I wish my salesman was more knowledgeable on he Prius. Many of my questions were unanswered and he'll get back to me. He couldn't explain when to use EV and the difference with B on the shifter. Also, he couldn't advise what to do when the car will be parked for 2 weeks or longer regarding the battery. It looks great and rides nice, its a new car. I hope we get along and have a long lasting relationship. It,s a package II, winter gray.
Welcome and congratulations. Nice color choice You have come to the right place to get your questions answered, a lot of nice people here that have all the right answers.
Priuschat is a better place!! search and learn. I learned more here in 5 minutes than I did from my salesman in a hour showing me the car. Good luck with your new ride!! Scott
Yes I know what you mean... salesmen are unfamiliar with the car. I took delivery last week during the presentation he told I have to press radar distance switch in order to auto park the car:brick: So after that I let him finish his poem and kicked him out of the car
My 2010 Prius is three weeks old, and I began eduacting my Toyota Salesman about the car he was selling me back in December when I began the process. My Prius was difficult to locate as I wanted a model 'Five' with the Advanced Technology Package, and evidently the demand for this model exceeds the supply. Things my Toyota Salesman did not know about the Prius: 1- The 'V' model Does NOT come with a solar panel on the roof. 2-There is a TRD brake pad set and better quality oil filter offerred by Toyota. 3- Paint Protection film (Clear Bra) is offerred on the 'Build Your Own' section of the Toyota Web Site. 4- The Floor Mats on a white Prius with a Bisque interior are Black in color. 5- What the department of Motor Vehicles requires to register the New Car in New York State. Then there are numerous operational features on the Prius that require extensive reading of the owners manuals that come with the car, and I didn't expect he would understand most of that. I was not disappointed.
EV is basically just used in shopping center parking lots. The gas engine will kick in when you reach a certain MPH. I don't think I've ever used it. B is Braking mode. It is really only needed when traveling down long steep grades. It keeps the gas engine engaged and it provides some braking power, kind of like going into a lower gear on a traditional car. Most people just put in Drive and go. The hyper-milers will use EV and ECO modes as much as possible to try to squeak every last MPG out of it that they can. It's like a game to them. Don't fall into that trap. Your annual savings on gas and CO2 emissions will be negligible. I prefer Power (PWR) mode. The car is somewhat quicker off the start and through about 50% of pedal input. It has been reported here by people who use PWR mode all the time that their hit to gas mileage was negligible. Basically, the different modes just change the amount of actual throttle opening to pedal input. EV - maximizes electric motor only use at slow speeds. ECO - gives less power (less gas) until you reach around 50% of pedal travel. Normal - somewhere between ECO and PWR (most people use this). PWR - gives the most power (most gas) when below 50% pedal travel. I believe after approximately 50% pedal travel, all modes are supposed to give you similar power. Although, PWR mode seems to give more power even beyond that. Again, I never use ECO or EV and like PWR the best. Did you get the reverse beep changed from constant to just one beep? If not, have them change it immediately, it'll drive you crazy. Insist they do it for free. Getting back to hyper-milers. Let's assume a hyper-miler gets 55 mpg (some do), a normal driver gets 50 mpg (most do), and a PWR mode user with a lead foot gets 45 mpg: 15,000 miles per year, $3 per gallon gas. Hyper-miler: 273 gals, $818 per year Normal driver: 300 gals, $900 per year PWR driver: 333 gals, $1000 per year The PWR driver with a lead foot will spend $182 more per year than the hyper-miler or $15 more per month. The normal driver will spend $82 more per year than the hyper-miler or $7 more per month. PWR mode doesn't cost much and the car is more fun to drive. YMMV, pun intended. Your salesman sounds like a dummy. Enjoy your new car, we really like ours after 5k miles.
Power mode makes the car more enjoyable to drive. I used normal for the first month and the car felt really sluggish off the line. The real trick is to get to the speed you want to be at and then try to keep the power level below the halfway line on the main display. When you do that you'll notice the instant MPG meter jumps to 100. This works in any driving mode.
Welcome! As others have said, salesmen don't know squat about the Prius! Reading the manual is a must, but it is rather complicated. I've learned so much from this forum. You'll get a feel about which mode to use as you get used to the car. I now use ECO all the time--fits my driving needs. The Priuschat Accessory Shop is a great place to get goodies for your car--just got my mudflaps and bought and installed the body side moldings first thing. If you want an extended warranty it is available much cheaper through the forum.
I also just got my 2010 yesterday, moving up from a 2007. First impression: MUCH better warmup time (half the distance to 70 degrees C coolant temp!!), and a warmer cabin which is a relief for me. I was struck by the difficulty in getting zero-arrow glides versus my generation II, and found the article on "The Tao of HSI" in another thread, so I'll be reeducating my right foot. My first commute today gave me 4.2 l/100k which is 56 mpg in 'American'. Pretty impressive with 25 km on the clock and winter weather. I'm excited. I don't like the 'display' button and all the pressing you have to do with it to get the screens I like to look at. Used to be toggle back and forth with one push. The radio and environmental controls are much busier than the old unit, and take attention away from the windscreen, but I guess that'll come. Overall, the new car feels more substantial and luxurious than my trusty 2007. I hope the dealer finds a worthy owner for her.
thank you all, guys!! What I learned from priuschat, is what led me to disqualify the salesman as a knowledgeable one. I will read and learn. My first commute to work today, less pollution, 48.4 miles, 49.9 mpg. I will be asking questions.
doobs, who is your dealer? It's been a couple months & I still don't have everything figured out. Expect the MID to be optimistic by 10%. Enjoy.
Congrats and welcome to PriusChat! I'm curious to know why they're so unfamiliar with the vehicle. Granted, there's 17 vehicles to learn (and memorise??) but as far as I know, they need to take an exam and pass it. Methinks there are some loopholes in that examination. How is possible that a salesman is asking me how I know the difference between the packages?!?!? Also, how is it that I can distinguish the difference between packages on OTHER Toyota vehicles and give the price ranges and name the different standard features btwn trim levels when this is my HOBBY and not my JOB?
when we were looking at the 2010 a couple weeks ago, my wife asked the salesman what "B" meant (i have a 2007 Prius already and i am the primary driver so she didnt know), before i could answer, the sales guy says, "that is for battery only driving. i LOL'd so hard..i go no dude,it's for braking for downhill driving....he shut up after that. wasl ike, oh sounds likeu have done your research... imo, there's no excuse for these salesmen to know so little about their companies best selling product for the last 6+ yrs. no excuse at all.
