Cruise Control

I agree the location is odd. Both my Lexui have them in the same location. I do not have the cornering issue with hitting my knees.
One has to well in advance, learn to feel the operation functions. I found my self looking down while driving when I first used the cruse function. ( almost like texting while driving?)

 

Do you have any evidence to prove that cruise control is less fuel efficient? It may be, but I have never read anything to prove this, to the contrary, I have read many comments suggesting that cruise control is more efficient than most drivers, although I am sure that some expert fuel savers could do better.

 

Just the bar and the eco indication (below the speed).
What's nice with the HUD is that it displays Navigation info when needed, so that you can turn off the voice.

 

First road trip (~ 20 mi of rural Interstate) with our new G3 Prius II with plain vanilla CC.

Most of the trip was gentle, rolling hills -- maybe 1 mi between hill peaks on average. I used the CC (set to 65-70 mph) and noticed that on uphills, the ICE slowly wound up to what sounded like pretty high RPMs. I did some constant-throttle "manual" cruising, speeding up on the downhills and slowing on the uphills, but you can really piss off Bubba in the Hummer that's riding your tail when you do that...

Two questions: (1) Is the CC smart enough not to push the ICE past a safe RPM on uphills? (2) I can't find mention in the manual of a tachometer display for the ICE -- how do I stay safely under the red zone, especially with CC on?

 

1) It better be! Or we shall have another recall soon .
2) There is none, unless you have a Scangauge or similar tool, so you can't. But the ECU should take care of that, don't worry.

 

You drive on the wrong side of the road. It confuses the radar.

 

(1) It is not possible to over rev the engine in a Prius. The computer protects the car and it just won't let that happen CC or no CC. I've had my foot completely to the floor on long steep upgrades at 75 MPH and the engine seldom even reaches 4500 RPM. I have seen it get to it's 5200 RPM red line a few times when accelerating to get up to freeway speed, for example.

(2) You can buy a ScanGaugeII at the Prius Shop of this site. It will let you choose from a list of gauges to display including RPM, Coolant Temp, etc.

Edit: The actual ICE red line may be higher than 5200, that's the RPM listed for Max HP so it has to be at least that much. I think I did see it get to 5300 one time.

 

I am not allowed to post a link since I am a new member. CNN is running an article regarding CC. (Prius owners blame wild rides on CC). Any input regarding this CC complaint.

Thanks in advance

 

Here is the link:
Prius owners blame wild rides on cruise control - CNN.com

Tom

 

No one on this site has reported the problem. The evidence in the CNN article is all anecdotal. I think it's normal for a lot of unscrupulous people to want to jump on the "uncontrollable acceleration" bandwagon, for publicity or future lawsuits. Uninformed journalists enjoy piling on when a person or institution is having problems and can supply "facts" to back up any claim that supports their conclusion. Wozniac probably doesn't read owner's manuals, this cruise control does operate a little differently.

It could be a real problem but I am extremely skeptical at this time.

 

Just back from first big trip in my Prius. 2500 kms over 11 days, mostly highway driving.
From trip B readings 2588 kms, avg speed of 74 kph, avg fuel consumption 4.7l per 100km. Car was heavily loaded and climate control used at all times.
Very happy with the cars performance and comfort.
Some observations on cruise control.
Used it most of the time, even in streets in towns we visited,
On second day of trip sitting on 117 kph indicated (112 according to my TomTom GPS also fitted) we drove into a deluge just south of Sydney. As the rain got heavier the radar/cruise control flashed up a warning about visibility and then switched off. Continued on manual throttle at about 60 kph until rain cleared and then was able to resume cruise control. Other cars had pulled over and had emergency flashers going. Prius felt very safe at the much reduced speed. We still had other cars charging past a lot faster.
Switching to ECO mode does seem to make the CC less aggressive but saw little benefit in fuel consumption.
Added to the CC benefits was the seats sem to b the best seats in a car for long trips that I have experienced for years. Did several stints of driving for 3 hours plus with no numb bum or backaches.

David