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Prius Too Complicated For The NY Times?

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Prianista, Jan 22, 2008.

  1. Prianista

    Prianista Member

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    "You start the Prius by pressing a button on the dashboard, not once but twice."

    "It turns out that I had failed to tap the brake while moving the gear shifter in a certain inexplicable way." [more]
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Apparently so.... at least he's managed to learn how to use a computer.
     
  3. GeekEV

    GeekEV Member

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    I tried to look him up, couldn't find a birthdate, but did manage to find a picture. He looks, ahem, older... Not that old though. I can see where the Prius would be a bit confusing to a noob, at least the start button thing. Can't tell you how many times the guys at Jiffy Lube have struggled with it. But shame on the car rental place for not giving him a 30 second tutorial. That's about all you need. ^_^
     
  4. Jeannie

    Jeannie Proud Prius Granny

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    I know that at least 15 years ago, long before I ever heard of the Prius, that I had to put my foot on the brake in order to be able to start my automatic transmission car, and that I had to put my foot on the brake in order to shift it from Park to Reverse or Drive. So I wasn't at all surprised to find I had to do the same things when I got my Prius in 2006. Is it possible that the author of the article has never driven a car before? (I would have expected the car rental company to require that he have a valid license.)
     
  5. johnford

    johnford Old Junior Member

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    Yes, but considering his mentality, it is probably a PC, not a Mac.... jf:lol::lol::lol::lol:
     
  6. Vincent

    Vincent Don't Wait Until Tomorrow

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    Here's my response to technology challenged author,
    --------------
    There is no “large change†in behavior required to drive a Prius.

    It takes one tap of the Start button to start a Prius, not two. Many auto manufacturers are switching to Start buttons; get informed about what’s happening in the auto industry before you put your quill on paper. 16 year old carpark attendants figure out the routine in about a second.

    Try putting any car less than 15 years old in drive without stepping on the brake; where have you been?

    If you feel compelled to write about the Prius, why don’t you focus on its great mileage, low pollution and near maintenance free operation, not on your lack of automotive knowledge and driving skills?

    I hate when qualified people with access to a forum like the New York Times abuse their privilege. You must be good at economic development; you sure sound dumb on technology.

    Very satisfied Prius owner
    ---------------
     
  7. okiebutnotfrommuskogee

    okiebutnotfrommuskogee Senior Member

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    The bad thing is that a lot of people will read that c**p and get the wrong impression and then tell their friends. The first time I drove a Prius, the rental car man handed me the smartkey and said put your foot on the brake and press the start button. When it says ready, put it in gear and go. That is all it took and I had never even sat in one before.

    Love my Prius.
     
  8. judymcfarland

    judymcfarland Queen of Moral Indignation

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    A good friend who bought her Prius about the same time I did had a terrible time at first. When the directions said "press the brake, then press the power button" she did just as she was told. Unfortunately to her that meant "release the brake & then press the power button".

    Now we are not spring chickens - mid 60's - but I really thought she was a little sharper than that!:lol:

    OTOH my mid 30's daughter still thinking driving Fiona is like driving a video game - the MFD makes her nervous.
     
  9. Kablooie

    Kablooie Member

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    I had some problems when I first got the Prius. When I had to stop in traffic for awhile I put the car in park so I didn't have to hold down the brake.

    When traffic started up again I tried pressing the button but it turned everything off. Then I pressed it again and everything lit up but it wouldn't go. The guy behind me started honking.

    It took me a moment to gather my thoughts and realize that I hadn't been holding down the brake when I pressed the button.

    It's become a habit now but it took awhile to totally sink in.
     
  10. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

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    Putting your car in "park" at stop lights is a ridiculously bad habit. For your own sake and the sake of other drivers around you, don't do it. Sooner or later, someone behind you will see your brake light go off and they'll step on the gas... *crunch*.
     
  11. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i read the article and its not about the Prius, its about change. he is using the Prius as a very poor example of how some people readily accept the change and are willing to "change their habits" or "create new habits" to adapt to that change.

    it is a very entertaining article and his only real mistake is thinking that some sort of compromise is needed to drive a Prius. all the cars i have owned since the mid 90's require one to have the foot on the brake to shift the car so not quite sure why he makes such a big deal over it.

    it is a different method, at least different enough that Toyota felt compelled to provide little cards with "valet instructions" but i think the one thing the writer is completely unaware of (although he does allude to it and Western WA does rank near the top in Prius density) is how many people drive a Prius.

    lets face it, he pretty much made a fool out of himself to over a million people
     
  12. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    What is it with idiotic "writers" who rent end up renting a Prius, think they're getting some news scoop on doing a story on a car that's this old, and thinking they're saying something insightful? Is it sweeps week or something?
     
  13. danatt

    danatt New Member

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    Quick Test:

    If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you shouldn't have any trouble with the Prius. ;)
     
  14. Prianista

    Prianista Member

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    Here's more about Mr. Zachary. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his work in the 1990's. That's why I was surprised that someone with his experience would have trouble with the Prius's "Start" button and see the gear shift as such a radical departure.
     
