Just purchased my wife a 2011 Prius from a KIA dealer (had a friend who worked there). It was really taken care of and has 8800 miles on it. I took it to the Toyota dealer who was really helpful, did a 10k service, and told me it has a 25k 2 year maintenace agreement on it. Here's the questions I am finding I need help with. First, is there any benefit to operating the ECO button? I read a little on it and doesn't seem to be of any help unless you are driving and stoppinf frequently? Next, as I read this forum I noticed that there are many different "types" of he Prius. (V, I, II, III) How do I know which one I have? What difference does it make? Finally, it did not come with the "bluetooth" option and my wife really wants it. The dealer told me it would cost me $330.00 to get installed. Is this something I could buy on the market and install myself? Thanks for any help you can give.
Howdy! I run ECO mode all the time. It helps when starting out on ice and snow as it makes the accelerator less sensitive. It will also reduce the A/C and heat thus helping the overall fuel efficiency. So find very little difference between modes, some more. Keep in mind, you have the same amount of "power" in all modes, it just maps the accelerator differently. You probably have a II or III (non-nav). I presume you don't have the "JBL" label on the speakers grills? Check on e-bay for the BT kit. I don't have this and don't know a thing about it but is an example: link
Same as Spiderman I use ECO all the time, but try all of them, Normal, ECO, and Power. Normal is when the other two are off. Hint, Power mode does not give you more power, all three modes give you all of the available power at full throttle. The difference is in the throttle pedal mapping. If you go to this site Toyota Owners Official Website: Service Coupons, Owners Manuals, Service Scheduling and More and create an account using your VIN you can download an owner's manual (usually one chapter at a time), look at your maintenance records, etc.
Bluetooth was standard on the package III, IV, and V (now called 3, 4, and 5). Package 1 and 2 did not have bluetooth. Package 1 was for fleets (rental cars) and I don't think it has cruise control, so I'm guessing you have a package 2. Package 2 would have cloth interior instead of leather, a 6 CD changer in dash instead of a touch screen with 4 CD capacity behind it.
http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20.../toyota-announces-prices-for-2010-89249.aspx? goes over the models pretty well except that it doesn't discuss USB one the cars equipped with it. The prices are also way outdated. Yep, model One (formerly known as I) was fleet only.
Mine doesn't, so they don't ALL suck. And I am hoping that will continue to be my experience with the 2012.
I get better mgp using Eco all the time - usually around 42 mpg. If I turn it off, or use Power mode, it drops to 39-40 mpg. Tom G.
To drive efficiently, the gas pedal and its use, is where you get the best results. The ECO button helps you achieve the best result in efficiency by reducing its sensitivity. If you mash the gas pedal, all bets are off. If you can afford the $300. let the dealer install the Bluetooth. ( I did, but it was $195.) I would not want anyone tinkering around my high technology equipment who is not an expert on said equipment. Good Luck.
Congratulations on the new car. Try all the modes, there are actually 4 eco, power, ev and normal (no light option). I use eco but have, in more daring moments, put it in power mode. I think eco and normal are only modes the car will "default" to when driving.
I have found that by putting the car in "power" it will function more as a normal car - in ECO you need to pay more attention to your speed ... in other words you will be going slow! After you get used to the car you can play around a bit more. On the highway in a hilly area you need to watch you speed if you are in ECO. Prior to getting a Prius ... I would always make a point to get ahead of any Prius on a two lane road ... or a Subaru ... I'm thinking they must be in ECO!
