What would you like to change on the 05 prius

I'd like an onboard something-or-other and rack-and-peanut steering.

And I'd like a place to put my drink. Not a little cup, but one of those super-slurpers at the Kwik-E-Mart.

And yes, some things are so snazzy they never go out of style! Like tail fins... and bubble domes... and shag carpeting...

And I want a horn here, here, and here. You can never find a horn when you're mad. And they should all play "La Cucaracha".

Oh, and a separate soundproof bubble-dome for the kids with optional restraints and muzzles.

In short, I want a Prius powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.

 

I've got a base model 2005 Silver Prius and after a month and a half of ownership I'm still thrilled just that I finally HAVE a Prius. So far this base model suits me just fine. I've never sat in ANY car seats that were so comfortable that I wasn't glad to get out and stretch my legs after several hours of driving. I'm almost 6' 2" and weigh 220 lbs and have no problems with the Prius seats. The standard radio and CD player sound plenty good enough to my ears. It would be nice if the CD player could play mp3s and since I play a lot of sports, I wish there were some darker interior colors offered so that I wouldn't worry so much about getting the inside dirty. But so far, other than those nits, I couldn't be happier with what I have 8) .

 

A stereo system (JBL or not) with some sort of woofer that brings it UP to the level of what's in a Corolla S or Camry LE. This includes auto-locking, and auto-headlights.

A dash display and setup that's as pretty and advanced looking as the HCH, instead of being a look-alike of the first Ford Taurus, or some other ugly American car, without having to depend on the central pixelated Multi-Display for everything.

Ablity to upload custom icons to replace the UGLY pixelated ones built into the NAV system. Ablility to self-upgrade the NAV maps from other sources. Higher-res lcd central display that supports more colors, and doesn't get hot doing it.

Maybe the miles of flat scratch&dust-attracting plastic keeps the weight down, but boy is it nasty compared to the stock textured rubber in other cars.

Many other things mentioned before such as better steering wheel positioning and adjustments, as well as a real driver's seat comparable to other (even lower-end) Toyota models which are much more adjustable, side/mirror blinkers, more drivable suspension, a NOT crappy video game-type electronic steering-assist.

Put something more useful in the mini-window area of the A-pillars like maybe lcds to replace the mirrors, full-size spare option, DISTANCE backoff in the cruise control, a-la-carte options, traffic reporting integrated with the GPS (instead of being a Acura RL-only option with XM), ...

Dianne Whitmire, are you following this thread?

 

For this one, I would even give up my wish for a sun roof:

I would like to see the entire roof, and possibly even the hood covered with with photovoltaic panels :idea: which conform to the exact shape of the Prius so as not to compromise the areodynamics.

I don't know that much about the current state of photovoltaics. I'm wondering how much juice that area of photovoltaics would provide? On a sunny day, how many miles might you get from an hour of strong sunshine?

When everyone else is seeking out the shady parking spot, we'd be trying to find the sunniest.

 

in no particular order.....

1) a telescoping steering wheel
2) longer seat rails so that the front seats can go back a bit further
3) a better-shielded MFD that doesn't wash out as much in direct sun
4) a louder horn
5) an AUX input on the stereo
6) electric seat heaters for the winter
7) a bit more sound insulation
8) a direct "vent" option on the climate controls


and a few really small, pet peeves:

1) why does the climate control system display the words "air conditioner" every time you adjust the temperature regardless of whether the A/C is actually on or not? i understand "conditioned air" but the verbage is silly. it should be "climate" or "temperature" or something like that

2) the dash material collects dust more visibly than any car i've ever had. it literally shows every speck of dust or lint. even a microfiber cloth has a tough time keeping the dashboard clean. grrr.

3) switches and interior controls are barely visible at night. contrast this with VW's where everything (all windowlifts, stalks, switches and even A/C vents) is brightly lit and easy to find. it's a real shame

 

Ok, righty-o, my list:

- I'd love a low-speed radar cruise control (say, 0-10mph) for use when you're in creeping traffic to pace the car in front of you at the appropriate safe distance for the speed (this is already developed afaik).

- Show interior temperature on the climate screen

- Have a stereo system with an aux-in jack for ipods/etc. It would be great if they had some extremely simple control interfacing to allow it to control external devices with a cheap 3rd party interface cable

- How about including a memory card slot (SD/CF), that you could do a few things with, like: automatic logging of efficiency/fillup/trip milage/GPS track data, allow the owner to customize the interface screens with their own graphics or icons, interface into the audio system to play back music (or whatever) in MP3 format (ala a solid-state CD changer) - also function as a display screen for digital camera photos, etc. This should be cheap & do-able. (I'd suggest movies as well, but there would likely be liability issues there that lawsuit-prone north america wouldn't allow).

- Monitoring and display of more detailed engine/diagnostic information (comeon Toyota, you can do better than a "check engine" light with all of the computer technology in the Prius - tell us what's wrong when something happens!).

- Height adjustable seats

- Front window allowing a bit more vertical visibility, sometimes hard to see overhead light signals when you're first in line at the light.

- Reverse camera option

That's it for the moment

I suppose this should be on the '06 wish list now...

Dave

 

I agree with DaveG on the point he makes about providing more information on what's going on with the car. If Graham Davies MiniScanner can display it, why can't the car do it. It's all available on the CAN, so put it on the screen. I realize most drivers don't give a d**n about it but lots do, so put a toggle on the display to paint it on the screen. This isn't rocket science. Just do it Toyota.

 

I'd like to see it tuned to accept E85 gas as well as regular. It's quite common where I live and runs about $0.45/gal less than reg.

 

I love my car, but I'd like to see these minor changes:

1) the auto AC/ button on the steering wheel currently toggles between auto/AC and off. It should toggle between three things ... auto with ac, auto without ac and off.

2) The AC Auto light on the dash lights up the words "AC" even if you turn off the AC via the screen

3) I don't like having to slam the rear hatch

4) more adjustable seats

5) front seat should go back a little more.

6) aux input for stereo

7) rear wiper is a silly little thing

8) all the settings such as reverse beep on/off and door unlock preferences should be set via an "advanced" menu on the screen, not by cryptic button pushing and cycling on and off.

9) in the screen view that shows your wheels and energy movement, your wheels should light up when braking goes beyond the regen, and starts using the calipers.

10) auto-dimming mirror should have the dimming level be adjustable

11) instrument panel and screen lights should get even dimmer using the dimmer adjustment.


12) right side mirror should aim down at curb when car is put in reverse

13) mileage readout should be linked to odometer setting. In other words if you select "ODO" your mpg reading should indicate your lifetime mileage. If you select "trip A" you mileage reading should reflect your mpg over the course of the miles traveled on "trip A"

These are really just nit-picks. All in all, I think it is a very well thought out car.


Finally, my biggest fantasy is that they offer a higher performance sport version of the prius! Not a sports car mind you, but bigger wheels, sport tuned suspension, and a little more power.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"97039)</div>

Yeah, but which sport? Maybe golf?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rcroft\";p=\"97186)</div>

Ultramarathon?

 

COLORS!!!!!!!!!!!!