I was told by a salesperson that the underneath is extra reinforced versus the 3rd gen because the 4th gen has a better chance of bottoming out. Is this true? Or are Toyota salespeople still not up to snuff with the Prii...
First thing I ask a car sales persons " WHAT DO YOU DRIVE? " and why that one? Most sales people have very little knowledge about the products they are selling! do your home work first b4 you go shopping!
The gen 4 frames has 60% stiffer resistance to bending. This has nothing to do with bottoming out. Salesmen are only lying when their lips move.
Why would a car bottom out? The gen 4 jumps and gets air borne easier than the gen 3? Gen 4 does more off road driving? Seriously, Look for some undercarriage photos for comparison. Maybe the gen 4 has some additional cross bracing (such as the aftermarket sells) to stiffen the chassis. Let us know your findings.
The extra bracing is hidden behind the flux capacitor, makes everything seem more posh. The gen4 is .9" lower to the ground, which is why it might touch objects more often, extra body bracing is available, just like the gen2, more so than the gen3, there's a thread about cusco braces and strut bars.
What is weird is my Touring does not scrape the driveway like the Gen 2 and Gen 3 does. Gen 3 was a non touring so maybe that is the difference for the Gen 3.
