Drove a Gen 3 for the first time yesterday - don't get it.

I had a 2009 Prius 5 had everything but the touring package The only thing I miss is the better cup holders in the back and the auto dimming rear view mirror. I now have a 2014 Prius 3. Love the Bluetooth and Sat radio and HD Radio. Climate control is separate..not in the mfd. I had the hid headlights they were expensive to replace. I average about 5mpg better than 09. I keep track on fuelly.com . Also this has the entune apps and better nav. No more belts to replace and a/c is electric no belt there ether.

 

while some may not like it, it was a nice little upgrade from Gen II to Gen III, and i expect the same in Gen IV. it's hard to improve on perfection.

 

In addition to all the stuff posted, the Gen 3 is more torsionally rigid too as well as having superior crash performance in the newest small overlap crash test. (The 2014/2015 model anyway).

It's more aerodynamic, better looking, has a more refined powertrain. Better in every way. I'm sure the Gen 2 was a fine car. Being a performance car enthusiast/builder (German BMW), going to a Prius was already a stretch. I had to make sure I got the nicest one possible. I like the Gen 3 a lot! But only with all the cool creature comforts and other parts I installed. My Gen 3 is a hodge podge of parts from different car makes:

Lexus
BMW
Subaru
Scion

 

I have to agree about the traction control difference between gen2 and gen3. It is overly aggressive in gen2 to the point of being dangerous. It's a vast improvement in gen3 as it allows for some slippage. The AC is great in either car but they made a nice improvement in gen3. Another huge improvement is refinement. My 2004 makes a lot of noise on acceleration if you are getting the rpms up. The 2013 I have is much much smoother. I'm really looking forward to driving the 2016. My 2004 will be with me for a long time to come. It's incredibly reliable.

 

I have to admit that I am happy with my Gen III, although I sometimes miss not having a car payment! With the amount of driving I do, I would be close to 140,000 miles if I still had my '07. I definitely do NOT miss leaving the gas station and having the over-zealous VSC bring my car to a complete stop when a front tire slipped and seeing the oncoming traffic heading toward me. The look of fear coming over my face as I willed the car to start moving again. Other than that, I loved my Gen II!

 

That, in my opinion, was a dubious change made mainly for market appeal, not for any technical reason. Rear drums are fine for modestly powered front-drive cars, lighter, and less bother to maintain.

"Brake assist" must be why the brakes feel so darn grabby upon quick but light application? No thanks!

Agree with most of the rest of your list. The modes are trivial, except that "EV" is occasionally useful.

 

I can't use the full capacity of my fuel tank. Supposedly my PiP has a 10.6 gallon tank, but the engine cuts off at 10.3 gallons of use. My best guess for why the engine would shut off before actually running out of fuel is to protect the motor/generator unit from overspeeding. The car relies on running the gas motor to bring the MG speed down to safe levels when traveling at speeds greater than 62 MPH.

I assume the Prius knows when fuel is getting low, slows the vehicle to the safe EV speed, and then shuts down the engine. I was on the freeway doing about 65 MPH when I ran out of fuel, and my only indication that I had run out of fuel is that the vehicle slowed down.

Does anyone have more insight on my assumption about the Prius cutting fuel before the tank is run completely dry?

 

I agree that the brake change is non essential but the discs are better when you are heavily laden on really long descents. Brake maintenance really is not much of an issue on a Prius whether the rear brakes are drum or disc. I view it as a small but nice improvement rather than something that needed to be fixed.

Brake assist is for real panic stops. If you hit the brake pedal fast and hard, Brake Assist applies the brakes faster than you can in an emergency braking mode and will stop the car without skidding and under control as fast as the road surface will permit. This is a very quick stop indeed and it can make the difference between having an accident and not having one. Its a good idea to try it sometime in an empty parking lot to get feel for it.

If you have a problem with grabby brakes I think it must be something other than brake assist. My brakes are not at all grabby except with very light braking in the moment just before the car completely stops.

