Greetings Everyone, I'm a new and first time Prius Owner. I'm one of those people who swore they'd never own or drive a Prius! Well, having gone back to Grad school after 30 years, finances are a bit tight. Although I loved my existing car, (An '07 Acura TL), it only got about 19 mpg around town. I've had the Prius just about a month now, have driven about a 1000 miles and have only just gotten my 3rd fill up. I've read thru most of the strings on here, so I won't repeat what's already been said. I will say that, YES, there is an adjustment in going to a Prius from a "regular" car. It's not good or bad, it just is. I'm focusing on the mileage and the savings. I'm a positive person, so you'll never here me complaining. Personally I don't understand some of the "bashing" I've seen going on in here. If you didn't like the car, then why did you buy it? Now, before anyone jumps on me for the title of this thread, please know it's a bit of humor. I'm one of those people who reads and researches things, especially cars before they buy. And YES, I know what 'B' is really for. But, I do have an older friend that lives in New Jersey. She's on her second Prius and has been an owner for about 8 years. She asked me what my car was like and I explained it to her and she told me, "Oh, the new one must be different. Mine has B for Boost. I use it when I need more power!" Suffice to say I have not laughed that hard in a long time. As only a good friend does, I explained to her what B was really for and a little bit about how the car works, but not before laughing hysterically into the phone and making a little bit fun. I've been experimenting with the car and seeing how it performs under different conditions. Took it on my first "longer" highway drive last night from Santa Fe to ABQ and back. For those that don't know, Santa Fe is at about 7800 feet and ABQ is approximately 2000 feet lower so the drive going DOWN is 95% downgrade. I drove the speed limit on the way down, around 76 mph and averaged 65 mpg. On the way back, I wanted to see how the car performed if I drove it like a "regular" car, or more appropriately the way I would drive my Acura. The road is a steady INCLINE all the way back and at times I took the car up to about 90 mph to see how it performed. Surprisingly, with the steady incline and the high speed and heavy foot I still averaged around 45 mpg. Not bad for going 90 uphill ! I'm not a hypermiler and I turn the headlights on and use the heater and the A/C whenever I need them. I guess I just like to live dangerously. Interestingly, I have run into the Prius Prejudice already. I DO NOT drive slower than the speed limit or impede the flow of traffic. But I have noticed that even when I am driving the speed limit or a little above, other cars still tailgate as well as "assume" they need to pass me. I just chuckle and let them go. Thank goodness I'm not a cocky twenty something anymore. I apologize if I've posted this in the wrong place, I'll pay more attention next time. It's my first post, so be gentle! <G> ~Jeff
Yes, there is some complaining going on here about the Prius, including from me, but please understand a couple things. There is no direct competitor to the liftback Prius, nothing. Insight doesn't begin to compare, it's a lot weaker and smaller than Prius, 98 HP total. I can't say C-Max compares as it can't even get 40 mpg combined real world. Civic hybrid, nah, and so on. So, if someone likes 95% of the Prius, but there a little something off about it, it's not like you can go over to Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, anyone else and choose from something much like the Prius. So, some cross their fingers and dive into Prius and sometimes instincts take over and rub the wrong way after the honeymoon is over with the new car. If one runs out of hybrid choices, you can quickly find yourself looking at 28 mpg cars with no smart key, no push button start. Sticking key in ignition is old school. For midsize sedan, tons of near carbon copies - Camry, Accord, Altima, Fusion, Optima, Sonata, Passat, Malibu. 4 doors, trunk and 4, 5 or 6 cylinders. Don't like one on test drive, go to next. Perhaps this is not the place to complain as maybe Toyota does not look here to monitor complaints and make improvements in the next generation Prius. I don't know. But, maybe Toyota does look over some of the threads here.
Previously, Toyota's US Marketing arm had a presence here. As you can imagine, they have zero input on new designs, they MAY get a voice on a name and certainly make advertizing decisions. Lately they are much less present.
If you are speaking of 'Prius Team' I remember them. I've called TMS a number of times (sure no one is surprised by that). The reps say suggestions go into the channel for future design consideration. I sure hope so, because otherwise I haven't a clue how Toyota discerns what owners like and dislike about their Prius. Honda surveyed me 3 times (2 online, 1 lengthy by mail) after Accord Coupe. I've no recollection of owner satisfaction survey on the last Prius or this one. Don't like that.
I've done several Toyota online and paper surveys. Toyota sells so many they probably only do a statistical sampling. Mike
Feel free to use the heater as much as you want. As long as you are driving more than a couple of miles it will not cause you to use any more gas than if you didn't use it (except a tiny amount due to the electric fan). In the plugin Prius (PIP) it is a different story...you want to use the seat heaters more than the engine heat if you want to keep the ICE from coming on. Mike
No matter how much you love something, you are going to find something to complain about because nothing is perfect and I think it's human nature to be annoyed about it. Some are just more vocal about it (more so when internet is involved)!
Seems to be a fairly common misconception. When I bought my '05 I had done the research too, and when the saleslady at Poway Toyota told me "B was for boost" I laughed at her and told her she should probably at least read the owners manual if she was going to sell Prius'.
And to increase your top speed press "EV" for extra velocity. But don't forget for agressive overtaking "PWR" pass with rage.
