Greetings from the Heart of Europe. The new Prius 2016 has got my attention, but for now a nice 2008 Prius II provides me with a convenient ride since 07/2015. I appreciate the wisdom and opinions from the folks at PriusChat. Thanks to their shared knowledge and driving tutorials my daily driver runs from 50 to 60 mpg (US) - which translates to 3.9 to 4.4 liters per 100 km in the "old world". Pleased to meet you, Pale Fox
Welcome to PriusChat! You've proved yourself a most discerning person in at least two ways (1) you bought a Prius, (2) you've discovered this amazing place to learn all you're ever likely to need to know about your Prius. Congratulations and welcome once again! Most of us love to see pictures of each other's rides, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who is wondering if you've named your Prius yet?
i've known austrians were a smart bunch, ever since the von trapp's. great to have you with us, all the best!
Thank you for the nice welcome! Still not got a good name for my "pale fox" - my ride is a silver-colored Prius Gen 2, very similar as shown on the picture: 640px-2008_Toyota_Prius_(NHW20R)_liftback_(2012-06-24)_pale_fox by Pale Fox posted Nov 2, 2015 at 7:18 PM Some real pictures will follow soon.
Herzlich willkommen! Viel Glück mit Euren neuen Auto! Wie schwer ist es, Ersatzteile und Reparatur für einem Prius in Austria zu bekommen? Tschüss!
We are well covered with repair shops and spare parts, more and more Prii are used as taxicab in Germany and Austria. / Wir haben eine gute Versorgung mit Werkstätten und Ersatzteilen, immer mehr Prii werden in Deutschland und Österreich auch als Taxis genutzt.
How about Silber-Pille-bug? …or Silber-Pummel? …or Silber Kugelrund? (…well, what would you expect from Google Translate?)
Maybe something a little bit more feral, the car corners far better than expected and provides enough boost to go from 0 to 25 miles per hour fast enough for every situation. (* Note to myself: Check if springs have been replaced with racing parts by a former owner*) No problem to overtake a slower car on a country road when necessary. On the other side, I enjoy pushing the limits in fuel economy. Using Torque Pro on my Android phone I see all the internal car data while using different driving strategies. In my opinion the Prius (Gen 2) is no sport car, but it allows to use a driving style similar to aviation, where the throttle pedal position is just a command to the car for the amount of thrust to provide.
VERY similar to new fly-by-wire commercial aircraft, right down to having groups of computers that jointly decide if and how they will accede to the driver's control request. The "idle check ceremony" reminds me of a Prius version of a Japanese tea ceremony, but instead carried out by the computers to check the accurate functioning of the Mass Air Flow sensor and no doubt other pieces of the system. I just wish it would EXPLAIN why, for example, it refuses to go into EV mode when I request it instead of acting like a prima Donna and saying "EV mode unavailable" !
Welcome to PriusChat! Well, the accelerator, brake pedal and shifter are by-wire. The steering is mechanical with electric boost. The Gen 2's steering wheel sounds like my Logitech steering wheel (that ball bearing sound when the steering wheel is turned) and to solidify the gaming connection, the airbag cover looks like a giant GameGear .
Yes, one is more "pilot" than "driver" in a Prius. A very nice analogy ( the Prius meditating about its state of mind, finding its center ) The Prius is a silent companion while driving. It does not tell about engine RPM, coolant temperature, or any other of the hundreds of parameters it has to deal with. You get the information you need, not more and not less; what would change when you knew why it won't got into EV mode? In my opinion it is more like a Zen painting, reduced to the essence of moving.
Thank you very much, it is a pleasure to watch all the opinions and information from enthusiastic and dedicated people from around the world. In addition the usability of the platform "priuschat.com" is superior, very nice to use, with all the bells and whistles you need. Yes, it is fun to play with ... and the highscore is 100mpg - I am still practicing
Heh, I use a Scangauge II to monitor coolant temp, engine rpm, HV battery temp, and HV battery fan setting from 0 to 6. The secret to any marriage is good communication, and life with a Prius is no different. So yes, I would like to know exactly why it refuses to go into EV mode, which would tell me what I would have to do to change its mind. I would appreciate it TELLING me when it takes some time out to do the idle check ceremony so that I know I will not get to Stage 4 performance for the next few seconds. Uncommanded mode changes are extremely dangerous in commercial airLiners, and the Prius is really at the same level of complexity. To better drive the thing, I want to replace the "black box" of the current minimal information system with a "glass box" where I can monitor all relevant modes and automated systems. I think I may be too OCD to drive a Zen painting, to mix a metaphor.
The wacky aspect of the "idle check ceremony" is how the engine is willing to stop when not needed fairly soon after a cold start when not needed, then a few seconds later it isn't willing to stop, then a little later it is. My owner's manual lists 7 different reasons why "EV-Drive Mode" may be unavailable, a reasonably complete list. It doesn't explain why coolant temperature must be over 20°C in the U.S., to move the car even a very short distance, very slowly.
I am glad too, that we have access to that kind of complex information from the car with tools like Scangauge II or Torque Pro! A glas box is always better for people that have some understanding of the technology inside the box. On the other side there is the everyday consumer for whom complexity is only a source of distraction and inconvinience. At least many people are allowed to drive a car without the need of an intense and long training as any pilot has to conduct Experts and enthusiast always go beyond the "everyday experience", they go the extra mile to push the limits of control and experience - and this is a good thing in my opinion.
By the way, there is an actual picture of my car uploaded in my album: The title is "Prius off road", enjoy. Prius_in_the_woods by Pale Fox posted Nov 6, 2015 at 10:30 PM
Speaking of driver training, in Germany I know the training is long, expensive, and done by licensed professional driving schools. I suspect Austria is similar. That starkly contrasts with Virginia, where Mummy or Daddy can simply sign a form that they have observed good driving behavior of their children, and the kids are driving on public streets after a pro forma road test!! So all of the poor driving habits of the parents are passed directly on to their teenage children without any interference of qualified teachers, which fits in withe the "home schooling" ethos so rampant in the US. The predictable result is extremely sloppy, unskilled, and disinterested drivers, which Europeans might not expect when driving here. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
