What do you dislike about your Plug-in Prius?

I purchased a new Prius donut spare for $122 shipped off eBay.

 

$63 at the local auto wrecking yard. Definitely in new unused condition.

 

The battery is too small. Lack of spare. I hate, hate the fact that if I plug in my cell phone, it thinks I want to switch to and play the music contained within.

 

The biggest gripe my wife has with it is the extremely low clearance on the front. Always worrying when we pull into a parking space if the bumper is going to scrape against the curb at the head end of the space. And hearing that unnerving scraping sound when a driveway has a steep drop-off to the street.

 

In general I love the car...I agree that the HVAC Is over automated. Hate it! I would prefer a more structured trunk cover like my CRV has. I don't see that flimsy screen lasting long. This is pretty petty but I think a bright color for the charging cable would be better so its more visible when charging in a public place (where I work)

 

I am one of the unlucky ones who has the TLE (Triple Light Emitting technology) through the front windshield and I hate it. Everything else is great.
ABC 7 - Potential safety hazard in popular car... | PriusChat

 

1. I don't like not having a spare tire. I had a flat tire a few months back; there was a long tear in the tire. Then, a month ago, same thing, same location on the replacement tire. Turns out it was a piece of metal that had lodged in the wheel well and was scraping the tire when I would hit a bump...

Still, I wish I had a spare.

2. Charge port should be on driver's side. Swap it with the gas input or put it near the front left wheel well, but it's too easy to forget to plug it in when I park my car. Put it on the driver's side...

3. Making a speed dial takes about 4 button presses; there should be a way to speed dial without all the button presses. Bad design.

4. I wish it had electric seats and seat memory.

5. Sometimes, when I reach the car and my door unlocks as it senses the key fob, the passenger door also unlocks; sometimes it doesn't. I should be able to choose how this behaves, or at least, the passenger door should unlock when mine does.

6. MOST IMPORTANT: I wish it had a longer range on the EV battery.

 

???

 

That I did not buy one. :-(
Next car I will.

 

The test models had the port on the left front fender. IIRC, Toyota said the majority of the testers wanted the port moved to where it is now.

 

If previously asked, I would say put it on the right rear fender. Based on my current charger configuration, I'd prefer it on the front left front fender to keep from having to back into the garage when charging. I believe the charger cord on my Leviton charger is 18'. When pulling into the garage, I have to pull in close to the charger at a angle for it to reach, plus I have to deal with wrapping up the extra heavy duty cord which is a pain. Not complaining, just stating facts.

 

I thought the relocation was a weight savings to negate running a cord from the battery in the rear to the front.

The current location is actually ideal for me as I like to back into my garage and the only available plug access is on the inside wall in the middle. Having said that, I wouldn't mind swapping the electric with the gas input. The ratio of import vehicles to domestics is a lot higher where I live. When there is a line at the gas station, you can be sure the left side gas input has the longer line.

 

OK, one more nit to pick... the light sensor on the rear view mirror is often blocked by the rear window plastic spoiler bar, so the following headlights are too bright in the (non) self-dimming mirror... I think this is common to all Gen IIIs, not just the PiP. There is an old thread on this with solutions. I (mostly) solved my setup by angling the mirror stalk all the way to the left, which repositioned the mirror to more squarely face the rear window, which allows it to pick up more of the following headlight beams, which dims the mirror faster... but it is (was) annoying in the usual dealer-set position, or when a guest driver wrenches the mirror stalk into its straight position by adjusting the mirror.

 

My Cadillacs had the dimming rear view mirror. That made me love ones with the little lever to flip it. The only part I miss is the side mirrors dimming. With the Prius, I angle the LH mirror down at night.

 

Same ones on the PIP. Some people don't like that the light can't be adjusted. Doesn't bother me.

 

On mine the buttons on the steering wheel are definitely not back lit and can't be. Maybe we have a different spec in the UK. Only is one trim level and seems to be in the middle of your basic and advanced models.

 

My words exactly...

 

For me the left rear is perfect for parking in my garage. But at work, I see that the Leaf design in front (or near front) is so much better. It allows one charger to get plugged into many more cars throughout the day without requiring people to move their cars.

First, I am talking about a charger located inbetween two rows of parked cars, not a single row, such as against a wall. One charger can reach only two PIPs, possible two more if they are backed in. But one charger can easily reach 6 Leafs, even 10, all head in. As the charging infrasstructure grows, this is important. It makes it cheaper and easier for employers to provide workplace charging for the most number of cars with the least amount of hassle (moving cars during the workday).

Mike