Brake delay

I suspect your last paragraph might be ONE key. With other cars, you take a bit of time to fine-tune your reactions, but soon are able to predict, because you're applying the brakes regularly.

ANOTHER key - using DRCC a lot means that you just don't touch the brake pedal often. One of my regular commutes, if there is a car in front, I won't touch the brake in 21km except as I reverse out of my driveway and as I park at the other end. My previous car, would be dozens of times.

THE other key - and I suspect you've hit on it above, is that there are at least 4 different braking systems - the hydraulic, regenerative, DRCC's own braking (mainly using REGEN) and Emergency braking.

PLUS - there is the way it primes the brakes for greater braking force if it detects that a collision is imminent. If it's done that, I find the braking is quite savage.

I've had the car for a year (yesterday), and I wouldn't say I'm really used to them yet.

 

My first Prius as well, and I can say even though I rarely hit the brakes HARD, there almost seems to be a delay, then the car will practically throw you into the windshield when the brakes catch. When you need to hit the brakes, it seems to have more delay than I would like for 100% braking force. I will say the car stops way faster than my last toyota without ABS, stability, and all those extra safety features.

 

The Gen4 brakes much more than the Gen3.

In all cars with ABS, BTW, when you brake you need to brake hard, or it will not work properly.

That being said, the Gen4 uses regen more aggressively than Gen3, and the fact it is using regen first than brake pads if you don't brake decisively, might play a role for you.

I would like to correct one statement of alanclarkeau - there is one braking system, 2 braking technologies (hydraulic + regen), 3 different systems that access them (the driver, the DRCC, the emergency braking - the last 2 activating the brakes indipendently of user intervention).
I have to say that emergency braking and DRCC sometimes are quite strong if not sudden (especially the former).

So far I have had no problem with the braking power or the braking system so far.

If you think there is a slight delay, either you need to adapt your braking habits and brake more, or get your brakes checked in case there is actually something wrong.

Again, this car can brake quite effectively, given you push the pedal brake with intent.

 

With braking systems - I thought I read somewhere that emergency braking is solely hydraulic? Whereas DRCC is only hydraulic if REGEN doesn't meet the need? Would that be right?

 

I think emergency braking does that - directly hydraulic by pre-loading the pressure brake pump.
Instead DRCC simply "brakes" and the system brakes according to necessary braking force requested by the system.

 

FWIW, I've always been impressed with the Prius braking response in panic situations. Gen2, 3, and 4. I suggest you take the vehicle and find a lightly travelled, straight road where it would be safe practicing a hard/panic stop. Get up to 30-40mph, make sure your seatbelt is worn properly, and then step on the pedal hard and fast. You shouldn't notice any hesitation. If you do, take the car for service.

I do that test on every test drive now. My Gen2 shipped from the factory with an imbalance in the hydraulic brakes, which only became apparent when I had to do a hard braking avoidance manoeuvre on the highway and the car pulled hard to the left. Dealer fixed it under warranty.

During light to moderate braking, I can feel the transition from regen to hydraulic braking around that 6-7 mph range. Some people interpret the sensation as the brakes "not working" for a moment. What really happens is you're still slowing, but the braking force doesn't increase (neither does it decrease) for just a moment until the pads engage. I think it was more pronounced on Gen2, but it's still there on Gen3/4. If you're feeling this in a quick-stop situation, though, either there's something wrong or you're not pressing firmly on the pedal.

 

Something about your post, especially the sentence above, makes me think you are using your left foot to hit the brake pedal while your right foot stays on or near the gas pedal. If I am wrong, please accept my apology and disregard the rest. First of all, I have never experienced the delay in braking you describe, and I've had two "panic" braking incidents where ABS activated. I'm very impressed with panic braking in this Prius. But if you are on or near the throttle while applying brakes, Prius does include some logic to prevent "unintentional acceleration" incidents that occurred back in Gen 2 days that could explain the symptoms you describe. Prius does not like it when you apply brakes and accelerator at the same time, so best to use a single foot for these operations.

 

I don't think TSS would play into this much, even if you had it. It can anticipate and pre-load the brakes or even apply them automatically in some situations, but you're describing driver "normal" braking input.

Gen4 under normal circumstances should behave the same with/without TSS, and in my experience similar to previous generations without TSS. TSS is a nice feature, but it doesn't change how the car handles.