First impressions of the 2012 PIP Advanced

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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.