Prius '05 first impression and report

Thanks to many of priuschat.com folks, I’ve just purchased ’05 Silver BC 2 days ago. I’ve read a lot of your posts and all of them were very helpful for my purchase. I greatly appreciate it. So, here is my first impression of the Prius. I’m sure there are some potential Prius owners here in this forum. So, hope this helps your Prius purchase as well.

I’ve been driving a Highlander since ’03 and purchased ’05 Outback XT LTD in 10/05 for daily job use (I still love Highlander). Subaru was a great car, but its gas mileage (only premium fuel with Turbo engine) wasn’t great at all. There were some things missing in Subaru, which were pretty much standard in Toyota. So, this report is based on my recent vehicle experiences.

Over all, this is one of the BEST cars I’ve ever owned. I’m very happy. Price-wise, I feel it’s a little higher than it should be. Assume, this technology is so new and Toyota needs to get paid for its development.

Exterior…It first reminded me an old Citroen back in 80’s. I like its design and form mostly. From some angles, it looks okay. The biggest surprise was how small engine room was. It seemed really small or I at least first thought Prius was the compact size car, but it wasn’t. Guessing that its shape and size of the tire may be making the car look small. Headlight is very bright and helps a lot at night. Since Fog light was pretty dark, I’ve replaced it with the same kind of white halogen. It’s much brighter now. Prius catalog showed dark windows, so I first thought it would have the same type of “privacy†black glass (not tint) as well as Highlander or Sienna. But, it wasn’t. No big deal.

Interior…As I purchased, I added black leather seat with butt warmer (seat heater) for both driver & passenger seats at SF Toyota. It was around $1500 for both. Custom leather job was very well done and impressed me a lot. One great surprise was the foot space for rear passengers. Roomy. Folding rear seats are nice for carrying large items. On the front seat, the way armrest is shaped looks nice and stylish. It was little different feeling from other cars to use auto window switches (felt a little further than normal). Also in the front space, storage space was pretty well designed and a lot more spaces than I expected. I liked the bottle folder on the door and the bottom hidden sliding door space in the middle. This is such a minor thing, but I love “auto window up/down†function on driver’s side. Subaru didn’t have it, but highlander has it.

Luggage space…Much larger than I thought. One interesting thing I found was the armrest in the rear seat. There is no lock, which arm rest stops at flat level. It goes all the way to the bottom. Well, that’ll be used once a year or so, there is not much to do with it…

At the time of pick up Prius, a sales person at SF Toyota, Mike S., gave me over 3 hours of “full tutorial†session. It covered every single function of Prius. And this was my best “dealer†experience in the past 14 years. Although Prius is a little different vehicle from most others, this “first tutorial session†was worth spending $30k to me.

Ease of use…Strange feeling of the panel stuff as I first drove Prius. My eyes kept going to next to the Power switch, where usually the speed meter is located. Ha, ha, ha… Almost everything on this car is very easy to use and figure out. I’ve read both manuals in full (owner’s manual and navigation one), and only a couple of new things found. But no major change was found in Toyota cars. I assume changing the Fog light was something special. Smart key System was pretty impressive. It was interesting that it would open all doors if you use SKS on the passenger side.

Engine & other mechanical stuff…As long as you’re gentle on the gas pedal, it’s pretty quiet. Until I got used to start moving the car, it was going pretty slow. Means, it needs a little push on the gas if I wanted to start as well as other cars. On the other hand, starting the car without gas is so quiet. It’s just amazing. I liked the sound (I heard some said no) when it was stopping. It’s totally like an electric car. I first thought it was like a Electric MUNI in SF. Funny. Break setting was a little different from most other cars I’ve ever driven. I assume because it’s relating to the engine. Although rear breaks are drum, it stops the maneuver very well.

Other MISC stuff…Back up noise was kind of annoying. So, I’ll turn it off. I wish there was a same warning sound to the outside. If Toyota could add the same tiny rear camera as they put on Sienna, which shows on the navigation screen, that’ll be great. Gearshift is different from all others, but it’s just the matter of time to get used to it. There was no problem for me. I actually liked its futuristic way to shift gears. It’s groovy. Using “B†is interesting and worked well on down hill. I was talking to my friend in Japan who also drives Prius. He mentioned about EV switch and it sounded pretty nice to have. So, I’ll be getting it from him soon.

Headlight sensor…Another minor thing I noticed was there is no “auto headlight on/off†function. I noticed that sensor (next to climate control) was missing. So, I saw the actual switch module. Missing. Too bad. I love that function that headlights automatically come on as the sky gets very dark or at night. If I can get a replacement or as an option, I still would love to have one.

