First Prius...Is This A Normal Drivetrain Sound ?

Should be smooth as silk... well at least until the engine kicks in. For the first few thousand miles I couldn't even really feel that.

I would have the dealer look at it.

 

Nothing like you describe in my Prius v (wagon). I did initially notice more road vibrations coming through the gas pedal than on my trade in Lexus RX300. But raod vibration would not respond to you easing off the gas pedal. I hope we can explain this mystery, and that it does turn out to be the actual dirve train.

 

Can you record the sound or do a Video to see if we can hear it? You might want to narrate also what you might be doing at the time.

 

Not normal. Prius V has one of the smoothest takeoffs of any car. Even the transition to the gas engine is usually only heard (sometimes) but not felt.

 

How long does the vibration last?

Under the conditions you describe I would expect the one of the electric motors to spin up ICE to proper RPMs before injecting fuel. I would guess that it takes less than a second to do that. I have on occasion felt a minor shudder when the ICE comes to life. I can't tell if it's the spin up or the start of combustion, but it does not sound like what you are feeling in your Prius.

Let us know when you when you test drive other Prius v's to compare the vibrations.

Have you shown your dealer yet? If it is really obviously wrong, I'd think they would want to make it right.

 

Are we sure the OP isn't describing ICE start? That produces a small shudder.

Tom

 

But he does say the following:

While I feel a vibration when my car switches to the engine, it isn't 'severe' as he says. I feel a minor vibration when it kicks in. But again, not severe. It suggests that he is noticing it a lot, where as I sometimes notice it, sometimes not.

 

You might try going back to your dealer and "test drive" another V, if it feels the same...

 

Be sure you are using a good 87 octane gas with no more than 10% ethanol. Shell is reliable around here, others have been known to cheat on the octane.

 

I think I know what TruSound is observing. I'm a new hybrid owner too and noticed something similar and it is indeed in my case for me the transition to the ICE. I'm hypersensitive as well learning a new set of normal experiences.

I remember on the test drive thinking we had a problem when the ICE shut down at a traffic light. :doh:

So far I really like the car. Getting used to the fuel gauge not moving is a little strange but welcome. Let us know TS what you learn. W

 

When I accelerate from a stop my little energy monitor doesn't stay in Eco mode. I usually get right into power mode, up to about 15 - 20 mph, then back off the gas pedal a little. That lets me keep up with traffic and doesn't tax the battery with the hardest job the car ever faces - starting from a stop. So far it hasn't hurt the mpgs I've been getting, which are equivalent to what I was getting with a 2009 Touring Prius.

 

i don't have a v, but when i accellerate from a standstill using about 1/2 throttle, the ice fires right up and is fairly noisy. but one man's drum roll is another's whisper.

 

Well, also, it depends on how you drive, literally. I mean, for me, I'm playing music at Vol 20-25, for instance. I feel the subtle vibration when the engine kicks in, but I don't hear the sound of the engine. Now unless I push harder, I do hear the engine, but I am also used to the sound of the engine from the days when I drove my old car. I don't know what it was like for the rest of you, but didn't seem 'out of the ordinary' for me.