First off, just want to introduce myself to everyone. Picked up our 2012 Prius C Four on Saturday from the dealer. I absolutely love the car in terms of gas mileage. It could have a bit more power behind it, but it gets the job done. A couple of questions: 1) What is the appropriate way to brake. I can't get more than 2 bars on braking on the Eco Score. 2) Is it fine to start driving immediately after starting? 3) I have heard rumors of water pumps going on Prius's alot. Is there any truth to this? Of course the dealer said they have never heard of it.... Thanks guys!
for braking, the ideal would be to just stay off the brakes and coast to a stop. that is not possible most of the time, so the next best thing is to lightly touch the brake pedal which will engage the electric regenerative braking to capture the energy to the battery pack for later use. the final thing, which you want to minimize is pushing further on the pedal to engage the mechanical friction brakes. alot of hybrid driving comes down to having a gentle touch on the gas and the brakes, and anticipating traffic ahead so you can maintain as much momentum as possible once you've paid to get the car moving. the scoring considers how much and how hard and long you brake, so minimizing it and using the coast and electric slowing stages should help your score, and fuel economy. welcome to the group. care to tell us about your car and your car shopping/buying experience?
Congrats! You will get to know alot after spending a few hours reading here. First, start off with the great vid posted above. Enjoy your Prius, most of us are!
Thanks guys for the info and video. I had a very good experience buying the car here. Paid $25065 for the car with the sticker at 26450.
