1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2,000 Mile Review

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Husker4theSpurs, Jul 29, 2021.

  1. Husker4theSpurs

    Husker4theSpurs Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2007
    656
    127
    0
    Location:
    Papillion, Nebraska
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello everyone!

    Just wanted to check in after passing 2,000 miles. My history ... had a 2008 Touring, two 2010 Fives in the past. It's nice to be back driving a Prius. This car will eventually replace my wife's 2019 Volvo XC60 T8 (PHEV) so you'll hear me compare the EV drive to that quite a bit.

    To be honest, I wasn't expecting much with this car. It was meant to be a cheap, reliable replacement for my wife's all EV drive to work. I've been pleased with how "fun" this car is to drive especially in EV mode. It's quite zippy. I've also been really pleased with the hybrid fuel efficiency on road trips and the ride and handling. Noticeable improvements from the last gen. Seats are decently comfortable. The rear cargo compromise for the batteries was better than I'd anticipated as well.

    Some things I am annoyed at ... please give us a volume knob. Or at least move the volume to the place where the temperature control is located. The whole middle screen is clunky and the CarPlay display up top feels tiny. It is lower to the ground entry wise than i recalled our last gen was, but I don't feel it sits low while driving.

    Feels much easier to keep in EV than our Volvo which makes sense due to weight I guess. The Prime seems to charge back to the EV miles much more easily as well (not even sure the Volvo will do so when slowing or using brakes).

    Overall I'm quite impressed. ESPECIALLY when I consider it's going to cost about $25,000 after the Federal tax credit. Again thanks to everyone who helped us decide and guided us toward our trip to Massachusetts to get the best deal possible.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  2. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2008
    1,263
    858
    0
    Location:
    Monument, CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Isn't there a Volume +/- on the steering wheel?
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That's what I use. Same with changing stations.
     
  4. lbligh

    lbligh Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2005
    137
    24
    0
    Location:
    Northern Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    I have a 2021 LE, and it DOES have a volume knob. This enables a passenger to adjust the volume too.

    The LE also has physical climate controls, which is a plus too. Someone here on Priuschat clued me in about this. Apparently the XLE and Limited trims do not have these.
     
  5. KYBlue

    KYBlue Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    227
    111
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    My biggest complaint after 3k miles in 3 weeks (vacation trip lol) is that I could use 1 more faster speed on the wipers..... a downpour on the expressway in SC had me struggling to keep up/see with the rain....
     
    Tideland Prius, MScelery and Ovation like this.
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,597
    11,223
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    The larger screen probabaly takes away the space for the knobs.
     
  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    What I want is a Prime with the controls and display of the LE and the safety features of a Limited.
     
  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2009
    5,596
    3,770
    0
    Location:
    So. Texas
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    As a Honda owner, try doing that while turning the wheel in complete turns. FUN. Honda went even further down the stupid idea path and put two similar feeling rockers right next to each other on the wheel so we frequently change sources instead of volume.

    Honda learned and quickly brought the knob back. Unfortunately, the new head units can’t be swapped in.
     
  9. MScelery

    MScelery Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2018
    44
    14
    0
    Location:
    Mississippi
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    2021 Prime Limited purchased a month ago. 3,000 miles on it already. I wholeheartedly agree on the volume knobs, small Apple CarPlay screen allowance, and wiper speed.

    Would add that my assisted steering stuff seems super active and aggressive compared to my 2019.

    A couple of additional first world problems :

    -I don’t like the arrows v select functionality of setting charging settings. Seems clunky to me.

    -I thought the Toyota app would let me change charging settings, start a charge when car was plugged in, and a lot of other stuff.

    All it lets me do is see how charged it is and maybe start my car. Never actually tried to do it.
     
