Stuff I don't like about the Prius

Glad to hear it! She's welcome to the black Priuses club for chicks.

 

The Prius's turning radius is excellent! I demonstrated to my boss in the work parking lot (he told me to do 'donuts' so I did some in slow-motion to demonstrate) and for my mom out in front of her house. Helps me do u-turns more often, without resorting to the more time-consuming 3-point-turns on narrower roads.

 

Em, I thought that the classic didn't have the split rear window, but the lower part was metal. Wouldn't that decrease the viewing area in the back?

 

Yes, I think the new Prius has an overall wider range of view from top to bottom out of the back of the car than most cars. However, because the spoiler/brake light assembly goes across the window, people get the feeling like their vision is being overly obstructed. There really is not much real high value viewing area added, in my opinion, if the spoiler/brake light assembly was not there.
People might not have a complaint at all if the small bottom window didn't exist because the sensation of an obstructed view would not be there.

 

That's only part of the problem. The thick rear A pillars are the big issue. They're a major rear diagonal view blocker. I get in my pickup and it's like being in a greenhouse.

 

Going back to topic, have you guys driven with the rear windows down? I was at a downhill stretch, and the car was making this very low frequency noise that I "feel" it in my ears instead of hearing it. I swear I would have loved the noisy sound of tires on the highway compared to that.

Considering my great appreciation for this car, that is one of the things I don't like about the Prius. Also...

A-Pillar blocks pedestrians
No height adjustment for the driver's seat (my wife hates this).
I can't override the Nav Lock-out (2006)

There might be more, but considerably less than what I like about the car.

 

Many cars have this "problem"

 

Like a sub-woofer on steroids? I just normally hear wind, or on a really fast vehicle wind howling, but this one was different. I've owned a Chevy wagon, Explorer, and a Camry and haven't experienced this on those vehicles.

 

Having owned a Black Prius pkg#3 2006 (Black Beauty) for about 3 weeks now, I can say that i really love driving this car. The seat is great. In my older Honda Accord, my wife had to put a cushion in order to feel comfortable while driving it (she is tiny), but in the Prius, she does not feel the need for a cushion. Overall viewing is great.

I have one small complaint though, and that is about the music system (mp3-enabled system in the 2006). While i have been able to play all kinds of CD-Rs and CD-RWs with ease, i dislike the fact that there is no graphic equalizer. All that one can adjust is the bass and the treble. Well, while that works for most music, sometimes i wish i had the preset settings that i used to have on my older mp3 stereo system.

I have not been able to cross 45MPG in terms of mileage yet, but then i guess considering that the temperatures outside have been in the 10s and 20s, it would be difficult anyways. Overall, i really love every bit of the performance and features this car delivers.

My other complaint is that my wife gets to drive it more than i do B) . I only drive on long distance trips, while my wife drives during the commute from home to work (we both work at the same place).

 

I've noticed this buffeting on every car I've driven. It's worst at highway speeds when only one window is down, but always there. Now that I have a car with air conditioning, I leave the windows up and no problem.

 

This topic comes up on CarTalk every few months. They explain it's because many new cars are so aerodynamic that opening the windows actually makes them less so, by disrupting the airflow across the car's surface. I've heard this sound in a few newer cars. It can be really loud and annoying, so I just try to find a combo of window openings that lessens the effect. Or I just run with the ventilation system on.

 

That's odd. I haven't been bothered by blind spots, and according to Consumer Reports

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/sa...easurements.htm

the Prius has the smallest blindspot (7') of any "family sedan" for a driver 5'8", and second-smallest (14') for a driver 5'1".

 

me neither. It seems to me like I have less blind spots in my Prius than my previous car. I also don't know what pillars people are talking about

 

steering wheel seems normal to me

 

Consumer reports sucks...

I think people here are talking about blind spots from other cars passing etc...

But its nice to know you are less likely to run over a kid backing up with a prius.

 

Our compact Volvo wagon does this when the sunroof is opened too wide at speed. The default 'one touch open' position is actually about 3 or 4 inches short of full open to alleviate the thrumming.

 

The only things that bother me, but only at certain times are:

1. lack of temp gauge - I've gotten used to not having it but sure would love to know if a problem is immiment.

2. The plastic on the dash and doors - very susceptible to staining...

everything else is a dream, so I have long gotten over these issues

 

06 moved away from the painted trim.