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Tech doesn’t work because it’s not ready for prime time

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Richard Rutherford, Aug 9, 2019.

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  1. Richard Rutherford

    Richard Rutherford New Member

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    The Prius began life as a tech marvel. Stuff just worked. I have a 2009 that is on 160 k miles and is humming along. So I got a 2019 Prius with all the safety bells and whistles for my daughter. Seems like a big mistake: for example:
    Mileage is at it below 35 mpg even when driving slowly and with no or minimal AC.Lane assist feature utterly fails, same with rear radar. Car auto park doesn’t park. Phone charge pad won’t charge; blue tooth phone connect is more often disconnecting and really poor sound. And the rear trunk is smaller, with no spare tire. The dealer essentially said you should buy and extended warranty because the wiring in the Prius is crap and will fail, citing written statistics.
    The Toyota company seems to me to have forgotten about quality entirely. Anyone else with similar experiences?
     
  2. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    This is the dealer shoveling a load of crap to get you to buy their huge profit margin warranty.

    Edit - I share your assessment of the driver assist "features.". I have most of them turned off in my Prime. Dynamic cruise control and lane keeping are particularly crude.
     
    #2 jb in NE, Aug 9, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2019
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, seriously? 35 mpg? how are you measuring that?

    infotainment is bad, i'll give you that.

    i hope you knew pre purchase that the hatch was smaller, and no spare. i did

    wait until the recalls start coming in...
     
  4. Curlyone

    Curlyone Member

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    At worst I've gotten 50+ mpg, thats in charge mode, doing 75, AC blasting. I'd suggest taking a look at how it's being driven, you mention it's for your daughter, have you driven it for a week or so to see if it's really being driven like you mention?

    No problem at all with either of these. LKA is not self driving tech, it may not be as good as it used to be in Prius, I've seen many people mention that here. The rear radar has saved me from several parking lot idiots.

    Mine works normally. Granted it's not perfect, about 1/2 the time when I start the car I have to manually start the music on the phone, but that's been true for all the cars (3? different manufactures) I've owned that had blue tooth built in. Once connected it operates just fine.

    I would have walked out at that point. The dealer is most likely, as JB mentions above, trying to sell the warranty, but even worse if they are telling the truth then why are they selling a product they know is sub-par. Either way they are thieves.
     
  5. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    No problems here. I turn off LKA and never use park assist. DRCC works fine for me. No issues with Qi charger and Bluetooth.
    I can't explain the 35mpg - I'm always 50-65 (mixed city/highway.) You didn't mention which model you bought, but my Three Touring has a donut spare. It's always possible you caught a lemon - If so, follow your state's lemon laws. Otherwise, have the dealer repair all of the warranty items...

    P.S. - Just realized this is a Prime forum, but my comments still apply.
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    If you are really getting 35mpg from the brand new 2019 Prius, you have a major problem. Other stuff, are know issues with Toyota cars for years. Did your 2009 Prius have a better infotainment system?
     
    #6 Salamander_King, Aug 10, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2019
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  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    What driving conditions exist where 35 mpg is produced?

    How many miles so far on it?
     
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    I've seen under 35mpg in my gen2.
    At 90mph.
     
  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Hmmm ... I got 35 mpg once in my Prime. I was on I-70 going toward the Eisenhower Tunnel (actually, the Johnson Tunnel since I was going east). 60 mph up a steep grade at 11,000+ feet elevation. But we more than made up for that on the descent to Denver. LOL!

    Seriously, your daughter must be making a major effort at bad driving to only get 35 mpg in a Prime. In normal city/country driving in hybrid mode, I get at least 60 and often more than 70 mpg. Overall commuting with the Prime for me is around 300-400 mpg. If her car is not a Prime and you just posted in the wrong forum, then the overall commuting figure would not apply to her, but the other comments would.
     
    Arctic_White and Prius from Dad like this.
  10. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    One data point from a Prime road trip yesterday - steady state cruise on the Interstate at 73 mph actual, AC on and very little wind, some rolling hills, about 220 miles at that speed - dash display 55.6 mpg under those conditions. Since I don't normally fill the tank in that car after long trips (don't want to haul the fuel around for a few more months), the dash display is all I have to offer for comparison.

    In my experience with the car that's about the worst conditions for fuel economy. It will exceed that number at slower speeds or in town after the engine is warmed under similar weather conditions. Wintertime - all bets are off.
     
  11. Blue-Adept

    Blue-Adept Active Member

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    Wow. Must be a lemon. After 18 months and 31,000 miles and an MPGe of 141 mpg.

    One run to Detroit during the polar vortex i got 42 mpg. With snow tires and a 3 inch layer of snow and ice on the Prime.

    The Prime is my 4th Prius and none have had any issues.
     
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  12. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    Mileage is at it below 35 mpg even when driving slowly and with no or minimal AC.
    -Very strange, not my experience at all.
    Lane assist feature utterly fails, same with rear radar.
    -Lane assist is weak, could be better. Rear radar works well.
    Car auto park doesn’t park.
    -Mine works fine when I follow the directions exactly.
    blue tooth phone connect is more often disconnecting and really poor sound.
    -Works and sounds fine in my car.
    the rear trunk is smaller, with no spare tire.
    -Hmmm. Mine is exactly the same at home as when I viewed the car at the dealership.
    The dealer essentially said you should buy an extended warranty because the wiring in the Prius is crap and will fail, citing written statistics.
    -The lying liar finance guy gets paid only on commission. If he can't scare you into buying some overpriced crap that you don't need, he doesn't get a paycheck.
     
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  13. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Same here. I took a typical load of stuff I carried in my previous wagon to the dealership and loaded it all in the Prime to verify it would fit.

    It is odd that people buy this car and are surprised that it has no spare and no rear wiper. That should be obvious on a cursory inspection at the dealer and a review of the sales brochure.
     
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  14. Pdog808

    Pdog808 Active Member

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    Gonna go out on a limb and say that this may be a bit of trolling by @Richard Rutherford .

    I got the hard sell by the Toyota extended warranty person also, but it's hard to see a Toyota employee bashing their products by saying something like "the wiring is crap". Kind of counter-productive IMO.
     
  15. Tha_Ape

    Tha_Ape Active Member

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    "Lane Keep Assist" works so much better on the gen3.

    The gen 4 is "Lane Departure Assist"
     
  16. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Regardless of the name, I haven't found it to be a useful driver aid. Even if they named it "super whamadyne help the driver stay in his/her lane because they are on their cell phone or otherwise distracted driver assist feature," it would be equally lame.
     
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Going by statements here, the systems between the two cars are different in more than name.
     
  18. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    I believe the Gen 4 Prius and the Prime have the same system. The difference is between these two and the Gen 3 Prius? I only have experience with the Prime system.
     
  19. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    @Tha_Ape was commenting on the gen3 to gen4.
     
  20. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Haven't heard back from the OP, so I guess he's getting the car fixed... :rolleyes:
     
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