1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Safety Functionality Shortfall In Toyota Prius Safety Sense (TSS) Package

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by catgic, Sep 12, 2015.

  1. catgic

    catgic Mastr & Commandr Hybrid Guru

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2007
    586
    140
    1
    Location:
    HTTP 404 Not Found
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    IMHO, the announced “Toyota aims to make Toyota Safety Sense [Pre-Collision System w/ Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert w/ Steering Assist, Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Automatic High Beams] available across nearly the entire vehicle lineup by the end of 2017” is missing inclusion of essential driver-visibility related operating safety functionalities, which are important to this hybrid-vehicle buyer-driver...Namely, Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) & Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA).

    The chassis designs of the hatchback, wagon, and subcompact Prius cars are similarly afflicted with bothersome side and rearward blind spot areas/obscuration zones. I am particularly interested in these visibility problem areas as present in my current and future gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle of choice…the Prius v station wagon, and would like to see BSM & RCTA offered for it. Unfortunately, BSM & RCTA are not offered in the vee or any Prius vehicle, while these functionalities are offered in Toyota’s Avalon, Camry, Highlander, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna…and even in the Tundra Truck. I am disappointed that BSM & RCTA safety technology is not even offered-included-bundled in as part of the 2015 vee’s “Max Bells & Whistles” $3,335 Advanced Technology Package (ATP) Option. It seems to me that a Prius v station wagon priced at $35K-$36K Out-The-Door should include BSM & RCTA.

    These visibility enhancement safety features would aid in ameliorating blind spot visibility and obscuration problem areas in the vee, both while traveling on-the-road, moving in traffic, and for safe parking lots ingress/egress dodging and maneuvering in and around errant scurrying “invisible” toddlers, stealthy purse-clutching/shopping-cart-pushing grannies, and those discourteous backup light ignoring drivers who speed down parking lanes at Max-Warp.

    The refresh for the 2015 Prius v station wagon, made three-years into the model offering, was mainly done to “Fix” and convert the 2012-2014 wagon’s “POOR” IIHA Small Overlap Front Crash Worthiness Rating into a “GOOD”, plus downsize adjust the feature-contents and package price of the ATP Option by some 40%, as well as adding a new v-Four model. Regrettably, Toyota’s front end structural beefing up, their ATP whacking & hacking, and options stirring up missed the mark as regards addressing and ameliorating the existing driver-visibility blind spot zone safety shortfalls in the vee.

    Hopefully, the NEXT GEN/GEN II Prius v station wagon design will offer BSM & RCTA to address the existing driver-visibility safety shortfalls in the GEN I & GEN I Refresh vee’s design, along with plunking in Toyota’s new 40% thermal efficiency gasoline engine and delivering a 10% increase in Official EPA MPG fuel economy.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    toyota already has bsm, i wonder why it wouldn't be included.