Safety Sense has Trouble in Snow

It's that stuff that feeds southern California with water.

 

TC on the Prius was more about protecting the drivetrain than aiding traction. I believe Toyota had updates to tone down its intrusiveness.
On the other hand, the VSC on my 2005 was effective at keeping the car in lane on snowy curves.

Did you happen to test those hills in plain old drive?
B mode won't slow a car down as well as downshifting in a traditional transmission, but it does provide some additional braking force over drive. You'll still speed up on a decline, but not as quickly.

 

Thanks Trollbait. Yes, I went down the hills in both regular drive mode, and B mode. I sure don't notice any difference, but maybe I'm doing something wrong. Or maybe expecting too much? One time in B, I noticed a very very slight different feeling, but it was quickly overcome by the steepness and speed going down the hill.
Other than that, the car drives very well. I am usually in the "normal" drive mode.

My next experiment, next time it rains I'm going to deactivate the traction control. I've heard two loud "bangs" when I accidentally spun the wheels in slippery mud/water, while pulling out of a parking lot. That sure got my attention.

 

TC has gone through many iterations over the years, and has improved greatly. My Gen3's TC is at least two iterations beyond your 2004 version, and most folks here now regard it as a positive value. But I do recall a consensus that your 2004 version was a negative, while the late-Gen2 version had a more mixed reaction. Hopefully Gen4 TC is improved over the decent Gen3 version.

That 'not recommended on flat ground' refers to good traction conditions, not foul roads. And it doesn't hurt anything except fuel economy.

Foul weather is a different kettle of fish, where control trumps MPG. I'd say, use whatever gear fits the conditions and tires and your driving style.

Something is wrong. On my common routes, B very clearly works and is an important tool for mountain descents. In a couple past threads, I have quantified speed / drag / RPM differences between D and B on a certain mountain grade. On that hill, B mode produced 4600 RPM and held to a constant speed, while D mode dropped to 2000 RPM while the car began running away too fast.

 

Relying on 'safety sense' radar separation in freezing precipitation makes zero sense, for the same reasons you don't fly coupled autopilot/autothrottle approaches in icing conditions... You lose situational awareness when relying on the automation and drive/fly too far into uncontrollable outcomes.

 

Just use the brakes. Not sure, but maybe the Anti-Lock Braking will be messed up if you're using B. Save B for coming down mountains.

And when braking, if you need to stop fast, just stand on it, let ALB figure things out.

 

Unfortunately the camera tends to fog up in cold and moist weather conditions .
Toyota is aware of that problem and as far as I know allready working on a solution !
They will fix the problem bei adding a small heater to the camera,at least that's what customers in Germany have been told !