What you don't like about your Prius?

1) Terrible road noise. I suspect it is indeed the OEM Yokahama tires as many have stated.

2) The rear shoulder harness latches that squash down into the seat cushions as you try to lock the belt in place.

3) The fuel quantity guage that does not display true fuel remaining. I re-fuel at an indicated "half tank", and it only takes 4.5-5 gallons.

4) The inaccurate fuel MPG indication. Mine always reads 1.8-2.0 mpg higher than actual.

5) Slab sided doors with no protection from parking lot "dings". On top of that, "soft" paint that scratches easily.

Ed

 

I really don't like the fact that I can't trail a ribbon of blue energy behind me as I speed down the freeway, like in Tron. Somehow I can't help thinking that option should have been included in the AT package.

Pax,
S

 

Congrats! The 4,000 mi I have put on my prius this summer have been an awesome learning experience. Enjoy your new gas saving toy!

 

Have them do a strip of clear above the windshield as that front edge of the roof takes a serious beating with rocks and sand. The rental Prii I am driving right now has tons of missing paint on that edge.

Mike

 

The interior seems like it won't keep looking new, because:

The fabric on the armrests and center console is kind of thin and like the previous gen, gets dirty and looks worn as the car ages. Even the darker interior isn't dark enough to hide dirt well, unlike the black interior on my previous car. And my luggage area, which gets more exposure to dirt, is an even lighter color. I avoided the light interior because I thought it would show dirt even more.

The plastic on the dash and other areas scuffs easily due to the ridged texture, and the marks are permanent.

 

I jsut got mine 2 days ago. A few questions relating to what I don't like and others on here. Best way to keep interior clean? Should I scotchguard the cloth seats? What is a clear bra 3M? I'm guessing its like plastic wrapping the car? But then how do you wash it?

Things I don't like after driving 3 days 200 miles:
- The seats- not comfortable at all. Really disappointed. A little hard and hurts my back. Gonna scour the boards for fixes.
- The radio and temp controls are impossible to read in the daylight and can't be adjusted.
- The cheap plastics- but seems like all Toyotas use hard cheap plastic
- plastic steering wheel

 

The worst I find in my Prius is the 17 inch rim set with the wide 215/45 tires.

Uncomfortable, expensive, less MPG...

 

Here are my findings. My opinion is based on the Gen II Trim 3 which I traded in for the Gen III Trim 3.

- Steering Wheel. I didn't realize I my use my thumbs to turn the wheel at times and on the Gen III it hurts. At the botton of the steering wheel, it has a rough cut/trim where my thumbs usually go when turning.

- No place for coins. The tray that is in the center console no longer comes out like the Gen II. In the Gen III, it flips upwards and causes the coin to spill out.

- Cups holders for rear passengers. My wife is usually in the rear seat with our infant child. She noticed there isn't a place to hold the thermos cup to warm the baby bottles. Apparently in the Gen III, the cup holders are in the center armrest but because of the baby car seat, that armrest is stowed away in the upright.

- Satellite radio reception is horrible. Driving in the open roads on the Long Island Expressway (east and west) and on the NY State Thruway (north and south), I get sub-par reception. I get drops in signal due the foliage. I dont remember having these issues with other XM receivers.

- I liked the MFD on the Gen II. Even though I didn't have nav on that old trim, it still had a rear view camera. I miss it with the Gen III.

- Gen II Trim 3 is not the same as a Gen III Trim 3. Toyota definitely cut back on some things and did not keep the trims consistent. I miss my keyless entry on the three doors. After carrying an infant and a stroller, I quickly miss that option. I might have to do the DIY add-on of these sensors.

Now.... dont get my wrong, I like the Gen III we got. Despite losing some features, we did gain something such as auto lock/unlock of the doors while in park, one touch window close/open, and friendlier aftermarket mods.

 

Would you mind providing a link? I searched the "Shop" for "lockpick" but it returned no results. I agree that this limitation is ridiculous. The car knows it has a passenger. If someone wants to go so far as to put a bag of sand in the passenger seat to trick the car, let them. Otherwise, don't restrict those of us who want to use the system safely

 

It's a private sell:
http://priuschat.com/forums/private-sales/97181-sale-lockpick-3-a.html

 

Oh, interesting. Wow is that expensive, huh? Given that I'm not sure it will work with a Gen III, probably not worth it. Thanks though!

 

In my UK T-Spirit, the NAV can be operated on the move after the disclaimer/warning not to use it on the move disappears.

 

+1, the drone from anything but perfectly smooth tarmac is awful and mine has Michelin Primacy HP 215/45/17R tyres on, supposedly a quiet tyre by all accounts.

 

1) Rattles
2) Lift height of the hatch (hits a standard height garage door when rolled up / open)
3) Sinister seductiveness to drive it everywhere because it gets SUCH GOOD MILEAGE ... result = regrets for not building more miles into the lease - LOL

 

Agreed! Wore off the edge of my spoiler in seconds! Add: poor quality plastic spoiler!

Ed

 

The road noise is what I dislike the most. It is so much more intrusive then my old car that I sometimes double check to make sure the doors aren't ajar.

Also some more electric output would have been nice so I could accelerate wih these impatient capitol area people without being honked at.

 

That may have to do with your tires? Or the road surface? I have very cheap, non-low-rolling-resistance tires, and have no problem except on those new-fangled grooved highway surfaces (that drive me crazy anyway by trying to "guide" the car.) Well - there was a different road surface that did this (we just travelled 1850 miles from Colorado to NJ on Interstates) - don't know what it was about it, but I had the same feeling - are the windows or door ajar?

Again, certainly not my experience - are you trying to keep it in EV mode? I keep mine on ECO all the time, and am usually very proud of the accelleration. (Starts out slightly slow, but the pickup after that is phenomenal!)

 

Just a quick note; those marks on the dash are not permanent. I use Zymol Leather Cleaner and it works wonders! Spray on a clean cloth and wipe. No shine and those white scuffs are gone.

Cheers!
JD

 

I bought a pair of those little, round, stick-on wide angle mirrors and they work wonderful! No more cars hinding in my blind spot!