Is the Prius too complicated?

Yeah I had a ScanGuageII hooked up until about 6 months back. I was getting "Check Hybrid System" and some brake symbol warnings, on several occasions. The last time I managed to talk directly to the dealership mechanic, and he noted an intermittent interruption in the OBC connection, speculated the issues might be due to the constant plugged in SG. I've disconnected since then, no repeat of the warnings, so far (knock on wood).

But yeah, any econobox has a coolant temp gauge. I appreciate a tach borders on pointless.

 

The tach assists me in hypermiling

 

Great replies in this thread.

I think the Pri is easy for a non-tech person who has never driven a newer car. My last car was a 2005 Kia and I didn't get any special instructions when I test drove.

The car seems to not let you do things that would screw it up, like shifting without the brake pedal depressed.

A long time ago a coworker took a few of us on a spin to show off her brand new Camry, which was her first car ever. She was trying to park and shifted into reverse while the car was moving forward. There was a loud crunch. I cringed silently while she asked everyone if they thought that was ok. As it turns out I think the car worked ok for at least a few years.

 

I've tried to hypermile but I must be missing something. I don't do any better than just driving modestly. Other than watching my gauges occasionally, I don't drive my Prius any differently than my old Chevy. I've tried the three driving modes. No difference in my mpg's. So, I put it in power mode and forget it. I've been through the info screens and passed on them. I've used my navigation once to learn it. I haven't used it since. I bought what I thought would be a good reliable car. It's comfy and has a decent stereo. I'm good with all the extras.

 

I used to have a car which needed:

• to put the key in the door, unlock it (with a bit of a wiggle if it didn't work first time), then open the door;
• put the key in the ignition, turn it;
• pull out the choke, press the accelerator ... yes about that much ... ;
• pull out the starter knob;
• re-press the starter button ... ditto ...
• push choke in ½ way, press accelerator a little more;
• re-press the starter button ... ahh, it's running sort-of !!
• balance the accelerator and choke for 30 seconds till it ran more evenly;
• take a puff of Ventolin because the fumes in the garage ...

And that was only to get the engine started. Clutch in, select reverse gear, ease clutch out watching out the tiny rear window hoping ...
et al.

 

Your next car won't have any guages or controls. You'll call it by phone and tell it where to take you. Is this simpler or more complicated?

 

It's worth noting that hypermiling isn't so much driving very gently, although that can be part of it (but counterintuitively, it's sometimes possible to drive too gently when accelerating, and be inefficient that way, due to how engines work).

What a huge part of hypermiling is (not all of it, but a huge part of it), is being aware of road and traffic conditions, so that you can preserve as much momentum as possible, and knowing when to give up your momentum.

Red light or stop sign ahead? Don't accelerate into it, slow down early, brake gently if you have to.

Light about to turn green, your lane's full of cars, and the other's empty? Change lanes, hit the line right as it goes green so you can avoid slowing down, and pass everyone.

Turn ahead, and you have to slow down for it? Lift off early, then coast down, or very gently brake into it (so you charge the battery, rather than using the friction brakes). Also, get a feel for how fast your car really can take turns - if you don't have to slow down as much for a turn, you save momentum, and therefore don't need to use fuel to get back up to speed.

On the freeway, are you frustrated by semi trucks slowly passing each other? Don't try to force your way past, just sit behind one at a safe following distance - they'll block some of the wind for you, reducing the amount of fuel you need. And, going slower does help efficiency, too.

Now, there's some more advanced techniques that exploit the way engines work, like pulse and glide. (What that boils down to is... engines are most efficient when they're working fairly hard, so you want to accelerate, work the engine fairly hard, then lift off, and coast with the engine off (hybrids make this a bit easier because of their batteries, which get charged while the engine's running typically, and then can propel the vehicle with the engine off).) But, really, that's not necessary to see gains, unless you're already doing the above stuff. However, I think this is why some people notice that they get more mileage in Normal or PWR than in Eco - the throttle mapping means you're more likely to request more acceleration, which makes the engine work harder. Myself, I get good results in Eco - I'm not afraid to put my foot in it when I want to move (I learned to drive in 52 hp VW diesels, you put your foot ALL THE WAY in it, and my other car's a Miata, that encourages putting your foot deep in it and driving straight-up aggressively), but then it's easier to modulate to keep it in electric propulsion with the engine off.

 

I monitor the indicator status lamps on the right side of the dash, as well as the displays. There will be no end to what gets put on these screens. It's cheep for Toyota to do. Developed the software and put copies of it in millions of cars.

 

Not any where near complicated like those over engineered German money pit machines. When those things break, you essentially have to take the whole car apart. German's love to complicate things as they are the Masters of Over Engineering.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Not as bad as a VOLVO 244 Heater&A/C blower motor.

I understand that when building the car, they started with the blower motor, assembling the rest of the car around it.

 

in 2004, i dropped off my taurus, and drove away in a prius, two pri later, i have never noticed anything odd. not sure what that says about me...

 

Years of watching this and other hybrid boards have shown me there are newbie phases of hybrid ownership that many folks go through:

First is the amazed/excited/happy phase to see the big FE numbers one has never encountered before.

Next is the confused/questioning stage of not really understanding how it all works.

Then comes the research/education phase when one learns the tricks.

This leads to the implementation phase of said techniques.

The next phase is dependent on the individual: either you hit the big numbers and are content or you become frustrated; either because of the application of said techniques is too difficult (tons of threads on this) or you don't hit the big numbers you've seen others post.

The next phase is where I am now: turn off the consumption screens and just drive the damn car.

 

I'd go with smart, talented, or adaptable if I were you.

 

Apparently, designed with millennial in mind (apparently, millennials are those aged 18-34 in 2015)

"Like I said during the vehicle’s reveal in Las Vegas, this Prius has been designed with the millennial market in mind — a generation that expects hybrids to look like they came right out of Star Trek, all while offering more tech than the Starship Enterprise, and backed by enough sportiness to keep it interesting."

Source: 2016 Toyota Prius Eco Review: The Hybrid Toyota Needed All Along

However, this article discussing orders in Japan, state that the average age of those ordering was 60!

"There are some statistics on the buyers worth pointing out. For one, 80 percent of new Prius buyers are male with the average age hovering around 60 years and older. "

Source: 2017 Toyota Prius: 100,000 orders placed in Japan

 

Well, I suppose two out of the three ain't bad!