What I love, what I don't love, and what I dont understand.

Two weeks in and I know I made the right choice in a Prius v3 for a family hauler/work commuter/long distance limousine/gig bus. My only gripe is I should have come here before negotiating a price. I thought dealer invoice on a Toyota was a good deal - which was still better than the Toyota "friends and family" discount that I was eligible for. Oh well such is life. Still below truecar, but ....yeah...ugh. Anyway-

What I love:

It's a freakin' station wagon! NOT a uni-body crossover SUV wannabe jacked 9 inches off the ground to give you the illusion you're not driving a car. I have wanted a station wagon (that's right, I said it) since they discontinued the Accord wagon in the 90's.

The technology was intimidating at first, but now I can't imagine a vehicle without the Prius' features. I'll admit that have walked up to my house front door at least twice expecting it to unlock automatically. I have to get over that.

I wanted an auxiliary stereo jack, but the Bluetooth audio is beyond my expectations. Now, plugging in an iPhone seems as archaic as flipping through a CD wallet at stoplights.

I'm getting 44.8 mpg after two tanks and acceleration on Bay Area highways is still acceptable. Much better than my expectations. Though, I have yet to take it over the Altimont or to the Sierra with the family loaded.

Installed an after market hitch receiver in about 20 minutes. Gotta like the foresight in making it so easy, even if there wasn't any.

The Cargo area has a very sturdy floor, love the stowaway for the luggage cover. Though, I am tempted to fill the dense foam chambers with ice and beer.

What I don't love:

Those dense foam containers don't have a drainage plug so I could fill them with ice and beer.

Lack of automatic entry at the rear hatch. This should be standard on the 2 and 3 w/o the ATP.

Sun visors are small. They could have extensions built in like my other Toyota.

No DTR lights. Is this the "new safe"? I suspect 2013's will have 'em.

No roof rack rails. The steering wheel is plasticy and feels odd when letting it rotate in your hands. Not so sure about the longevity of the audio/temp/display button.

What I don't understand:

The card holder (why in the world would you...). The little vent to the right of the steering wheel. The reverse beeping. Nothing like having the second most functional sensory (hearing) removed from your brain when backing up a vehicle. I want the dealer to change this, and for free.

I'm sure there will be more things I will come to love and not love so much, but that's my take. Thanks for reading!