  15. hrpuffnstuff

    hrpuffnstuff Rehumanize Yourself

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    Even I had a few issues with my Prius and not stepping on the gas pedal before putting it in gear. I get in the Mustang, turn the key,hear a nice throaty V6, put it in gear, vrooooooooooooom. I get in the Prius, hit the button twice the slip away with nary a sound, creepy at times.
     
  16. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    what's with all the button twice?
    Step on brake, hit button ONCE, put into drive, and slink away like a ninja!
     
  17. Sitting Duc

    Sitting Duc Feathered Member

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    I walk up to car, touch door, open door, sit down, put right foot on brake, push power and kick off the foot-brake, shift to reverse (since I seem to reverse out of most places I leave my prius) and only then take my foot off the brake and back up to the sound of the annoying distracting dangerous beep.

    <sigh> wish I could disable that on the .nz model :(

    No pushing twice, and foot-on-brake has become second nature.

    I have a few more issues with pushing the park button when I'm finished; occasionally forgetting and go right-foot brake - left foot-brake, left off, right off, car shudders, hit park button. oops. ;)

    Of course, the difference is, I like my car.

    Oh, and my last car was <10yr old and did not require foot on brake to start or shift gears. But it did require foot-on-clutch to change gears :)
     
  18. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    I think it's quite understandable that someone could have problems starting a rental Prius.

    Assume that he's paying more attention to the rental contract than the brief "how to run it" description. Whenever I've rented a car, the most important thing was to not get screwed too badly on the rental terms. They've rarely got the car you reserved, and the clerks are expert in adding extra charges that you'd never agree to if you hadn't just gotten off a 5 hour plane flight at the end of a 20 hour day.

    So assume that he got no education on how to run the car, or wasn't paying enough attention when the desk clerk told him. He gets a remote control (no key), and a parking spot number where the car is to be found. So he collects his baggage and goes off in search of the car. When he finds it, the door has a place to put a key, but he's only got a remote, no key. Ok, he manages to press the unlock button on the remote, the car bleeps, and he gets in.

    Now what to do? There's no place to put a key, but the clerk said something about just plug in the remote. Well, there's some green lights lit up where you might put in a key. So he manages to push the remote into the keyslot, and it seems to fit. What now? It doesn't turn like a key. Maybe you press it harder to start it? Nope.

    Ok, there's the Power button. Press it. Success. The screen in the middle of the dash lights up with a "Energy Monitor" display. Wth is that? The rest of the dash isn't on, so it doesn't look good. Where's the gearshift anyway? Step on the brake and put the car in Reverse. The gearshift springs back to Park, and nothing's happening.

    There's an amber light on the Power button. That doesn't seem like normal operation. Press the Power button again. Ahh, the dash lights up. There are all sorts of warning lights on the dash, including one that says "MAINT REQD". Not looking good. The engine isn't running, but somebody said something about the Prius not running the engine until you actually move the car. And there's a display of the gear selection. Step on the brake and try selecting Reverse again. Nothing. The gear lever just springs back to Park again, and the display never changed. Now what?

    Step on the brake and press the Power button again. Looking better, the warning lights go out. Engine still isn't running. [Note that the Power button has now been pressed not two, but three times]. Step on the brake and try to select Reverse again. Success! The display shows that the thing is in Reverse, even though the gear lever still springs back to Park. Release the parking brake (at least that's like an ordinary car). Let up on the brake and the car starts moving backwards. Now the engine starts, after the car has moved a bit! Weird.

    Anyway, it's moving and seems to be operating like an ordinary car now. Drive out to the road, and stop for traffic. Engine dies. Oh s**t. Step on the gas and it goes again. The engine doesn't seem to be needed all the time. Drive to hotel normally, except that the engine keeps starting and stopping all the time. The energy monitor thingy is kinda interesting. The heater seems to be working ok, which is good since the only control that seems related is a single button next to the video screen that says "Climate". Better not touch that.

    At the hotel, park the car, set the parking brake, press the "Park" button (see, I'm not so dumb!). Now how do you turn it off? Try pulling on the remote. It won't come out. The engine isn't running, but the car seems to still be ON. Step on the brake and press the Power button again. The dash goes dark, and now the remote can be pulled out of the dash. See, I'm learning. Get out of the car, collect baggage, and lock the car with the remote. This remote thing has got to be fragile. What do you do if the battery in it dies? You really need a key in case the remote doesn't work.

    ----------

    Ok, so I hammed it up a bit. But it's not that far off from some real experiences. The car is complicated, and just knowing how to operate another car isn't going to be sufficient to operate a Prius. There is some real learning that has to occur, much more so that just the differences between other cars. How many people know how to leave the car locked up with the air conditioning still running? Or how to discover that the reason you can't lock the door is that the trunk isn't closed all the way? Heaven forbid that your spouse wants to leave their key in the car while the two of you go into the store. If you really want to scare yourself, leave the hood ajar and try driving that way. The triangle of death comes on, indicating that you better pull off to the side of the road and have the car towed to the dealer. Either that or close the hood...
     
  19. Prianista

    Prianista Member

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    I never thought of that. (Seattle will never be mistaken for Sunnyvale) How DO you do that?
     
  20. Kablooie

    Kablooie Member

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    it wasn't at a stop light. I was stuck in traffic, just sitting for a long time.