Why in the Hell didnt Toyota put Air Vents in the Back ????????????

Maybe the car should have only one seat?

 

Take note that all those that say rear vents aren't necessary and that the front vents work great to cool down the whole car, don't live in the Southwest! Spend a few hours sitting in the back seat of ANY car without rear air vents while in the desert and you won't be so condescending and obviously ignorant. Cars that have rear air vents with separate condensers and heater cores, but the ducting runs through the roof have problems with the air being heated before it ever reaches the vents. The glass in the hatchback is the biggest enemy for the back seat. The idea of not having the heat reflected off the cargo cover makes a lot of sense. This thread has me thinking of ideas about how to use the sun shade fabric you can see through, to make a curtain (preferably retractable/removable) that goes directly behind the passenger seats from roof to floor.

 

What I haven't seen is anyone mention what temperature they consider "cool". If you want to have the cabin at 65F in 110F weather that just isn't going to happen.

I live around the DC area and our typical summer here has temps in the mid 90's with high humidity. I typically have the cabin temp set around 75, and I have never had any complaints from any passengers about it being too warm, even on long drives (5 or 6 hours).

For additional heat dispersion, there are thermal reflective fabrics you can get fairly cheap and either replace the cargo cover, or sew it over the existing fabric.

 

I find the whole discussion somewhat amusing. Like one of the posters pointed out, remember when there was no AC? While growing up in an area of high humidity and high temperatures, I never really knew the difference. Yes it was hot in the summer and people would sweat. Using a fan to move air was a common practice but not always effective when just blowing warm humid air around but still beat nothing. Cooling down the head with a wet wash rag always felt good and the momentary relief it provided was always a comfort. Then came AC. Now we can not seem to get along without it. Car rides in the back seat of a hot car were never the best but if you complained it would get you a response like, "be glad you ain't walking"! There is no doubt that we've become spoiled in our modern generation of all the niceties that has come along and now everyone feels they just can not bear the discomfort of the heat. Homes and building used to be designed around the geographic needs of the area's climate. Windows were placed with flow thru ventilation in mind to take advantage of the occasional breeze. Now they just put in bigger AC units. Before retiring, I worked in the building maintenance department. It was part of my job to maintain the HVAC for several large buildings and make sure everyone was happy along with trying to be energy contentious. It is impossible to make everyone happy no matter the situation. It will always be too hot or too cold for some when others feel just right. Living in Nevada for several years has made the humidity of my home state almost unbearable when I visit there. I try to stay in the AC while there as much as I can, since it's available now, but it hasn't made me forget my youth and how relative our perception of comfort really is. In response to this post, I would suggest having your AC checked to make sure it is working properly with the correct discharge temperatures and air flow. If everything is in order, I'd would tell the complainers in the back seat, "get over it or get out and walk"!

 

I have been trying to decide if I wanted to post on this thread or not, but here I am posting.

First, in regards to the OP. You are blaiming Toyota, but would you buy a pickup with a 6' box and complain when you can't close the tailgate when hauling 8' long plywood? You knew the climate you live in puts the A/C of any vehicle to the test. If you have lived in that area for any length of time its your job to test drive the car and look for details, in this case, does the A/C cool the entire car satisfactorily? That should have been high on your "must have" list just like a carpenter may want a pickup that can haul 12' long sheets of drywall. So is it the manufacturer's fault or the buyer's fault when the buyer doesn't have a good list of what they "expect" a product to have? I am sure this isn't the first vehicle you have purchased since living in AZ so past experience should have dictacted what to look for...

Second, I recently had a issue with a tooth that was very intolerate of cold. I couldn't even drink tap water because it was too cold. I quickly learned how to point the A/C dash vents away from my face. This meant the dash vents were pointed straight back towards the back seat. So when people say they need to wear a sweater when sitting in the front seat, I know better, the vents can be re-directed away from them.

3rd, It is not clear if the OP was using recirculate mode or bringing in outside air. I'm also not sure if they were using ECO Mode, PWR Mode, or neither. To maximize cooling I recommend using neither ECO Mode or PWR Mode. Also for maximum cooling recirculate mode is a must. I know it was mentioned to bring in outside air to make it easier to push the air into the back seat. That might work in some climates, but with high outside temperatures and/or high humidities recirculating is a must. The cooler and dryer the air going into the A/C is then the cooler and dryer it can come back out. Now I know humidity isn't the big factor in AZ but it areas with high humidity the A/C can only cool the air down to slightly below the dew point. So in recirculate mode the first few minute the A/C is dehumidifying the air to lower to dew point. Once the dew point inside the car has been lowered then the A/C can start doing the real work of cooling the air, the car and the passengers. If operated with outside humid air being brought it all the effort of the A/C is being used to dehumidify the incoming air and never really get to the point of cooling the air.

4th, It does look like the OP has tinted windows but it also wasn't mentioned if the tinting they chose is designed to blocks heat. I thought all window tinting would block heat but there are differences. When I first bought my Prius I had the dash vents pointed at the front seats and no window tint. My kids in the back would complain of being hot. After putting heat blocking window tint on the rear side windows and pointing the vents towards them they say they are fine when I ask if they are cool enough. I also think adding vent visors helped a little too, especially when leaving the car sitting in a hot parking lot. It does make a big difference to be able to leave the windows open a crack and not have the hot sun beating in the opening.

Fifth, It was mentioned to use the cover over the area in the back. I wasn't lucky enough to have the cover when I bought my car but my fiancee's does have the cover so I am going to test that idea with the Prius when we drive her car on hot days. I do know from previous cars, that had that type of cover, it does make a difference to heat and cool less volume of air. I would also recommend getting a window covers for the front, side and back windows for when the car is parked to reduce the build up of heat that must later be removed.

I also feel I am speaking from a valid perspective since last week it was 105 degF when I got in the car. The news said the heat index was 115, so it has been hot AND humid in our area.

 

Most rear center vents suck, they look cool, but lack the coldness of the front ones and lack the flow of airflow. This is from experience from my Lexus and Mercedes. So don't be shocked if the Fusion vents suck too.

 

this is my one and only major gripe about the prius. less so, the space up front.

 

Exactly and the cold air is HOT when it goes the 3 feet through the headliner if the outside temp is over 90. My SUV does have a separate heater core - we've taken it apart and had to fix both.

 

A little bit of googling, I discovered that the 1st and 2nd gen Prius, also, do not have air vents in the back.

What gives?

Is it to increase MPG or what Toyota? If it is, it's a ridiculous trade off. I rather have a few less MPG's, and not have to deal with passengers in the back complaining.