The remote A/C that comes with the solar roof is battery only and cool only. The remote start, available as a port or dealer installed accessory, puts the car in ready mode, can use battery &/or internal combustion engine and can heat and cool.
Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth. My first tank was 55.1, second was 54.2, and my third one so far is 57.1 with about 540 miles on the trip odo. Not bad for all that "extra weight".
If 60lbs of additional weight made a huge difference we should all drive with just a half of tank of gas.... lets see gas weighs approximately 6lbs / gallon so you will save 36lbs just by driving around on a half a tank..and gain all that additional mpg's. I think all of us with sunroofs have proven that the sunroof does not make that big of a difference. The driving style will make more of a difference than the sunroof.
ok... i live on the opposite coast and we use A/C generally for 1½ months around here (benefit of the marine climate) so even less reason for me to use?? well, no. your car is a solar collector and does not need warm outside air temps to make your interior uncomfortable. i got my 2010 (mid may) before we saw the temps we are seeing now (present day excepted since is around 58º right now..still early, only 9.30 here) so, let me relate... one day at work, got call, had to take, did not want the "public" in on the conversation, so go out to car and sit to make call. its a full sunny day, temps in high 50's. well, i have done this enough to know that interior temp of car will still be well into the 80's which may seem acceptable to some but is still 30 º higher than what i am accustomed to. as soon as i open car, the heat flies out...so its warm in there, i sit in car, close door. first thing i notice...ITS LIKE HAVING THE A/C RUNNING!!! i have a fairly good stream of 58º air hitting me in the face. it was AWESOME. so in what would have most likely had me at best, uncomfortable or more likely, had me sweating, i was actually very comfortable. now, i realize that climate conditioning plays a hugr role and if you saw how much i whined when temps hit the mid 80's and low 90's over the weekend you might understand....around here the average high temps for July is like 78º... to me, its the perfect climate to have this solar panel... now you state that people in AZ would want this... not quite sure i understand that logic since nothing but full blown A/C would provide me any comfort in those kinds of temperatures
i am at 54 so far on my first tank (well after i reset the trip meter to eliminate the existing mpgs put on it at the port etc). I can't draw any conclusions because its only a partial tank, i am getting accustomed to the car, i haven't even checked to see what pressure the dealer had the tires at, and I don't have a control (a IV without the roof). But so far so good. I have used the sunroof a fair bit. I have used the solar venting all the time (default on). I find the temp in the car to be a LOT cooler - not as low as ambient but close. Low enough so that the A/C on auto at 78 degrees AND on "eco" gets me comfy right away - instead of like in my 02 gen 01 where i have to blast max A/C for 10 minutes just to keep the heads sweats at bay. That plus what i perceive to be benefits in terms of how the interior may "last" longer w/o exposure to such high temps - and I am very happy i got the solar.
I think you're right ... at least the part about the weight of the solar roof lowering the FE by 10mpg. However, what about what the other guy said about how Toyota has to limit their production of SR models (hence the shortage) in order to keep their average EPA estimates valid - words to that effect. I've heard several variations on this theme. Do you think there's any truth to it? Why is there such a shortage of SR models, at least in this region?
I haven't seen a major difference in mpg with nearly 200lbs of children stuffed in the back seat so I doubt that the weight of the roof makes that much difference. Variations in traffic and stoplights will dwarf any minor weight based mpg difference. I do know that the car is always much more comfortable when I get in on a hot day, and that the air in the vents almost immediately blows cold as opposed to the usual several minutes of warm air while the vents and air channels cool down. Due to this I would guess there is a probably a small net increase in mpg on hot days and maybe a small decrease on cool days due to the weight, but it's all within maybe 1 mpg. Still my favorite option.
it is a BS excuse to cover up the gross underestimation of the demand by BOTH Toyota AND the regional distributors you want something, he doesn't have it to sell, so he poops on it hoping you will buy what he is peddling
sorry bout the caps, i have been a two finger typist for a very long time and it seems to help with proper names, etc. As i am too lazy to hit the shift key.
Seriously can you blame them for underestimating how many people want a $3600 +/- sunroof package. Whoda thunk it? What they underestimated was how many people wanted a $1200 sunroof packaged w/o NAV or the solar option.
Well, now, that strategy may just work. I'm not sure I'd want a solar roof that had been pooped on. Although how he could poop on it if he doesn't have it is beyond me. Sorry, just couldn't resist.
if the solar panel causes a mileage hit of any kind, its gonna be the increased wind resistance caused by having the sunroof open.
The solar roof doesn't have the "dimple" that the normal roof has though, which may impact aerodynamics.
Basically, it's all relative. We in Texas are more aclimated to 80's, 90's, 100's. When we can "cool" that 140 degree interior to 95, thats sweet.
I hate salesmen because they will flat-out tell you lies so that you will buy what they have in inventory. When I have an extra passenger (200 lbs) in the car I may see my MPG drop by 1mpg. So maybe if the solar roof weighed 2000 lbs, then you would see a 10mpg drop? I wish salesmen could honestly admit sometimes that they don't have what you want rather than tell some slick lie. I remember reading somewhere on this forum that a salesmen told a customer that an inventory sticker on the front windshield was a key fob sensor....in my military career, telling lies would get me arrested. I guess salesmen have the luxury of not having to worry about that.
Same case for me also ...I have to wait till December for prius 3 with solar roof .....I booked in MD ..I guess its difficult to get it in east coast...
Doug from the Prius Team gave his understanding that the weight (maybe because it is up high) would make a (slight) difference when accelerating from a stop, therefore affecting city driving more than highway.
