Future Prius Owner has some ?'s for current owners

Well, some of what I would change has been addressed, eg. leather seats. I do think that the seats are too firm and have caused me problems. I have a 40 mile one way commute. I had to buy a memory foam pillow...

I have the headlights and the navigation system. I have no issue with the headlights and the navigation system is great in my opinion. I get lost getting out of bed in the morning and this thing inspires confidence in knowing where to go. I have read those that are down on the JBL sound system but I find it to be pretty good. The only sound issue I have is with the bluetooth through the NAV system. It is a great system but you can't adjust the sound characteristics, eg. bass, treble etc. which is something I would change if I could. Best of luck.

 

Welcome John...enjoy your Prius!

 

All cars get less than their EPA rating.
EPA will be revising its protocols in a year or two to better reflect real world experiences.
Toyota, like other automobile manufacturers, quotes the EPA rating.
I don't think they need to be worried about lawsuits on this.

 

Lets see..

Snow. Like any car, how it does in snow is totally based on the tires you put on it. Put some good snow tires on it and you should be good to go, doing just as well as the SUV crowd as long as you don't get the car high centered on a snow bank. There have been complaints about the traction control kicking in too early, but I would attribute that to driving the pretty poor stock tires in slippery conditions.

Mileage... I'm a bid of a reformed lead foot and habits die hard. Just like any other car, weather and driving style will affect mileage. With my car I get about 50 MPG on the highway at about 65mph. My lifetime mileage has been about 44mpg. The lower mileage has been caused in my case by a few items. I've towed a 600 lb trailer with my shifter kart on it for about 1500 miles of the 15000 on the car. When I tow at 75mph I get about 39 mpg. Almost half of the mileage was in winter, which (like any car) drops the mileage because of prolonged warmups. During the one month in the summer that I didn't tow and drove sanely I averaged just under 49mpg with mostly highway driving. Thats only 4% lower than the EPA highway rating. I'd guess most cars are shy of their EPA ratings by at least that much.

Headlights... The HIDs have a very good pattern. If you like E-Code lights you will like these. A very sharp cutoff and even light distribution. I've never seen a headlight that was bright enough (at least one that's street legal), but these are pretty good. They are single bulb per side with a moveable "shade" to change from low to highbeam, and they are self leveling. For me using HIDs seemed like a natural for a Prius because the main advantage of HIDs is that they use about half the power to produce the same (or slightly more) light output as standard halogen bulbs.

The nav system is pretty good, and I hear that 06 has been improved again. My only compaints are that you can't enter destinations while moving and the upgrade disks are very expensive. I have heard rumours that the 06 has fixed at least part of that by allowing voice prompts to enter desitnations while moving. Of course voice prompts are another mixed bag. I've had a few "arguments" with my Nav system over what I am trying to tell it vs what it thinks I am saying.

THe JBL system....ehh...You will hear a lot of complaints. I think there are better sound systems out there. If you are a real audiophile you aren't going to be happy with it, but for anyone else I think it's ok. One thing I don't like about it is they have chosen different base EQ settings for each audio input and the one for the FM radio is VERY boomy. CDs sound good, and I would guess the direct input and Satelitte radio would also sound pretty good. If you are thinking about replacing it, remember it's pretty tightly integrated into the car's systems and it is a big part of the dashboard. There have been lots of discussions about replacing speakers, amps, and soundproofing on this board if you want to go that route. A quick search will find them.

If I was redesigning the Prius I would tighten up the suspension a bit add more adjustment to the seats, and add telesoping to the steering wheel. Oh, making the dashboard a little more rattleproof would be nice too.

One thing I have found is that the car has changed my driving style a bit. I am much more relaxed, even in rush hour traffic. I don't really drive any slower but because the car's speed changes so smoothly I don't feel as aggresive on the road as I used to. A pleasent side benefit.

Have fun with the car. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

I just got my Prius in September 05 so I haven't used it in the snow yet, there are a lot of posts from prius owners who live in places like Maine, other Northern states, and various locations in Canada that know all about driving a Prius in the snow and cold. Do a search for posts by jayman for example.

The law suits don't mean anything, most cars and most drivers don't get the EPA estimated mileage. I averaged about 51 or 52 as a novice Prius driver when the weather was warm; now that it is a lot cooler and we have winter gas I am getting about 46 or 47.

HID headlights, now there is something I can comment on. I have never had them before and I will never own another car without them. They are great.

I have never owned a car that didn't need improvement, including this one. I would like to have a better, more adjustable, driver's seat. I would like to have a gas tank that didn't have the stupid fuel bladder in it, that thing can be a pain. A lot of owners don't like the original equipment tires but I don't mind them that much and I can change them if I do. The other two things I can't do anything about except complain and hope Toyota hears me. Having said that I would add that I love the car and really enjoy driving it.

 

Mitchbf commented about no way to adjust the treble/bass in the JBL Sound System... WRONG: THERE IS A WAY!

2004 Owner's Manual - Section 2-8 "Operation of Instruments and Controls - Car audio system" - page 161 clearly provides options to adjust "Bass - Mid - High" ranges as well as "Front - Rear - L - R" balances. To access these adjustments you need to press the "Audio" botton on the steering wheel and set your preferences on the MFD (Multi-Function-Display). I find the JBL system adequate.

