40lb of torque is AWD. Watch Alex on Autos review of AWD Prius. He's more knowledgeable and does real world test. He explains its helpful in poor climate, which is its intended purpose.
James if it can’t power the vehicle out of something like that when the front has no traction then it’s not real awd it’s just assistance. If you market it like that a lot more people up north will buy it
If you'll excuse me for splitting a hair, the badge is actually "AWDe," and significantly, it is not Toyota's "AWDi." A mechanical AWD would not be capable of pushing itself off the rollers, either. When I had a Prius, it only came with "variable stability control" - only good for keeping the car from tearing itself apart. Now I have a HiHy with AWDi (badged as "4WDi" on my 2007), and this means a true traction control system that can send power to the wheel(s) with traction
Mason Reppeto Have you heard of the concept of BMW’s AWD system in the M5? You can pretty much just turn off the front wheels, so HOPEFULLY Toyota has our least favourite car under some kind of drivetrain development soon
Idlia Dosai It’s the adaptability of the M5 though, you can have Subaru typed diff (50 50) setup or complete rear drive (0 100) or anything in between really
Useless? No. What we saw in this video is not _low_ traction, but *no* traction. That's a rare scenario. Even ice isn't that slippery. The Prius AWD-e is perfectly fine for what it's intended for; Snowy driving. The rear motor is only meant to *help* push the car forward (Like a human pushing the car from behind), not completely power the vehicle like a real AWD/4WD system can. No traction scenarios usually occur during rock climbing, where the vehicle may be tilted in ways in which multiple wheels are making little or no traction. You will never find a Prius rock climbing (At least not seriously, but as a joke). Even real AWD cars aren't capable of rocking climbing. That's pretty much only for vehicles with locking or limited slip difs.
@@OFFAxisBuilds So I got curious off axis and started to look at your other RUclips comments. All of the ones I could find are just dissing electric vehicles. And that's fine you can have your opinion that's cool... But the way you talk about it makes one thing clear: You haven't tried them. Maybe take one for a test drive some time, especially a Model 3 or even a Chevy Bolt. I admit, the lack of sound and gears isn't the same experience, but to call them golf carts is simply inaccurate.
Hold your horses everybody. Prius eAWD is meant for extra traction during rain and light snowfall while accelerating from a stop and moving at moderate speeds. It’s not a waste of money when used how it was intended. It not an off road option lol. But get on a steep hill with 3” of snow on the ground and you’re gonna wish you had the eAWD option. Remember, the rollers simulate zero traction. But in a real world scenario, snow doesn’t mean ZERO traction, just LESS traction.
"4WD-i" means that the AWD system is part of a sophisticated integrated vehicle control system. VDIM, as it's often called, combines stability control, brake-by-wire, variable steering, the hybrid system, and the rear electric motor, and uses all of these cooperatively to enhance how the vehicle handles.
TheLittleAcura aka A-SPEC! Well it sucks and anyone buying a car for the 4wd shouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. My friends hybrid highlander got stuck IMMEDIATELY when trying to drive it on the beach. It couldn’t even get up a snowy driveway with winter tires that my A4 quattro on all seasons can do any day of the year. For all intensive purposes, the i stands for imaginary.
@@aspecreviews Which would be fine if it said AWD-i. But AWD is not real 4wd. People think it is and that they can go anywhere my jeep can. They can not.
It’s a lot more effective in real world situations. The rear motor is low powered because it’s mainly used to get the tires going in snow, situations where too much power isn’t desired anyway.
But on the second situation when the front tires was like spin on the snow, any awd/4x4 will be sent the power to the rear differential and will be spinning front tires but will be out the stuck, maybe Toyota need to see this video and make active manual or change the power to the wheels to go out in some bad situations like snow or mud, now if is spin the tires and don’t moved that’s can be other situations
This test isn’t all that accurate for representing loss of traction. The rollers put the tire in a depression requiring much more effort to crawl up and out of than a typical loss of traction on the road. Still pathetic the car can’t handle it, but you need to keep this in mind when evaluating the results.
Watch Alex on Autos review of AWD Prius. He's more knowledgeable and does real world test. He explains its helpful in poor climate, which is its indented purpose.
I live in vermont for the past 15 years all I had was front wd or even rear wd in my Dakota sport pickup in deep snow never got stuck using winter snow tires
Pretty measly in comparison to other vehicles that offer AWD tho. Some SUVs can be a couple grand between fwd and AWD. Granted this might help get off the line a little faster in snow.
Apparently, it does the job to get you unstuck in a snowy condition uphill, so it is more like a support system, not the AWD. But just to let you know to turn off TC completely you have to press and hold (5 sec ) the TC button if you just press it once it just turns off partially. I tested it on my Prius Prime when I was in a very harsh winter condition and it helped to get unstuck. Great test as always :-)
You can try to do a "old school" or "manual" "diff lock", by slightly applying brakes at the same time with accelerator pedal. It will block slipping wheel and other wheel by the same amount, but engine will work harder thus turning both wheels. Works like a charm on older open-diff cars when you get stuck :)
As someone who actually owns this exact car in Buffalo NY, I can vouch that the awd system is adequate for winter driving. I live on a very steep hill and I never had issues making it up, and I’m using the stock low drag tires. But thanks for the comments everyone who needs a Subaru to compensate for winter driving incompetency.
If that thing is an "AWD", then my car is a hybrid. Since it has a combustion engine and a starter motor putting out about the same HP as this prius rear engine. Cranking in Gear and I could drive electric for a mile.
This is how AWD marketing works: as long as the car is able to move all 4 wheels, no matter the conditions like, it can move the rear wheels but: only on reverse, on Tuesdays, while set to service mode on a full moon. Lawyers will give the green light, and they'll proudly glue the AWD badge and proceed to advertise the car climbing the Everest. And then the non car guy salesman will say something like "This system will give you all the confidence you need to overcome any circumstance you might face on the road, safely"
it's honestly really really weird, I can't see how this system can actually be any useful, like, the FWD version is cheaper, lighter and probably just as safe
I bought a '19 awd-e Prius, and I think it's pretty much the perfect commuter. My fuel-economy average from new is 3.9L/100kms (60 us mpg), and in the summer I often see over 80 us mpg. The awd system in it works exactly as promised; I commute a mountain pass daily, and last winter the rear diff would kick in when needed, and kept me going where pointed, without any 'sawing' of the steering wheel that other fwd cars have done on the same climb, with the same kind and size of winter tires. This not a performance AWD, nor was it designed to be so. Changes I would like to see is that the rear diff kick in when needed until 90kph (55mph), and that we could get the 3/4" higher suspension that Toyota offers on priuses in other countries.
