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The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

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Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#191

Post by numpad0 »

jgilias wrote: post #36

I sometimes chuckle that most of the cool Lexuses are now Priuses under the hood! But that’s a good thing. I own a Toyota Corolla hybrid myself, and hybrids are one of those things that I can say I’ve completely changed my mind about. I used to dislike the idea of hybrids, because I assumed that the overall system complexity must be higher than either an ICE, or an EV. And I’m a sucker for simple systems, so I though…

Can't agree more, I can't understand why any car person would not be excited about THS II system anymore ever since its executive summary finally clicked, other than because that Prius as a product used to be so badly designed until Tesla started seriously threatening Toyota.

If only Toyota made bunch of toy models for THS and built couple 2-door hybrids so that more people would get it. I suppose it's a case of innovator's dilemma, but it's so unfortunate.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#192

Post by _yb2s »

01HNNWZ0MV43FF wrote: post #184
_yb2s wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Prius system is an excellent design, but as someone that loves driving, it just feels and drives awful- little tactile or audible feedback on any of the controls, and really unresponsive to inputs- arguably dangerously so. My regular daily driver is an old Porsche Boxster, and by comparison the Prius feels like I’m driving a dishwasher or playing a cheap arcade game- it will get you there reliably but it’s just n…

> a pure EV with a small range extender not connected to the drivetrain mechanically That is, a series hybrid, like a diesel locomotive?

Yes, a range extender EV like the BMW i3 REx is technically a series hybrid, but it is designed to operate most of the time on electricity only and be plugged in to charge- with a large EV size battery and a very small lightweight moped engine in the extender.

The range extender basically gives you protection from range anxiety, but isn't used at all in normal use of the vehicle. On the i3, it only starts the engine when the battery is nearly empty, but some people do software mods to be able to use the vehicle as a true series hybrid, and run the engine continuously for doing long distance freeway driving without stopping to charge.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#193

Post by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF »

Toutouxc wrote: post #80
jgilias wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it have a power split device? E.g., a planetary gearbox?

No, it’s a different system than what Toyota uses: https://global.honda/en/tech/Honda_eHEV_next_generation/

Looks like a series hybrid with a clutch that bypasses the generator for a high-efficiency overdrive gear. It's simpler than the planetary gear system in a Prius, but they must have made the drive motor (equivalent to MG2 in Prius diagrams) bigger if they never combine power from both MG2 and the ICE. Or, that's not shown in the diagram.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#194

Post by pandemic_region »

_yb2s wrote: post #188
epolanski wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's fine to demand more from a car, but to most of us it has to move us from point a to b.

I honestly never quite understood this perspective or why it's so popular... in general I try to always find ways to do normal life things a little weird, or make it a little more challenging, fun, and memorable- and try to break up the routine drudgery. Even just getting groceries can be a fun adventure with my kid if we put the top down on the Porsche, play some music we love, and maybe go to a weird store that tar…

Where do you put the groceries in a Porsche?

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#195

Post by kreyenborgi »

Lammy wrote: post #168
timbit42 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I expect they are referring to the traction control system. On ice, it's really hard to get started moving when it's constantly kicking in. If you're trying to get across one or more lanes of traffic to turn left (driving on right), then you can be in danger of getting hit unless you leave a lot more time to get across.

There's a hidden procedure to disable it. I keep it saved in a note in my phone and have needed to use it one (1) time ever. - Press Start button twice. - Push accelerator to the floor twice. - Push and hold brake pedal and shift into Neutral then release brake pedal. - Push accelerator to the floor twice. - Push and hold brake pedal and shift into Park then release brake pedal. - Push accelerator to the floor twice.…

If you move the stick Down, R, Up, L, and hit Y, B you get mega turbo

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#196

Post by sonofhans »

_yb2s wrote: post #167
jgilias wrote: post #36

I sometimes chuckle that most of the cool Lexuses are now Priuses under the hood! But that’s a good thing. I own a Toyota Corolla hybrid myself, and hybrids are one of those things that I can say I’ve completely changed my mind about. I used to dislike the idea of hybrids, because I assumed that the overall system complexity must be higher than either an ICE, or an EV. And I’m a sucker for simple systems, so I though…