    #9 MScelery, Jul 30, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2021
  10. Ovation

    Ovation Active Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2021
    156
    129
    0
    Location:
    Quebec
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Base
    Nearly 6000 km since late April (new 2021 base model). A few quirks leave me perplexed (why does album art disappear when I’m not in park? Why is my key fob range so pathetic compared to our other vehicles? Why is the Toyota app so useless? Why can’t I set different AMP charge settings for 120/240 in “set and forget” manner? Why is the “hi” setting for heated seats so tepid? A few others too minor to mention.). However, so far, very happy with it in all situations (short EV only trips, medium length trips, 7hr marathons through remote regions of the province). No regrets.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,768
    16,017
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    This annoys me too. It’s noticeably slower than the Gen 3. Our 2016 doesn’t have rain sensing wipers and it’s slow. The Prime has rain sensing wipers and seems to wipe faster in auto than in “HI”.
     
    Ovation likes this.
  12. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    1,549
    719
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Did they finally enable changing stations with the steering wheel controls? In my 2018 it just flipped through presets, which I rarely use. I eventually just stopped using those buttons and reach over for the < > buttons.
     
  13. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I think the steering wheel switch is just to the next preset station or back. No "scan" function. I might be wrong, for I almost never listen to the radio anymore. But on my way home from the dealer after purchasing 2020 PP, the radio was on, and I played with the button. Only to find out that I could not get back to the station that was playing... because, it was not in the preset list.
     
    #13 Salamander_King, Aug 2, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2021
    jerrymildred likes this.
  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,490
    14,095
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have always changed stations with the left and right up/down arrows on the left side of the steering wheel. It doesn't scan, it just goes through your presets. I have five stations set in my presets, two are AM and three are FM. It goes through them and when it gets to the end, it starts over. What I haven't discovered is how to turn off the sound system with the left steering wheel controls. I turn it on with the mode button, but if I hit the mode button again, once it's on, it changes to a different audio source. So, to turn it off, I check traffic, glance at the audio on/off button to get my bearings, check traffic again, and then I reach over to the passenger side and hit the capacitive power button. SO much easier than the old-fashioned power/volume knob on the driver's side of the radio. NOT!
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  15. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    1,549
    719
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    For buttons that require several presses, like the station/track up/down button, I plant my four fingers so that I can use my thumb to press the right place without looking. That way I can keep driving and looking ahead and just press my thumb whenever I need something to change.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  16. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    No OFF switch for the HVAC either. You can turn it on and control the temp or fan speed with the wheel button, but once it is on, there is no way to turn it off.

    I got fairly use to using the wheel buttons for most of audio and HVAC controls without ever turning on the 11.6" screen, but several critical functions are missing from the wheel button, so that I have to turn on the 11.6" screen once in a while. Scanning the USB music folder is another function wheel button can not perform. Although, since the 11.6" display also limit the numbers of folders that can be scanned while driving, it is not much better option. I hated that "safety" feature. I could never get to the folder I want to listen while driving.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  17. Ovation

    Ovation Active Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2021
    156
    129
    0
    Location:
    Quebec
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Base
    And here are reasons 127-131 why I am EXCEEDINGLY happy to have gone with the base model Prime. ;)
     
    lbligh likes this.
  18. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    1,549
    719
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    I got to be the other way. The steering wheel buttons are mostly just a useless appendage to me. If there was a model that was $1,500 less expensive without steering wheel buttons I'd take it in a second. Of course, I have the LE so I have more actual buttons and knobs to turn.
     
  19. KYBlue

    KYBlue Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    227
    111
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Long press should scan vs preset change, try the same on mode and see if it mutes maybe...

     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  20. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    1,549
    719
    0
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Long press does scan, but nothing on the steering wheel does "just move to the next frequency." I tried using the steering wheel for scanning, but inevitably I won't hold it long enough one time (you can't always hear the beeps) and then it jumps to a preset ... usually in another band and messes everything up. Then I have to do the whole SOURCES -> AM thing and then dial back to where I left off. It's easier not to use the steering wheel buttons.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.