Wish list for next generation Prius Plug-in

Note that the display gives you an "estimate" that you will lose a mile or so, but you don't actually lose a mile.

The EV estimate drops by around 12-15% just be turning the fan on low with no heat and no A/C) This does not mean that you will actually get that much less.

Mike

 

Oh yes it does, when the est. gets to zero ICE comes on!

 

I don't think so. If your display shows 10 miles and you turn the fan to low it will now show something like 9 miles. You can still most likely drive 10 miles before the display actually shows zero miles, all things being equal. Of course, about half way through your 10 mile trip when the display shows 4.5 miles if you toggle the fan off it will suddenly show 5.0 miles.

Mike

 

mike is right. what happens is, as you're driving, the estimate goes down more slowly if you have the fan on. you wind up driving the same amount of miles either way.

 

Another wish item -- a lock/key connector for a cell phone mount. People enjoy mounting cellphones via suction cups off the windshield or on a smooth portion of the dash or between the seats. But the suction cups never work very well -- it would be nice to have a slit for inserting a stand for a cell phone holder.

 

We have a distracted driving law, so using virtually anything while driving earns you a hefty ticket. I do however, prefer to use Google for navigation sometimes, so I have mounted a magnet on the flip-door of the fore drink-holder, which holds my cellphone in an inconspicuous position between the shifter and the armrest. The phone has a metal plate attached which came with the magnetic mounting kit. I am very happy with this arrangement. That way, no one is likely to report me for using the phone while driving.

 

every car today should come with a well thought out phone/pad holder.

 

I think the reasoning behind all the standard steering wheel-mounted controls is that distracted driving laws are becoming the norm everywhere. I don't think a cellphone holder fits that paradigm. The Bluetooth is supposed to take care of anything you have to do with the phone while driving, and you are expected to have it put away.

 

Another one: To add support for second driver settings (mirrors & driver seat position, HUD and other display settings etc.). My wife and I exchange cars quite often.

 

Seems like a Luxury thing, do Lexus even have this ?

I can see the next GM Volt maybe having this...

 

Yep Lexus has this as an option in some cars and standard in others. Is typically for three settings.

 

Maybe a pearl-handle shifter knob too?

 

If it was designed so that you could operate the phone or pad while driving you know that the first time there was an accident with someone texting the car maker would get sued...so they are not going to ever do that, IMO. But they should provide a nice slot to place your phone in...and the bluetooth functionality should be improved.

When I bring up the Entune apps...pretty dumb, the maps is the first app and the traffic app is on the next page. These are about the only two I use often

Mike

 

agreed. there just isn't a decent area in the prius that isn't clogged up with some wasted space.

 

Yep. I agree because a cell phone get the best reception while it's upright. I use an old cell phone holder that fits in one of the cup holders. It's a little small for the wider phones they have today than what it was originally designed for. The Venza has a nice variable sized cell phone slot with a builtin cable feed through the bottom.

iPad ? HD

 

I'm not suggesting that Toyota violate law. (Well, maybe a little, since I was pointing out that people do use the suction cup approaches, and I'm pretty sure that except for certain kinds of mounts this isn't compliant. [http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2011/10/gps-windshield-mounts-legal-in-your-state.html] .)

But right now, I never know what to do with mine. I need to power it on. The USB cable out from the central console does this, but then what? Throw it in a cup holder? Leave it on the passenger seat? There is a niche between the cup holders, so it sort of fits there. Someplace secure would be nice. Someplace visible would be nice too, partly because the nav map application is inferior to ones I have on the phone (although I really do like integration of the nav with the HUD) and partly to remind me to take it with me when I exit -- I tend to forget it in the car, which is annoying.

But the best answer was bisco's statement -- toyota, assign some engineers to think this through, and come up with a well thought out answer.

 

Here's an annoying thing that I wish would change...

The very slowest windshield wiper setting is still way too fast. Virtually useless during days when it is misting or a very light rain. (yes, I know about the mist wiper switch)

 

I totally agree, I rest my hand on the wheel so I can keep pushing the stock every once and a while, but it is kind of a pain! in the butt!

 

agreed!

 

OK, here's one I hope they address: With the HDD-based Nav and "Premium" audio system, assigning a radio channel, whether from AM, FM, or XM is all done on the same 6-PAGE list. When you switch the radio source and use the up-down buttons, if the previously tuned station is a pre-set, uses that pre-set's location in the list of 6 pages without respect to the source of adjacent pre-sets. With my '11 (and every rental car I use almost weekly), pre-sets are dedicated to the radio source. In other words, FM had two or three screens of presets, AM had one, and XM had three IIRC. This was logical in that when I hit the AM button, preset AM stations came up in the round robin of up or down arrow presses.

I realize there are ways around this, but then there's the next one that's a total killer: on XM, all you see on the presets is a channel number. No channel name option I'm aware of. If you're like me, you might remember a few XM channel numbers but when several pages of channel numbers are in front of you, it's like needle-in-haystack time. In the '11, the channel names were displayed in the presets as well as the channel numbers.

I hope that this is within the boundaries of an Entune update to fix, someday. But it's the one (and I'll live with it) irritation that makes me dislike the audio system compared to my '11 (and even my '04).