Massive Blind Spot on Prius v?

Ahhh I see you've sat in a Prius.

 

I was lucky enough to test drive one on the weekend and I did find the visibility restricted compared to my honda civic sedan, but I find most vehicles I've tried lately have worse visibility (eg. SUVs like the rav4 and Nissan rogue try to compensate by having huge side-view mirrors but I personally don't find that very reassuring as I always check my blind spot anyways). My impression is the pillars aren't big enough to block visualization of another vehicle when you check your blind spot, but I must admit that the sheer excitement of finally being able to test drive it probably affected my judgement! I intent to test drive the Prius v again now that I've got my head scewed on straight.

 

All I is saying is, it ain't a Prius without a horrible blind spot. I'm glad Toyota kept some features.

 

I've been driving my v-3 for 6 days now.... The only thing I've noticed is that cars on my right do not come into view as I pass them in the rear view mirror. I like having that confirmation before moving over to the right lane.

(I always keep my left side mirror pretty far to the left - I can't see any of my Prius- That way I always have good visibility to the left.)

Aloha,

John

 

After driving mine for a couple days I haven't noticed this. It could be because I have a tendency to check my blind spot the old fashioned way(too many accidents when I was young??). I will, however, take note the next time around...

 

I am sure it is nothing correctly adjusted rear, side view mirrors and a good old fashioned head turning can't overcome?

 

I can't help but laugh at your many responses.
Blind spot "being noticed" creates it not being so blind!

I took a lovely long ride north in one last week and didn't notice anything hampering my rear view bad enough to mention it. Maybe as Prius driver for so many years, it's just part of the allure of the car LOL!!

 

I find the visibility in my v markedly superior to the visibility in my '05 Gen II, and the Gen II visibility was fine for me after about a week of getting used to the sense that the pillar in the front was kind of wide -- reality is I've never had anything so narrow that it hid completely in the pillar.

Peter+

 

I'd only test driven the Prius v once and didn't notice significant blind spots (well, not any worse than other my 2nd gen Prius or my former 04 350Z). Regardless of car, I suggest EVERYONE drive w/their mirrors adjusted like Car Talk | How to Avoid the Blind Spot. It'll take some time to get used to.

I HAD to do that once I got my 350Z due to the enormous blind spots in the rear corners and poor rear visibility. This helped a lot and it didn't bother me much anymore.

 

My wife & I test drove a Prius v Model 3 today as well. We didn't have any real problems with the blind spot being much different than any other vehicle we have. It would have been nice to see the v being offered with the blind spot electronics (like the normal Prius will have in 2012), but that's life. Adjusting the side mirrors well and using some neck muscles seems just fine. It's no worse than many other vehicles.

 

For the original poster, I just got a Prius v wagon after owning a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid that I absolutely loved. Initially, I was worried about a blind spot. But I quickly discovered that adjusting the side mirrors properly more than amply covered it. I don't even need to turn my head to check (but still do out of habit anyway). I can say I'm really happy with the purchase, but it is an adjustment from driving the civic. Well worth the cargo room for my two 100lb. dogs and averaging 44.5 mpg.

 

Most vehicles I've owned have been pretty good about NOT having blind spots. But a few? Have been bad.

But I don't really understand complaints. I owned a small pick-up I equipped with a canopy. Thus it had a pretty big blind spot. In every vehicle I've owned a 98 cent wide angle mirror pretty easily solved the problem.

Usually I have found adjusting your mirrors out...so the do NOT show the sides of your own vehicle...coupled with a small convex wide angle mirror, pretty much makes everything visible. Regardless of what you are driving.

 

There is a blind spot but it isn't where you'd think. The normal blind spot is actually OK, it's the merging on-ramp on the right that is impossible to see. To better explain it, if you have to cross over traffic merging from the right, the angle of the ramp is lined up with the blind spot and the mirrors miss that too. I have taken to adjusting the passenger side mirror before I get to the ramp just to cover that angle.

 

This is the first Prius I've owned and so far I'm loving all 45 miles of it. The visibility seems better than the original Prius Zip cars I've driven. That said, I am still not keep on the size of the pillars, but that is an affliction shared with most of the "modern" cars it seems. In addition, if I were to have my way, I'd probably have the windshield go up another 2 inches (if that were possible) as it is a little low; I'm 73" tall. Finally, the rear view mirror is a bit bulky and kind of interferes with the view of things off the right front quarter (at a stoplight, for instance, the cars in the left turn lane of the cross traffic are behind the mirror). I have to do more of a 'duck and look' motion than on other cars. Personally, however, I think these are minor nits that are really related to becoming familiar with the format of a "new" car. My old ones are a Volvo 850 wagon and a Honda Odyssey, both of which are like driving a bus in comparison!

Alan

 

Wow... I don't remember ever having seen the 1st gen Odyssey... but it seems like an apt comparison

 

I can't find the URL for the article that showed me how to do this now, but there is a way to set your mirrors on any vehicle so there is no blind spot. You put your cheek on the driver's side window and adjust the mirror so you just see the side of your car, but you will not see the side of the car when you are back in regular seating position and that takes some getting used to. Next, lean into the center of the vehicle and adjust the passenger side mirror so you just see the side of the car. Again, you will not see the side of the car when you are in normal position. This felt strange for me at first, but it really works. By the time a car is not visible in your side mirror, it is close enough that you see it with peripheral vision. This technique was developed by a student. I have been using it for about 6 months now and, while it takes some adjustment, it is a much more effective way to use your mirrors to eliminate blind spots. Yes, I still tend to do a quick visual out of habit, but the truth is that we only had to do that because the regular way mirrors are used does create a blind spot. This technique eliminates that.

Prius v is on order : )