What I don't like about my Prius

Lol. I used to drive a truck with 20"'s. I have been in various cars with larger wheels. Im not as picky as you. A few extra bumps arent going to hurt me. Honestly dont see it being that different going over a bumpy road in 15" and 17". Its still going to be bumpy. The 17"'s should be offered as an option on all the models.

 

I have the same wish . . . but I wish my dealer would believe me when I say that it's possible to change the pattern to unlock all doors!

Twice I've taken NewBlue into the shop and asked to have the SKS reprogrammed to do just that, and twice it's been returned without the change. The first time it was one of three "customizable" changes I'd requested, and I assumed it had just been overlooked. The second time, my husband was kind enough to do the retrieval from the shop after the 10K oil change and the "would you please do the customization we requested in October" job. When the report came saying "Not possible on this model," he thought that the mechanics must know what they're talking about--I must be the delusional one!

So--can someone please tell me what to say to get the pattern changed? I'm thinking that there must be something really specific, like: "Look at your manual for 2010 Prius III, page 1,274. See paragraph 6(b)? I'd like you to do Process R-59, as it is described there. Okay?"

Thanks!

 

The Prius has some pretty serious braking (putting aside that antilock software mod) and outbrakes most standard sedans on the market.
A Dutch car magazine has managed a 100kph to 0 distance of under 36 meters, that is Porsche territory.

Makes me want a custom bumpersticker: Tailgaters beware: My brakes work, and boy do they ever... :whip:

 

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE PRIUS !

1- I hate that every 'penis challenged' moron I begin to pass sees the Prius and feels so embarassed that he has to suddenly speed up.

2- I hate that people who never cared about the environment criticize the owners of the Prius, the car that altered the public perception of how economical and non polluting a car can actually be.

3- I hate the idiots who criticize Totota for having the guts to invest a Billion Dollars to develpo the Prius in the simple and wise recognition that one day Gas will be 10 dollars a gallon.

4- I hate that the Morons who write car reviews fail to recognize the Prius for its well earned reputation as a "PERFORMANCE CAR", because in the future "performance' will be whether or not we can afford to drive by ourselves in a privately owned vehicle.

5- I also hate that I drive one of the extremely few vehicles that doesn't belch greenhouse gases in huge quantities, and pollute the air we all must breathe, and Morons hate me for it.

6- I also hate that when Toyota has a recall it is treated by the rest of the Mouth Breathers as child molestation, when the Guzzlers, and Clunkers they populate the roads with are made by companies who have made such unreliable, and uninspiring vehicles for so long they have one foot in the grave and the other on a Bananna Peel.

7- I hate that only smart people buy the Prius because Even stupid people need economical, non-polluting, very reliable cars to drive.

 

i've only had mine for a few days but put 800 miles on so far... very few complaints, i really like the car.


wish the II had 3 door sks

standard stereo not terrible, but could be better

dead pedal isn't well designed or placed.

wish the front of the seat bottom could move up and down, not just the rear.

as with all toyotas, i'm not a fan of the way the cruise control is set up (i prefer on the face of the steering wheel)

overall i really like the car. these are minor complaints, but they are the things i would point out if pressed to give negatives.

 

IMHO, the only inspiring vehicle Toyota makes is the Prius and it's the only one I would and do own.

 

my only real complaint that really does bug the (*&$(*& out of me.

the sun visors don't extend or block the sun when you move them to the side position.

 

Maybe the El Cheapo base radio in the II models has better FM reception than the JBL? The FM reception in my non JBL II is simply exceptional. I live near the Sierra Nevada foothills and every other car I have driven has worse fade and drop outs than my non-JBL FM when driving through valleys and canyons and around hills. I am pleased, I expected poor performance.

The sound quality is OK by my standards, but I'm not all that particular about that. An audiophile might want something better.

AM reception on the other hand is weak compared to the other cars.

 

I just traded my 2006 Pkg 2 for a 2010 III/Solar. I can't say that I'm impressed with the changes. The only real improvements are the availability of a sunroof (or, if you really want to spend money, the V with ATP), auto-down/up on all door windows, auto-door locks, and the negligible increases in fuel mileage/power.

The 'EV' button, additional seating/steering wheel adjustments are nice, but don't know how useful they are. Likewise, a few of the additional dealer-customizable options are nice, like the two additional delay options for auto headlights off. I guess the Bluetooth cellphone connectivity is standard across the board now, too.

