There is a lot of hype for the 2016 Prius which was officially announced last month in the Frankfurt Auto Show, but there are still limited details about the US release of the car. I’m expecting there will be more information from the Tokyo Auto Show later in October, as it is expected that the cars will be available by the end of 2015 or January 2016. Hopefully we can get official pricing and options at that time.
From the official press release, there is only generic information about the Safety Sense offering:
Plus, the Prius will be among the first U.S. models to offer Toyota Safety Sense (TSS), a new multi-feature advanced safety package anchored by automated pre-collision braking. TSS bundles cutting edge safety technologies including:
Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
Automatic High BeamsAvailable on the new Prius, Toyota aims to make Toyota Safety Sense available across nearly the entire vehicle lineup by the end of 2017.
Other than several mentions that the 2016 Prius will be one of the first vehicles to have Safety Sense, I was able to find some information from a Japanese car blog, which when translated into English has the following information about the various models and features (this is for the Japanese release, so it likely will be different in the US). In Japan there will be four trim levels, E, S, A, and A Premium. Here’s the listed features:
E
Fuel consumption: 40km / L
Vehicle weight: 1310kg
Nickel-metal hydride battery-powered: for weight reduction FF only, fuel tank capacity 5L small 38L
Washer tank capacity 2.8L small 2.0L
The number of speakers, two small four rear stabilizer, tonneau cover less price about 230-10000 yenS (mass grade)
Fuel consumption: 37km / L (4WD: 36km / L)
Vehicle weight: 1360kg (4WD: 1430kg)
LED fog lights, smart entry, synthetic leather steering wheel, rear seat center armrest drive: FF or 4WD
Nickel-metal hydride battery price about 250-10000 yenA
Fuel consumption: 37km / L (4WD: 36km / L)
Vehicle weight: 1360kg (4WD: 1440kg)
Toyota safety sense P, senior fabric specifications, and 17-inch aluminum wheels, color head-up display lithium-ion battery price about 290-10000 yenA PREMIUM
Fuel consumption: 37km / L (4WD is 36km / L)
Vehicle weight: 1360kg (4WD: 1440kg)
Electric power seat, raindrop-sensitive auto wipers, leather seats, 100V accessory power lithium-ion battery price about 350-10000 yen
While most people are focused on the new MPG, the horsepower/performance, or other aspects of the appearance, I’m focused on the safety features. Based on the above information (which again is not verified and if accurate applies to the Japanese release), the Safety Sense P is available on the A trim level, which is the third out of four trim level options. I’m not entirely surprised about this, but I was hoping that it would be an option available on all trim levels. Based on things I’ve read elsewhere, the Safety Sense P option will be around $500, which is very reasonable for the features included and hopefully will get adopted widely.
As to the specifics of how well the Safety Sense system will work, I still have having a hard time finding details. I’ve seen a few articles about the claimed effectiveness, but until the IIHS report is complete, I guess I won’t know for certain.
As I get more information about the Safety Sense features and effectiveness in the 2016 Prius, I’ll update this thread. In the meantime, I’m going to try to keep the general Toyota Safety Sense thread updated with information as it comes available on any Toyota models.