2010 Prius First Drive - What do you want me to cover?

What Alarm99 said - especially if you can DISABLE the traction control - like - MOST other cars with traction control out there !!!

That is the single most gripe I have. Real annoying at Stop signs with snowed roads.

The wheel threads get clogged up with snow - and you can't spin the front wheels to clean them and regain traction. You end up crawling forward at 1MPH and annoying other drivers too.

 

Grab all the tech documents you can, especially the NCF manual if it's available.

Wayne

 

Price and date of release.

Danny I think more important than telling us how the car performs would be to use your presence at this event to educate the media contingent about the Prius. Show the enthusiasm we have for the car, point out the great attraction of hypermiling and beating your last high score.

Show the passion to the world.
Take an album of images from PriusChat and leave it around for enquiring minds to find so they can see the things enthusiasts do with Prius. That is images of modifications, loads in Prius, screen shots of 99.9mpg. Print ups of stories of 2000+km on one tank, road trips, Wayne's EBH, DNA tours and others that illustrate the strength of the community around the Prius.

I just think it more important to expose the public to the real story than to stand before the PriusChat congregation with glowing reports.

Even promoting the earlier Prius will help Toyota sales of the 3G Prius, if you can get more for your current car, (and 92% of us will buy another Prius,) it makes the next Prius more affordable.

By the way, I think Danny has worked hard to make PriusChat what it is, and this is a result of that rather than luck. Good on ya bloke.

 

You can't, we already know that. Buy the right tyres for where you live or move south.

 

Danny,

I'm writing through jealously-clenched teeth (try saying that with YOUR teeth clenched).

Please look for visibility changes while driving -- particularly the A pillar up front, but also side-view mirrors and out the back.

Check on handling and see if you believe it is more responsive or "tighter" than the current car.

Give us a report on the "usability" of the controls on the steering wheel. In particular, I'd like to know if the little "thumb-thingies" are as good as I've imagined they'd be in actual use. Can you do everything without even looking down at the steering wheel?

Find out whether the heated seats go off at a certain temp. I'd hate to have to reach down that far to turn them off.

See if you can't bring something that is JUST too big for your hatch and see if it won't fit in the new car. (Of course, you could just bring a tape measure!)

Test out those seats: High, Low, Front, Back, leg support, etc. AND lumbar!

For whatever you are able to do, Danny, THANKS!!

 

Please confirm presence or existence of USB or other ipod, iphone connection options that will give steering wheel control etc., including more details re bluetooth audio streaming. Thanks.

 

i would just be interested to know if the 2010 drives any different. its bound to feel different in some way or another

 

My test drive question: Drivers' seat height: how low can it go?

Besides the driving impressions/questions, have a great time!

 

3 times: stomp on the go pedal for 0 - 60, then skid to a stop.

I wanna know if a brid really gets better mpg, or if it is all hype.

 

Please try to find out if they've dropped the Navigation and Telephone lockout features; if not, can you ask if there's a programable work-around to enter information while the new Prius is moving.

Thanks,

 

Danny: I have two questions (which others have already mentioned, so I'll second them). They concern items that are, to me, the biggest deficiencies of the current model:

• Has the rear vision improved (bigger rear window, smaller rear posts)?
• Has the traction control improved (less slippage on wet pavement)?

Have fun, I'm envious.

 

I would like you to focus on ....

Do you feel really comfortable in the car? Can you easily attain a seat and steering wheel position that feels comfortable to you?

Do you have good forward visibility with no obstruction from the rearview mirror of what you need to be seeing on the road?

 

Paul and others,

As others have noted in other threads, the rear vision has improved slightly because the spoiler bar splitting the rear windows is now thinner, so it blocks the view and distracts the eye less.

However, the huge triangular rear corner blindspots created by the design of the high rear quarter panel and the sloping hatch are still there and are as big as ever.

As to the traction control, we were told that it's been improved to work more seamlessly. But what that means in the real world remains to be seen. (My guess is that the interval when all power is cut off has been reduced.)

 

IIRC, Wayne (xcel), from CleanMPG, is going too. I'm sure he'll see what kind of mileage the 3G can put out. I don't know if there will be any kind of 2G vs. 3G course though. But it's a great idea.

 

That's a good idea. I think I know a 2G to do that with too.

Wayne