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Please pardon my French, but DAMN... this thing F*&*#! rocks!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by mooney, Mar 12, 2007.

  1. mooney

    mooney Junior Member

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    I took delivery of my non-touring package #3 Prius in Barcelona Red this afternoon. I think I may have had a perma-grin since then.

    I left the dealer and immediately hit stop and go traffic. Normally this annoys me to no end, but today, I drove nearly 3 miles without using a drop of gas. Pretty damn cool...

    The CVT is just amazing, it's like driving a life sized video game. I was amazed by how seamless the ICE ramps up and down, you get used to that little shudder when it comes on and off.

    The Bluetooth integration is working well with my BlackBerry 8703e. It's kind of annoying that the dialpad is locked out, I can see me putting a switch in to fix that soon.

    The JBL sound system is kind of "muddy". I need to play with the settings a bit, but it just doesn't sound crisp and clear. I can't really explain it better than that...

    So far, just one minor pet peeve. No lockable storage. It's the first car I've ever seen that doesn't have a lock on the center console / glove box, etc...

    I had to volunteer to go out and get my wife some Friendly's just to have an excuse to go and drive it some more! :D :D :D :D
     
  2. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Welcome! Now, when do you replace your 2nd car w/ a hybrid :lol:
    BTW, when you become anal over youir high mileage you'll find you don't want to any run short errands . . . or any trips, for that matter, under 20 miles, as that cuts into your over all tank-full mpg!
     
  3. patrickindallas

    patrickindallas Shire rat

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    my sentiments exactly...

    enjoy it!
     
  4. rangermike

    rangermike New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patrickindallas @ Mar 12 2007, 10:27 PM) [snapback]404554[/snapback]</div>
    Yup its a wonderful piece of machinery!! I just got my 2007 package 3 Barcelona Red on Saturday. I LOVE the car, too!
     
  5. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mooney @ Mar 12 2007, 07:39 PM) [snapback]404529[/snapback]</div>
    Congratulations and welcome! Check out the Audio & Electronics forum for lots of discussion on improving the sound. My number one advice: pop up the center speaker and disconnect it. Pry it up with a dull knife or a putty knife on the side nearest you (not the edge near the windshield). Pry from the center, over the MFD, not the corners. Lift the rear edge and pull gently toward you. It's held in my plastic compression fittings and is easily removed. Unplug the lead to the speaker and the sounds are a lot less muddy.
     
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mooney @ Mar 12 2007, 09:39 PM) [snapback]404529[/snapback]</div>
    Personally, more than 2 and a half years and still smiling. :D
     
  7. mooney

    mooney Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 12 2007, 11:59 PM) [snapback]404586[/snapback]</div>
    I'll give that a try... I also have an older Kenwood 8" powered sub from a former car's life that I might drop in the rear. It was the Kenwood version of the Bazooka tube.
     
  8. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    It's pretty hard to break in to a Prius. They'd have to break a window. And if they went that far, no lock is going to keep them out of the center console or glove compartment.

    How do you like the transmission? I can't go back to a regular car. I love that it's so smooth.
     
  9. mooney

    mooney Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Mar 13 2007, 12:25 AM) [snapback]404603[/snapback]</div>
    I agree, a determined thief, you're going to have to go to great lengths. But still, I'm amazed there's no way to lock anything up. Like if you're going to valet the car, or if you're at the mall and want to lockup a radar detector, or your iPod in the center console.

    And you're right, the transmission is addictively smooth...
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mooney @ Mar 12 2007, 09:36 PM) [snapback]404614[/snapback]</div>
    If you have a cargo mat, you can hide it in the flor behind and tuck the strap under the mat. Or store it in the hidden drawer.

    The shudder will smoothen out when
    a. the temperature gets warmer
    b. the car has broken-in

    Enjoy your new car!
     
  11. seasidetraveler

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    I will miss mine while she is getting put back together- she spoils me!
     
  12. Jaqueh2

    Jaqueh2 New Member

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    rlly? i cant stand the cvt, its so annoying in comparison to a satisfying shift. With the cvt it sounds like the gear is Always going to change but it doesnt....CLAUSTROPHOBIC

    ALSO yea i love my barcelona red NORMAL prius
    wlda gotten touring, but no tourings are left in bay area probably
    anyways u made a good choice
     
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jaqueh2 @ Mar 12 2007, 11:54 PM) [snapback]404704[/snapback]</div>
    despite the fact that the shift was 'invented' because they wanted cars to go faster and gears was the only way to keep the engine in its optimal range oh.. 100 years ago.
     
  14. mooney

    mooney Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jaqueh2 @ Mar 13 2007, 02:54 AM) [snapback]404704[/snapback]</div>
    I agree with you that shifting is a whole lot of fun. But I don't think anyone ever compared a Prius to a sports sedan / sports car... The CVT is perfect in this setting, but would be completely out of place in say a Honda S2000.

    We looked at the touring, I couldn't see paying the extra $$$ for the suspension. If I'm going to upgrade it, I'm going to want to choose my own parts.
     
  15. jalynn2

    jalynn2 Junior Member

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    I sometimes get surprised by how fast I'm going after starting from a dead stop. I think my subconscious is looking for that shift, so I'm thinking that I'm still in 1st gear and expect to be doing 15-20 instead of 35-40.
     
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mooney @ Mar 13 2007, 08:48 AM) [snapback]404849[/snapback]</div>
    Funny. I remember overhearing this young male asking "does this car have tiptronic?"

    I'm like.. why do you want a quasi-manual transmission? Yeah it's fun to shift but I'll stick to semi-automatics on the Logitech Driving Force Pro for GT4 :p

    Give me a sequential manual (SMG or DSG) otherwise a CVT works fine for me.
     
  17. mooney

    mooney Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Mar 14 2007, 02:38 AM) [snapback]405226[/snapback]</div>
    Couldn't agree more...
     
  18. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    A bit of fun suitable after one has completed the break-in (that is, after the first 600 miles): from a stop on a nice straight road, smoothly mash the gas pedal to the floor over a period of one second (this lets the engine start and rev up) and hold it there. Ignore/enjoy the screaming engine; this is normal and safe, because it will not allow itself to redline. Note how quickly the lack of shift lag gets you from 0 to 40 and from 40 to 80.
     
  19. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

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    I still catch myself staring at my Prius once in a while. I really like the design of it.

    The CVT also reduces the number of parts in your engine that can/will fail eventually. Although I enjoy a good manual transmission, feathering the gas pedal to get into glide mode is more than a fair trade for the "control" of shifting.
     
  20. etyler88

    etyler88 etyler88

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jalynn2 @ Mar 13 2007, 10:47 PM) [snapback]405136[/snapback]</div>

    This must explain those 38 mpg folks. I'll bet it was cold too.