Auto Temperature Control

It should warm up faster really !?
Don't the automatic grill shutters and the enhanced exhaust gas recirculation system do anything to speed up the process?
Kind of dissapointing to read !

 

On my 2012, auto set, the A/C light is always on.

Doesn't mean its always running. I never turn it off.

 

It is normal and, I believe you can set this through the Radio Setup menu screens.

 

I have not owned a car without climate control for over 30 years -- they all run the AC in "AUTO" .... otherwise it's not auto. Years ago the systems had a lockout on the compressor at low temps -- with VS and V flow compressors this is no longer necessary. There are many situations where the incoming air needs to be dehumidified as well as heated.

 

You can turn this off in techstream.
So the AC isn't linkt to the AUTO or Def button. So you need to switch the AC manually

 

Why use Techstream when there is a menu option on the radio setup to do that? At least, the US Prius has a menu under Setup -> General.

 

I wonder if it's US vs Canadian spec (and third gen vs fourth?): on ours, a 2010 Canadian Touring model, if I have AC button off (light not lit) and push Auto, AC button does not light: I've got Auto except AC is off-limits, doesn't run. I've monitored the AC compressor watts via ScanGauge too: the only time the system (my Canadian system) will run AC without specific request (either pushing the AC button or front window defog) is if I set Mode to Heat/Defog. And then it may or may not use AC, depends on factors, maybe ambient temp for starters.

 

Image is b0rken but on gen 4, by default AC button lights when Auto is pressed, but it is a user configurable preference.

 

Our previous Civic was like that, without adjustment available. Work around: push Auto, then AC off button. Frustrating though, when something constantly goes counter your intent. So with 4th gen, regardless of defaults, you can program so that pushing auto does not automatically activate AC.

AC is not trivial, does impose a load. Constant use can lead to mildew issues. It's good to have more control with it.

 

The reasons I don't like or use Auto:

-The gas mileage seems to go down with auto running all the time.

-When I press auto it always defaults to the upper vent position. I like the face/floor vent position. (or defrost/floor). If I change the vents back to face/floor, the auto button goes off! So with auto you either get air in your face, or nothing!

A minor inconvenience, yes, so I just don't use the auto button. I still think this Prius is overly complicated and ridiculously strange.

 

Not on UK spec Gen 4

 

The thing with auto is, when selected it will operate at what it detects are the optimum configurations and that may be up the screen in your case. If you ignore it for a while it should detect the changing climate in the car and redirect the air, probably as you would have done left to your own devices. That's what all my last four auto-climate controls have done on Rover (BMW), MB, Nissan and Honda. That said, I can understand your impatience and frustration with automation, but I can remember when cars didn't even have a heater; you just had to wrap up really warmly on cold drives.

 

Weird. Mine tends to default to floor & I prefer Face/ Floor.

 

Upper trim levels of the US Prius have a humidity sensor on the windscreen. The lower Trim Two does not have this sensor. I assume I need to turn defrost on manually when desired.

 

I think that is what you'll have to do. I'm unfamiliar with central Virginia how cold does it get in winter? In Cornwall we go down to mid twenties Fahrenheit, but only occasionally. Usually we bob around freezing minus a few and plus a few more. All thanks to the Gulf Stream, which bathes our western coastlines with relatively warm seawater, so our winter climate is significantly milder than mainland Europe which doesn't get any such benefit.

 

Occasionally, maybe every couple of years, we sneak below 0F. It has been in the 20s the past couple of mornings. Today's high is 53F.
We have not yet seen snow, but we definitely will. It is usually the heavy stuff, not the light fluffy snow from further north.

 

That is why you guys also have your own forum.
International Owners | PriusChat

 

Unlike the main part of Europe at this latitude, the UK is warmed by the Gulf Stream. It's about 2pm GMT here now and the temperature is 48°F, but occasionally it can fall to the mid twenties at the coolest part of winter but seldom for more than a day, or two. Snow is uncommon and work more than a couple of inches. It lasts little more than a day usually, although I have seen freak snowstorms here a couple of times over the past couple of decades. It generally melts to slush which can refreeze to ice, so our main road have to be salted to keep the traffic rolling.