A coupla things I'm not enamored with on my new Prius.

Here is your problem and you shouldn't complain about Prius being slow. Use normal mode at least. I bet most people using Eco button accelerate too slow and get MPG penalty.

 

How often have you seen a Prius on the side of the road with steam billowing out of the radiator? Unless you do grill blocking engine overheating isn't really an issue as is RPM's. The Scanguage is great for us nerds who like having all that info, but for the majority of Prius owners the car provides all the necessary data!

 

Yep. I have no Gen 3, but I've test driven them numerous times. Eco mode does make the car feel VERY sluggish. I'd run in normal or power.

Yep. In fact, some people have reported better mileage when running in power mode.

+1 on the ScanGaugeII : Linear Logic - Home of the ScanGauge. I've had one for awhile now.

If one's in no hurry for a SG II, I suggest setting a price alert at http://camelcamelcamel.com/ for http://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Automotive-Computer-Customizable-Real-Time/dp/B000AAMY86.

 

Living in the desert, I have similar concerns and would like to see engine temp and 12 volt battery health. Most cars I've had here had a temp gauge. I still think Toyota should add one to the MFD as shown in my proposed redesign.

 

I use normal mode about 95% of time and I get 53 mpg actual calculated consistently now. My '10 Prius IV rides smoother than my previous '08 Accord EX V6, especially on rough pavement - the ride is less harsh and teeth gritting - the one thing I always hated about Honda's. As for power and acceleration, it meet 95% of my driving goals and have never had a problem moving out or merging in traffic. I drive to go with the flow of traffic, and not assume that other drivers will give me "break" because of the misperception that it's too slow.

 

I'm coming from a 2011 sentra into a gen III. I've had to adjust my driving a lot bc of Eco mode. But now that I hear great mpg can be achieved in normal mode, I'm gonna have to give it a shot.

 

I agree...

no temp gauge is not good. I had a car once that lost its lower radiator hose. All the water left, so the temp guage never said it was hot !

I also really do not like the turn signals. I can not hear them when they are left on.

Oh, yes, when you are giong 75 MPH, it would be nice to get the same gas milage as when your giong 25...but so much for physics

 

It isn't that bad to me, but it probly depends a lot on what you drove before. It will loosen up a little over the first 10,000 miles; but not a huge amount.

Again depends on what you came from, but compared to econo cars of just 20 years ago it has quite a bit of power, certainly more than enough to merge; and better than some full sized trucks and SUVs of today.

if you have climate control, it will figure it out for you. And on most cars with anolog temp guages you would get heat before the temp guage would register as they are calibrated for temps in the 100+ range. Most people don't need the heat at that temp.

Nearly anything is a series of pluses and minuses.

 

If you have a catastrophic hose failure, typically that is going to happen suddenly (at least the actual failure), more quickly than the guage would react to save you. There is a temp light if your Prius were to overheat from a water loss. The light might actually get most people's attention quicker than a a change in a guage that they don't normally monitor. A light coming on, even in your periphial vision, most of us would notice.

And in your example, don't know if you mis-spoke, but it sounds like you had a temp guage, and it didn't save you anyway...

the flashing light on your dashboard isn't a clue?
or just turn them off??

 

Has anyone got a good solution to the lousy placement of the center console cupholder? When I drive my wife's 2012 my elbow is constantly resting in the uncovered cupholder hole. I have no idea why Toyota didn't provide a cover or keep the 2nd cupholder the way it was in the 2011.

Also, the sun visor has no extender and barely covers half the length of the window. I've seen some after-mkt extenders but they're all tacky plastic extensions held on by rubber bands. I know this problem isn't new to the 2012, so has anyone managed to come up with something better?

 

If these basic readouts are all you want to see, the ultra-gauge is about 1/2 the price of a scan gauge. Scan gauge has more hybrid related readouts.

 

2: "Power and acceleration are sub-par. You need a running start to merge into highway traffic. I live atop a hill, getting there is a struggle." I wonder if you have tried the power mode yet, as it doesn't sound like it. If you are in the ECO mode, I will have to agree with you. In the power mode, the Prius really picks up speed quickly and makes merging onto an Interstate effortlessly.

 

I've gotten used to ECO mode -- mainly because in my commute, I often have to accelerate from a red light, but then slow down at the bunch of cars still waiting to accelerate at the next intersection.

It is just easier in Eco for me to keep the car in EV while accelerating, whereas in NORMAL, I would have to modulate my foot position really carefully to avoid turning on the ICE.

 

Power mode and ECO mode have exactly the same available power. The Prius' acceleration is the same in either, assuming the driver is willing to press on the gas pedal.

Tom

 

I'm with you on the cupholder placement. I think it's a real design flaw. I didn't notice it during a short test drive of the 2012, but I sure notice it now. I will probably end up cutting a piece of foam rubber to fit in the hole and provide soft support for my elbow. Not very elegant, but it should work.

I also agree on the sun visor but I don't have any suggestions.

 

That was going to be my solution as well, at least util someone comes up w/ something better like the console cover that's available for the 20120-2011. You've got to wonder who from Toyota tests the ergonomics and makes a change like this.

 

The windshield has black ceramic dots intended to shade that area, but I use the car's built-in sunglasses holder for a pair of Ray-bans. Here in California, the lab of sunshine, a better sunvisor won't suffice anyway. Might not be the answer you wanted, but there is is.

As for the second cup holder, in the 2010 it wiggles around, rattles, and if someone in the backseat pushes the cover forward, it will crush the cup and spill the drink. These are probably the reasons why they changed the design. Too bad it doesn't work for you :-(

 

I was talking about the coverage of the side windows by the visor, not the front window. The visor is much too short for the length of the side windows. Many other cars have extensions that pull out from the visor.
Sorry for the confusion.

 

We've had our Prius for 3 yrs and the short visor it the thing that bugs me most about it, too. Our 2001 Accord has a pull-out visor extender!

Sheesh! How cheap is TM? It's bad enuf that I'll buy a different car next time. My sister is very happy with her VW Passat that gets good mileage (not as good as Prius, of course) and is much more comfortable than the prius.

 

Like other thread .... easy peasy fix. Put up http://www.visormates.com and be done with it. Bought them same week as buying car.