NACS isn't just fast charging. NACS is already in heavy use by standard SAE plug-in car 'freeloaders' via adapters that can deliver up to nearly 15kW's turning on their programming & 208 vs 240v source. Yes - there will always be folks that want to hog free electricity to the detriment of those truly in need. It may be Tesla never foresaw how badly abuse would become with their high power wall Chargers but it's going to get worse once NACS becomes even more prevalent. Obviously there will come a time when these open HPWC's will have to get locked out by default. Already our local hotels are having to use main breakers as a shut off so that only Hotel patrons can't take advantage. Otherwise - locals continue to Simply camp out every morning before and after work while picking up a cup of coffee or whatever. But w/ prime's relatively little battery, it will likely never see the DC light of day. iirc - the smallest DC charging plugin is the mitsu outlander - w/ its ~20kWh traction pack. .
I am aware NACS is also an AC standard, but the question is about what Toyota will install at the factory. Looking at the name, it is only used in North America. The reason for manufacturers to use it is for access to the larger DC charging network. The US gen4 Prime never got the DC charging ability, and I don't think the gen5 one has it at all. Will Toyota install NACS on North American Primes being made in a Japanese factory for just AC charging when the cars on the line for other markets will need j1772?
For the money paid for a Limited, I'd settle for more interior softness and comfort. Also, better audio and quieter interior. Guess I'm saying 50 mpg luxury.
I was curious what those marks on the Conti tire tread were, than the tirerack video explained it. Tuned Performance Indicators And I thought figuring out what the yellow and read dots on a lot of new tires sidewalls were for, was kool. Nice Bkat ! @CeruleanBlue I like your color a lot ! cerulean seas.
Beige interior. Im not in the market tho given that my '23 is running fine, and will be for probably a long time
It absolutely has variable follow distance already. After spending 2 days in crowded MSP and Chicago traffic at speeds ranging from a near stop to 90mph, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the following distance changes according to speed. SM-S901U ?
Having lived with a couple of Gen 5s, while overall a big improvement over Gen 4, here's a short wishlist: Make 19 inch wheels an option on all trim levels, the 17s are fine for winter tires, but will need a second set of 17s for summers. Improve the driving controls for cruise control. The current setup is inferior to the Gen 4 Prime. Hard to find the right dash button without visually looking. Include a button for "coast." It's almost impossible to find that exact position of throttle that neither burns battery or charges it. More sound deadening, especially in the fender wells. Tire noise is, by far, the biggest contributor to cabin noise. Programmable safety margins for the cross traffic alert. Need to be able to set it to enable foot off the brake before the vehicle coming passes completely by. Annoying to get that alert just because foot is off the brake. Improve the audio system and smart phone integration. The latter's still glitchy, sometimes requiring a reset. Audio is better, but would really appreciate an output to hook an external subwoofer to without delving into the wiring harnesses.
I'm pretty sure the reason it's hard to find heuristic mode for both Gen 4 and 5 Prime is that they've dialed in the power to regen so close there are only a few tiny spots in a drive cycle that show the no charge no power used on the gauge. In Gen 4 I've noticed a change in the way coasting works from the Gen 3 Plugin to the Gen 4. In older Gen 3 Plugin I used to be able to coast in N and gain some distance from it, but in Gen 4 coasting in N gives an initial appearance of more distance, but by the end of the drive cycle the computers have already recalculated and it looks like a penalty instead of a gain. It might be counter intuitive to add a coasting button the way at least Gen 4 and 5 Prime appears to handle heuristic mode.
Mine has a manual adjustment for following distance right on the steering wheel with the other cruise settings.
It still varies by speed. Say you've set the distance to 1 bar. At 15mph, that means the car might follow the car in front about 10ft back. At 80mph, it might be 100ft. If you set the distance to 4 bars, it might be 40ft at 15mph and 400ft at 80mph(the numbers are made up to illustrate the point). Go ahead and try it to see.
Thanks. I didn't know that. It does make sense that it would be set up that way. Never noticed but will check it out. I only use it at higher speeds on fairly open highways. It's fine with me either way. I like the way it works, especially that when changing lanes to pass after following a slower car, it kicks into acceleration faster than some cars, such as my Mazda CX-5.
For me, the 3 bar is the sweet spot. Its far enough back I feel safe, but close enough that you don't have people cutting you off because they see a gap and think they can slip in from a much slower moving lane in heavier (but not truly stop and go) traffic. When I drive the old car now, since my wife takes the PHEV to work and its her primary vehicle, the thing I miss the most is just turning on the adaptive CC function, and making the drive significantly smoother. That and a working speaker in the driver side door. I haven't had the time or energy to pull it out and fix the capacitor that probably broke (yet again) in the cross over box on the nearly 14 year old Kicker 2 way speaker I put in the door ages ago that has been in 2 cars prior lol
Indeed. People may even find that the setting they like in stop and go in town traffic will not be the same they want on an interstate. I would urge people to be alert and ready to brake when using it. In my car, the system doesn't always recognize a car ahead of me when running through a turn. The distances Toyota uses are generous, but don't seem so if the car is surging toward stopped traffic. In ACC, the car also uses engine braking. I wonder why they didn't also program it to be triggered by deceleration with the brake pedal.
Some GM models display how many seconds ahead of you the car in front is. In other words, how long you have to brake if that car suddenly stopped. Wish to see this on more makes.
This seems like a cost-effective way of dealing with the tire issue. I may consider it. I had thought I would just get Michelin X-Ice for the 19 inch rims and drive those year round to avoid the cost of new rims. And then use one of the Toyo for a spare. I am curious, what you see as the advantages of the solution you arrived at - and, if I did that could I keep one of the 19 inch for a spare? if you know.. Thanks, Btw, if Toyota is reading this: the 19" tires, size and options, are the biggest problem with the car, especially with no spare tire. At a minimum, any buyer should have option when buying for the 17". And, car should come with a spare, at least a donut. I had not realized these issues when I bought the car and if these are not addressed I would likely not buy this car again.
