Was there a recent Quality Improvement in Prius builds?

Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota has a nice matrix of models and equipment packages.

There are actually 4 modes: normal, power, eco and EV. The first 3 mainly affect accelerator pedal mapping. Try driving in the 1st 3 and seeing how hard/far you have to press on the go pedal in order to accelerate a given amount.

There is a fleet only model Prius I that has a bunch of stuff removed. See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/69521-prius-i-other-news.html.

 

I guess I have a "II", since:

· Cruise Control (I have this)
· Touch Tracer display (????I do not know what this IS---I'll have to look)
· Smart Key (I have this)
· EV mode (I have this---it just doesn't work for more than a block)
· Rear wiper (I have this)
· Rear tonneau cover (I have this)
· Heated side mirrors (I do not know---I'll have to look)
· Satellite radio antenna and satellite capable radio (I have this)
· Rear armrest with two cup holders (I have this)
· Two rear-door speakers (I have this)
· Rear heater duct (I have this)
· Passenger-seatback pocket (I have this)
· Foldable rear headrests (I do not know---I'll have to look)
· Underbody spoilers and spats (I have this)

Yeah, since the car defaults to normal, UNLESS you select ECO, thence it defaults to that mode----mine stays in ECO. I tried the power mode briefly when I was on my first tank of gas. It made more difference in my MPG than anything else..
I can get the EV mode to work for about a block, when the planets line up perfectly, but it's been almost completely useless for me since if you stray outside VERY narrowly defined parameters, it goes back to ECO mode. Kinda like a very frustrating and pointless video game. Since I also have to concern myself with silly little things like navigation and collision avoidance, I usually don't bother the EV switch.

 

The eco game you were playing and "endagering your life" is not really that bad. You feel the car after a couple trips. You will be able to get glides naturally and without looking at the screen.

EV Mode is bad for fuel economy, it is all recharged through the engine so drive like there is no battery. What EV is good for is if say you are in someones driveway and you need to move the car onto the street. Or in a parking lot, you just want to drive to the next store in the plaza, then use EV mode.

And if you have the EV button, SKS, and Cruise Control, then you dont have a Prius I. Be glad.

 

Mine is about 13 months old (28K miles) and it has a number of rattles. The glove box, the passenger seatbelt and a number of self inflicted wounds like the change in the cup holder. Straight up, if noises bother you this isn't the car for you. In addition to the rattles, the wind noise and road noise will drive you batty.
You will also find that the stock tires are nearly bald at 23K miles and that they want a small fortune for replacements that will also wear out in less than a year. I put 50K regular tires on mine, screw that.
All that said, it's not a bad car. I haven't had any major issues with it. I haven't had to bring it to the dealer for any repairs. Rattles don't bother me really. I do NOT like the jacked up stuff it does while braking on rough and/or slippery surfaces but I know how to compensate so I deal with it.

CN: If you demand luxury car quiet and poise, this is not the car for you.

 

Man.
This site is a wealth of info! Yeah, I've already figured out that the EV feature is useless. I've also deduced that you can probably get pretty close to the EPA MPG if you give up the luxuries of cruise control and A/C (on the interstate) and you can beat them by a good amount if you dedicate your life to pinching droplets of gasoline.

The jacked up brakes is another example of a negative Priusism that my II hasn't displayed (yet?) I cover several offices that are on less than improved roads, and I do a lot of backing (and a lot of cussing---YO TOYOTA!!! put the ^%$#!! back-up beeper on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle next time!!! )
My brakes have been rather docile. No herky-jerky at all forward or reverse, good roads and bad. Wet and dry.
I can't hang low tire-life tire issues on this car either, since it's equipped with LRR tires----like Kermit the Frog says..."It ain't easy being green!"
Now....nobody is EVER going to confuse a Prius with a sports sedan, and my "arranged nuptials" with this car is something that I'm still struggling with, but I can't really say that the brakes are all that bad in this car, and I will also say that the fit and finish of the car is above par for the price segment----that segment being 20-25K.
The brakes on the GEN3 car are probably a little bit better than the disc/drum set that the GEN1/2 folks are dealing with, and this car has anti-lock, and stability control if what I'm reading is accurate.
Rattles?
Well....the Prius isn't going to be confused with a Luxury Sedan either.
Plastic rattles.
Deal with it.