2 года назад
You got way better gas mileage than I did with my 2020 Prius AWD XLE. As the first owner, I have been driving it all across Washington State state, overwhelmingly highway miles, with some urban miles and some dirt road/snow miles. My avg MPG is above 37 with 43811 miles total
I had no expectation that the Prius e-AWD will do well. The 7HP rear electric motor is just a waste of time to get and a waste of money. If Toyota really want to keep Prius alive, they need to put a more powerful motor back there and I think they need to put in a traditional gauge cluster and traditional gear-shift lever. They can also try doing an SE or XSE Prius with some increase power, and yes I know it will result in a lower mpg, but I am sure there are some people out there that will like to get a Prius SE or XSE. Personal I don't need a Prius I need a RAV4 XSE Hybrid or a RAV4 Prime.
The problem is the traction control system, not the motor. 7 HP is plenty to push the front wheels off the rollers, and technically the rear motor is supposed to be permanently on from 0-7 mph. It's just the motor isn't working properly due to improper programing.
@@MrLM002 well Tommy did test it with traction control, on and also off, both failed. I don't even think saying the motor isn't working properly sound convincing to me. saying that, I will interpret that as a defective motor, so if you implying it not working properly then Toyota will need to do a recall. As for programming I do not know how much that will accomplish, but I am still convince that a 7 HP can not really be effective in getting you unstuck in median to high snow, but good enough to keep a momentum if you had already been moving, and good in light snow, slush and on wet road. nevertheless I am no scientist.
@@superlight47 Watch the video, the computer in the car wasn't sending power to the rear wheels when the front wheels were on the rollers. That is a problem with the computer and inherently the base traction control system. The rear motor should always be driving according to Toyota from 1-7 MPH. The motor is most likely not broken, it's just Toyota being idiots which is a rarity for them. This system isn't designed to make your car be able to push through snow higher than your ground clearance, it is to help get you going from a dead stop so you can build up momentum, kicking on as needed, and still getting 50 combined MPG. However Toyota clearly failed to meet their advertised claims and there will probably be a class action lawsuit.
I drove one of these and it actually did pretty well in the snow/ice with the stock summer tires (except braking was not so great). If I had not seen the fiasco on the slip test I would have said the AWD Prius was a lot better car than I thought it would be. Could it be -- that for the average super mellow Prius driver in cold climates who does not do off-roading -- the on demand electric rear axle is just good enough and way better than FWD? Seems like most posters either dislike the idea of a fuel sipping car or expect this thing to be a rock crawler. Just sayin.
I think people are missing the point. This is still vastly better than just FWD in real snow/ice conditions. On the diagnol slip test the car should be able to use the abs/vsa system to brake the spinning wheel to act like a simulated limited slip. That was sad.
So I have a standard Prius and it was surprisingly good in the snow. I’ve been in situations where I should have been stuck and have been stuck in other cars, yet I made it through with the Prius. You’d think with the extra motor it would actually do better.
Might want to check out their Subaru awd test videos, Subaru AWD has gotten pretty much useless (as far as I can tell) if you get a CVT. A CVT cannot adequately transfer torque to the ground, especially if a wheel is slipping or something
@@Black-Villain I have owned 11 Subaru's since 2006. I am looking for my next AWD/4x4 that does not have a CVT and gets good mileage and has the ground clearance I need. 😊
@@wizeguiz Have you considered a Kona? It's pretty much identical in size to a Crosstrek, pretty fun/quick with the turbo engine option, DCT instead of a CVT, more interior room than a Crosstrek, etc. There's also the Regal TourX, the GM contract with Opel to build them ends soon, and dealers can't move them, so you can sometimes find a fully loaded one for ~$28k (Like 15k off msrp)
What about a Ford Escape hybrid? They are more reliable than Ford's non-hybrids, but the AWD system can send 100% torque to the rear when needed, although it still has open diffs. Subaru has a nice AWD system, but garbage transmissions and not enough power, besides the Forester XT.
I agree with and have employed the snow tire option on my 2006 Prius. I have a dedicated set of Blizzak snow tires on a separate set of rims. We've had some nasty snow storms here in north NJ over the years. The car never, ever had a problem with traction, holding the road or braking...even in relatively deep snow and sleet.
The traction control is a bit aggressive for my taste. Still, I get snow about once a year for about 2 days max. Last time I saw major snow was March of 1993. If I need use of 4x4 I have 3 trucks.
This is what happens when a company gets used to taking advantage of the consumer it is not an unreal expectation for a car Labeled all will drive to be able do this
Knowing this is a prius and not a rav4 i'm not really surprissed it crashed and burned with a premature rust spot. Would be great if they made the gen 5 with a 20-30kw rear motor and better slip detection though.
You’d think Toyota would have done something similar in the testing and development stage and said this isn’t going to work. Looks like this system is the result of a committee. Love this test. Keep them up.
2 года назад
I am the first owner of my Prius AWD XLE 2020. I just came back from Winthrop, WA. On my way to Beaver Lake Trailhead from Winthrop in the morning, my car was able to traverse onto deep snow mountain zone where no other car has been to. My car was the ONLY car leaving tracks behind. Part of the reason was my car was so light, and it literally floated on trimmed snow road. There was this steep slope and my car could not make it through. Time to stop and snowshoe. So I decided to be nice and parked on the side of the road. Little did I know, the side of the road was not trimmed/condensed, so the left side of my car sunk into the snow. I could not get it out. So I started to snowshoe all the way back to State Highway 20 to seek help. Later two local families I met on the way tried to help. But their GMC Denali HD got stuck in the snow WAY BEFORE my car did. Part of the reason was the day got warmer as afternoon set in. So we managed to push the truck out of the snow and walked to my car on foot. We finally pushed my car out of the snow, which took a lot less effort than pushing the truck out of snow. Then we drove and pushed and drove and pushed and finally got my Prius out of the snowy mountain zone. All in all, I was impressed by my 2020 Prius AWD XLE. It did better in the snow than GMC Denali HD the 4WD heavy duty truck did.
As they were pushing you off the rollers, I was waiting for a spinning tire to catch a roller rack and fling it into the feet of the guy pushing. Glad it didn't happen.
I live in Wisconsin and I really do think that this system would be adequate for our severe winters. If you put snow tires on this car, I think it would do fantastic. With the rear motor just giving the car a little boost, it would certainly be better than any fwd car, plus the Prius is very light so it'll have fewer problems.
With 40 lbft and 7 hp it definitely has way more than is needed to get the car off that stand. The problem seems to be programming for this contingency. What exactly is AWD & traction control good for if it doesn't solve this? It should be able to tell that the front wheels have no traction and just give it all to the rear wheels.