I enjoy the NAVagation system and find it helpful both in the Dallas Metroplex (home) and travelling in less familiar areas. This link directs you to the Lexus NAV online DVD (works best on a broadband connection) - same NAV system as the Prius, the only difference being placement of the buttons on the dashboard.
http://www.lexus.com/models/es/interior.html#dvd

There has been discussion regarding "sueing Toyota" because of the difference between actual mileage of the EPA numbers; however, those folks fail to understand the EPA numbers and obviously did not read the window placard on their Prius. The placard clearly states "Actual Mileage will vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits and vehicle's condition. Results reported to EPA indicate that the majority of vehicles with these estimates will achieve between 51 and 69 mpg in the city - and between 43 and 59 mpg on the highway." Such a lawsuit would be baseless.

I have the "standard" Halogen headlights (not the HID - High Intensity Discharge) and find them to be most adequate. The HID headlights require a "levelling system" due to the very sharp upper "cutoff" of the beams - to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. The levelling system adjusts according the the load of the Prius - as in passengers or cargo in the back require "levelling."

 

you should animate your avatar

 

[/quote]

Personally I think the sticker's gas mileage on just about any car will be higher than you'd normally get.

I never had HID before. The first time I drove at night (early morning actually) I was surprised when the interior lights came on when I came close. When the lights kicked on, I thought "oh wow."

I never had a NAV system before and had seen one in operation just a couple of weeks before I got the car. I like it and use it often. It's not perfect, but if I were to get another car, I would have a NAV system, built in or not.

As for the JBL, I'm no audiophile, but I can see that it would benefit from a subwoofer.

If I could add anything, it would be power seats.

 

Factory Goodyears suck in snow(even hard packed).

HID are fantastic. Fog lights suck-Go to Wal Mart and buy the higest temperature "blue" bulbs and replace them yourself (15 minutes). You'll now actually be able see when the fog lights are on. DON"T go to a higher wattage bulb you may melt something.

 

Have to agree about the fog lights, I'm never sure if they're on. I'll have to look into changing them.

 

I've never driven in deep snow. The Prius has less ground clearance than an SUV or pickup, so won't go through very deep snow. But on ice the Prius is fantastic. (I have the optional VSC.) The OEM tires performed fine my first winter (Fargo, ND) but I feel safer with my replacement HydroEdge tires. If we are comparing cars to cars (no high-clearance vehicles) you probably can't do much better than a Prius.

I have no NAV.

I have the standard stereo and think it sounds fantastic. I am concerned with quality, not volume.

The EPA says 55 mpg overall. Consumer Reports says 45 mpg overall. It will depend on your driving conditions, ambient temperature (goes down in the cold), length of commute, etc. A few people have met or exceeded the EPA figures, but most people get around the CU figure.

I would change the climate controls. I prefer the old-fashioned mechanical dial type controls over the poorly-planned computerized controls. But I'm picking nits here.

I wish there was a POWERFUL electric heater to utilize that big HV battery for instant heat in cold weather. It takes the Prius longer to heat up the cab, because as in any car, the cabin heat comes from waste heat off the engine, and the Prius engine burns only half as much gas as any other car. Given that, it's not half bad. It was rough in Fargo at 20 or 30 below zero. but here in Spokane, at 20 above, I've got no complaints.

Overall, (here comes my catch phrase) the Prius is the coolest car in the universe.

Do make sure to get an options package with all the air bags (some packages have the front bags only) and the VSC.

 

OK here is another opinion FWIW.
1 it does not snow here much but they also do not clear it. We mostly use what I call the God method of snow removal. That would be God put it there and God will take it away. That being said I took my Prius out in our first snow, about 3-4 inches, and had no problems, the traction control came on a few times. Check out others with more snow.
2. Yes you can get EPA but it is work. You need to do it in the summer. It is a non trivial task. I have also gotten better than EPA in my Ford Explore but it is again a lot of work. You have to concentrate on your driving at all times. Remember the EPA is done under nonrealistic lab conditions, warmed up car, good temps, no weather etc. etc. On the positive side ever car has the same test, under standard conditions so it is good for comparison. Hybrid fair rather well under these conditions because they were developed for standard ICE cars using the Otto cycle. End of story
3 HID are great.
4 The navigation system is very nice I would not have a car with out one driving in a strange town. There is a post on someone escaping from Rita or Katrina who use the Nav system to skirt around the traffic blocks. You might try searching for it. In the end the Nav system may not get you there on the best rout based on local knowledge but I a strange town it will get you there.
5 What do I know my ears were destroyed 30 or 40 rock concerts ago sound OK to me?
6 that’s easy the seats! They are not bad, but not the best.

 

Are there instructions on how to change the fog light bubs. I agree... they suck. I think my flashlight has more illumination!!

 

It has been done start with a search.

 

ya i took my Prius out for its first snowfall and it was a total bummer!!... couldnt do any donuts...nothing...just a slow lazy u-turn.

every once in a while, the slippery tire symbol popped up, mostly after the car had already corrected any slippage. even sudden stops didnt really produce any skidding or anything. Since the temps in car said 34º i figured it had to be at least a little slippery...just couldnt find any of it.

 

Naughty Naughty donuts. I am appalled. With Traction and VST you can not have any fun in this car even in a "safe place"