RXSF

that test car was getting 56.5mpg...thats a 10% gain. Pretty good. Here's to hoping the Prius got a power bump too

Nextourer

On the plus side, they didn't go the tablet route for the mounting of the screen, on the downside, the gauges are pushed further right towards the centre.

I think the Gen 2 has the best position for gauges. It's closer to the driver's line-of-sight and the depth is good enough to minimise field correction (esp. those with long sightedness). The speedo on the Gen 2 appears to be underneath (and perhaps slightly beyond) the front wipers. On the Gen 3, the perceived depth was reduced and the speedo appears to be at the base of the windshield, closer to the driver.

Fizzboy7

I'd love to hear the Toyota engineer's explanation of how having the most important gauges NOT in front of the driver is a benefit. It didn't work with the first gen Toyota Echo, and it will never work because you can't defy the most basic of safety fundamentals: Keeping one's eyes on the road.

spwolf

that interior is step up from last Auris facelift where Toyota rolled out new screens with all glass... they look bigger and nicer now since glass is where the usual buttons are too.

Prius gets ***** for volume as well as really nice HVAC controls, which imho are probably the best in current Toyota world

-J-P-L-

I had read that the new Prius was supposed to get conventional behind the wheel gauges. Apparently, this will not be the case. Interesting that they would stick with the center gauges that are often panned by critics.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Maybe it's become a Prius 'staple'?

Sulu

There are 2 factors that favour the high, centre-mounted gauges (and 3 if you compare it to the double-decker design of the current-generation Honda Civic).

1. Height of the gauges: With the gauges as high up as possible in the car -- just below the base of the windshield -- there is (much) less distance you have to look down from the road ahead to see the gauges. Having to look down to the gauges through the steering wheel involves more downward movement, taking your eyes off the road for longer.
2. Distance from the driver: With the gauges as far away from the driver as possible -- just below the base of the windshield -- it is easier to change focus from far away (for the road ahead) to close-up for the gauges. Having to focus down to very close to see the gauges through the steering wheel takes more time and physical effort of the eyes.

Having the gauges as high up and as far away as possible makes it much, much easier to take a quick glance of the instruments compared to having to tilt the head down and re-focus the eyes to see the instruments through the steering wheel.

Honda tried this with its double-decker instrument panel design, but with the speedometer above the normal instrument panel, it could be blocked by the rim of the steering wheel, depending on how the driver positions the height of the wheel, and the distance of the driver's seat and the angle of the seatback. Having the instruments at the base of the windshield and offset from straight-ahead, gives the 2 benefits above without the drawback of the double-decker instrument panel.


Critics very often only have a car for a day or a week, and they change cars very often, so it is not enough time to get used to the seemingly "odd" position of high, centre-mounted gauges. Many critics also do not understand the science, engineering and benefits of placing gauges high up and offset from straight-ahead, at the base of the windshield.

With digital gauges, rather than traditional "real" mechanical analog gauges, as they have become the norm in the Prius, it is possible to artificially change the focus of the gauges to make them seem to be farther away, so that it is easier to re-focus from far away for the road ahead to focus on the gauges.

The next step in high-mounted instruments is the head-up display. With the instrumentation being transparent and projected, it is possible to have them visible anywhere on the windshield, including high up, directly in front of the driver, and focused so that the instruments seem to be floating on the road ahead of the driver, rather than in an instrument panel visible down through the steering wheel.

Nextourer

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/08/19/n...n-september-8/

Just under 3 weeks' time.

spwolf

it has indeed.... Toyota had many other models in japan using similar position but recently all have been moved in front of the driver, except for Prius model.

I cant say it bothered me when I had Prius.

spwolf

thanks for the info - it makes sense since production starts this year.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

neither of those 'factors' require them to be in the center vs. in front of the driver.

agreed, but do you think ANYONE is going to offer HUD with the info projected to the MIDDLE (horizontally) of the windshield? didn't think so.

you can try all you like to justify center guages but they're just a cost cutting exercise to make it cheaper to build LHD/RHD cars.

bagwell

agreed. +1.

I hate center gauges....personally I think they should not be legal due to the safety issue.

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

i hope the new Prius be lower in heights. it'd improve mpg by having it more aerodynamic, the last two gen looks like big wheels on tiny tires.

Sulu

Having high-mounted gauges directly in front of the driver does pose a problem -- it has to be high up enough so that they are not blocked by the rim of the steering wheel (regardless of how high the driver may adjust the wheel) but low enough that it does not restrict forward visibility. That reduces the space in which to place instruments. But offsetting the high-mounted gauges off to one side somewhat solves this problem.

There were complaints that the top level of the Honda Civic's double-decker instrument panel (containing the speedometer) could be blocked by the steering wheel rim.

And if you think that centre-mounted infotainment screens are too high and block forward visibility (especially if they are shrouded), high-mounted gauges directly in front of the driver high enough to clear the steering wheel rim would likely be as high or higher.

Having the instrument panel directly in front of the driver does pose a problem, regardless of location -- visible through the steering wheel (as is traditional) or high up (as in the Honda Civic. With gauges visible through the steering wheel, if you lower the angle column angle too low, you run the risk of having the steering wheel rim block off parts of the top portion of the instrument panel; with gauges high up, if you angle the column up high enough, you run the risk of blocking the instruments.

HUD, however, being transparent, can be placed high enough and directly in front of the driver so that they are neither blocked by the steering wheel nor have to be offset from in front of the driver. Information could be projected onto any portion of the windscreen as augmented reality information.

pbm317

Enginerd was also rocking out to Barry Manilow