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Upgrading my Prius.


diverdave
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Hi,

I am upgrading my Gen 4 Prius in the next month and went to look at the latest model in the dealership, some improvements, styling, larger wireless charger, white plastics gone. But then I saw a comparison with the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid on YouTube. I went to the dealership to have a look and was impressed, it is cheaper but is built to a high spec.

Has anyone else looked at the Hyundai whilst thinking of upgrading their Prius, if so what did you think ? I am still undecided

Thanks for any opinions.

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I would only consider a Toyota hybrid due to its unique powertrain (CVT, etc.). If you are considering an Ionic, isn't the Corolla a better comparison - get one with a panoramic roof??

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We looked at the Hyundai and thought, yes, this is impressive and it doesn't compromise the boot space with the Battery!

However no one came over to us and we were not impressed with the showroom overall - so we went to look at the Kia Niro - smaller with variations from HV to EV. Tempted but then went back to Toyota, for a more expensive plug-in - but at least we know Toyota! ( Mind we change dealership which helped..... )

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Hi Mike,

Yes I did look at the Corolla but I think that it is only available in the base model, I like my toys 😊.The Hyundai has got a very nice dual clutch electronic gearbox with flappy paddles that can be used for gear changes or in low speed can be used to increase or decrease regenerative braking,but takes a slight hit on MPG, it also has a better infotainment screen and system. but as Autocumulus says knowing Toyota is an advantage since I have had four prius's .( Is that a word ?) Decisions, decisions. 🤔

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I've had, since 2002, RAV4, Corolla, Prius 2, Prius 3, RAV4, RAV4 Hy, Prius Plug. In the 90's I also went through 3 Diahatsu ( same marque now ). I've had Land Rover, Datsun (!), Hillman, Fiat (yeuch!) and Rover. None have compared to the reliability of Toyota, though Toyota have had some niggles and questionable interiors/switch positions to their cars :D.

If only they'd hurry up and sort out an EV that's worth looking at. Mind it'd have to be good to surpass the usefulness of the plug-in ( even in HV mode with a heavy Battery! ).

We're likely coming up for a change this Summer....

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I personally would not get another hybrid different from Toyota - Lexus , exactly for the same reason, the power train. This is the only drive train of all makes that gets closest to driving a full ev and reliable as one. If I want a clutch auto box will get a dsg on golf R to GTI.  Just personal preference. Otherwise Hyundai and kia are good cars. 

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I'm not a fan of the Ioniq. Visually, I think it looks like a cheap knockoff of a Prius, although to my eyes the facelift Gen4 is such a step backwards that it actually manages to look like a cheap Prius knockoff itself, so no loss there. However, this is the real problem...

1 hour ago, diverdave said:

The Hyundai has got a very nice dual clutch electronic gearbox

Ugh. The Toyota e-CVT is perfectly matched to hybrid driving. Who'd want the perpetual lurch and thump of gearchanges in a car that is resolutely not built for 'spirited' driving, when they could enjoy super smooth seamless progress instead? I'm pretty sure Hyundai only fitted the dual-clutch to appease idiot motoring journalists who were always whining on about the Toyota 'CVT' because they thrash the sorry ***** off everything they drive and didn't like it mooing away at them. Intentional or not, the strategy worked, because the Ioniq routinely fares better with the mainstream motoring press than the Prius and, perhaps as a result, has sold well too.

I was going to take one for a test drive, just to see how bad it was, before buying the PHV. However, after sitting in it for 5 minutes I didn't even bother. The interior was so utterly drab and boring, and the seats so unnecessarily rock hard, I couldn't bring myself to waste the salesman's time. As a side note, the plug-in Ioniq inexplicably has the charging point on the nearside front wing, making it completely impossible to access in a tight garage.

I totally get wanting a change, but I'm with Tony on the Toyota/Lexus hybrid superiority thing and wouldn't look elsewhere for a hybrid. If I was looking at a Hyundai, it would be a Kona electric, which appears to be a genuinely interesting and original car.