I wonder how well these rollers translate to real world conditions. It seems like the vast majority of the time when a car can't get off the rollers is a programmatical issue as opposed to a mechanical one. I get the feeling that manufacturers program the systems to work properly in real world condition and sometimes it just doesn't translate well to the rollers.
@@vinced3974 I live in an area that can see good amount of snow during a storm. Even a snowfall of a foot is not enough to close a lot of places in my area. Rollers can approximate some conditions you may experience in a snow storm. The one front wheel with traction test for example. If you have to parallel park on the street, you will find a snow plow will eventually push a mound of snow next to your car. As you try to maneuver out, you'll find one wheel will eventually be out of that mound while the other three are still in the snow. Also, that one wheel that is out of the mound isn't necessary on dry ground. It may be on snow left behind by the plow or some other icy/slippery surface.
Hey, Tommy. Suggestion: lightly apply the brake, while simultaneously pressing the accelerator. I’ve long wondered why TFL doesn’t do this, as well, when you’re unable to make forward progress in your off-road tests. Sometimes, applying the brakes can “trick” an open differential into send some power to the wheel with traction.
You really don’t need AWD with a Prius. I’ve lived in Buffalo, NY and the western slope of CO. For 95% of the population FWD and dedicated winter tires will outperform AWD on all seasons in the snow anyways.
Congratulations, again for this test.. You getting better & better. Almost, nobody really tests the cars & find any problems. Please, test also the Rav4 AWD. I'm not sure if Camry or Corrola have AWD.
Ok, i found the video. ruclips.net/video/6N6T1oF2Ee4/видео.html Rav4 isn't made for off road.. Its AWD is for snow - rain..slippery situations or passing by from village roads. We choose - buy RAV4, for the legendary reliability. Also the Honda SUV is very good vehicle.
Do you think you guys could try the AWD Camry? It seems like its going to be a popular choice up here in Canada and I am curious if the AWD is worth anything.
The worst part of this AWD system is that it still qualifies as an AWD system for the purposes of mountain road closures and restrictions. For the purposes of being permitted up the canyons here in SLC, this is legal during snowstorms. I personally dragged two of these from the snow last year with my GX470.
I believe this "awd" system is mislabelled. It is more of an engine assist. The motors were put into the rear because of packaging it seems. It definitely is not for traction. Maybe labelling the system RWA - Rear Wheel Assist.
Makes me question how useful this setup of electric motor driven rear wheels are in the other vehicles, Lexus UX hybrid, Rav4 hybrid, with this application.
It could be very effective. I do think the motor is too small and I suspect the traction control system is still cutting power to the rear in this situation. The concept is not bad, just the execution.
I have one and I would suggest the software could use some tweaks for the back wheels. The car was definitely not putting full power to the back wheels on the front wheel spinning test. I would suggest a software tweak for the system could improve this. The front diff is likely causing the problem for the one grip tire. I would have to agree this isn’t really a completely real world test with the car sinking into the roller pit. In real work snowy situations and on ice I find this system to work quite well even with the all seasons. I found it pulls pretty well compared to a front wheel drive civic with Nokia WGR4 all around, better in fact. Though it can lack on the stopping. No substitution for snow tires. Not bad for a $1000 option. Not for off roading though.
Drivetrain calibration could be better. It should be able to detect the speed differentials at different corners and send power or brake loose wheel accordingly.
I drove an awd prius up a snowy icey hill that was actually a driveway We also had a fwd 07 Prius that couldn't do it when the awd Prius could so I'm going to go by the real world results.
because they use only electric power to reverse and therefore are very quiet...all you hear when they roll forward slowly is the sound of tires rolling
I am frankly amazed and surprised. I've been to yellowstone from Socal in December and big bear. During blizzards about 2-3" snow and icy roads, with stock ecopias and ive never has a issue with my gen3. I have taken my fusion hybrid in similar conditions and it gets stuck more often then the prius. Once I had to pass five cars on a icy road in big bear during a snow storm and I was able to drive past all of them. Namely rwd cars/trucks and a couple of compact cars.
@@V843v3r There is plenty of torque and horsepower in the motor to move the prius off the rollers. Toyota has blown the design or that particular prius is not working as designed.
It's still great in the snow without awd. Fwd, skinny tires. My biggest gripe is the engine shutting off so the coolant cools down when you want to be blasting the heater.
Tommy, Lesson learned, keep your car away from #rollers and use winter tires if you live somewhere with snow. TFL videos of Dec 12 , 2018 and May 14, 2019 were far more fulsome in their praise. BTW spinning around on rollers will kill mpg which is the main reason a rational person would buy one of these in the first place.
My bet is that it would be worse in winter cause show likely block wheels more and even LESS traction for rear. The test in this video gives that "AWD" the best chance to work and it failed.
@@arbiter1 I will credit Tommy for being clever enough to find a test it would fail but I have watched 5-6 reviews of this car and this is the first that highlighted the negatives rather than the positives. Living in Canada, I would choose this every time over a fwd equivalent. This is not marketed as a 4X4, the TRD OFF Road RAV4 is a much bigger letdown and much a more expensive option compared to a regular RAV4.
@@camaroman101 well, the roller test will matter if real world conditions would have rollers on the ground. TFL tested this on snow, which is what you can actually find on the ground, and the reviewing had good impressions of it. But to you, that snow test does not matter.
My 2005 Sienna AWD traction control system does it's job better than the modern one on that prius. Now, it does have a drive shaft that physically connects the rear wheels, but you would think the traction control would do a better job on the Prius. I'm honestly pretty disappointed.
@@Alex.AL_26 ok but its not such a crapy vehicle. Great interior space, great comfort, and of course great gas mileage in a small form factor. Dont knock it tilll you try it.
already has speed sensors in all 4 wheels, part of the VSC. Doesn't look like they're using it well enough, or the solenoids modulating the brakes don't have fine enough control to gently slow down the slipping wheels. LSD would help a lot. They should also make the rear motor strong enough to at least push the car on level ground, otherwise pretty useless.
@Aqua man yeah dont you know how modern ones work with accelerometers you old boomer? this 2020 car is using the old type that is attached to the driveshaft
The rear wheels can regen, but, 90% of the braking force and regen-power is in the front wheels, *So the rear-wheel regen is weaksauce* and also, *I believe the rear motor will deplete MORE battery life, because, if that motor isnt running, using battery power, whenever the car is moving, it might end up forcing the front motors to drag the dead rear motor*
My little fwd Mazda 3 with a good pair of snow tires will damn near climb walls in my harsh NE winters. Tires will always get you further than a puny awd system will on its own. Food for thought
Thank you for this demonstration. I was wondering if it truly could work in my winters here on a mountain. I used to own a 2006 Honda Accord and Saab 9-3. With winter tires, I could not climb the mountain to my home (about 600 feet in height) at a 18% grade. I would have to get out of the car, walk home, and leave the car on the side of the road with more than a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I replaced both of those cars when they wore out with a 2013 Subaru and 2018 Buick both with AWD and all weather tires (Michelin Crossclimate for example) and now have no problem getting home. But your test shows that this won't work for me -I would have to walk home with it. Thank you!
