2016 Toyota Prius (photos, specifications, Cd 0.24)

[Daox]

Bleh to AWD. I really hope its an option. I live in Wisconsin, learned to drive in upper Michigan, and every FWD car I've ever owned is FINE in winter. Snow tires are nice, but not even absolutely necessary. AWD is largely a sales gimmick IMO, and probably a smart move on Toyota's part because so many people fall for it. I just don't want to have to pay for it.

Downsizing is good, saves money and makes it more affordable.

It is odd that they don't offer a bit more range for the PHEV version. Something to compete with the Volt would probably sell a lot better. That being said, 15.5 miles is darn near perfect for my commute.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

A few more tidbits coming out...
...[*]downsized NiMH pack
...

The 2016 Volt also has a lighter, smaller pack, one that GM claims delivers more stored energy too. Technological advances, possibly. And in general, the 2016 Prius and 2016 Volt have converged a bit in their general aero body shape too (though not at all in details like lights and windows).

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

A few more tidbits coming out...

• Downsized front electric motor, addition of rear drive motor for electric all-wheel drive (doesn't say if it's in all models or optional). Functional at speeds up to 37 mph
• downsized NiMH pack
• plug-in Prius electric-only range will be 15.5 miles, up from 11 miles in the gen 3 model, coming next year (Toyota really doesn't want to sell these, do they?)

Bold 2016 Toyota Prius surges in to Frankfurt | Auto Express

Yikes, the early rumors on the PiP has a 30-35 mile range and the battery pack is all lithium. The AWD is interesting, but it seems like a distraction.

The Prius is all about efficiency, and I wonder what their reasoning is for having a smaller front electric motor and then adding a rear electric motor. Because the current drivetrain has two (front) electric motors. Did they completely rework the whole drivetrain?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Daox

It is odd that they don't offer a bit more range for the PHEV version. Something to compete with the Volt would probably sell a lot better. That being said, 15.5 miles is darn near perfect for my commute.

It is not odd to offer only 15 miles of EV range. Why spend more money on having a larger battery that rarely gets 100% used when you can spend much less money on a smaller battery that often gets 100% usage on every trip?

Since the Prius already has a very efficient gasoline motor, it makes sense to use a small battery. If I wanted a car that would cover 100% of my commute and around town errands on electricity alone, I would purchase an EV.

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Yikes, the early rumors on the PiP has a 30-35 mile range and the battery pack is all lithium. The AWD is interesting, but it seems like a distraction.

The Prius is all about efficiency, and I wonder what their reasoning is for having a smaller front electric motor and then adding a rear electric motor. Because the current drivetrain has two (front) electric motors. Did they completely rework the whole drivetrain?

The PiP was never going to have a 30 EV mile range. It goes against the design principle I mentioned above. Ford hit the EV range sweet-spot in my opinion. 20 miles range gets close to covering most trips while minimizing the expense and weight of a larger battery that would not be utilized in most cases.

AWD does seem unecessary, but I'm curious to see how the drive train is different than the previous design. Obviously it is efficient since Toyota shoots for a 10% mpg improvement for each new generation.

Strange to see that Toyota is going with NiMH again when they were considering phasing it out with the 3rd generation Prius.

[oldtamiyaphile]

I wonder if the extra motor means it will finally have a tow rating...

[ME_Andy]

The AWD Tesla has more range than the 2WD version...

[MetroMPG]

Good point!

If I recall, they say they use the differently sized motors at different times, depending on which would be closer to its efficiency sweet spot.

Unless of course they're both pressed into service accelerating you so fast that your eyeballs bleed.

Hmmm... maybe the new Prius has an 'acceptable mode' button for acceleration!

[oldtamiyaphile]

Hang on did we miss the part about 90mpg (imp)? If true that's a huge jump.

[ME_Andy]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Good point!
Hmmm... maybe the new Prius has an 'acceptable mode' button for acceleration!

Ha!

They've done so much to electrify this car, they might as well have gone full electric. IMO

[RedDevil]

One big plus of having electric rear wheel drive is that it can double as a generator under braking.
Regenerative braking by spinning the generator in the engine (Insight) or gearbox (earlier Prii) is fine for mild braking, but distributing the braking force over all wheels gives better control.
It creates more regenerative power by not using the normal brakes on the (otherwise) undriven wheels.
(this probably applies to the 4WD Tesla too, hence the bigger range)

Provided the battery can take the surge.
My Insight stops at 10 kW recharging power, or better said it barely loses momentum at 10 kW.

Plug-in models have way bigger batteries than regular hybrids (mine has just 0.6 kWh capacity) so I guess it will allow for big surges of regenerative power.