Leaderboard

The Prius Gen 4 Although many of the descriptions here apply to all versions of the Prius gen 4, driving impressions and results are of my Business Edition Plus with 15” wheels and Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 195/65R15 91H tyres. This is my view -you may find it ‘dogmatic’ and biased but you’re allowed to love your car! Hybrid cars have never been understood by most motoring journalists and motorists so their benefits have not been appreciated. As a consequence much pollution has and is being generated by out of date propulsion technology. The Toyota system (Hybrid Synergy Drive) is the most effective system for propelling a car efficiently over daily mixed driving. The Prius is the best example of a hybrid for this purpose, but this has not been widely realised because most do not understand the issues. Having read many reviews and explanations of the hybrid drive system it is clear that it is not understood, and its advantages not explained. The Prius generation 4 is the most efficient car which does not plug in. It is second in low pollution to the i3, an electric car. There is no range anxiety with the Prius as you can go many hundreds of miles on a tank of petrol, which only takes a few minutes to fill. Practical journeys of hundreds of miles with a family and their luggage are easily possible. It is important to note that it is a very clean petrol/electric hybrid. The Prius is affordable and intended to be used in everyday motoring, not a manufacturer’s attempt to include a low emission vehicle in their range. In regard to it being a very clean petrol/electric hybrid, drivers have been erroneously encouraged to buy Diesel powered cars in the mistaken belief that they were low polluters simply on good mpg thus low CO2, and now Governments around the world are having to find ways to discourage use of Diesel power particularly in urban areas where the majority live. The discussion has now started to mention the high level of poisonous NOx emissions from diesel engines and the carcinogenic soot from diesel exhausts. The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive is a near perfect way to power a passenger car. Continual development means it is refined, efficient, smooth and quiet. It is nice to know that with such driving pleasure comes excellent economy, low pollution, low tax and low maintenance costs. The gen 4 Prius is fresh and dramatically styled both inside and out. To me a cross between luxury car and stealth fighter. It makes most cars seem very old -fashioned, and is very smooth and pleasant to travel in. The entire engine/motors/transmission/controller is a brilliant compact package. Unlike conventional drive trains, both manual and automatic, the Prius has no clutch, or gears to shift, therefore no clutch mechanism and gearshift mechanism. There is no starter motor to engage, nor fan belt and water pump belt, which are all sources of problems in old-fashioned cars. Imagine an old-fashioned manual car starting up. First a noisy starter is engaged and a little churning goes on until the engine fires. Then gears are crunched and the clutch is let up to allow a jerky take-off, unless of course the engine is stalled and the car stuck, while the whole process is repeated. A few seconds later another gear has to be selected and the clutch engaged to try a smooth gearchange. There is no gear lever as no gears are “shifted”; forward and reverse motion are selected by a switch when stationary. Take-off is accomplished by electric power and is smooth and continuous, with no risk of stalling. At traffic lights it is not necessary to keep the Prius in “gear” (that is switched to drive) as it sits silently until Drive is selected and this can be done more quickly than many drivers sitting with their foot on the clutch and their car burning fuel, can engage the clutch and move off. On the road the car is very easy and pleasing to drive. The certain availability of torque to propel the car makes daily driving easier and worry free. The electronic driver aids such as radar cruise control, lane warning and blind spot monitoring are a great help to safe driving and reduce the load on the driver. The head up display has always been a favourite of mine, although originally regarded as a gimmick by some motoring journalists. The Prius is very convenient in everyday use, from the ease of entry with the keyless system to the ability to carry large items occasionally. The ride and handling are very good and as mentioned noise levels are low. It is often not obvious whether the petrol engine is running. Driving on the road or turning in tight spaces is easy and the car is very easy to manoeuvre. When necessary it parks itself accurately with minimal input from the driver. The car is technically a great achievement from Toyota, who have been steadily developing the future of motoring for some years. The entire engine transmission and two electric motors integrated into a compact unit

I also agree with all of this. Having owned all four generations, I still don't want to even drive anything for a single day. If Hybrids had never been invented yet, and the original Gen 1 Prius was launched tomorrow as the first of a new technology, I'd be first in the queue for one

I would say the tracking may need checking, looking at the tyre.

