First impressions of the 2012 PIP Advanced

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by ggood, Feb 19, 2013.

  1. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    pip.jpg bluepipdriver.jpg

    First impressions from my first weekend with my blue 2012 PIP Advanced:

    My wife and I like the blue color and silver trim. We didn’t like it on the Camry, so it’s a relief it works just fine on the sportier PIP.

    The Wheels are OK. Not very sexy, but they somehow evoke movement, or a turbine or generator.

    The normal tires make a huge difference in ride quality over the low profile tires on the 2010 V. The ride is much, much better, and the handling still seems fine. Hope I never have a flat with this car. Wow, near zero room under the cargo floor. We used to like to store leftovers (after leaving a restaurant) and other stuff there. I like the changes to the center console, though.

    The 8-way power seat is great. Not CT200 great, but I can now get reasonably comfortable, even though the steering wheel still doesn’t reach far enough. The lumbar support hits just right for me. Being able to raise the front part of the seat, and easily change the configuration, is a big help. Seat and back are a tad hard, so I need to go look for a gel seat pad. The passenger side seat also seems better than the 2010 seat. The lower spokes on the steering wheel are still a pet peeve of mine. It’s very hard to find a comfortable place to rest your hand on the bottom part of the wheel.

    The softex is good enough for me. I don’t think I’ll miss having real leather. Looks like the softex will hold up well and be easy to maintain. It is grippy, which helps hold me in the seat when driving, but makes it a little harder to slide in and out of the car. I’m interested to see what it is like after sitting in the sun on a summer day. The dark seats and door panels sure show the dirt. Having low-high switches for the bun warmers in the seats is nice touch.

    The 7 inch high resolution nav screen is crisp and gorgeous. Setting up an iphone is now fast and easy. Contacts now auto transfer, and update automatically. Stereo is very clear. HUD is pretty cool, especially for showing turns when the nav is guiding you. Entunes seems pointless, but may cause me to use Pandora more often.

    Mileage is already 20% higher and looks to be going higher. Could be a long time between pitstops given my short commute.

    Mods so far:

    Was able to have my curt hitch moved from my 2010 to my PIP. Also moved my cargo net and hooks. Still waiting to receive my rear bumper applique from my dealer. Installed a Prestigious Society nav lock override. In addition to overriding the nav lockout, it lets you watch movies while driving; not that I would ever do that.
     
    retired4999, mmmodem, mnml and 4 others like this.
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    You got it! Congrats! :)

    I noticed that I rarely if ever lose connection while using Pandora now. In my 2012 Three I would lose connection all the time.

    I need to go look up my seat color again. It seems lighter than my 2012 Three. I thought it was just the SoftTex or maybe because I had black Clazzio leather for a month before trading it in. Maybe I have Misty Grey? *shrug*

    I forgot to mention that I hate the HUD. It is sorta blurry and archaic looking compared to the one that was in my 2000 Corvette. :(
     
  3. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    have you looked into adjusting it a bit?
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I've tried moving it left/right and up/down but that didn't change anything. Is there a focus adjustment that I'm missing?
     
  5. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    My HUD seems plenty clear, but I have nothing to compare it to. Should it show more info or just show it better? I haven't seen the Beamer or corvette HUDs, or even any other PIPs. Not something I would miss much if it were gone, but I do like how it shows turns, and its a cool toy to show off or talk about. Wonder if this is another thing that can be affected by the type of glasses you wear or polarized sunglasses. I have bad eyes and tri focal lenses but have no problems.
     
  6. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    not according to the manual, but perhaps you should move your seat back/forward and see whether that affects it? or the brightness?
    do not know, you're talking to a guy with a Base model :)
     
  7. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    I forgot to mention there seems to be a lot more battery available in normal hybrid mode, even after the EV mode is all gone.
     
  8. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    Now that seems pretty doubtful coming from another Gen III.
     
  9. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)ggood, congratulations on your PIP. Thanks for sharing you're first impressions. As a Prius novicc, everything is new and exciting to me. Comforting, the number of repeat owners and their progression through the years and models. HUD, neat addition, clear and focused. I appreciate the digital speedometer readout more. First time for me.
     
  10. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Could be my imagination, but it seems not to be draining as fast as my 2004 or 2010. I'll have to test it some more.
     
  11. mnml

    mnml Ain't nobody got time for that.

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    Congrats on the new PIPA! I agree the door panels tend to show more dirt. It usually wipes off easily with a microfiber towel.
     
  12. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    Compared to the 2004, I don't doubt it for a second. But there should be no difference from the 2010.
     
  13. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Can you elaborate on this? How does it work? Where did you get it from and cost? Can you just stick a DVD in the existing CD player to play a movie? I've been intrigued by this since I saw that commercial with the teenage couple and they couldn't find a place with privacy to watch a movie. They ended up watching in the car in the garage.
     
  14. Big Dude

    Big Dude Member

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    Looked it up on their website. For 316 simolians I will pass.
     
  15. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    It ties in to the volume control switch on the steering wheel. You press - - + +, which causes the switch to interrupt the speed signal to the Nav unit. After that, most, if not all, the greyed out (locked out) functions become available. For example, your passenger can enter a destination while you continue to drive (you would never do it yourself, I'm sure!). The override continues until you re-enter the sequence. The version for the 2010-2011 Prius has a separate switch, and the override times out. I don't think the PIP version times out, but I need to confirm. Because it is interrupting the speed signal, the Nav unit will think you've stopped and lose track of your real location. After you stop the override, it take a little bit of time for the Nav to get back in sync with your actual location.

    The HDD Nav in the PIP Advanced can play DVDs, but only while the parking brake is engaged. This device makes it available all the time, without having to touch any switches and without screwing up the navigation. For example, your passenger can pop in and watch a movie while you continue to drive (no peeking!) and receive directions. Yes I tested it briefly, so I know it works.

    The installation is much simpler than the override available in the PriusChat shop (made by a priuschat member). You still have to take apart the center of the dash and unbolt the nav unit, but there's no wire cutting or fussing with a switch. Just unplug 3 plugs from nav unit, plug them into the module, and plug the module plugs into the nav unit.

    As someone else noted, the Prestigious Society override is something like $316 (includes shipping). They waived the shipping fee for me, because I was a repeat customer. That compares to $90 plus shipping for the PriusChat shop override (with a separate switch and timer). However, the PriusChat maker says it is buggy as to the DVD function, so read the notes in the priuschat shop before buying. If you want the PriusChat version, get it while you can, because the maker has indicated he is going to stop making them.
     
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  16. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Thanks. Looks like I'm out of luck on the PiP base as it can't play video. I'm not really interested in the nav override. The base nav is so horrible that even Apple maps is preferable.
     
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  17. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    FYI, during a 2 week power outage (hurricane), we found ourselves watching movies on my notebook computer while parked in the driveway, sitting in the airconditioned Prius. Just like going to the drive-in!
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you might get more out of the hybrid portion because it always starts at full, and it is lithium.
     
  19. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    You're right about it always starting full. I thought the lithium might make a difference, but I guess it depends on the exact specs and proportions of the batteries uses, relative to the normal Prius. I'll let the smart people here figure that out.
     
  20. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    It depends on what you think "full" is. The PIP battery is 4.4 kwh but the usable range is 2.7 kwh which is only about 60% . Very roughly it goes from 20% - 80%. The HV mode portion of this is just a few percent.

    Do you mean that you always get this few percent on the PIP whereas in a regular Prius the battery might be drained a bit and you don't get thus?

    Mike