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Most Obscure Gen III Facts (way out there)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by hill, Jul 13, 2009.

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  1. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Shamelessly stolen from the Gen II Forum ~ started over 2 years ago.
    Is it too early to start the thread? ... what kind of easter eggs have you folks discovered so far? What kind of obscure stuff have you all found.

    .
     
    #1 hill, Jul 13, 2009
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  2. DeanFL

    DeanFL 2010 owner - 1st Prius

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    Not sure if this is obscure, but I was completely unaware that the Prius can run solely on battery power - no ICE even over 25mph, by using pulse and glide up to 47mph. A VERY nice surprise, learned after getting my car one month ago.
     
    #2 DeanFL, Jul 13, 2009
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  3. accordingly

    accordingly Member

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    Not totally obscure, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the small spotlight that shines down on the gear selector from the overhead console when the exterior lights are on. It has no purpose except looking cool, but it does its job!
     
    #3 accordingly, Jul 13, 2009
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  4. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    The two trip meters to gauge fuel economy on two different drivers - you can change from A to B and have a running total as each one drives. I like that!

    The "how far till empty based on how I am driving this tankful" gauge (digital also)..
    Di
     
    #4 DianneWhitmire, Jul 13, 2009
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  5. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    Actually at night it may provide enough light to see a map or something else you just want a glimsp of. You'd have to hold it directly under the light. Found it useful on the HH a couple of times
     
    #5 wvgasguy, Jul 13, 2009
  6. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    I miss having the tank mpg I had on the TCH. Two trip modes are nice but a tank mpg on the same display as the odometer would be nice.
     
    #6 wvgasguy, Jul 13, 2009
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  7. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Trip A and trip B in my car both continue to accumulate miles and calculate consumption simultaneously, regardless of which one is being displayed.

    How do you get it to work as you described?
     
    #7 stream, Jul 13, 2009
  8. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    Hold your finger down on the trip A or the trip B and reset it when you change drivers. :) Nothing like a good "contest" LOL!!

     
    #8 DianneWhitmire, Jul 13, 2009
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  9. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    I guess I misunderstood what you meant by "The two trip meters to gauge fuel economy on two different drivers - you can change from A to B and have a running total as each one drives."

    Of course you can reset it when you change drivers, but you don't need 2 trip meters to do that.
     
    #9 stream, Jul 13, 2009
  10. rcsting

    rcsting Toyota Fanatic

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    Here is a little info on the Sunroof that some may not know: ;)

    The key-off operation function makes it possible to operate the sliding roof for approximately 43 seconds after the power switch is turned to on (ACC) or off, if the front door is not opened.
     
    #10 rcsting, Jul 13, 2009
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  11. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

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    Agree. I was wondering how that magic was accomplished, and now see it's smoke and no mirrors. :p
     
    #11 jay_man2, Jul 13, 2009
  12. mjrauma

    mjrauma Junior Member

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    I use trip A to measure trip mileage and trip B to measure tank mileage. I also like the history feature in case you forget to write down the numbers. I pulse and glide using the cruise control.
     
    #12 mjrauma, Jul 13, 2009
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  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Retained Accessory Power. Works for the windows too.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Jul 13, 2009
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  14. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I've used the dual meters to tack per-tank stats on one and per-trip stats on the other - great for road trips!

    Some other obscure facts (many from the New Car Features guide, some from my own observation):
    * Brake boost pump activates when the driver's door opens to ensure you've got adequate brake pressure in the system when starting the car.
    * The NAV unit is now self-contained in the dash. That unit under the driver's seat is now the XM receiver for Prius III and higher. The unit under the right seat is still the JBL amplifier for cars so equipped.
    * The air conditioner uses an ejector cycle which causes gases to recycle and only liquified refrigerant to pass through the evaporator (cooling) coil. This increases efficiency by > 50%. http://www.globaldensoproducts.com/cc/ec/ejector_cycle.html
    * The 2010 Prius engine is completely beltless thanks to an electric water pump and air conditioner compressor. The valves are operated by a timing chain (which technically isn't a belt).
    * The 2010 Prius engine now uses hydraulic lash adjusters which eliminates the need for valve lash adjustment. Sadly on the Gen 1/2 engines, as they aged, they got a bit more clackety, especially on cold starts. The old adjustment process required various sized shims to perform the adjustment and doing so was rather intrusive and costly.
    * The fuel delivery system for the 2010 Prius is the non-return type to reduce on evaporative emissions caused by the returning unused fuel from the fuel-injection rail.
    * The muffler in the 2010 Prius has a spring loaded door within which is forced open under higher load conditions to reduce restriction, and held closed under lower power conditions for quieter operation.
    * The fan motors on the 2010 Prius w/ solar roof are a different type (brushless DC dual ball bearing) to withstand the higher duty cycle of running while parked.
    * The solar panel, made by Kyocera, outputs 59W at full power. The fan system requires at least 10V to power the fan.
    * New engine redline is 5200rpm vs 5000rpm from Gen 2, and 4500 from Gen 1. I've only observed max RPM at 75mph+ though.
    * Windshield washer jets for the front are now located below the hood instead of on top.
    * Windshield washer fluid line for the rear wiper runs down the passenger (right) side of the car (right under the door sill trim).
    * The rear windows slow down at the beginning and toward the end of their travel when operated.
     
    #14 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 13, 2009
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  15. Golfcart

    Golfcart New Member

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    I use A to record the running total of mpg, and only change B at fill-upto get the mpg per tankful.
     
    #15 Golfcart, Jul 14, 2009
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  16. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    I've always thought that wheel designers should have to clean the wheels they design so that they take that into consideration. The 17" wheels have smooth contours and enough space to stick your hand behind the 5 spokes to clean the inner wheel as well. Easy to wash. Very nice!

    My Blizzard Pearl got its first hand wash today!
     
    #16 wvgasguy, Jul 14, 2009
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  17. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    The radar antenna for the radar cruise control and pre-collision systems is located behind the front Toyota badge.
     
    #17 tumbleweed, Jul 14, 2009
  18. FireEngineer

    FireEngineer Active Member

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    If you leave the moonroof open at any position, when you shutoff the car, the car will beep at you.

    Wayne
     
    #18 FireEngineer, Jul 14, 2009
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  19. Wintergrey

    Wintergrey New Member

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    I find your assertion "no purpose except looking cool" to be false. The first time I let a friend drive the car at night, she relied heavily on it to actually see where she was shifting. So I'm convinced it's a safety feature.

    ...that also happens to look cool. :D
     
    #19 Wintergrey, Jul 14, 2009
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  20. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    The shift pattern and current selection are also displayed on the dashboard MID, so I don't find it necessary to see the pattern printed on the knob.

    As for finding the knob itself, no other car I've owned had an illuminated shift lever.
     
    #20 fuzzy1, Jul 15, 2009
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