Still, we're all different. I hope you enjoy whatever you end up with. 🙂

Edited by Ten Ninety
Seriously, the swear filter needs to learn some context.
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Go along with what been said about the Prius drivetrain, you know very well, driverDave, how relaxing it is to drive the Prius with its drivetrain. Apart from an expensive clutch to replace in the future, do you really want to be "paddling" gears instead of having a true "auto"box. Apart from anything else, Dave, the Prius Gen4 in Hypersonic Red looks absolutely fantastic ( I got one as well)

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Jay, I get what you say about the reliability and proven record of the Prius drivetrain, the Hyundai has only been going for a couple of years, I have not looked on their forum to see what problems owners have had. Don't get me wrong I love my Prius, just that I am going to upgrade and was just looking at the options, having sat in the Hyundai I am pretty sure that I will stay with the Prius, though I may go for a test drive just to confirm my thoughts. Jay you are right about the Hypersonic red, and with the cool grey interior looks great. I just wish that Toyota would improve their Touch 2 infotainment system looks very dated compared to some others.

Thanks for all your replies and thoughts.👍

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If you want an 'upgrade' from a Gen4 ordinaire, you could always try a PHV!

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I would Jay but I don't have a garage or a drive only a designated parking space away from my house, so nowhere to charge it unfortunately.

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The fourth Generation Prius was, in most respects, the best car I've ever had, but with a couple of caveats:

The roof starts sloping downwards from above the drivers's head, and it's the first Prius version with compromised rear headroom - it's ok for some, but I found it hard to get in the back,  and I couldn't sit upright because the roof was too low.

But the killer for me was the low floor and seating.  It was really comfortable while seated in the front, but getting it and out caused such massive problems with my hips, which spread to my knees and back, I just had to get rid of it.  I was very sad to see it go, and I wish there was some way I could have kept it.  I quite like my RAV4 Hybrid, but I like it an awful loss less than the Prius, except that my pain had completely vanished by the time I'd had it 4 months.  I even started investigating having the Prius fitted with air suspension so I could raise it for getting in and out, but it quickly became apparent that would have been way to problematic, not least because I'd have lost the spare wheel well and some of the boot.  Plus I didn't relish trying to persuade my insurer the modification wasn't about getting extreme handling capability!

I ruled out most other manufacturers' Hybrids because I also wanted the planetary drive train of the Toyota/Lexus system, and not a dual clutch system or some of the other Hybrid variations used.  In fairness, I must say a friends Skoda with the DSG gearbox is remarkably smooth for that type of transmission, but I still would find it annoying after some 330,000 miles in Toyota/Lexus Hybrids.

Some reviewers in the USA think the latest incarnation of the Honda Hybrid system is now better than Toyota's system, but it's only available on the C-RV SUV in the UK - in the US there's the Insight, a Prius lookalike that now has the new system too.  As far as I can ascertain, the electric motor does almost all the driving at most speeds, and when extra power is need the engine starts but powers generator to give a boost to the electric motors.  At higher speeds, when needed, the engine can be connected to the drive train via a clutch with a single speed gear, but only at higher speeds.  It means the Honda system can now do all the tricks of electric only, electric plus engine and engine only, but achieved in a very different way to the Toyota system.  Before this, all Honda Hybrids had either a manual gearbox and clutch (like the first Insight), or a 'proper CVT gearbox (containing cones and belts) mated to a torque converter.

I would have chosen the Honda C-RV Hybrid if it had a spare wheel, but it didn't.

Also, the Hyundai looks like it has even worse rear headroom than the 4th Gen Prius, so if that matters it would be worth checking it out before considering one.

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I have arranged a test drive in the Hyundai for Tuesday morning to make a final decision, but it will take a lot to make me switch allegiance from Toyota.

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18 hours ago, Ten Ninety said:

Ugh. The Toyota e-CVT is perfectly matched to hybrid driving. Who'd want the perpetual lurch and thump of gearchanges in a car that is resolutely not built for 'spirited' driving, when they could enjoy super smooth seamless progress instead? I'm pretty sure Hyundai only fitted the dual-clutch to appease idiot motoring journalists who were always whining on about the Toyota 'CVT' because they thrash the sorry ***** off everything they drive and didn't like it mooing away at them. Intentional or not, the strategy worked, because the Ioniq routinely fares better with the mainstream motoring press than the Prius and, perhaps as a result, has sold well too.

I think a lot of journalists just don't like them because they're different - the car doesn't make the right vroom-vroom noises that they expect and they seem unable to look beyond that.

One thing about the Ioniq is that they must be doing something right, because fuel efficiency is still very good and comparable to the Prius. I'd be interested to see how they drive, but they're very rare around here. The large majority of Ioniqs sold in Ireland are the full BEV versions (which are also comparatively very efficient versus competitors). The hybrid/PHEV Kona and Kia Niro are more popular and probably have similar powertrains, but I haven't got to check them out either (I have no interest in crossovers).

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