I would have expected the diagonal and 3 wheel test to go better. Toyota’s brake-based traction control generally does a bit better when distributing torque
Not a very fair test. If you look at some of the other videos demonstrating the AWD in real world situations, it helps the car gain transaction when it otherwise would experience sliding and/or wheel spin. If you have two or three wheels completely stuck, yeah, the Prius does not have enough power to get you out. But for most people, the Prius gives them what they need to travel safely in less ideal driving conditions.
How many people were lobbying Toyota Corp for an AWD Prius? This isn't AWD, it's more like "rear wheel assist, whenever the system decides to work". Calling that thing AWD is false advertising, and an insult to real AWD systems lol
Toyota has a lot of nerve calling this thing an AWD
40lb of torque is AWD. Watch Alex on Autos review of AWD Prius. He's more knowledgeable and does real world test. He explains its helpful in poor climate, which is its intended purpose.
@@James-il3tq Still won't consider that AWD, watch Alex on Autos before and wasn't impressed there either
Charisma, Uniqueness, NEERRRVEEEE and Talent
7 hp is a joke. As the video showed, you’re better off just pushing the car yourself when stuck.
James if it can’t power the vehicle out of something like that when the front has no traction then it’s not real awd it’s just assistance. If you market it like that a lot more people up north will buy it
$1,000 for an AWD badge is really expensive
@@aggnal2892 Front tires had traction in that test. You couldn't tell that the rear tires were just along for the ride.
Might as well just buy the badge on ebay and no one would know the difference lol
Toyota getting too expensive
If you'll excuse me for splitting a hair, the badge is actually "AWDe," and significantly, it is not Toyota's "AWDi." A mechanical AWD would not be capable of pushing itself off the rollers, either.
When I had a Prius, it only came with "variable stability control" - only good for keeping the car from tearing itself apart. Now I have a HiHy with AWDi (badged as "4WDi" on my 2007), and this means a true traction control system that can send power to the wheel(s) with traction
@Yashua Fradkin yah i'm sure they'd fly off the shelves with that marketing.
I'm sure they'll fix this in the Prius TRD Pro.
Lol
Can’t wait for the Prius TRD Off-road
Tiny Tom Cruise Same! I also can’t wait for the 2021 Toyota Prius XLE Max AWD-E Pro TRD Plus Off-road edition
Prius is a shit car for non car people
Bryce F wrong
Kinda deceptive marketing on Toyota’s part, not a true AWD system more of an e-assist system...
The concept is actually quite good, but execution the on the rear motor is way too weak.
@@BaronBoar It's probably weak because if those fuckers did make it actually AWD then it would get much worse gas mileage and they don't want that.
Mason Reppeto Have you heard of the concept of BMW’s AWD system in the M5? You can pretty much just turn off the front wheels, so HOPEFULLY Toyota has our least favourite car under some kind of drivetrain development soon
Idlia Dosai It’s the adaptability of the M5 though, you can have Subaru typed diff (50 50) setup or complete rear drive (0 100) or anything in between really
@Idlia Dosai LOL IKR
So basically, the AWD is mostly marketing? I hope that doesn’t become a trend.
@@aggnal2892 and the comments are all praise in the real world video... just watched the video and it seems to make a big difference
Sorry buddy but it has been a trend for years.
The rear motor is moreso for regen braking than anything.
Well VW's 4 motion is 95% front and 5% back it sends 50 to rear only if you slip the front wheels
this IS a trend lol
Absolutely useless AWD system
Haha...true
the Honda CRV has a pretty shitty AWD system for a lot of years
Useless? No. What we saw in this video is not _low_ traction, but *no* traction. That's a rare scenario. Even ice isn't that slippery. The Prius AWD-e is perfectly fine for what it's intended for; Snowy driving. The rear motor is only meant to *help* push the car forward (Like a human pushing the car from behind), not completely power the vehicle like a real AWD/4WD system can.
No traction scenarios usually occur during rock climbing, where the vehicle may be tilted in ways in which multiple wheels are making little or no traction. You will never find a Prius rock climbing (At least not seriously, but as a joke). Even real AWD cars aren't capable of rocking climbing. That's pretty much only for vehicles with locking or limited slip difs.
@@TheSeanUhTron an AWD system isn't meant to *help* the car. You should have kept this in mind.
@@momentum8717 I didn't say that. If you read it again, I said AWD-e. There's a reason an 'e' was appended to the name. It's not real AWD.
Might as well save money and get FWD if you want a Prius.
or a real car that doesn't have an electric drive system.
@@OFFAxisBuilds A Tesla is full EV and is the best car at this test beating other proper 4WD off roaders SUV and trucks
Greg no it’s not a car it’s a golf cart. I’m not a fan of electric cars. I prefer the combustion engine.
OFF AXIS BUILDS Ok boomer
@@OFFAxisBuilds So I got curious off axis and started to look at your other RUclips comments. All of the ones I could find are just dissing electric vehicles. And that's fine you can have your opinion that's cool... But the way you talk about it makes one thing clear: You haven't tried them. Maybe take one for a test drive some time, especially a Model 3 or even a Chevy Bolt. I admit, the lack of sound and gears isn't the same experience, but to call them golf carts is simply inaccurate.
Hold your horses everybody. Prius eAWD is meant for extra traction during rain and light snowfall while accelerating from a stop and moving at moderate speeds. It’s not a waste of money when used how it was intended. It not an off road option lol. But get on a steep hill with 3” of snow on the ground and you’re gonna wish you had the eAWD option. Remember, the rollers simulate zero traction. But in a real world scenario, snow doesn’t mean ZERO traction, just LESS traction.
World's Most Useless AWD System. Toyota really missed on this one.
Correction: *4WD* system
@@MainMite06 And does it change the fact it can’t move itself?
Lmao it’s a prius like they said it would defeat the purpose of it being really good on mpg if it was a true AWD system
Well that's a pretty useless option. I hope Toyota doesn't shame you like Saburu did.
Didn't Subaru blacklist them for doing the truth or dare silliness test? I was very impressed it did half decent on that course!
@@davidlusk4350 Yeah man! I surely hope that Toyota doesn't do that.
what’s Saburu?
They own Subaru so I can see it happening.
I Toyota doesn’t own Subaru lol.
