What was your biggest surprise?

That I was still finding features I didn't know/remember were there. Also how easy it is to get spoiled by the smart key. I got in our other car that needs a key and it took a minute to realize I needed a physical key for it to start. W

 

The extra cup holder bottom front of the center console...drove fro a week before discovering it...

 

These are not really surprises but I love the smart key and listening to DVDs while driving. Also, I've never had a car with steering wheel mounted controls so that is nice too.

Andy

 

Ditto but mine is 2 weeks...
First week after I parked my V, ready to leave and tried to fetch the keys, which of course not there! I did that every single time in the first week.

Also I just found out that I can play DVD when not in motion but that won't work for my wife so I had to order the speed lock override kit with V(video) option for her.

 

Positive Surprises:
1. Power outlet behind the backseat is close enough that a passenger can keep an iPhone plugged in. My wife really appreciates that on long trips.
2. Back-up camera. Where were you all my life? Thought it was a bit pointless before buying, but have become totally dependent on it now.
3. Backseat step makes it easier for my 3 yr old to climb in by herself

Negative Surprises:
1. No cup holder on the center armrest in the backseat. My 3 yr old relied heavily on that in our last car and now we're still scrambling to find a solution. Surprisingly inconvenient for us.
2. Trunk height is very short with the trunk cover on. Groceries don't fit very well.
3. Rear doors are huge. In tight spaces, can be a bit of a challenge to maneuver the kids out.

 

The fact that I average in the mid. 50's mpg instead of the 42 EPA.

 

As soon as I read this, I ran to the garage and checked it out. I've had the car 3 days. And love it.

 

Wheel base noise on a gravel road or in snowy road.

The plastic cover inside wheel base arch is hollow inside and acts like an amplifier when something hits that cover (eg. stone or a sand on winter snowy road etc.)

I was wandering if it would help if I spray/fill the void space with expandable foam.

 

I'm a complete newbie to the Prius, so other than the 2nd cupholder on the center console, the biggest surprise was normal mode driving. When I first got the car, I thought it had to either be on EV, ECO or Power mode. I understood that Power mode would use more gas and EV was for 30 mph max, so I opted with ECO mode and found the drive intolerable. After about 2 weeks, I discovered that you don't have to go with any of those modes and that if nothing is selected, there's a normal mode that makes the drive much better than ECO mode.

Negative surprises: no automatic headlights on my v3. I've grown accustomed to it driving my Benz C300, so when I hop into my wife's v3, I sometimes forget about it. One night, it took a pedestrian yelling "lights" at me to realize I had to turn them on myself. I've also inadvertently powered off before turning the headlights off, but that doesn't seem to be a big deal. Also, there's no electric seat adjustment and no button to pop open the trunk in the car or on the key fob. I realize the Prius is not a luxury vehicle, but even in my 2004 Camry, I had those features.

Anyway, those are all minor issues. In general, I think the Prius v3 was a great buy, and I'm very happy with it. My wife and I are probably right smack dab in the middle of the Prius v's target audience. I'm sure we'll love it all the more once our baby boy arrives in a few months, and we have to lug around a car seat and stroller.

 

My biggest surprise was the driver seat height adjuster lever. It took a week to figure out how to use it. During that week I would push and pull on it and not feel/see any change. I just figured that it didn't do much. Then I figured out that it was more like a ratchet and you had to move it in one direction to get a result. When I pulled up or pushed down repeated I found that I could really change the height and then even more surprisingly the pitch or angle of the driver seat.

I just went out to test the range. From the lowest setting you can ratchet it up 28 pumps. From the highest setting you can lower it 34 ratchet pumps. These settings take you from lowered into the asphalt up to ejecting out of the moonroof (like view).

Don't forget that it changes the angle or pitch of the driver seat to extremes too. I sometimes wonder if people who complain about bad comfort of the Prius v driver seat have a bad height adjustment.

