I just bought 2011 Prius III on black Friday and still not familiar with auto climate. Everytime I press it on, the air flow will set to blow in foot mode so I press mode button to change it back blowing the air from the front. By doing that the auto climate control light is turn off. Can I use auto climate with air flow from the front vent instead of blow down to the foot?
I don't have a 3rd gen (model year 2010+) but I almost never use auto. See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/100567-heater-controls.html#post1425086 as to why.
Well considering it's late fall, the temperatures are cooler and thus the climate control blows to the feet to warm up your feet with heat. The logic is that hot air rises (so the entire cabin will be warm rather than just the upper part if it blew to the face) and warm feet tends to warm the body as well and you need warmer feet to operate the pedals properly.
Following what Tideland said, if the cabin temp is lower than the temp setpoint the system will call for heat which means blowing heat to the floor. If the cabin temp is higher than the setpoint it will call for cooling, and with the AC off, it will blow outside air to your face. I just leave mine in Auto and adjust the temp setpoint to give me the air direction, fan speed and cooling/heating that I want. The only time I take mine out of Auto is when raining and I change the mode to face or floor plus defrost.
Following TP and JD, Auto will select defrost/vent combo when it determines the need. When the temps are below 20, it often goes into that mode for me.
Yeah, unfortunately the Prius auto mode thinks that heat is mostly needed at your feet. There may be some sort of logic in this as others suggest. But, truthfully, it's not the best auto heat around. It would make it a lot more comfortable a lot quicker if the heat came on at bi-level. Usually, your hands and body are feeling the cold. And getting some warm air on them would be great. While the heat directed at the floor does warm the entire cabin, it just takes it longer. When it's really cold, don't use auto. Tom G.
Just to add; if you push auto, then push mode to select something other than feet-only, the amount of heating/cooling and the fan speed are still automatic, even if the Auto light is off. So there is still a benefit from Auto there. Adjusting the temperature will adjust the fan speed lower as it approaches your set temperature.
Exactly ... put the CC at a temp and just RELAX and forget about it for awhile ... don't worry about what it's doing or why ... you'll be amazed at how comfortable and consistent it is. My wife is constantly fiddling with the controls ... blasts the heat ... then turns it off .... then blasts the heat .... then turns it off. I always ask her ... WHY DO YOU DO THAT ?? When I drive and she's in the car ... the car is comfortable ALL the time ... you're not sweating one minute and cold the next. She just doesn't get it. The Prius CC is one of the best CC systems I've ever used ... as is the cruise control as long as the terrain doesn't vary in extremes. REV
To further on what macman said above, it works for either MODE or FAN. If you touch one or the other, that function will be in manual mode but the other stays in automatic even though the AUTO light is off. That's the reason why when folks ask about a completely manual setting, we suggest that they adjust both MODE and FAN speed to ensure it's completely in manual mode.
LOL - my wife does the same thing when she gets in my car. I call her a control freak. She cannot stand that the fan does not come on immediately and blow cold air. She has to crank the fan up as soon as she sits down. One time I refused to let her touch the controls and she was surprised at how quickly the car warmed up, even though she did not exactly admit as much I agree that the Prius CC is the best system I have ever used. Set it and leave it alone.
That's good to learn! I've had my Prius for more than a year and never knew this. I'll check it out tomorrow morning on my way into work. Thanks! Tom G.