My friends hybrid Hylander says "4WD-i" on the tailgate. He says the i stands for "imaginary"
Shakur Yotiiv Lmmfao. That is the truth.
"4WD-i" means that the AWD system is part of a sophisticated integrated vehicle control system. VDIM, as it's often called, combines stability control, brake-by-wire, variable steering, the hybrid system, and the rear electric motor, and uses all of these cooperatively to enhance how the vehicle handles.
TheLittleAcura aka A-SPEC! Well it sucks and anyone buying a car for the 4wd shouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. My friends hybrid highlander got stuck IMMEDIATELY when trying to drive it on the beach. It couldn’t even get up a snowy driveway with winter tires that my A4 quattro on all seasons can do any day of the year. For all intensive purposes, the i stands for imaginary.
TheLittleAcura aka A-SPEC! Btw I have a Land Cruiser and a Prius, both great cars. Toyota should be embarrassed by the “4WD-i” name.
@@aspecreviews Which would be fine if it said AWD-i. But AWD is not real 4wd. People think it is and that they can go anywhere my jeep can. They can not.
Thanks you are saving a lot time hard time and money to the people
It’s a lot more effective in real world situations. The rear motor is low powered because it’s mainly used to get the tires going in snow, situations where too much power isn’t desired anyway.
But on the second situation when the front tires was like spin on the snow, any awd/4x4 will be sent the power to the rear differential and will be spinning front tires but will be out the stuck, maybe Toyota need to see this video and make active manual or change the power to the wheels to go out in some bad situations like snow or mud, now if is spin the tires and don’t moved that’s can be other situations
Ya this is a waste of the ol money, if you live where snow comes down. Or even if wind blows sand around in your area, you ant goin anywhere.
It's rare to have 0% traction on a tire, let alone 3. Pure ice with all seasons is pretty much it.
Just more misleading marketing hype from Toyota. They seem to have become well-versed in such semantics as of late.
This test isn’t all that accurate for representing loss of traction. The rollers put the tire in a depression requiring much more effort to crawl up and out of than a typical loss of traction on the road. Still pathetic the car can’t handle it, but you need to keep this in mind when evaluating the results.
Watch Alex on Autos review of AWD Prius. He's more knowledgeable and does real world test. He explains its helpful in poor climate, which is its indented purpose.
I live in vermont for the past 15 years all I had was front wd or even rear wd in my Dakota sport pickup in deep snow never got stuck using winter snow tires
Should do this on the Camry AWD, wanna see how that handles the test
Same thing, the highlander hybrid has the same weak ass rear motor. It is there to medigate understeer and stablizing the car at high speed
Is not out in the market yet
林振华 not the same thing the Camry has mechanical AWD not electric.
I bet my daughters ford tarus sho awd will be fine!
@@Coupe420 weird flex but ok
Wow, seems pretty disappointing, especially when the AWD costs a grand more.
Pretty measly in comparison to other vehicles that offer AWD tho. Some SUVs can be a couple grand between fwd and AWD. Granted this might help get off the line a little faster in snow.
Almost like AT&T’s “5Ge.” Kind of misleading...
Apparently, it does the job to get you unstuck in a snowy condition uphill, so it is more like a support system, not the AWD. But just to let you know to turn off TC completely you have to press and hold (5 sec ) the TC button if you just press it once it just turns off partially. I tested it on my Prius Prime when I was in a very harsh winter condition and it helped to get unstuck. Great test as always :-)
It’s a “ brochure AWD” sounds good on the commercial. Real life meh.
I drive this car in Quebec on deep snow and this lil guy is awesome.
You can try to do a "old school" or "manual" "diff lock", by slightly applying brakes at the same time with accelerator pedal. It will block slipping wheel and other wheel by the same amount, but engine will work harder thus turning both wheels. Works like a charm on older open-diff cars when you get stuck :)
Yep, would be interested to see how that works in the last test.
0:52 that reverse beep caught me off guard since I disabled the beep in my car months ago
As someone who actually owns this exact car in Buffalo NY, I can vouch that the awd system is adequate for winter driving. I live on a very steep hill and I never had issues making it up, and I’m using the stock low drag tires. But thanks for the comments everyone who needs a Subaru to compensate for winter driving incompetency.
If that thing is an "AWD", then my car is a hybrid.
Since it has a combustion engine and a starter motor putting out about the same HP as this prius rear engine. Cranking in Gear and I could drive electric for a mile.
Der Wolf 😸
I dare you to go do that for the mile you said
I did that in my 85 toyota pickup the first time I realized the gas gauge didn't work and I was stuck on a highway overpass.
I've done that all the way to a gas station up hill from a freeway off ramp.
Unfortunately it was the fuel pump in an early 80's Mazda pick up.
I would like to see how the 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime would do in this test.
Yea that's really going to be a good test. Definitely waiting for that one since my best friend is in the market for a CUV
This is how AWD marketing works: as long as the car is able to move all 4 wheels, no matter the conditions like, it can move the rear wheels but: only on reverse, on Tuesdays, while set to service mode on a full moon. Lawyers will give the green light, and they'll proudly glue the AWD badge and proceed to advertise the car climbing the Everest. And then the non car guy salesman will say something like "This system will give you all the confidence you need to overcome any circumstance you might face on the road, safely"
it's honestly really really weird, I can't see how this system can actually be any useful, like, the FWD version is cheaper, lighter and probably just as safe
I bought a '19 awd-e Prius, and I think it's pretty much the perfect commuter. My fuel-economy average from new is 3.9L/100kms (60 us mpg), and in the summer I often see over 80 us mpg. The awd system in it works exactly as promised; I commute a mountain pass daily, and last winter the rear diff would kick in when needed, and kept me going where pointed, without any 'sawing' of the steering wheel that other fwd cars have done on the same climb, with the same kind and size of winter tires.
This not a performance AWD, nor was it designed to be so.
Changes I would like to see is that the rear diff kick in when needed until 90kph (55mph), and that we could get the 3/4" higher suspension that Toyota offers on priuses in other countries.
You got way better gas mileage than I did with my 2020 Prius AWD XLE. As the first owner, I have been driving it all across Washington State state, overwhelmingly highway miles, with some urban miles and some dirt road/snow miles. My avg MPG is above 37 with 43811 miles total
@ -- I wonder why that would be; my numbers come from my spreadsheet.
On the hwy at 70mpg, my awd-e gets 60 us mpg.
@@Davran2742 Please check the average MPG in your Prius system for the lifetime of your vehicle and get back to me.
@ -- 3.9L/100kms or 61 us mpg. This includes using winter tires for four-months of the year.
