco: 56mpg combined (12% improvement)

[redpoint5]

I still fail to see how the G4 eco is able to achieve 4 MPG highway more than the G4 standard without modifying aerodynamics. How can marginally less weight account for this? Why isn't city driving more impacted by the weight reduction? Something isn't adding up here, and that is why I'm most curious to see how people respond on Fuelly.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I still fail to see how the G4 eco is able to achieve 4 MPG highway more than the G4 standard without modifying aerodynamics. How can marginally less weight account for this? Why isn't city driving more impacted by the weight reduction? Something isn't adding up here, and that is why I'm most curious to see how people respond on Fuelly.

I've been wondering the same; something's fishy there. As far as I can see in pictures of both cars, the only difference is the missing rear wiper in the Eco; even the wheels are the same. That can't be enough to account for +3mpg on the highway cycle.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I still fail to see how the G4 eco is able to achieve 4 MPG highway more than the G4 standard without modifying aerodynamics.

The plug in on petrol alone scored 1MPG highway better than the Nimh battery version, but scores the same on City/Combined.

It could also be (in part) a trick of the way numbers are rounded to the nearest MPG.

[Vman455]

I decided to swing by my local Toyota dealership just now to see if they had the new Prius out when there are no salespeople around; they did. It looks like there's more tumblehome at the rear, and the spoiler, while the same angle as before, is single plane instead of dual. The windshield is significantly--noticeably--more upright, and the scallop in the hood, which I suspect is there to lower pressure at the base of the windshield, is much more pronounced than before. Paneling under the car is about the same, with the exception of the rear. The muffler is now mounted transversely, and sits across the center of the car behind the rear suspension with no paneling over it and a small panel behind it to the bumper edge with two stabilizing fins. Wheel gap looks to be about the same. Definitely room for improvement if anyone is in the market and wants a car to aeromod.

[MetroMPG]

Kentaro Tomo, Grand Master of Hybrid, Toyota Motor Corp (TMC) talks about the new gear set in the Toyota Prius. Tomo-san talks (through his interpreter) about the new planetary gear set and where the force is transmitted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nUVrUZiZ4