Other than that, everything else seems to be a step backward:

As others have mentioned, SKS for driver's-door only on all but the V is unforgiveable.

The 'Touch-Tracer' display seems like a gimmick.

Don't like the flip-down rear headrests instead of the old, low-profile style (but that may be a federally mandated thing).

Reduction in cubby-holes.

Flying-console that looks like it was made by Mattel.

Smaller, less-well designed center console.

No more owner's manual separation in the lower glovebox (although the elimination of the upper glovebox separation isn't a loss).

General reduction in interior material quality.

Decreased visibility due to higher beltline and a general dislike for the new styling.

No more color, center-mounted MFD (although I can understand why it was changed since it's now possible to see the MFD and NAV at the same time without having to toggle back and forth on the MFD).

Frankly, I would have been perfectly happy with a new G2 if they had simply added auto-windows, auto-door locks, sunroof, EV button, and the drivetrain improvements from the G3 to it.

 

I'm glad someone started this thread. I've got 7K on mine. I'm also the owner of an '04 and an '05. The styling and performance on my '10 is terrific, but I feel like Toyota cut a lot of corners:

1. The smartkey (only on the driver's door which s*cks) on the one hand doesn't lock positively with a consistent touch. Sometimes it requires a hard touch. Other times, a hard touch won't do it. On the other hand, when I wash the car and the hose hits the door handle, the locks rapidly lock and unlock.
2. The heater/AC display is cheap looking. In sunlight it's difficult to see and its design is inconsistent with the dash display design.
3. FM radio reception is awful.
4. The retractable trunk shade is cheaply made (as compared to the ones in my '04 and '05).
5. Closing the back doors elicits a "tin can" sound as if they doors have no sound deadening insulation
6. The rear speakers in the JBL premium sound system don't really play very loud.
7. The center A/C vents are small so that air comes out of them at relatively high pressure- strong blowing that's distracting.

 

The rear view..... wow, i have gotten use to using my side mirrors. Still getting used to the line in the middle of the rear window. I have also moved the rear headrests down to help a little.

Also wish could open all of the doors as previously mentioned.

 

I absolutely agree with this statement. I just finished driving 300 plus miles today, and that view is still bothersome.

I have no idea how the other covers for the back area are, but this one is cheap.

 

The loss of door storage on the front doors. I think the glove compartment is smaller, the open space under the console is a junk area, the back mat is much cheaper than the previous models. Its a shame that the Toyota has taken the cheap route, I think people would pay a little more for some of the nice features.

 

Here are my gripes:
* I really do think the headlight design is ugly - "Tokyo Drift" comes to mind.

* The mirror adjustment controls are very awkwardly placed, especially compared to G2

* The day/night dashboard illumination control should REALLY be illuminated

* The NAV system responds very slowly to voice activation, and should have a "pause guidance" button on the map screen instead of only being deactivated by voice.

* The usb/mp3 system is horribly unresponsive and winds up selecting unwanted tracks as you scroll through playlists.

I should add that I'm really very happy with the car!

 

I bought the visor extenders from Visormates.com. Are they worth around $19 ($15 plus $4 shipping)? Objectively, no - I'm sure you could make them a lot cheaper. But they took my credit card and shipped them promptly ... and I live in South Florida and commute 25 miles south in the morning and the same distance north in the afternoon. Worth every penny to me.

Here is a thread that mentions Visormates and a couple of other products:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/60334-extendable-sun-visor.html

John

 

I've had my car for 3 weeks now and the rear viability is still really annoying.

Nav is slow with USB stuff

3 SKS isn't standard on III+

15" wheels are wayyyy too small

No leather wrapped steering wheel is lame

No lower thigh adjustment/support. my 05 tC had this and I really miss that.

Other than those, I love the car.

 

Ditto! To each his own I suppose.

 

I find it interesting that 15" wheels are now considered small. I suppose it comes from the lower profile of many new tires and the large number of SUVs, but back in the early 70's the 15" wheels on our Jeep were considered large. My Ford Aerostar van had 14" wheels, and it was a heck of a lot bulkier than a Prius. It's funny how styles change.

Tom

 

My Fathers 1957 Mercury Turnpike cruiser (which weighed about the same as Sherman Tank) had 14 inch wheels

15 inch is a good size for a Prius, high performance and heavy cars need bigger wheels to accommodate brakes. Older cars with smaller wheels had braking problems under tough conditions.

But I largely agree with your sentiment, in most cases the really big wheels are about style.