I won't buy another Prius unless they improve the road noise. Everything else about the car is perfect but the drone from the road is terrible.
The great advantage about a ICE machine is: that it makes so much engine noise, you can't hear the road noise.
I sort of like to hang my head outside the window when I'm driving, just to assure myself that the car really is moving.
Prius has enough minuses I'll be looking elsewhere in 2015. No auto/on/off headlights standard. No DRL's standard. No power seats standard or option available on any model. No Contacts address/nav integration. No Blindspot warning system. No decent standard equipment alloy wheeels Toyota may have that by 2015 but it seems like it is part of their sales strategy NOT to make these options easily available.
Odd, I have yet to own a Prius that did not have headlights with auto off. (Gen 2 and v3) So I always have my light on, so no DRLs are needed. The v3 has a driver's side power seat, standard Every Prius I have owned had stock alloy wheels under plastic hub caps, is that somehow 'indecent'? Mind you, Toyota does not pay folks to troll online forums, so I DO understand why you will not be buying one.
Then don't wear polarized sunglasses. I can't speak to the gauges but polarized lenses causing problems w/reading LCDs doesn't surprise me based on the limited amount I know about how LCD panels work (see HowStuffWorks "Creating an LCD", for instance). I have no idea if certain LCD panel technologies don't have as much of a problem with polarized sungless (e.g. IPS, MVA, PVA, TN, etc., see AnandTech - Desperately Seeking Quality LCDs.) FWIW, I have to wear prescription glasses so I have no sunglasses nor any clip-ons.
The state of the Art. About 35 years ago when the first red digital watch displays came out, an acquaintance was complaining that she could not see what time it was in the Sunlight, as the display disappeared. I tried to explain to her that was the state of the art, at that time. She could not accept or understand what I was talking about. She kept saying, "Well, why do they make a watch that way?" Can the Prius display be a lot better with the current SOA? YES, BUT YOU WILL PAY MORE. Example: any luxury car that is priced 15-40k more than the Prius. But, then again people probably complain about those cars. The Prius is a financial compromise. I personally like almost everything about it, NO car can match the MPG! be happy with that.
Even odder is Prius not having it standard. An essential safety feature on a car with an always lit digital dash. DRL's are an essential safety feature...again just nuts they are not standard on Prius. The black alloy wheels under cheap plastic hubcaps is really stupid. No better evidence than how much of PriusChat is devoted to fixing the problem.
Given the current market selection, I would buy another Prius now, but probably not later if larger cars become more fuel efficient. Next, I would like a larger PHEV with an EV range of more than fifty miles. I heard a report that the Prius repurchase rate (by prior Prius owners) is only about 41%. That seems low for a car that most owners seem to like.
Which Prius does not have it standard? It was standard in the Gen 2. It is standard in the Prius v and the digital dash adjust automatically to light levels, which Gen 2 didn't. I admit I know nothing about the C or the PiP, never even seen one.
All Prius lights turn on and off when the car is powered up or powered down as long as the operator turns the switch to on My 2012 came with auto on and off lights as well as daytime running LED's. It also came with alloy wheels and a power seat. Anyone could go to a Toyota dealer and see Prii with those features Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
Yes. Technology moves fast and it's fun to upgrade and help promote it. Hoping to double my mileage every three years. That means a 100 mpg car in 2015 which a Ford C-Max Energi would do for me now with 20 miles of EV. The Tesla X AWD could be my last car with no gallons per mile and 200 mile range.
Another alternative, assuming you live by a large metro area, is ZipCar. My 2007 Gen II Prius got totaled last Summer by a lightning strike one month before I went to grad school fulltime. My grad school is in the middle of a large city, so it is pointless to drive in everyday and then pay daily for all-day parking. I switched to my 1990 Peugeot bicycle and used the subway in bad weather, and for the shopping trip every two - three weeks, the ZipCar membership was exactly what was needed. Especially since you can get or reserve whatever Zipcar is available in the neighborhod. One weekend, my son's friend's motorcycle broke down on a freeway. I picked up a ZipCar light truck from the neighborhood and we had the friend and the motorcycle off the freeway within the hour. Why did I buy the PiP and drop the Zipcar this Spring: because I'm back in the workforce now. However, the super-flexible shared commodity aspect of the ZipCar system is a wonderful invention for those with the right circumstances. I used the ZipCar every two weeks or so for 2 - 3 hours all school year. My total cost = $660.00. Zipcar pays for gas & insurance - members pay by the 1/2 hour of reserved use, and (slightly) by the type of car they reserve. I hope this is useful.
