I wish the Prius had....................

Yeah-hey some clever designer should come up with a way to lock the glovebox or center console

 

Built in 3G and uses Google Map as the main GPS apps.

 

- side mirrors that automatically point down when car is put in reverse
- auto headlamps

 

I'd be happy with a 12V jack that stays hot when the ignition is off, to allow charging of cell phones while parked. Nissan does this.

Also, the telescoping steering wheel should have greater range. It would fit me much better if it extended back an extra four inches, or so.

Then, how about a curb sensor for the front bumper? I've scraped mine (where it shows) twice in the first week! I don't mind the bumper being low, it's probably part of the engineering to get low wind resistance.

Other than these, I'm a happy camper.

 

That's an easy modification if you want to do it. Just be aware that it is easy to drain the small 12V battery.

Agreed. I wish my Gen II had any telescoping adjustment for the steering wheel. At least the Gen III has some adjustment.

That *is* the curb sensor. When you hear that scraping sound you know that you are close enough.

Tom

 

I have had the car all of three days, but my immediate thoughts are: I need more telescoping on the steering wheel, a better nav interface, and power seats.

I also don't want the plug hot (unless it is an option) when the car is off as I would like to keep something plugged in that only gets power during the operation of the car.

 

2 outlets? One hot one not.

 

How about a switch? Or how about having those solar panels do something a little more useful than running a fan - like charge up cell phones, laptops, and other stuff.

 

Put my wish list in a few weeks ago:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/71089-4-months-few-nits.html

 

Actually, this is the way my Nissan Frontier pickup works. The outlet on the dash is switched off with the ignition, the one inside the center console stays on all the time. It does have an enormous 12-V battery compared to the Prius', however.

BTW, my friend with a Gen-I just had to replace his traction battery to the tune of $3,000. He has 103,000 miles on it and, of course, the warranty ran out at 100,000. Life can be like that...

 

Many of these have been mentioned before, but here's my list:

1. Hatch unlock that raises it.
2. Larger rear upper hatch wiper
3. Heated steering wheel (this seems so obvious, wonder why not included in PKG IV)
4. "Off switch" for navigation display to shut it down (maybe I just don't know how).
5. Toggle switch for satellite between last two channels. Although lots of presets are possible, if listening to a channel not on a preset, then switching to a preset you have to manually scroll to get to the non-preset which is a safety hazzard.
6. Power seat with memory

Rich N.

 

This is not of any real practical use unless you are driving to an address within a tunnel.
You are in a tunnel. You know you are in a tunnel. The satellite will pick up again at the end of the tunnel and you will continue to your destination.
I have driven through many tunnels with a portable GPS and never got lost inside the tunnel and the GPS signal picked up within seconds of getting outside the tunnel and sometimes even before reaching the end of the tunnel.

However, I use automatic on/off headlights everyday and it is a great practical convenience. I wish it was standard or even an option for the new Prius.

 

Actually it is useful in other situations as well, like in downtown SF where the tall buildings block the signal, or within a forested area where the tree cover blocks the signal. The dead reckoning system in the Prius actually works very well. It is some of the other aspects of the system that could be improved, IMO.

 

A feature that was standard on my half-the-price-of-a-Prius Echo:

Washing fluid almost empty light. (No, giving me a plastic stick to check myself if there is still some isn't doing the job...)

Another one I'm missing from the same old car:

ICE temperature light (A blue temp icon was lit on the Echo until the ICE got hot, useful for manually controlling the heater in the winter). This would be nice to know when to turn the heater on or off in the winter to maximize efficiency.

 

Those seconds can be vital though - there's a tunnel in central London which splits as soon as you leave it. I don't drive into central London much so I'm always unsure which road to take. In Brussels there's a tunnel which has a crucial turn off in the middle - unless you know
to take it you get yourself lost!

As dogfriend says, urban canions can be a real issue to. Again, in the actual City of London (the CBD) the roads are narrow and buildings constructed from stone. It is a nightmare getting a GPS signal around there, and when you do it is bouncing all over the place!

(Oh, and it is odd that the US don't get dusk sensing headlights - at least an option in many other countries)

 

I'm sure this one has been said already, but user settings should be settable by the user.

 

DRL's - would save me $50.00/year on insurance.

 

DRL? Daytime Running Lights?

I'm wondering if anyone just leaves their headlights on all day and night and never shuts them off manually? Would there be any issues about why one would NOT want to do this (other than burning out your headlamps!)? Seems to me the car shuts them off automatically when you exit the vehicle so why not just leave them on?