biggest prius disappointments?

Plastic below windows appears to be painted which over time will wear off since that's where I rest my arm.

The armrest in the center console should be covered in some other material that's not as porous. It's going to eventually get stained.

Seats are too hard. A lumbar adjustment to the seat would be helpful as well as a height adjustment to the seat since the steering wheel adjustment isn't sufficient for my 5'-8" frame.

The windshield wiper stick is impossible to see if the steering wheel is up at its high point (at least for my height that is).

Overall though, I'm very pleased with it.

 

Neither did I... but that's what it competes against in terms of pricing. In terms of having gadgets and a cool engine, it beats them all. In terms of having a quality interior, it gets beaten like a rented mule.

 

Entry level "luxury" car---maybe,
A car meant to be driven many, many miles- you bet. I'll have 50k miles on my 2004 (july) in one month. I think Toyota rushed to get the Prius to the USA and skipped the inside ergonomic analysis-changes for the USA market. Plus any big interior changes would mess with all the air bags, certificaitons, etc..

I rented a 2005 Corolla S for 2 days in June and the cloth seats are 10 times better (wider bottom bolster, better thigh support, adjustable lumbar) and the steering wheel is "normal".

 

I at first didn't like the split rear view either, but I've learned that the rear spoiler at night seems to line up quite nicely to block head lights behind me that have a tendency to blind me or be bothersome in my rear view mirror. Its especially nice if the person behind you has their brights on.

 

I see where you're coming from; but my Prius (not a Package #6/9) is a $21.5K car.

From a $20K car standpoint, I feel pretty satisfied with it.

 

Go sit in the interior of a brand new Jetta (which starts at 18K). If you can honestly tell me you think the Prius has an interior anywhere as nice, I'd really be shocked.

 

Only had the car two weeks but so far I am disappointed in:

1. The helicopter noise effect when the back windows are open...I was so happy to have a car with 4 working windows, but now must keep the back ones shut.

2. I thought the screen would keep track of lifetime mpg, but have to actually keep paper records and do math.

3. The back window wiper is not very effective.


But the list of things I am pleasantly surprised and happy about is too long to post.

 

Mayo is best removed with the aid of bacon, tomato, lettuce, and two slices of cheap white bread. What won't come out with an absorbant like talc might come out with an oil remover (might find it for stone or tile from Home Despot) or a scouring agent :^(
Sara

 

This was an interesting queston for me, because at first I couldn't think of ANYTHING that disappointed me about the Prius. And I have had lots of new cars including Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Nissan Maxima, Volvo XC70, VW Jetta, VW GTI, etc. But then I remebered the stereo (I did not get the JBL, just the standard single CD version). The sound quality from this thing does suck, but fortunately I mostly listen to NPR or talk radio on AM so it doesn't matter much.

When I bought the car I had read enough to expect lower than EPA gas mileage, and inferior power and mediocre handling compared to the '02 VW GTI it replaced. But I have been pleasantly pleased with all three. I am averaging 51 mpg after 18,000 miles, and I find the handling and power completely adequate. The Prius actually seems quicker off the line than the VW GTI with a manual transmission and 2.8 liter V-6!

 

Poor visibility
This is my biggest complaint. The view to the rear is very cramped, and the blind spots seem to be pretty large.

But worst of all -- cars coming from the right at intersections have a nasty habit of disappearing behind the front-right corner post. It's just too darn thick. I'm waiting for that ironic day when my fancy curtain airbags are the very reason I get into side-impact accident.

Bad NAV UI
The NAV computer is really great, but the UI appears to have been designed to frustrate. It seems like every time I enter an address I have to wade through a few variations that are three states away before I find the one I want. And it doesn't even tell you which states the search results are in -- you have to pick each one and zoom out on the map to see where it is. Stupid. You should have to go out of your way to search for an address in another city, not to mention another state. No offense Kansans, but I never want to see another search result from your state again.

Safety lockouts
I realize that Toyota really doesn't want to get sued by some fool who crashes while fiddling with their screen, but the safety lockouts are pretty insulting. I know how much distraction I can safely deal with, and there's just no excuse for not letting the passenger have at it. At least the NAV lockout has a workaround now.

CD player doesn't read MP3 CDs
This is asking a bit much, but I was genuinely surpised when I found out that it didn't considering how geek-friendly the rest of the car is.


Having said all that, I have to add that these are minor compared to all the positives this car has going for it. I really love it.

 

My two complaints exactly! :cussing: Otherwise, I really like the car.

 

This one is more of a minor annoyance, rather than a dissapointment....

I just discovered last night that the power window lockout button on the driver's armrest locks out the driver too. When the lockout button is pressed, only the driver's window can be opened, even when using the controls on the driver's armrest.

 

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This is interesting. I was excited to find out my CD player (6-disk player in #6) will play audio burned onto CD-R/W disks. None of the other CD players around the house would except the one in my computer.

The audio files are audio books downloaded from Audible.com and also play on an MP3 player, though they are not technically MP3 files.
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I can convert my mp3 files to WMP (Windows Media Files) an burn a CD that will play in my Prius - I have title info showing on my computer - but no title info will show on the MFD. Am I doing something wrong when I burn the CD?

 

How DO you convert MP3 files to Windows Media files that will play on a Prius CD machine? I just downloaded some radio plays for my kids and can only play them on the computer. I'd love to play them in the car.... but I'm pretty low-tech, except for the Prius....

 

You can open a series of mp3s in a recent version of Windows Media Player and simply go to the File menu > CD and Devices > Burn Audio CD... There should be no need to convert to a WMP file, as most CD burning programs can convert mp3s directly to WAV (file type used on audio CDs) as part of the CD burning process.

 

I really hate to say anything bad with all of the bad press this car has gotten from car mags. First I think this is a great car, much prefer it over my 2002 V6 Camry XLE. It is quiet, quick, fun to drive. I actually prefer the cloth seats and plastic interior over the leather and fake woodgrain. If I would change things it would be the thick A pillars, the rear wiper, no place to put your arm, more steering wheel adjustment, and I actually don't like the HID lights. Saying all that this is still probably the best car I have ever owned and gets more than twice the MPG I have ever gotten from a car.

 

Thanks, Joe -- works like a charm. This opens up a lot of possibilities for my family's travel listening.

Back on-topic, enough people have complained about the center console fabric that I have draped a nearly-matching microfiber cloth over it. That way when I'm driving the kids to the pool I won't get sunblock residue on the already-flimsy console covering. And I can use the non-sunblock side of it to wipe fingerprints off the display screen.

It was an interesting idea to re-upholster the center console with a different fabric. Has anybody else done that?