I had no expectation that the Prius e-AWD will do well. The 7HP rear electric motor is just a waste of time to get and a waste of money. If Toyota really want to keep Prius alive, they need to put a more powerful motor back there and I think they need to put in a traditional gauge cluster and traditional gear-shift lever. They can also try doing an SE or XSE Prius with some increase power, and yes I know it will result in a lower mpg, but I am sure there are some people out there that will like to get a Prius SE or XSE. Personal I don't need a Prius I need a RAV4 XSE Hybrid or a RAV4 Prime.
The problem is the traction control system, not the motor. 7 HP is plenty to push the front wheels off the rollers, and technically the rear motor is supposed to be permanently on from 0-7 mph. It's just the motor isn't working properly due to improper programing.
@@MrLM002 well Tommy did test it with traction control, on and also off, both failed. I don't even think saying the motor isn't working properly sound convincing to me. saying that, I will interpret that as a defective motor, so if you implying it not working properly then Toyota will need to do a recall. As for programming I do not know how much that will accomplish, but I am still convince that a 7 HP can not really be effective in getting you unstuck in median to high snow, but good enough to keep a momentum if you had already been moving, and good in light snow, slush and on wet road. nevertheless I am no scientist.
@@superlight47 Watch the video, the computer in the car wasn't sending power to the rear wheels when the front wheels were on the rollers. That is a problem with the computer and inherently the base traction control system. The rear motor should always be driving according to Toyota from 1-7 MPH. The motor is most likely not broken, it's just Toyota being idiots which is a rarity for them. This system isn't designed to make your car be able to push through snow higher than your ground clearance, it is to help get you going from a dead stop so you can build up momentum, kicking on as needed, and still getting 50 combined MPG. However Toyota clearly failed to meet their advertised claims and there will probably be a class action lawsuit.
I drove one of these and it actually did pretty well in the snow/ice with the stock summer tires (except braking was not so great). If I had not seen the fiasco on the slip test I would have said the AWD Prius was a lot better car than I thought it would be. Could it be -- that for the average super mellow Prius driver in cold climates who does not do off-roading -- the on demand electric rear axle is just good enough and way better than FWD? Seems like most posters either dislike the idea of a fuel sipping car or expect this thing to be a rock crawler. Just sayin.
placebo. FWD prius is already a good snow car. 63% of the weight of the car on the drive axle.
Bruh. If someone at the back of the car pushing can do more than your "awd" system, what was the point?
I think people are missing the point. This is still vastly better than just FWD in real snow/ice conditions. On the diagnol slip test the car should be able to use the abs/vsa system to brake the spinning wheel to act like a simulated limited slip. That was sad.
That's terrible!
Wow, I posted that before the last test. What a disaster.
So I have a standard Prius and it was surprisingly good in the snow. I’ve been in situations where I should have been stuck and have been stuck in other cars, yet I made it through with the Prius. You’d think with the extra motor it would actually do better.
Thank you for that demonstration. I was considering that particular car and model, but now I think I'll stick with a Subaru instead.
I'd recommend an early 2000s Subaru with the H6. I'm really disappointed by the results of the testing as well.
Might want to check out their Subaru awd test videos, Subaru AWD has gotten pretty much useless (as far as I can tell) if you get a CVT. A CVT cannot adequately transfer torque to the ground, especially if a wheel is slipping or something
@@Black-Villain I have owned 11 Subaru's since 2006. I am looking for my next AWD/4x4 that does not have a CVT and gets good mileage and has the ground clearance I need. 😊
@@wizeguiz Have you considered a Kona? It's pretty much identical in size to a Crosstrek, pretty fun/quick with the turbo engine option, DCT instead of a CVT, more interior room than a Crosstrek, etc. There's also the Regal TourX, the GM contract with Opel to build them ends soon, and dealers can't move them, so you can sometimes find a fully loaded one for ~$28k (Like 15k off msrp)
What about a Ford Escape hybrid? They are more reliable than Ford's non-hybrids, but the AWD system can send 100% torque to the rear when needed, although it still has open diffs. Subaru has a nice AWD system, but garbage transmissions and not enough power, besides the Forester XT.
thanks for doing a REAL awd test and not wasting our time like other channels
I don’t see the point in buying this over the FWD version
City driving. Trust me, i wish i hadn't depleted the battery on a lot of roundabouts in my city.
@@eivis13 Wouldn't the AWD just make it deplete faster?
@@chrischoy9 still more torque to the wheels when using the ice. It's a long story but it's there.
I agree with and have employed the snow tire option on my 2006 Prius. I have a dedicated set of Blizzak snow tires on a separate set of rims. We've had some nasty snow storms here in north NJ over the years. The car never, ever had a problem with traction, holding the road or braking...even in relatively deep snow and sleet.
The traction control is a bit aggressive for my taste. Still, I get snow about once a year for about 2 days max. Last time I saw major snow was March of 1993.
If I need use of 4x4 I have 3 trucks.
This is what happens when a company gets used to taking advantage of the consumer it is not an unreal expectation for a car Labeled all will drive to be able do this
Knowing this is a prius and not a rav4 i'm not really surprissed it crashed and burned with a premature rust spot. Would be great if they made the gen 5 with a 20-30kw rear motor and better slip detection though.
I was about to buy a used 2020 awd prius ... so i have to give your channel a big thank you.Your intelligent test saved me alot.
You’d think Toyota would have done something similar in the testing and development stage and said this isn’t going to work. Looks like this system is the result of a committee. Love this test. Keep them up.
I am the first owner of my Prius AWD XLE 2020. I just came back from Winthrop, WA. On my way to Beaver Lake Trailhead from Winthrop in the morning, my car was able to traverse onto deep snow mountain zone where no other car has been to. My car was the ONLY car leaving tracks behind. Part of the reason was my car was so light, and it literally floated on trimmed snow road. There was this steep slope and my car could not make it through. Time to stop and snowshoe. So I decided to be nice and parked on the side of the road. Little did I know, the side of the road was not trimmed/condensed, so the left side of my car sunk into the snow. I could not get it out. So I started to snowshoe all the way back to State Highway 20 to seek help. Later two local families I met on the way tried to help. But their GMC Denali HD got stuck in the snow WAY BEFORE my car did. Part of the reason was the day got warmer as afternoon set in. So we managed to push the truck out of the snow and walked to my car on foot. We finally pushed my car out of the snow, which took a lot less effort than pushing the truck out of snow. Then we drove and pushed and drove and pushed and finally got my Prius out of the snowy mountain zone. All in all, I was impressed by my 2020 Prius AWD XLE. It did better in the snow than GMC Denali HD the 4WD heavy duty truck did.
Does really beep constantly while in reverse? That would drive me nuts
It's electric only in reverse so it needs to make some sort of noise legally but yea there are better ways of makeing noise.
You can turn it of with an obd tool.