The Prius system is an excellent design, but as someone that loves driving, it just feels and drives awful- little tactile or audible feedback on any of the controls, and really unresponsive to inputs- arguably dangerously so. My regular daily driver is an old Porsche Boxster, and by comparison the Prius feels like I’m driving a dishwasher or playing a cheap arcade game- it will get you there reliably but it’s just n…

To be fair, you are contrasting an econobox with one of the all-time great driver’s cars :) I bet I have enough fingers to count cars more fun to drive than a Boxster.

I do agree about the Prius, though. It feels like driving a dishwasher.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#197

Post by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF »

cyberax wrote: post #150
mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you imagine if the Ford Model T had coconuts installed to mimic the sound of a horse's feet?

Or a pile of manure in the trunk to simulate the smell.

Dank smells save lives

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#198

Post by idontwantthis »

thaw13579 wrote: post #34
inciampati wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A regular EV also requires no special infrastructure. Just your regular house electrical system (e.g. 120v wall outlet in the US). Only on long trips do you need fast chargers or does range anxiety kick in. If you do a lot of long drives I can see that being a problem. But if not I'd be willing to bet you'd lose less time charging than taking your vehicle to the mechanic for maintenance and repairs. Because the EV, w…

For many people in cities, it’s hard to secure parking with reliable access to an electrical outlet.

That wouldn’t be a problem for the op with the phev because they are already charging at home and only driving less than 30 miles each day except 8 times in the past year. I still don’t get why phevs are a thing.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#199

Post by _yb2s »

pandemic_region wrote: post #194
_yb2s wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly never quite understood this perspective or why it's so popular... in general I try to always find ways to do normal life things a little weird, or make it a little more challenging, fun, and memorable- and try to break up the routine drudgery. Even just getting groceries can be a fun adventure with my kid if we put the top down on the Porsche, play some music we love, and maybe go to a weird store that tar…

Where do you put the groceries in a Porsche?

The Boxster is mid-engined so there is no back seat, but a usable trunk at each end. The front trunk is takes up the entire space of a normal engine bay, and is surprisingly massive for how small the car is, because it is very deep.

Overall the Boxster is a surprisingly practical car- it was very cheap (cheaper than an old Prius of the same age) but now appreciating in value with age, can use a 3+ carpool lane with 2 people, is tiny so easy to park anywhere, and it is actually very reliable and low maintenance.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#200

Post by rssoconnor »

MarkusWandel wrote: post #73
gcanyon wrote: post #19

The new Prius is really good-looking (to my eye at least), especially in person: I don't think the photos (I've seen) do it justice. Fun comparisons to the car Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit: Compared to the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am: - The Prius is as fast 0-60 (~7 seconds) - The Prius has nearly the same top speed (~115 mph) - The Prius is 4x(!) as fuel-efficient (57mpg vs. 12-16mpg) - The Prius has all t…

I wanted to like the 2024+ Prius, I really did. I was in the market for a new car anyway, so I went and test drove one (not that I could have got one right away, at the time). Takeaways... - it drives really nice with plenty of power - the "gearshift" (not that it is one, but that part of the UI) is nonintuitive - the interior looks smaller than it is, due to massive A-pillars and little to no rearward visibility - i…

> None of that would have mattered that much, but the dealbreaker: Trunk space.

I hear you. I got a 2022 Prius Prime and I was disappointed with the smaller trunk space compared with the 2010(ish) Prius I had before, but I still went with it. However, my understanding is that the newer models somehow have even smaller trunk space space. At least that space under the trunk floor is filled with batteries in my case.

While I'm happy enough with my purchase, I suspect I won't be getting a Prius in the future. If I want a PHEV, I might look at the Rav4 Prime, but I think I'm more likely to look for a full EV when the time comes.

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