Livestream of the World Premier in Japan will occur late on Tuesday evening, November 15, 2022. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Nov. 15, 2022 The livestream can be watched on TMC's official YouTube channel as shown. The most efficient gasoline fueled vehicle in the world is about to receive a number of user-friendly upgrades. And surely a bump in efficiency as well. Los Angeles, CA -- Toyota continuously improves its products as it strives to solve the problems facing all of us with regards to personal transportation coexisting sustainably within the environment that we all live. Under the banner of "Achieving Zero," Toyota’s future goal is zero environmental impact from the vehicles they produce, ship, we purchase, drive, and ultimately dispose of. Additionally, Toyota is looking "Beyond Zero" which we first saw at the bZ4X intro. That idea focuses on ways to improve our lives and society in the future. The Original Prius started the move. The all-new 5th Gen improves upon it. 4th Gen Prius Drivetrain Looking back at the current 4th gen, its outstanding efficiency arose from two key parameters. Engine thermodynamics and aerodynamics were improved significantly. The 2016 Prius’ heavily atkinsonized 1.8L VVT-i I4 was completely re-engineered over the 3rd gen providing an unheard-of thermal efficiency of greater than 40 percent with a large-volume exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and improvements in combustion efficiency. A redesigned air intake port improved airflow inside the combustion chamber, while the coolant passages were redesigned to optimize internal engine temperature. The friction created by the piston skirts, rotating parts and the oil pump has been reduced, while the use of low-viscosity 0W-16 motor oil reduced friction between engine components. The transaxles electronics and motors were more compact with a 20 percent higher efficiency than the 3rd gen. Fuel efficiency was also increased with an automatic grille shutter and a smaller and more efficient exhaust heat recirculation. 4th Gen Prius Aerodynamics On the aero front, included was a lower hood by 2.7 inches, peak of the roof was moved forward by 6.7”, and the car's maximum height was lowered by .8 inches. The result was a drag coefficient of 0.24. 0.25 for the Prius Prime with its own specific front fascia and dual-wave rear glass arrangement. At the rear, the spoiler flowed to the corner edges better than the 3rd gen to lower drag. 5th Gen Prius Details I was afforded the opportunity to see the all-new 5th gen in Plano, Texas at a secret reveal for the fortunate few that were invited a few months back. While still under NDA until tomorrow night, consider the upgrades to the new bZ4X, Sequoia, new RX, and all-new Crown. You can expect to see the all-new Toyota Audio Multimedia system with extremely solid wireless ACP and AA. All designed and engineered by Toyota’s Texas-based Connected Technologies team as previously reported. The full TSS 3.0 safety suite should be standard as an incremental improvement over the already well received TSS 2.0 system. That includes several enhancements to the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Would it be too much to ask for BSM and RCTA to be standard across the entire lineup? Stay tuned. On the powertrain front, just like the refreshed Corolla Hybrid, the focus may be more towards a significant performance jump vs the ever-increasing efficiency we have come to expect with each new generation of Prius. Stay tuned on that front as well. Some will be mightily surprised. Regarding interior and exterior design, that one will have to wait as well. Expect a much more modern appearance both inside and out. It too will be worth the wait. All told, the all-new 2023, 5th gen Prius is going to turn heads regarding some of its aspects that point in a direction we may not have initially expected. 2023 Toyota Prius Oh, and the all-new 5th gen, 2023 Prius Prime is right behind it with some head turning details too. One beyond those hinted at above is truly a welcome addition. All-new 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Livestream Date/Time: Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 PM - 7:15 PM PST/09:30 PM - 10:15 EST All-new 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Speaker: Simon Humphries, Senior GM, Design Field, Vehicle Development
Hi Edwin: You will be pleasantly surprised. Think of some of the "goofy" layout features of the Prius over the years. It is a lot more mainstream than it was in the past. Wayne
It's funny how that review of the 4th generation didn't mention that they fixed major trouble spots of the 3rd generation engine, but added a couple of new ones.
Hi RedylC94: The head gasket issue on the 10 - 12 3rd gens was probably not even registering in 2015 when the 2016s were first introduced. Maybe? Wayne
They had to be well aware of that weakness when, as your initial post above hints, "the coolant passages were redesigned to optimize internal engine temperature," specifically to reduce thermal stresses on the gasket. Adding insulation inside the block must've required a lot of design and development effort. Evidently the changes helped a lot. They also made major changes to the troublesome EGR system for 2016. The ring-sticking and oil consumption issue had been addressed for the last 1½ years of the 3rd generation.
I don’t think 2013~2015 are immune to head gasket failure. The EGR system is mostly the same, and I strongly suspect it's that system's carbon clogging to blame. Toyota did revise the intake manifold and EGR valve, touted that as a fix for P0401 (insufficient EGR flow), and/or cold-start shakes. I don’t think it was that effective. My strategy is periodic EGR system (including intake manifold) clean out. And oil catch can between PCV valve and intake manifold. Also, stick with gen 2 oil change interval: 8k kilometres (5k miles) or 6 months, whichever comes first. Our 2010’s got a mere 96k kms on it now (well almost), very low I appreciate. So far, no oil consumption, no head gasket symptoms. My wife and I are both retired now, not driving that much, and the car’s over-maintained and underutilized, lol.