Negative Surprise solutions and follow up questions:
1. Did you find the rear center console cup holders shown on page 307 or my Owner's Manual and here; http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM47674U/pdf/sec_03-04.pdf
2. I use the cargo net (envelope style) for 4 -5 grocery bags and don't pull the cargo cover over the cargo area. I understand that you might want to pull the cargo cover over groceries if you were trying to keep your groceries cool and out of sight during stops on the way home, but what grocery bags are you using that don't fit under the cargo cover. Maybe ask for plastic next time.
3. Please explain challenge with big doors. I thought small doors/openings would be a challenge not big ones. Are you talking about big doors hitting garage wall or other cars? We like the large door openings and so does my 85 year old mother in law. I do always open the door for her and guard against hitting other cars in the parking lot. But I have not noticed any difference from my previous vehicle, the Lexus RX 300.

 

Besides, you don't want to use the cargo cover unless you want to hide what is back there. If you are carting Groceries, I doubt you want to keep them in the back area way too long.

 

1. The Setup on the navigation to configure the car. Car engine has to be off for this feature to be available. Just press power twice without stepping on the brake. There are several settings you can change here.
2. Auto off for lights - found in setting from #1. You can leave the head lights turned on all the time and it'll turn off when the engine turns off.
3. The pump up/down to change the seat height/tilt mentioned by someone else already.
4. Trunk cover - this came with the car, but is stored under the trunk mat, so I didn't know about it until I watched a youtube video.
5. Umbrella storage - saw this in this youtube video but have not actually tried it yet -

6. Last but not least - I'm averaging 50 mpg on my 2nd tank of gas, way over EPA settings.

- I also tried to turn the key to turn off the engine the first week too! Love this car. So fun to drive!

 

I found out today that having the lights on "auto" in the daytime and the windshield wipers on does not automatically turn the the lights on. This seems very strange since most states require you to have your lights on if the wipers are going. I wonder if there is anyway to fix this?

 

Good point, I basically have it ratcheted up as far as possible without having any issues with hitting my head on the roof (It really gives better visibility), and then I recline my seat another notch to make it comfortable.

 

1. The center console cup holder is too low for my daughter who's strapped into a carseat. In our Mazda3, the center armrest had 2 cup holders that were perfectly positioned for her.
2. I manage. Just being picky. When I think of groceries that don't fit, I'm talking Trader Joes and Whole Foods paper bags. Also, I live in the NYC area so I keep that cargo cover on almost all the time.
3. Again, probably only a concern for NYC-area owners. It's a concern for hitting other cars in tight garages and parking lots, but also for narrow one-way streets with cabs and bicyclists whizzing by. With a large swinging door, I can't always get it all the way open, leaving me to have to use odd angles to get the kids out.

 

You have auto-off headlights. If, the next time you drive, you turn the headlights on and then never turn them off, you will always be visible to other drivers, who need all the help they can get to be alert.

I think every Prius but Gen 1 has auto-off headlights, in Gen 2 they turn off when you open the driver's door.

In Gen 3 they default to 30 seconds after opening either front door, but the dealer can configure a 60 second or 0 second delay.

The v has 0, 30 ,60 and 90 second delays possible, and some trims can configure the delay without the dealer.

I confess I am unclear how the c headlights work.

 

Actually, Jimbo, the Prius v's Auto-headlights are only on the Prius v 5 trim. The 2 and 3 trim are standard manual on-off lights. Also, even the Automatic Headlights do not flip on in certain conditions, like overcast skies or rainy days, which is when those lights should be coming on according to DMV, mostly because the light sensor still sees enough ambient light to say lights aren't necessary, when they should be.

 

Auto-on (which I would not prefer) is only on the v 5 trim level.
Auto-off (which keeps your car lit so other driver have every hint) is standard on all v trim levels.

 

Biggest surprise for me so far is: I have to remove the windshield wipers & motor, plastic molding and a metal shroud just to access the upper part of the on the front suspension.