Glad to report that the new battery has solved the problem. Weird!

Wrong way of looking at it. Those tyres are the only thing that's going to stop you when you need to stop. Cheap no name tyres aren't as grippy but do last longer. Grippier tyres don't last as long. Up to you, but brakes and tyres aren't places to skimp on quality for the sake of a few euro.

Mounting will depend on personal preference and the len's viewing angle. I mounted mine high up and near the mirror so it could look down and minimise 'sky flare' but this has the unfortunate side effect of lots of reflections of me! I'm trying to source a circular polarizer to see if this helps, although I was at the cinema last weekend and realised the 3D glasses they use are circular polarized so I'm going to pop out one of the lenses and see if I can tape it to the front of the camera... As for power, I assume you are getting one of those 12V to 5v USB converter boxes - If so, you can find a path to one of the lighter sockets and tap off from that. I have an XCarlink MP3 player and am using the USB port on that to power my dashcam, but you could tap one of the 12V lines going into your headunit for the convertor box too; Only tricky thing is you'll need to test them all with a multimeter or find a wiring diagram for your Verso's headunit...

I'm not going to do that, the car has already done that for me

I'm glad you like it. I wrote this to extol the Prius’s virtues as so many reviews don’t appear to get it at all. Of course all cars might have something that the owner will dislike or find inconvenient but overall I find the joy of Prius ownership eclipses any minor niggles. PeteB, I entirely agree with your view on the calmer driver. This is a real effect and I recall the advert a year or two back which cited research in an Italian city that stress levels were lower in the Toyota Hybrid drivers.

I've chatted to many owners around the world since my first Gen 1 Prius in 2002 and this is such a common feeling amongst those who've tried them (including me). Many take a test drive, or go in someone else's, and then just have to get one. Always the exceptions, of course. Another common comment (also including from me) is that the Hybrid creates a calmer driver - not so much speeding, less aggressive acceleration. - not because it can't, but because of the sense of peace and tranquillity it instils. And partly because of the wealth of information it feeds back (especially on later models) makes one more aware of the fuel consumed.

It does in the USA where there are thousands of Tesla (free for life) very fast SuperCharger stations. When I looked at a Model S for me here in Norfolk, there were only about 25 in the UK, and none east of the A1. I believe there is now one at Elveden, near the A11, but that would rarely help me out. Such a large battery would take about 30 hours to recharge if all I could find was a domestic socket, so a day trip to Hull would be challenging! Using the web searches, I found almost no suitable EV charging stations on my route. And even the fastest non-Tesla charger would take a few hours to give me enough to get back home. A £,4000 upgrade would have bought a version with a bigger battery, that was claimed to be good for up to 300 miles, but that was only if you accelerated very gently, did 55 mph or less, kept the windows shut, the A/C and heater off. Realistically, 220 miles was more likely. It would be plenty for me for about 90% of the days I drive, but a right royal pain the rest of the time. Had there been the level of SuperCharger coverage the US has, I might have bought one, until I discovered no rear wiper (even on the Model X SUV) and no head up display.

Quite normal, mayby to the low side. The weight of the diesel and the torque power wear faster than petrol models

13000 miles does seem a bit premature, but I'm not familiar with your particular tyre - maybe it's a 'soft & grippy but quick wearing' type? My most recent (1.8 petrol) T27 Avensis was fitted with Goodyear Excellence 215/5517 tyres (with plenty tread) when I bought it with 16k miles. The fronts were nearing the wear indicators approx 20k miles later. I don't know if they were the originals or not, so they either covered the 20k miles I put on them, or the full 36k from new. Bear in mind mine was the petrol so the engine would be lighter than yours, and mine also had an easy life with not a lot of quick-off-the-line starts, hard acceleration or hard cornering etc.