 

I have over 27k on mine and still have half of the tread left. Your not telling the truth or you abuse your car or something is wrong with your car.

 

If you're curious about the EPA tests, see http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html.

As for "jacked up brakes", I haven't had that much seat time in a gen III, but IMHO, there's nothing "jacked up" about them. If you go over broken pavement or a manhole cover while braking lightly, you might be able to trigger the braking "anomaly" that was improved by the new firmware referenced at FAQs on the 2010 Prius Recall | PriusChat. Bwilson4web likes collecting repro locations of these.

Yes... you almost certainly have a model II or above. Touch tracer display is when you put your fingers over the round controls on the steering wheel, an overlay pops up, showing you what buttons you have your fingers on.

 

Hmmm... my Prius is the quietest of the 7 cars I have ever owned. Are you sure you aren't driving a Yugo?

 

OMG... who are you lucky people without rattles? I bought my Prius in February 2010 and it's been rattle city pretty much from the start. I have had it in for service for this problem once before and it was rattle free for like a day. I'm about to take it in again because I'm just about at wits end. If I grab and hold tight the center console most of the rattling stops so I know it's the main culprit but I also hear rattling from the front passenger seat. Considering how much I paid for this car it's absolutely ridiculous!

 

Many Thanks. I'll read the article, and yes...I know what you're talking about with the TTD...I have that.

 

My car was silent at a test drive but rattles inside doors? after first 1000 miles. Not a big deal, but spoiled the initial impression of super quiet city car. It is moderately noisy an a Hwy with wind and tire noise (but hardly any engine noise). Maybe better tires will mitigate that.

 

do not know, I drive mostly highway. The sales person at the tire store said the most mileage they've seen on a set of stock Prius tires was 25K. I most certainly do not abuse my car. When you get to the point where the car is squealing the tires around corners, the tires are beat.
Why is it that people's first response to any form of criticism of the Prius around here to pillory the person who raises the complaint. I got 23K out of my tires and I don't abuse my car. Deal with it.

 

Have the same buzz in mine only upper right. If you find a culprit would love to see a post about it.

 

Its common for car companies to put crap tires on new cars. It is cheaper! Toyota uses more expensive tires, but they are still crap. Must have some sort of deal with the manufacturer that they have to live out or something...

Anyways, 23k miles is pretty abysmal. I am thinking there was something else to this as well. Perhaps underinflated tires, or maybe your interstates have that pebbly stuff used for concrete filler in it that eats away tires? Saying that the tire squeals around corners does provide a pretty good picture of your driving style. If you drive "normally" no tire will squeak around any corner because you will be going so slowly that even a bald tire would be ok.

Nothing wrong with driving fast or aggressive, but it does eat tires. If you do drive this way, they sell a sway bar in the priuschat store that I hear is pretty good at keeping the car from rolling as much.

I would suggest next time you replace your tires to get LRR tires but from a good brand with a good tread rating that way you get the best of both worlds.

 

Best of both worlds indeed but with crappy traction. Tire is a compromise between traction vs LRR vs tread life. You can have both (whichever you choose) but not all three.

BTW, stock tires are not crap, they are usually LRR with decent traction but poor tread life.

 

I'm just saying i have a hard time understanding why you didn't have a good amount of tread left on your tires at 23k.

I'm not defending the prius I'm just saying tires shouldn't wear out at 23k, unless there is something wrong with the car, or the person drives it like a race car, or they never rotate the tires. I'm saying this on personal experence with my prius that still has half od the tread left at 27k and every other new car i have bought that get around 45k on the stock tires.

 

Just pulled off my 17" wheels and switched to my 15" tires and wheels, 12, 500 on the car. The 17"s showed less wear than I expected.
Ride is slightly improved with the 15"s, not enough to forgo the handling qualities of the 17"s

 

i got over 40,000 miles from my stock 04's and at 20,000, my 08's are not showing any wear. must be the benefits of driving like an old lady?