You can turn it off pretty easily, no need to find a fuse cause that won't work
@Naughtysauce "the fuse for that speaker"... thats right dude...every speaker has a fuse...
You can turn it off via Carista.
As they were pushing you off the rollers, I was waiting for a spinning tire to catch a roller rack and fling it into the feet of the guy pushing. Glad it didn't happen.
Tommy, you need to change your title from "Struggled" to "FAILED"! But, I understand how you must keep face with your Toyota PR people.
I live in Wisconsin and I really do think that this system would be adequate for our severe winters. If you put snow tires on this car, I think it would do fantastic. With the rear motor just giving the car a little boost, it would certainly be better than any fwd car, plus the Prius is very light so it'll have fewer problems.
Thank you for this video! Seems like calling this an AWD is a bit of a fib. Should have gotten rid of the backup chime instead of the AWD lol
With 40 lbft and 7 hp it definitely has way more than is needed to get the car off that stand. The problem seems to be programming for this contingency. What exactly is AWD & traction control good for if it doesn't solve this? It should be able to tell that the front wheels have no traction and just give it all to the rear wheels.
If you feel useless, remember that the Prius has traction control
I wonder how well these rollers translate to real world conditions. It seems like the vast majority of the time when a car can't get off the rollers is a programmatical issue as opposed to a mechanical one. I get the feeling that manufacturers program the systems to work properly in real world condition and sometimes it just doesn't translate well to the rollers.
It may work fine if your snow is maybe an inch or two deep, but this shows it will struggle in any serious snow storm.
@@niuhuskieguy how are rollers any real representative of a serious snowstorm? And a serious snowstorm? Probably best not to drive at all.
@@vinced3974 I live in an area that can see good amount of snow during a storm. Even a snowfall of a foot is not enough to close a lot of places in my area. Rollers can approximate some conditions you may experience in a snow storm. The one front wheel with traction test for example. If you have to parallel park on the street, you will find a snow plow will eventually push a mound of snow next to your car. As you try to maneuver out, you'll find one wheel will eventually be out of that mound while the other three are still in the snow. Also, that one wheel that is out of the mound isn't necessary on dry ground. It may be on snow left behind by the plow or some other icy/slippery surface.
Did you guys try it with the RAV4 Hybrid? I'd like to see that one
ruclips.net/video/6N6T1oF2Ee4/видео.html
Me : Can we have AWD
Mom : We allready have AWD at Home
AWD at Home :
Hey, Tommy. Suggestion: lightly apply the brake, while simultaneously pressing the accelerator. I’ve long wondered why TFL doesn’t do this, as well, when you’re unable to make forward progress in your off-road tests. Sometimes, applying the brakes can “trick” an open differential into send some power to the wheel with traction.
Open dif shouldn’t be a problem with e-awd
@@patrickmartin3322 And yet, it apparently is/was! ;-)
Is the new 23 system better? No one has reviewed it besides the standard car review
I'm fairly positive the awd mechanic is to keep you going straight when your going through snow or something.
What did Toyota say when you asked them about its inability to get un stuck?
You really don’t need AWD with a Prius. I’ve lived in Buffalo, NY and the western slope of CO. For 95% of the population FWD and dedicated winter tires will outperform AWD on all seasons in the snow anyways.
Congratulations, again for this test..
You getting better & better.
Almost, nobody really tests the cars & find any problems.
Please, test also the Rav4 AWD.
I'm not sure if Camry or Corrola have AWD.
I thought they did the RAV4 already. Search and see.
The already tested the rav4
Ok, i found the video.
ruclips.net/video/6N6T1oF2Ee4/видео.html
Rav4 isn't made for off road..
Its AWD is for snow - rain..slippery situations or passing by from village roads.
We choose - buy RAV4, for the legendary reliability.
Also the Honda SUV is very good vehicle.
4:02 the thermometer shows 69°F and that's nice😏
Do you think you guys could try the AWD Camry? It seems like its going to be a popular choice up here in Canada and I am curious if the AWD is worth anything.
That said, if you put studded rubbers on that thing, it does surprisingly well in eastern Quebec deep snow and ice!
The Prius reverse beep comforts me
The worst part of this AWD system is that it still qualifies as an AWD system for the purposes of mountain road closures and restrictions. For the purposes of being permitted up the canyons here in SLC, this is legal during snowstorms. I personally dragged two of these from the snow last year with my GX470.
Can you guys do a video with a Toyota rep and their response to this? If I was an AWD-e Prius owner I'd be pissed, and I almost bought one.
Why
@@jeepjoseph9036 prolly gas milage
I believe this "awd" system is mislabelled. It is more of an engine assist. The motors were put into the rear because of packaging it seems. It definitely is not for traction.
Maybe labelling the system RWA - Rear Wheel Assist.
There's a name for temporary disengageable AWD
-it's called *4WD*
Did toyota do any of their tests on this car!? Why release a "awd" system if it failed on half of this test? Thanks for showing us this Prius AWD-e.
Makes me question how useful this setup of electric motor driven rear wheels are in the other vehicles, Lexus UX hybrid, Rav4 hybrid, with this application.
the lexus are better. i tested a lexus rx hybrid and it is good. at least in snow.
It could be very effective. I do think the motor is too small and I suspect the traction control system is still cutting power to the rear in this situation. The concept is not bad, just the execution.
I have one and I would suggest the software could use some tweaks for the back wheels. The car was definitely not putting full power to the back wheels on the front wheel spinning test. I would suggest a software tweak for the system could improve this. The front diff is likely causing the problem for the one grip tire. I would have to agree this isn’t really a completely real world test with the car sinking into the roller pit. In real work snowy situations and on ice I find this system to work quite well even with the all seasons. I found it pulls pretty well compared to a front wheel drive civic with Nokia WGR4 all around, better in fact. Though it can lack on the stopping. No substitution for snow tires. Not bad for a $1000 option. Not for off roading though.
You should watch the videos of the vehicles with mechanical AWD, they're not that much better, especially the older vehicles.
My treadmil has more hp...
@Sarbur Gideg my computer is hp
My dog has more hp
Drivetrain calibration could be better. It should be able to detect the speed differentials at different corners and send power or brake loose wheel accordingly.
3:02 69°F nice
I drove an awd prius up a snowy icey hill that was actually a driveway
We also had a fwd 07 Prius that couldn't do it when the awd Prius could so I'm going to go by the real world results.
A lot of people hate on it but I love it. Great gas mileage, and it’s nice to drive. Love it.