Exactly, road handling is a priority and lower road noise is just a bonus. I just don't think the Eco Contacts are a good choice for the Aygo. They've never inspired 100% confidence in wet weather and I found they were a tiny bit squirmy in cross winds. Even the missus' Aygo was the same, with an earlier generation of Eco Contacts. My work carpark is a nightmare if it ever snows, so I'm hoping the Vectors will allow me to keep the shovel in the boot. It's a packaway shovel, would never fit a full size one in there

Don't think driver error is the case. Have heard of same problem before a few times. It's maybe common enough thing. I think Toyota's made up to the birth of the d4d type cars were pretty bulletproof. From D4D type on maybe not. But maybe very young cars r even more troublesome. DPF's etc. So maybe the devil u no, etc etc.

I am replying to OP post number 1; You don’t seem to have taken to the Prius at all. It might “grow on you” but that does not seem a promising impression. I sense you are trying to like the car and that is not a good basis for it. When I first drove a Gen 3 in 2010 I knew immediately that this was the car for me. I spent weeks finding out how it worked, its reliability and costs etc, and then bought one. After 7 years I have just bought a new Gen 4 which is stunning. I so love the Toyota HSD that if a car has a gearbox and a diesel engine I am not interested. Funnily I was thinking only a few days ago that the big-engined diesels are optimised for motorway driving and are good at constant 70mph + cruising. Also that the Prius is very different and most people don’t seem to like “different”. The Prius was designed to be a 21st century car, efficient and great to use in mixed everyday driving. It was intended to be better for the environment. Of course its safety, reliability and low running cost for this type of motoring are clear. It is easy and delightful to drive and encourages a relaxed style. It is kind to everyone’s lungs too. It is the most efficient car that does not plug in. It is a Low Emissions Vehicle. I like the fact that motoring bliss also helps everybody else even though most people are driving less efficient gas-guzzling polluters. The economy of the Prius is not the main point for me, I just love the way it does what it does. Its economy has always been the icing on the cake. In my new Gen 4 I have been from North Shropshire to North Wales and Snowdonia, Aylesbury and back, Milton Keynes and back, Birmingham and back, Wolverhampton and back. and local work/shopping. Motorways M54,M6,M1, M42, M40. After two tankfuls I had done 1,001 miles and put in 15.6 gall of UL.

LOL that's what I meant

The only Toyota hybrid plug-in is the Prius Plug-in. The advert actually states "Hybrid technology. No plug-in", so it isn't misleading

The hybrid has a few known images - slow, used as mini cabs, allegedly not as fuel efficient as diesels, batteries don't last long - but this is from people who have never owned or driven one, or don't know how to make the most or like to speed all the time (wasting fuel). I have always said that the current situation with congested roads, 20 mph speed limits, traffic calming (including speed bumps) and speed cameras, makes hybrids more relevant now than ever. Add diesel pollution and that diesel cars are not suitable for town and city driving, not forgetting unreliability and higher servicing cost. My friend has a 9 year old Prius, which bought last year as replacement to written off Avensis. He loves it. I helped him fix a wheel bearing and engine oil change. All very easy. That is why I will look at an Auris TS in the future. Just have to live with my Avensis Tourer for now.

Don't forget to tell Toyota that you are part of the High Mileage Club. http://blog.toyota.co.uk/high-mile-club My 09 iQ has done 102k miles so far, I've driven just over 22000 miles since taking ownership.

I would imagine that the starter motor is not engaging into the flywheel. Mine did it after a heavy rainstorm once. As for piston trouble, I think you would have noticed the clouds of blue smoke behind the car and the perpetual oil top up. As a point of general interest can everyone who posts a problem come back and tell us what the answer was.