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PriusChat Earth Day Chat

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Apr 21, 2009.

  1. jlfinfrock

    jlfinfrock New Member

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    I also agree with Daniel's comment about the leather. I would have no problem going with a level IV, but I don't want leather. Why doesn't Toyota offer any sort of ala cart options, like adding individual features rather than having to get an entire package. You could charge more for the individual features if they aren't in a package and still make the same amount of money if they did buy a package, but then the customer would be able to get exactly what they want if they are willing to pay for it. Or, leave the option open to take items out of a package. For instance, with me and the level IV with leather. I should be able to remove the leather trim and get a reduced price on the IV; however, that's not possible.

    I was really looking forward to the 2010's and I was a guaranteed buyer, but now that the packages are out, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed about how they were put together. It's very limited.
     
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  2. smartalec89

    smartalec89 The Official Alaskan

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    There is a weight limit on the prius. Its was talked about at the beginning of the chat.
     
  3. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I'll try to answer your questions, if you don't mind. The Nav system has a 4-disc changer because of the need to make room for the Nav DVD, which is located below the CD changer slot. The Bluetooth system is not the same as the non-Nav packages. The Nav packages add the ability to stream music from your bluetooth device through the stereo system. This is a very advanced feature that you only find on a handful of cars today.

    This was actually answered early on in the chat. You can re-read the chat on the chat page.
     
  4. jlfinfrock

    jlfinfrock New Member

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    Okay, well, how much of a weight difference is there? I just can't imagine the technology package weighing so much that it wouldn't be able to be coupled with the solar package. To me, it just seems like some extra microchips. Is there a lot of mechanical add-ons that make it heavier?
     
  5. jlfinfrock

    jlfinfrock New Member

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    So, the nav package is really $1800 for nav and better bluetooth capabilities?

    Sorry, that I didn't see the weight thing in the chat previously. The earlier portions were condensed so I didn't see them at first. I went through and read them and I understand that there may be a weight issue in order to get mpg; however, would there still be a weight issue if the tech package were offered on a lower level, such as a II, III, or IV? How much weight are we talking about?

    Any word on when the Safety Connect feature will come out? I know that everything says later in the year, but how late? I personally have a lease that I want to get out of, but I only have about 4 months left on it. I really want the Safety Connect feature and if I can't get it on a model right away, I'll have to wait for it. Any info on what month we might be looking at?
     
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    To be honest, I don't think it's gonna be too much trouble. I have seen someone order an ES350 with black cloth seats even though the package had leather.
     
  7. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Dang Vegans ... whoops ... hope a certain Washington witch didn't hear me
    :D
     
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Structural issues too I guess or something along those lines which have something to do with the weight. Otsuka is working on it as Doug mentioned.

    XMNavTraffic capabilities and a better nav system overall (it now has text-to-speech and as well as multi-lingual voice recognition among other things). You can also transfer the entire phonebook on nav-equipped models. This isn't possible on non-nav equipped models with bluetooth. I don't know why.

    Really? I don't find Safety Connect useful at all. Lexus Enform (a much more elaborate version of Safety Connect) has more value to me because you can download destinations from computer to car as well as other extra features limited to Lexus.
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Don't be surprised to see a shadow of a broom over your bed tonight as it crosses the moon.
     
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  10. jlfinfrock

    jlfinfrock New Member

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    I suppose that it's more of a peace of mind thing than anything. If my vehicle is stolen, I would like to have some way of tracking it. Or, if I'm in an accident, I would appreciate it if the system notified police for me, especially if I wasn't able to. Around where I live, it's very common for both things to happen, so I would really like to have it as a feature.
     
  11. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Reviewing the transcript, I asked a question about packaging, and how they went about structuring them.

    Ultimately we got two responses.

    1. Package combinations are constrained more by engineering needs than marketing at this point. There are probably manufacturing efficiency reasons driving this. It sounds like Toyota USA specifies what they want on the car, and the engineers decide how to best combine them.
    2. Prius Team has challenge Prius enthusiasts to come up with 10 packages that 75% of us can agree upon. In the end, I think we'll find it's far more challenging than we first suspected, and may very well be a way for Toyota to give us an insight in just how difficult the process really is.
     
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Was at my daughter's soccer practice, so missed the chat, but would like to know if the oil change intervals have been extended since we'll be using synthetic in the 3G? That would ameliorate the expense quite a bit.
     
  13. Dispie

    Dispie New Member

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    Thanks Danny for organizing this chat!

    I had a couple more questions:
    1. Will the touchscreen show MP3 titles in other languages other than English? The main concern for me is Russian.

    2. Will Regular (87) remain the optimum for new engine or need to go for 89?

    and after the comment about 0W-20 oil, one more question came to my mind. What about hot climate environment like South TX or Mexico country?
     
  14. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Also want to add that in Doug's challenge question, I think Daniel is right on target. There should be a safety/green package. Load it with the safety and convenience features such as SKS, but n leather which many don't like. Smaller rims for added FE, etc. I think there is a market for this package.
     
  15. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Thanks to Danny & Prius Team for the chat today.
     
  16. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    ... or Phoenix.

    The engine oil cap in the Prototype 2010 Prius listed oil types as 0W-20 *or* 5W-20. I'd opt for the latter in the summer here, though in reality, the higher number is your high temp viscosity.
     
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I used 0W-20 Toyota full synthetic this winter in my 2004 w/74K miles and have 6,500 miles on this oil so far. The engine consumed ~1 quart of oil over that period during relatively mild weather; normally oil consumption would be unnoticeable. I can see why 0W-20 is not recommended in the US for Classic and 2G (although it is recommended in Japan.) When I change the oil in a couple of weeks I will revert back to 5W-30 synthetic for the summer.

    I assume that the 2010 engine will not consume oil to the extent that I noticed with my 2004. We'll see what the first owners have to say about this, as the summer progresses.

    Thanks to Danny for hosting and to Doug for answering so many questions during today's chat session, it was most informative and fun.
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I know it displays French accents on the current one but none of the languages that would require special characters (e.g. most Asian languages or arabic). I never tried Russian but I suspect certain letters would be replaced or just starred out while regular English letters would remain

    mmm. Understood. :)
     
  19. eaglesight333

    eaglesight333 Senior Member

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    I missed the chat, but read the transcript. I understand, that we can not completely pick and choose our own specs, even though it would be nice. But I too would like to see a few more possibilites. I really dont want leather seats, or even seat warmers. But wouldn't mind being able to have some of the Advanced technoogy options.

    The one thing I am curious on is that I thought Toyota was converting a truck factory in Missouri, to a Prius factory. Is this no longer the case? or was the report I read a few months ago, inaccurate?
     
  20. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    You're thinking of the plant out in Tupelo, Mississippi. The plan was to move Prius production for North America to that plant, but that idea has been put on hold due to the economy. The plant's infrastructure and everything is done, but it's pretty much a hollow shell right now.

    If, when the economy picks back up, that plant will still become a Prius manufacturing facility? No one's sure at this point. Hopefully the success of the 2010 will open back up Toyota's options for expanding manufacturing to the US.