I hardly ever use it but Power mode is handy if you have to enter fast traffic from a near standstill on a ridiculously short on ramp. I don't think it changes the power ultimately available but it feels as though it makes it available a lot more quickly.

 

The a/c compressor is electric on the Gen 2 also. The only belt driven accessory is the engine water pump. In fact, I don't mind having a belt driven water pump whatsoever. When it failed, the pump itself was only $45 plus SLLC plus my labor. Relatively easy repair except that it's in a difficult to reach area.

The electric water pump on the Gen 3 gas engine is much more expensive and I'd hate to shell out the $$$$ to replace it (although I'll admit that I have no recollection of any Gen 3 owner experiencing a failure with that pump in the nearly five years I've been reading Priuschat threads).

 

Belts are cheap and last a long time, or at least do on some cars. It's difficult to swallow the much more expensive electric pump as a maintenance advantage, unless it lasts forever. It might provide an advantage of better cooling in some circumstances with less overall energy consumption.

 

yes, i think it's an efficiency improvement.

 

This is an interesting comparison as I have the opposite opinion. My sister had an 05 Prius and my impression of that car was so horrible, I wrote it off until the PiP came out. Of particular note was how glacially slow the car was and NVH was just horrible. In contrast to my PiP, the only thing worse in a Gen 3 over a Gen 2 is that {##*{ flying buttress taking up all my leg space. Everything else is the same or improved. Of particular note is the car now has a respectively 10 second 0-60 which is on par with other econo commuters. Handling is still poor but a drastic improvement. The larger engine reduces NVH. The plastic rattle prone interior unfortunately is still there. Despite wider tires, we get better fuel economy. HVAC controls are now separated from the touchscreen. The low res LCD instrument cluster is still there. Thankfully, the 2016 improves on that.

 

Less risk of breakdowns and less trips and time to replace parts are always good.

 

No fuel bladder.
Beltless engine.
No Coolant Thermos....Heat Reclamation System.

There are differences.

For me the, especially living in a state where self service gasoline is not permitted, the departure from the problematic fuel bladder was a real difference maker.

 

I've driven a lot of gen 2 cars, because I didn't want to spend too much on a car, but when I drove a gen 3 I didn't even look back to the gen 2. Ignoring all the small improvements, I think the driving comfort and power of the gen 3 is markedly better. I also hated the whining motor noise of the gen 2, my current gen 3 has a gentle hum like a normal engine.

 

In June we went from a 150K+ mile 2008 to a 48K mile 2013. Biggest improvements for me:

- Adjustability of driver's seat and increased legroom. Admittedly, our 2013 is a Four so we have power seats, but the increased legroom and the ability to raise/lower the seat are a marked improvement
- Same driving style, roads, weather - 6 to 8 mpg improvement. Also have noticed increased EV distance capacity.
- Better road presence, less manic traction control

Minor things to me:

- Separate climate controls - a positive
- changed door panel bins - a negative
- door panel design - a negative (arm rest feels too low, and the window sill is too high, an all too-common thing with cars these days)

I loved our 2008 and we would have kept it if not for some lingering accident issues. I'm thinking I like our Gen 3 more, and not because of the feature set of our particular 4...

 

I drove the gen 3 for first time yesterday, after a few years of driving gen 2's I was very intrigued to drive the next generition.

I like the seats a lot more on the 2011 vs 2005 like everyone else I guess! The engine seemed much quiter!

The biggest surprise was how rattlie and bumpy vs my 2005. I was NOT expecting that! The car had some big name brand tire on it (not lrr though). My 2005 with 270,000 miles seems to glide over the bumps without a rattle or Squeak. Very odd! And the throttle seems much more sensitive in my 2005

In eco mode it seemed almost dangerous!

Side note on the updated HSD, when on the highway and you quickly acclerate the engine seems to do almost all the work, even putting charge back into the battery! My 2005 when on the highway and you punch it, it takes quiet a bit on power from the battery. Odd!

 

Gas pedal sensitive in ECO?? Maybe 'cause you start tromping due to a lack of reaction, is all I can think.

I find it very controlled and linear in "normal" mode, fwiw.