Navigation…This is something I haven’t played much yet. It seemed complicated for some degree, but mostly looks and feels the same as other navigations. Being able to control most basic functions on the steering wheel is very nice and safe. Voice command function is great and fun. Well, I’m sure I’ll have fun to play with this navigation.

Bluetooth connection…My phone Motorola V600 did sync at the first try for no problem. Now, every time I get in the car and turn the engine on, it syncs automatically. Nice. Ringer delay through the speaker was expected, so no problem. The only issue I had was to upload all phonebook entries at once. I could only do one at a time. This must be the phone setting or capability, I assume. So, I’m planning to use a laptop to upload them all with Motorola software in one shot. Since I don’t make an outgoing call while I’m driving, this is not a big deal. However, it’ll be nice to be able to see details of incoming calls (their name & other stuff).

Tires…As I kept reading in this forum, this was one of my biggest concerns since it gets rain a lot in Nor Cal. And I drive over 35k miles every year. I just wanted to be safe. Luckily, it was pretty foggy and there was some rain near the cost last night. So, it was a pretty good test. My honest opinion of Good Year Integrity is so, so. Means not great. I stopped buying tires by brand (go by its spec and review) ever since the Bridgestone Dueler on Highlander (didn’t last long at all) was a disappointment. My “Bridgestone Legend†was gone a couple of years ago… So I started researching the replacement. As many of you indicated, Michelin Hydro Edge was top rated. Yes, the price was top of the line too! It was $123 per piece and $650 with all other usual services (without alignment, since the car is new) at Sears (so far they worked out the best, especially for the warranty and “after purchase†value, for me in SF Bay Area). I guess tire choice is based on a person’s preference. Some likes sporty one, and some prefers quiet one. I don’t drive fast, so, low speed rated with longer mileage warranty tire works for me. If it doesn’t get rain much here, Hydro is over kill for my usage and I wouldn’t get it. Bridgestone Weatherforce was very good performance and price based on its warranty ($50 each with 50k warranty). My other consideration is Michelin WeatherWise. I’m still thinking…

Music…Connecting iPod was one of my biggest interests to me. I just couldn’t have any great connections on Subaru, except for the FM transmitter which still gave me quite a bit of static sometimes, even with high end model (over $100). So, I ordered (back order) iPod2car cable for my 3rd gen. 40GB iPod. Let’s see how it goes. I’d been using SONY tape connector and Belkin iPod power adapter for Highlander and now with Prius temporary. It’s quality is much better than FM transmitter to begin with (gets richer sound), but as the tape module gets older, it starts making “clicking noise†from those wheels. Then, it’s time to replace it with the new one. I’m glad that I could finally use one simple cable which does all jobs.

JBL stereo…Somehow, the sound quality is not nearly as great as Highlander or I should say “as I expectedâ€. I’ve checked with 03 Camry (with premium sound equipped). It sounded better. This may be the matter with navigation sound system, but, somehow, front gets more sound output. I played with EQ setting, but amp must be pretty weak compare to other Toyota cars and seems over priced. Speaker layout may need to be changed a bit as well. So, my rating for JBL Premium Sound System is 6 out of 10. Everything else on Prius is rated pretty close to 10.

Parts Ordered…When the sun is on top during the day, it was a little harder to see the navigation window. So, I bought a cover through this priuschat.com thread. Thank you. Another accessory I purchased was the screen protector for navigation. Plus, I mentioned this earlier, I replaced fog lights with white halogen.

That’s about all so far. Please write me back if you have any input or suggestions. Thank you for your time reading my post.

Best,

MM

 

Thanks for your input. I appreciate your time. Before I forget, here are my replies to those sent me email (I got quite a few replies in my area, surprised).

1, Toyota Dealer I purchased my Prius from was SF Toyota (on Van Ness). My waiting time was 2 days. Compare to other Toyota dealers who said “It’s a high demand vehicle…and waiting time is usually a month to three monthâ€. It might have been true, but I’m not sure. I found that SF Toyota was one of the Toyota dealers, which sells or sold most Prius in the US. Anyhow, the biggest reason I purchased from them was their treatment. I’m in customer service business, and if the prices are almost the same, I would feel like spending money on people who have better attitude and treatment. $30k is a lot of money to me. So, I wanted to get better feeling and to get this done right. Its’ a pretty personal thing, I guess. I’m sure that they’ve changed my stereotype “car dealer†image. A sale rep there, Mike Spitz, was truly the best “dealer sales person†I’ve ever met here in the US. Very friendly and great follow through even after purchase. I’m amazed. He even tried to deliver my new Prius to my home at night since I was so busy working late. Although, since there is a different culture here, I’m not expecting to get the same service as I get in Japan, I was very pleased to meet “customer oriented†sales person.
Palo Alto Toyota was the dealer, which I got my Highlander. Well, their service dept is great, but not sales folks. As soon as their “deal†gets closed, those sales people go away. No follow up. I introduced my friend once (purchased top of the line Camry) and he’s got same crappy treatment. So, I thought “that’s it!â€. I ain’t gonna give mo business to them. So, if you’re in Bay Area and looking for Toyota cars, just try them. They’re very good. BTW, sales tax is based on your home. This is another new thing I learned. So, I didn’t have to pay SF 8.5% sales tax.

