My new 2019 PPP

Hello Group --

Thanks for allowing me to join. My apologies in advance if long rants are not acceptable.

After years of admiring the Prius but having the obligations for a larger vehicle I finally found myself squarely in the empty nest position and at a time necessary to replace an aging SUV. Toyota has been my brand for several years and this is my 4th Toyota vehicle. I bought new in 1998 a 4Runner which I still own today. I have cleanly modded this for off-road use and with only 150k on the OD she's primarily a garage queen when not on a trail somewhere in the Sierra's. I had a Toyota Highlander that I had purchased and only recently sold, and somewhere in there I had also leased a RAV4 for 3 years while my Highlander had been on loan to an away college daughter at the time.

I've always been drawn to a white Prius so my mission was to find an ever more elusive Blizzard Pearl in a 2019 model so that I could take advantage of the Toyota rebate as well as whatever dealer incentives I would be able to secure. I won't get into the incredible challenges I went through over a several week process but suffice it to say, I found exactly what I was looking for at a price I was happy with. I was determined to get the Plus model as, for me personally, I was not a fan of the larger screen that comes with the Premium and Advanced models. For me and how I use things, I far preferred the smaller 7" screen with it's glass like finish, as well as the physical buttons of the climate control system. I also was not a big fan of the Softex Vinyl interior of the two upper models.

I had done all my negotiation online and over the phone in advance at the time I showed up to purchase with this dealership the original agreement was that they were dealer trading a Blizzard Pearl Plus model from elsewhere with an MSRP of $28,800. While that was in the works upon my arrival, this dealership also had sitting on their lot a Plus model in Blizzard Pearl at the same MSRP but with an aftermarket leather upgraded interior for an additional $2,400. . We agreed I'd take their leather upgrade model for a test drive to get that out of the way because the vehicle they were bringing over was coming from an hour and a half away. I know what you are probably thinking here but the dealer trade was legitimate. So yes, by the time I finished my test drive I asked what they'd be willing to do with this particular car and with the cost of the upgraded interior. It really felt plush and more refined even though the standard factory fabric interior was also just fine for me. Bottom line, I had already advance negotiated the cost of the agreed dealer trade car down to $22,819. and in the end I was able to secure this car at that price plus $1,100. for the interior upgrade to a total of $23,919. Plus T&L of course.

I've been driving it for over 1 week now, and while I really enjoy the way the car drives and goes down the road, upon my first fill-up I will admit I was not overly impressed with its mpg result. In fact a bit disappointed TBH. My average on paper was 49mpg. Mind you I did not charge it at all in the first week before my first fill-up so there is no fulltime EV use in there. On this second tank I have now charged the car twice so I am expecting some higher return on MPG's. But again, I will say that I was fully expecting something better than 49mpg in HV mode and I am not a lead footed person.

In any event I have spent quite a bit of time on this site reading through several threads and I look forward to sharing my views and experiences 'down the road' as it were.

Thanks again.
Ash

 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I understand what you mean although I was assuming that the dealership topped me up because I had all yellow fuel bars. Regarding charging it this week, I realize I won't be able to get the actual HV mpg but I was excited to charge it and see how far I can extend overall miles between fill-ups. My total round trip to/from work miles is 37 and as I pulled into my parking space at work today it noted I had 10.8 miles left on the charge after the commute in. Meaning I'm tracking for 27.6 miles electric use today while the car is rated for 25 miles. No AC this morning, however, with temps pushing north of 90 today I expect I'll be hitting that AC eco mode on my way home. I'll most likely go for the HV mpg read the next time I fill up at close to empty and as you indicate, won't wall charge it at all during that tank as I would definitely like to see if I can better that 49.

Thanks for the tire pressure suggestion that is something I will consider. I am not sure that I'll have 240 wired up for now as frankly the 5 hour charge time works just fine for me. And I do already have a 110v outlet near the car already. That said I do have a curious question with regard to the use of an extension cord.

My car is parked outside in my driveway and the outlet I use is GFI outdoor plug type. I originally was thinking I'd run a heavier gauge extension cord from the outlet and would then be able to provide a closed container of some kind next to my car where I could store protected the Prius charge cord and plug. So it isn't beaten up by the elements and to just keep it as nice as possible. But I read in the owners manual that the use of an extension cord is strictly prohibited. I can't imagine everyone that owns the Prius has read that necessarily and some may in fact use an extension cord. Anyone have any thoughts on that or do you use an extension cord and have there been any issues...?

 

Jerry thank you very much for confirming you too use an extension cord and have not had any issues thus far. Indeed I was planning to use a construction and weather grade cord and keep it at 10g if possible or 12g.

Regarding your braking comment. When you say that late braking is like throwing money away, do you mean (as I'm constantly telling my wife and daughter who do tend to late brake in their vehicles) regarding brake pad use...? Or is there a technical reason I am not aware of about the regen capability feature? Does hard braking detract from regeneration? One thing I noticed in the first week of using the car; As I have been an avid user of the smart cruise feature, aggressive commute drivers do cut me off and it has been causing the car to brake harder than I myself usually would be. Perhaps I should not be using smart cruise for this reason I wonder.