What you don't like about your Prius?

Purchased an '11 model a month ago. Not sure what the specific package is? It's a IV and has leather heated seats, leather steering wheel, tinted windows, floor mats, back cargo cover. If someone could tell me what package that is, thank you!

I'm loving everything about the car but still not sure if I'm sold on all the plastic on the dash, console and doors. Are we supposed to use light coating of Armor All? Seems to get scuffed up easily.

 

Me. I have the sandy beach/bisque Prius and chose Wet Okole with black side panels and Taupe (100) center panels, slightly darker than the bisque, which helps reduce the visibility of any stains. Taupe sort of matches the darker part of the front dash. When I looked closely, I realized Toyota used many different shades of brown and grey in the interior, why I don't know!

For $10/seat, I got zippered pockets on the backs. They also offer lumbar supports and electric heat, which I didn't bother with. I got covers from the front seats only because my back seats get little use.

This is the third car I've outfitted with Wet Okoles. Pricey but very comfy and total protection of the stock fabric. Too bad car mfrs don't just use the Wet Okole neoprene material for their seats!!

 

The stock rims & covers are a joke, even for an econobox. Generally handles like a tank - fine around town, or on the superslab. Fortunately, we have other choices for long road trips and back roads.

Our III, IV meets our needs for a town car, and the sunroof is nice. On a one to 10 scale, this car is a 6/7 - no huge nits, just several minor ones.

If you're looking for a satisfactory around town econobox, with 4 doors, and room for at least 4 reasonably sized people, this is a good choice.

 

auto windows car too quiet. cool new solar technology
that is almost word for word every thing I like about the car sell it they're going for good money right now

 

If you rotate the dimmer switch a bit further up (beyond where it appears to stop), you'll find that it clicks and will turn the display to it's daylight (brightest) setting even with your headlights on.

In regards to what I don't like after a few days of ownership - I wish Toyota would have used a bit more sound insulation in the passenger cabin. The LRR OE tires are quite noisy on certain road surfaces and that can be annoying at times.

+1 on the need for USB audio jacks for all trim levels, and maybe an optional plug in subwoofer in the left rear package area. The JBL III audio system could also use something like the older style stereo receivers used to have - a "loudness" switch.

 

Not really that big of deal but door locks and beeper get all buggy when you wash car while the keys are inside. I know, easy fix is to take them out.

 

I am coming in late on this one, nevertheless here is my list in no particular order:+

1) cheap looking plastics (it is a 25k€ base price car, not a 10k€ car...) - whether they are really good or not, time will tell...; the Auris comes with wonderful soft plastic - it looks like a much better car!
2) FM radio that does not work well (let it be bad reception, defective receiver design, you name it - it is simply noisy everywhere and there is no fix)
3) rear and *front* visibility (there is no way to understand where the front of the car is...) - I regret the day I didn't order the rear *and* front parking sensors --> lack of rear-view mirror with camera (like on Honda's Insight) as an option is a big minus for me
4) not a single LED to illuminate the centre pocket under the tunnel - you have no clue of what is in there at night
5) cheap plastic/design/feel of the shift lever
6) no auto headlights (at least in Germany)
7) very few pockets to store things (my brother's Yaris has pockets and storage "everywhere" in comparison...)
8) MFD showing 6-7% optimistic FE
9) tachometer showing about 10% higher speed (I don't know the legal requirements, but 10% seems a lot to me)
10) last but not least, lack of cool colours for the body - I ended up with dark silver (winter grey in the US?) out of "desperation"...

 

Your car has a tachometer?

 

I want a dip stick to check the transaxel fluid.
And a 100k warranty like GM, KIA ect.

 

I just got a III a week ago drove a yaris 5-speed before got 43 MPG a tank pretty easy .It scares me that the can't turn off the traction control on the Prius other than that like the car very much

 

No - I thought the speedometer can also be called a tachometer. Both essentally measure the rotation of something... in the former case it is the wheels, in the latter the engine...
I meant speedometer...

 

My list:
1. Poor visibility all around. I dont like not being able to see the front of the car, no matter how far I lean forward. I never pull far enough into parking spaces. This also come into play trying to see the curb when making right turns.
2. Front bumper too low. Frequently scrapes when exiting steep driveways no matter how slow I am moving.
3. I feel that the car gives a very hard ride. It does not absorb small surface imperfections, but shudders when going over them.
3. Steering wheel does not pull out far enough if seat is where I really want it.
4. If I had to do it over again, I would not get the factory nav system, but install aftermarket. It gives horrendous directions, to the point that I do not trust it. The free nav app on my Android phone is infinitely better.

Other than that, I really like the car!

 

+1

I only have to come close to the driver's door handle with a wash mitt to have that annoying tone activated, yet when I intentionally try to unlock/open the door, I have to squeeze the handle in several places before I find the "magic spot."

 

The small emergency brake pedal.

 

Thanks for the info - I hadn't turned the switch far enough up, thought I had gone as far as it would go, but hadn't. I had read all the way through the owners manual looking for something else, couldn't figure it out until I read your post. Tried to go a bit further and bingo - lights came back to bright.

Thanks again!

 

put your finger on the place in the handle with the lines kind of looks like a fish gill[ QUOTE=Maine Pilot;1403330]+1

I only have to come close to the driver's door handle with a wash mitt to have that annoying tone activated, yet when I intentionally try to unlock/open the door, I have to squeeze the handle in several places before I find the "magic spot." [/QUOTE]

 

1. It's a Hatchback, not a Sedan.
2. The lower window in the back that looks like a black horizontal stripe on any color Prius except black, and maybe dark gray.
3. The Original Antenna. I think it makes the car look cheap. I replaced with a Shark's Fin.
4. Auto Head Lights are not offered as an option, (at least last time I checked).

 

that is true, but wheel rotation is directly related to the speed of the car, engine rotation is not.

go up a hill without increasing speed, engine rotation goes up so you really cant say the Tach is optimistic because "we" dont have the tools to verify and the speedometer is optimistic by law. in the US, its a bit high by 1-2 mph in most cases, in Europe it is usually much higher.

that has nothing to do with build quality. its simply the law

this thread is simply an opinion poll and everyone has one. there are also no perfect products, room for improvement, etc.

most of the knocks here are the same ones i hear at every car forum.

now i am not here to knock anyone's statement because most here will still say that the good far outweighs the bad.

Toyota is listening and Toyota, if you want my 2 cents (or $30,000) i say do whatever improvements you see fit as long as you can keep the price from going up

 

put your finger on the place in the handle with the lines kind of looks like a fish gill.

Oh, I have--without much luck. It seems to be either a hit-or-miss proposition--almost as if the car has "moods!"