What you don't like about your Prius?

I first posted that there was nothing that I didn't like about the Prius.

Then the other day I used the horn. My wife and I laughed. What a tiny little peep it made.

 

My biggies:
-The location of the seat heater controllers
-The blind spots and rearview sight
-The random and strange noises the car makes and how we are all just supposed to be ok with it. "oh it's a prius thing" really?
-No auto-on headlights without leaving them on non-stop.

Overall though I do love the car and even the above quirks make it special to me.

 

The "Flat Tire" warning doesn't specify which tire is flat.

The "Door Ajar" warning doesn't show which door is ajar.

I've driven some cars that had both of these features implemented properly and well.

 

Just got my 2011 Prius package 3 a week ago.

I like the car very much, but a few minor things I noticed was different
- no place for coins.
- the metric conversion for temperature control
- no locks on the glove compartment
- a valet key (worried about what I'll do when I have no choice but to Valet)
- lack of storage space on the door ( I guess this was a thing I had in my old car I took for granted)
- cheap looking interior


But then again, the advantages and likes outweigh these minor things. I'll just have
to learn to live with what I have.

 

i hate the inverter whine

 

The whine is the best part.

 

Just browsing through the thread, and you're one of the few who took the time to add what you liked about the car. And I like that.

 

Generally I love the car (G3, level III). Here are my gripes (in no particular order):
1. Don't wear polarized driving glasses and expect to read anything on the dash (the engineers who designed the display really missed the boat on this one) or Navi.
2. The Navi. Only reason we got it was for the backup camera. And then charging more than an aftermarket GPS for the upgrade DVD - it costs, what, about a dollar to press a DVD, and they charge $200? The user interface is lame.
3. The info-graphic display - I tolerate it, but would love to have the information I know the computers inside the Prius have - RPM of the various traction motors and engine, fluid and converter temps, etc... It's the engineer in me.
4. Rear visibility - not just the bar, but trying to change lanes at night in heavy traffic is a challenge. (I still remember the open feel of my first car, a BMW 1600.)
5. Not being able to read the main odometer all the time. (I log mileage for taxes - but like to leave the display set to "Trip A" - it's nice it shows the main odometer when you shut down the car, but it'd be better to always see it.)
6. The backup beeper - isn't this supposed to be outside the car? I know the dealer can change it, but I'd rather do it myself.
7. Cup and bottle holders. For two people to have a hot beverage, you need to slide back the console lid (impinging rear seat space), and neither of these are big enough for a liter water bottle (switched from Nalgene to glass recently, and discovered the glass water bottle does kind of fit under the driver seat).
8. The climate "controls" - I keep having to fiddle with the temp setting to stay comfortable - when it's cold outside, I'm happy with it set to 72-74, but that feels way too chilly when it's hot outside. On 90 degree days I set it to 80-82 to be comfortable. It'd be nice to just have a fan with no heat or A/C for days when it's nice to roll down the windows.

I joke that the user interface was designed by the folks that brought us "Hello Kitty".

Other than that (which I'm living with), I love how she drives, steers, and the fuel economy. She's quiet and comfortable. I look forward to taking her on long road trips, or even errands.

 

The Prius is my designated weekend errand vehicle, AKA truck. It's great to see the MPG go up while driving around town rather than driving a pickup that would get closer to 10 MPG around town.

As for distance driving, the Prius continues to shine in MPG, but lacks a bit in comfort and quiet. I suspect they used minimal sound insulation to keep weight down and this, to me, is especially apparent in the rain.

 

After owning and driving our new 2011 Prius II for roughly a week, there's not much that we don't like. The "blind spot" issue previously mentioned concerned my wife and I before we bought the car, but the reality is that the sideview mirrors and rearview mirror actually provide a decent panoramic view. Even those annoying "formation fliers" who hang on your rear quarter panels while traveling down the highway seem to be easily seen. There are two items that fall into the annoying category for us:

1. When driving at night, the split rear window formed by the aero-dynamic spoiler hides the headlights of some vehicles that are directly behind you. This can be disconcerting when you glance in the mirror and see nothing, and a second later, you see the vehicle as its headlights appear either above or below the split.

2. Every other vehicle I have ever driven has had an armrest on the door that was high enough to rest your left arm on while holding onto the steering wheel. The armrest on our 2011 is about 6 inches lower than any other vehicle I have owned. I find that strange and a bit annoying.

Other than that, my wife and I love driving our new Prius. It's very comfortable and lots of fun to drive!

Ender

 

beginning to wonder if that blind spot is an unfortunate result of increased safety measures because my Leaf has the exact same issues when turning left. now, if referring to the blind spot behind you caused by the split window, i am not sure i ever had an issue with that.

with a backup camera, its a non issue

 

JBL system hands down.

 

The A pillar blind spot has become worse because of aerodynamics and safety. The pillars have become larger for crush resistance. At the same time angling the windshield improves aerodynamics, but puts the pillar in a more obstructive position.

Tom

 

There are a few things about the car I dont like so far after having it for 2 weeks. I dont like the seats. I have a bad back from a pregnancy and I am reminded of it everytime I am driving. I bought one of those ergo back cushions but thats just weird driving for me bc I have to push the seat back to accom. the cushion, but my feet dont reach the pedals so I have to recline the seat back and push the seat forward so half the time I feel like i am either trying to sleep or have a neck injury.

Backseat needs more cupholders. I come from a minivan so going from 15thousand cup holders to 4 is a hard adjustment. not to mention the front seat cupholders are in a super weird place. In order for me to get my drink, I have to reach "backward" closer to my side and then my elbow bumps my seat and my drink sloshes. durrrrh...

When going up a hill, I find I am chanting to myself, "I think I can, I think I can". A little more umph would be nice but not a big deal bc I am always driving in ECO mode and when going up the hills, I just toggle to Normal mode now (discovered the normal mode through PC here so thank goodness!)

The middle console is funky. cant put a map on it or a notepad or a whatever. They should do away with it altogether.

This one might just be me bc this is my very first "small" car but I have no real place to put my purse. In my minivan, I could but it between the seats but I dont have that now so either my bag has to go in the back trunk, or in my hubby's lap lest it be kicked around by his feet or my kids' feet in the back.

 

funny you should say that bc I was just telling someone the other day that is was designed by the same man who invented the bra.

 

I REALLY wish the base package II's had the backup camera and screen like the 09 package II's did. But I still LOVE the car.

 

My backpack seems to set off the Seatbelt detector in the front seat. Super annoying. I wish I could turn that off.

 

My dog did that in the 09. Had to move her to the floor.

 

Same thing happens to me when I'm hauling equipment from office to office. I finally just fastened the front seat belt sans rider.
I thought about a little exploratory surgery on the aforementioned front seat, but I don't want some low-octane type suing me (or having me jailed)ten years from now for violating 22 DOT laws concerning tampering with safety equipment.

 

There is safety violation-free way to simply turn the beep off and just deal with the flashing.