2, Regarding Fog Lights, since its bulb is regular H-3, you can use any of those. I personally like PIAA, but those were back ordered near my place. So, I bought Silverstar. Its part number is 9006 ST/2 (white/blue). It’s the same type of bright bulb technology as most others. It uses 55W and its actual output or “look†is 110W. Yeah, I could see the difference. And it’s bright enough for me. I just don’t prefer to install third party super bright fog with extra cables. I just wanted to get the same color as headlights and a little more brightness. It’s pretty easy to install. You need to remove the black plastic bottom cover (3 long + screws) in front of tires. Once it’s done, you can move the cover a little bit (doesn’t come off completely) and reach the bulb and replace it. You can not access to the bulb from the front. Toyota factory service manual says to remove all plastic covers. Well, if you do it, it’ll take 4 times longer. It’s not difficult to do.

3, JBL Premium Sound System. Thank you for your input, Fred. Well, whatever it came, I’ll live with it. The work around I did was as follows. Changed speaker balance, 80% rear and 20% front. Then, changed iPod EQ setting to either Hip Hop or Dance. Then, I got pretty clear sound. For me, the best volume range (combination) was 70% on iPod, and volume level 25+ on Prius stereo. At 30+ Bass starts kicking in and I can feel. It’s about twice more output compare to my Highlander. But, this is not a major deal .

4, Parts and accessories. I was browsing Japanese Toyota site and saw a lot of groovy Prius accessories.
http://toyota.jp/prius/dop/index.html
The one I wanted was the rain coated side mirror. They say its life is permanent. Since there is no mirror heater function on Prius, this may be great for the rainy season. Then, my friend told me that there is a “tint†type of film for side mirror, which also includes dimming function for night driving. After the film is attached to the side mirror, its brightness would drop down about the same level as dimming room mirror. So, I asked him to go to the auto shop to check out its price for Prius. I really want it. This must be useful.
Most Japanese Prius parts are also available here. You might be interested in. I talked to them and they were very nice and friendly.
http://japanparts.com/shop/shop.cgi?mode=l...&type_car=Prius

5, “Pure Prius Geek People on the other side of planet†I was reading all kinds of Prius user forum in Japan. It was just amazing. It almost seemed that they were playing the game, like PS2 (I personally don’t have any of these games…). Some information, especially how they use EV mode or recharge battery, were pretty useful. It was interesting to read those who are getting over 100 miles per gallon. I didn't think I could get their level, or perform their driving style, but it was fun reading. Based on their forum, besides EV stuff, choosing the right tire is one of the major things to get the best gas mileage. There are list of tires they suggested, but most of them are not sold in the US. One guy I talked to will be (hopefully) sending me an instruction of how to install auto on/off head light component. We’ll see.

6, EV mode stuff. I sent an email to Toyota Japan headquarter just to ask about EV mode in the US and Canada. If I hear from them any answers, I’ll translate it and upload it here. I basically asked if it becomes “standard†equipment in the future or not (even as a dealer option).

7, Other things. Thank you, bookrat. Yes, I've read about Subaru got Hybrid technology from Toyota. Besides Outback, I also heard that they'll be putting it with their new SUV which came out a couple of month ago in Japan. I'm curious how much difference there will be on its resell value, although it's got Toyota engine... I realized how great resell value Toyota had as I traded in my 7 years old 4Runnder before. My impression of Subaru was that they always needed some upgrades for "ease of use" interior functions, compare to Toyota or Nissan. I honestly think that they are a couple of years behind of Toyota on its interior design.

It’s still the Day 4 of my Prius, but I already know I love this car. Although my business partner says “Stopping sound is like Electric MUNI Bus In SF!â€, I love it. In some degrees, it may be true what someone said, “It’s like my another pet. A car gives you different faces as you drive it differently.â€
To me, Prius is more like a high tech toy. It is so futuristic and cutting edge moving device. Going to work with Prius is more fun than ever.