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New 2011 Prius III owner

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Rocco42, Mar 23, 2011.

  1. Rocco42

    Rocco42 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2011
    115
    30
    11
    Location:
    Rosendale, NY
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I got mine Monday. It was snowing. Yep, the weather had been getting into mud season here in the Hudson Valley, and Monday it snowed! It's also snowing today.

    A friend told me that his older model sucks in snow, but I find that it's not too bad in the snow, as long as you are light on the pedals. Don't let it slip, and you're okay.

    At any rate, I wanted a sun roof, because I like the sunshine coming in from above, even on a cloudy day, so I got the only one on the lot. There seems to be a run on them around here. There were many more on the lot a couple of weeks ago, and only a handful remain. I am glad that I made the decision to double my fuel economy from my 2000 Grand Am!

    So I have put almost 200 miles on it already. It seems that I have been driving a lot more in the past couple of days, and the gauge hasn't budged but two notches! I guess the gas gauge is like all gas gauges, and very inaccurate.

    I call it my spaceship. When I open the door, you can find me saying, "spaceships don't need keys. They know who their owner is, and only open for him!" The dash is futuristic, and it even sounds like a something out of a Science Fiction movie, when you get going on electric. I love how the engine shuts off when you get to a stop. If all cars did this, we could save so much fuel, it's not funny. It's not too hard to do either. Okay, I babble.

    I am enjoying this learning experience. This vehicle is great in that it keeps you aware of how you are consuming fuel. I just have to learn how to pilot it, to get maximum fuel efficiency. I figure that in a month or so, I should be at a higher level of proficiency and saving a good amount of money... Especially when gas goes up to five bucks a gallon.

    Everyone is amazed at how much room it has inside. I tell them it's kind of like a TARDIS, and uses some of the same Gallifrean technology to accomplish this.

    Last night I noticed a neat thing. The joystick on the console is illuminated by an LED from above. This is just so kewl! They could have run a wire and backlit it, but they did this crazy thing and mounted an LED in the headliner, near the courtesy light switch, that illuminates ONLY the joystick in the dark. I just think that this is so unusual, artful, and kewl, I can't wait to take someone, anyone for a spin in it at night!

    Oh well, when the weather clears, I'll take a few pics, and post them.
    Until then, Live long and prosper!
     
  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2009
    7,543
    1,558
    0
    Location:
    Alaska
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Welcome aboard. Glad you are enjoying the new kewl ride.
     
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    :welcome:Welcome aboard fellow Star Trek fan! Our own Doc Willie has made his Prius look like a shuttle craft. :) See Starfleet Command.

    If you expect significant snow, I think most here will concur that you should get yourself good snow tires.

    Regarding the gas gauge, we (esp. of the 2nd gen) tend to call it the "guess gauge".
     
  4. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2010
    1,605
    148
    0
    Location:
    Mt. Pleasant, SC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Congrats on your new Prius and welcome to PriusChat. Get ready to beam aboard some great MPGs, technology and low emissions.
     
  5. Mark57

    Mark57 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2009
    2,945
    2,737
    0
    Location:
    OK
    Vehicle:
    Other Electric Vehicle
    Model:
    N/A
    Welcome to the forum. Prepare to smile driving by gas stations.
     
  6. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2007
    1,717
    144
    0
    Location:
    Out there, somewhere
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Rocco is an old friend of mine, and is well acquainted with the Zhang Heng. Now, if I can convince him to do likewise . . .
     
  7. RICKKONK

    RICKKONK Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2011
    62
    1
    0
    Location:
    Westerville, Oh
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    [​IMG]Welecome. I just filled up for the first time. Pretty good MPG. I had a 2007 Civic and was getting about 36MPG but I put on 775 miles a week so the savings do add up. I have a question about the fog lights. I have'nt figured out how to turn them on. Am I missing something??
     
  8. GrandpaDuck

    GrandpaDuck New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2011
    2
    1
    0
    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I'm a new owner of a "used" 2010 Prius II. If you have a desire to use your SAT functions on the in-dash radio, see my post under the AUDIO/Electronics forum on how I did it!
    I love my Prius, especially the 50+mpg in light of the price of petroleum product! I've figured out how to maximize the mpg with the driving tricks noted in various forums! I've hit 60+mpg on several TripB jaunts! I haven't had it out of town on the open highway so I don't know how it will do going over to LA or up North to Flagstaff from Phoenix - 5000ft elevation change to Flag!