Why does the prius need a backup alarm it's not a t680?
because they use only electric power to reverse and therefore are very quiet...all you hear when they roll forward slowly is the sound of tires rolling
@@philtripe thanks. Though then again if you are hurt by a prius its probably an emotional pain and you are offended
I am frankly amazed and surprised. I've been to yellowstone from Socal in December and big bear. During blizzards about 2-3" snow and icy roads, with stock ecopias and ive never has a issue with my gen3. I have taken my fusion hybrid in similar conditions and it gets stuck more often then the prius. Once I had to pass five cars on a icy road in big bear during a snow storm and I was able to drive past all of them. Namely rwd cars/trucks and a couple of compact cars.
It's all about the tires
You call this horse power? Do you think 7 horses can’t move this thing? 😒
I think horses generate 10 hp at rest?
And yet 2 manpower which is about 1/10th if a horsepower got the prius off the ramps
Horsepower isn't a problem, torque is the problem
@@V843v3r There is plenty of torque and horsepower in the motor to move the prius off the rollers. Toyota has blown the design or that particular prius is not working as designed.
@@rickkern5785 40lbft is nothing when the front wheel is stuck on the roller
I'm 1minute into the video and have to say having a Prius have a backup noise inside the cabin has got to be the most excruciating thing in my life
It’s AWD is useless, why is it there then Toyota?
Had no problem in Saskatchewan winter last year! Even in BC, I never had any problem going over the anarchist mountain near Osoyoos!
So if u live on a snow falling place, forget about a prius...
Just don't pay extra for the "awd" and buy a good set of snow tires instead. It's clearly a waste.
@@aggnal2892 stop posting that in every post.
It's still great in the snow without awd. Fwd, skinny tires. My biggest gripe is the engine shutting off so the coolant cools down when you want to be blasting the heater.
TL;DR If it does anything more than rain where you live or drive, Do Not Buy, or pack a GOOD snow bag, you'll need it
Wow! Toyota invented the worlds most USELESS all wheel drive system! 👏
Honda 4WD CR-V- Hold my beer!
Prius 2023 version introduced. Will you do the same test?
Worthless AWD!!
Tommy, Lesson learned, keep your car away from #rollers and use winter tires if you live somewhere with snow. TFL videos of Dec 12 , 2018 and May 14, 2019 were far more fulsome in their praise. BTW spinning around on rollers will kill mpg which is the main reason a rational person would buy one of these in the first place.
My bet is that it would be worse in winter cause show likely block wheels more and even LESS traction for rear. The test in this video gives that "AWD" the best chance to work and it failed.
@@arbiter1 I will credit Tommy for being clever enough to find a test it would fail but I have watched 5-6 reviews of this car and this is the first that highlighted the negatives rather than the positives. Living in Canada, I would choose this every time over a fwd equivalent. This is not marketed as a 4X4, the TRD OFF Road RAV4 is a much bigger letdown and much a more expensive option compared to a regular RAV4.
Useless!!!!! Shameful Toyota! There's absolutely no need for a Prius awd.
@@aggnal2892 the roller test says it all, snow test doesn't matter.
They need to put more powerful electric motor in back then it would work.
@@camaroman101 well, the roller test will matter if real world conditions would have rollers on the ground. TFL tested this on snow, which is what you can actually find on the ground, and the reviewing had good impressions of it. But to you, that snow test does not matter.
@@vinced3974 i regularly drive on rollers on my daily commute so this is important to me.
My 2005 Sienna AWD traction control system does it's job better than the modern one on that prius. Now, it does have a drive shaft that physically connects the rear wheels, but you would think the traction control would do a better job on the Prius. I'm honestly pretty disappointed.
This video just shows another of the many reasons not to buy a Prius.
Have you ever been in one?
@@timothycc711 No, and I never will.
@@Alex.AL_26 ok but its not such a crapy vehicle. Great interior space, great comfort, and of course great gas mileage in a small form factor. Dont knock it tilll you try it.
Please check slip test on Prius AWD 2023
What the hell was Toyota thinking?
Can you guys test the new 2024 Prius AWD, can't any videos testing the AWD in particular
Yes, please
I heard the 2024 model has a 40hp motor in the rear. So it should be fine.
Looks like that car needs 2 things.
1) speed sensors in all 4 wheels
2) limited slip differential
already has speed sensors in all 4 wheels, part of the VSC. Doesn't look like they're using it well enough, or the solenoids modulating the brakes don't have fine enough control to gently slow down the slipping wheels. LSD would help a lot.
They should also make the rear motor strong enough to at least push the car on level ground, otherwise pretty useless.
With computer controlled brakes, comp can apply brake to the slipping wheel, moving all torque to the other one. Prius has all hardware to do that.
I love how it says its going 24mph whilst being completely motionless...
@Aqua man yeah dont you know how modern ones work with accelerometers you old boomer? this 2020 car is using the old type that is attached to the driveshaft
Does the rear wheels engine harvest energy during braking? If yes, then it could potentially improve mileage of the car?!
The rear wheels can regen, but, 90% of the braking force and regen-power is in the front wheels,
*So the rear-wheel regen is weaksauce*
and also,
*I believe the rear motor will deplete MORE battery life, because, if that motor isnt running, using battery power, whenever the car is moving, it might end up forcing the front motors to drag the dead rear motor*
My little fwd Mazda 3 with a good pair of snow tires will damn near climb walls in my harsh NE winters. Tires will always get you further than a puny awd system will on its own. Food for thought
8:45 when you did your first 2 man! Lol
so is it an AWD?
Toyota: Well yes but no.
So it's "4WD"!
Because the traction is temporary!
Thank you for this demonstration. I was wondering if it truly could work in my winters here on a mountain. I used to own a 2006 Honda Accord and Saab 9-3. With winter tires, I could not climb the mountain to my home (about 600 feet in height) at a 18% grade. I would have to get out of the car, walk home, and leave the car on the side of the road with more than a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I replaced both of those cars when they wore out with a 2013 Subaru and 2018 Buick both with AWD and all weather tires (Michelin Crossclimate for example) and now have no problem getting home. But your test shows that this won't work for me -I would have to walk home with it. Thank you!
tfl, thanks for hard work.
I would have expected the diagonal and 3 wheel test to go better. Toyota’s brake-based traction control generally does a bit better when distributing torque
Not a very fair test. If you look at some of the other videos demonstrating the AWD in real world situations, it helps the car gain transaction when it otherwise would experience sliding and/or wheel spin. If you have two or three wheels completely stuck, yeah, the Prius does not have enough power to get you out. But for most people, the Prius gives them what they need to travel safely in less ideal driving conditions.
Super useful video for helping me decide what to get. Very practical.
How many people were lobbying Toyota Corp for an AWD Prius? This isn't AWD, it's more like "rear wheel assist, whenever the system decides to work". Calling that thing AWD is false advertising, and an insult to real AWD systems lol