2026 Gen. 5 Prius Wish-List

prius gives plenty of warning if they overheat

 

Here is what I would like to have changed to my 24:
1) More reliable and faster Android connection.
2) Better design on the center counsel display so that you can have quick access to radio and tune adjustability (treble, mid, bass) when in Carplay.
3) Faster response on the steering wheel volume adjustment & clicking on the dash volume control.
4) Tachometer option like in the 2025 Camry. I much prefer to be able to see the RPM going up and down in relationship to the changes in gear ratio even though you have a steady throttle input.
5) Battery charge status meter or %, and coolant temp meter or deg. both showing without changing view.
6) More sound deadening especially the front doors they don't feel a quality thunk when closed and feels a kind of noisy on rough freeway.
7) Body color wheel arch not black.
8) Custom drive mode will not be defaulted back to normal drive mode next time.
9) Retune the eCVT to not let the engine rev up so quickly even at half throttle.

These may seem like a lot, but each one is a simple fix.

10) High Performance option with the Camry's more powerful engine+electric motors for $1000.

 

Not having a tach is weird.

There is one of these in the left half of the display. It's three screens down from the efficiency display in mine. It also shows whether you are charging or discharging.

 

That depends. On my Camry I use the Hybrid system Status indicator instead of a tach.

 

I’ll reluctantly disagree, considering the Prius transaxle, and the total disability to do anything about the revs, it’s the car’s domain.

Would like to see more stuff though, coolant temp for sure.

 

My Camry permanently shows a coolant gauge.

 

I'd like to see an oil temp reading. I don't see how an engine that runs intermittently even in cold weather will get hot enough to cook moisture out of the oil.

I get that the only control one has over revolutions is indirect and through the accelerator. I still don't like not knowing the engine speed.

I have that too, but it isn't a tach.

Engine speed, oil and coolant temp are on a need to know basis in a Prius, and it assures me that I don't need to know.

 

Coolant temp is needed if you have a leak in the system and you're low on the coolant which can leads to engine overheating in a short time even though the chance is slim on a Toyota but you never know.

I know I can see the battery charge status, but in order to see that, you will sacrifice the showing of the MPG. I wanted to be able to see both together with the coolant temp or oil temp and the tach.

 

I really also wanted the tachometer because whenever you press the throttle past halfway, you can hear the engine thrashing sound, and I wanted to know how fast my engine is spinning. Before I bought the car, I thought if I put the drive mode in eco, the engine would not rev so high, but found out it didn't matter.

 

The Camry XSE & XLE have a larger meter display that lets us see more items at once. The lower trims have the 7 inch one which, i assume, is the same as the Prius.

 

Have you considered an aftermarket display like this on Amazon?
Lufi Xs Obd2 Gauge Display,car inclinometer, Boost Gauge, RPM Meter, Multifunction Heads up Display Cluster

 

I found this tachometer on Amazon that's only 2" in diameter and can display in 7 different colors:

Amazon.com: GlowShift Tinted 7 Color 10,000 RPM Tachometer Gauge - for 1-10 Cylinder Gas Powered Engines - Black Dial - Smoked Lens - 2-1/16" 52mm : Automotive

But where can I install it without looking too tacky? I do like the retro Euro sports car styling.

 

Aesthetic considerations will be subjective. I have my radar detector mounted above and behind my center screen. I could imagine an extra small screen mounted above the driver's screen or to either side.

The real obstacle for me would be getting the thing wired in so that it both works and doesn't cause a problem elsewhere. I wouldn't like to upset the digital black magic so that I could read revolutions only to find out that cruise control and headlights no longer worked. I try to follow the first two rules of horsing around with things I like: 1) first do no harm, and 2) modify the less expensive part.

 

Even though I'm still waiting on a '26 LE AWD, I've found three apps so far that appear as apps on CarPlay in a friend's '25 CrossTrek. Only text is available. I displayed engine parameters, such as rpm and coolant temperature, on the car's Infotainment screen.

Something CarPlay compatible catering to hybrid would be nice, which could access all the available info, but I don't know if that exists, what the capabilities of those three apps, etc, etc.

I created a topic:
https://priuschat.com/threads/gauges-on-infotainment-screen-via-carplay-app-and-obdc-port.257299

 

The radio stations you store (like) are not for you to choose; they are the ones you are steered to like. Paid for by big media no doubt.

 

you talking to me?
I'm talking obdc