Hello all I am hoping to pick up my 2016 Prius Business Edition Plus today...I am very excited! I have been a diesel only driver for 15 years, but a test drive quickly convinced me to give up my 2013 Hyundai i20 1.1 Bluedrive. I thought it best to ask, any advice for my first days/weeks/months of ownership? I'll be driving 300 miles a week, mainly in 25 mile commutes on rural and A roads. I am looking forward to enjoying a long and happy Toyota ownership, all the best, Ben
Congratulations! Drive totally normal, but don't brake to late. Try to let it roll. Accelerate not too slowly. You will experience better fuel consumption after a few months when you know the car and it's behaviour and you learned how you can squeeze the last drops out of his fuel tank. This depends on how much you want to safe fuel and how important this is for you. Do you prefer a comfortable ride with a warm, comfy inner space or do you want to save fuel at all costs and it is no problem for you to turn off the heating (or a/c cooling at summer) at traffic light stops to safe fuel (for the heating/cooling the motor must be running of the car is too cold instead of turning it off automatically when the heating/cooling is turned off. You can still turn the heating/cooling off by yourself at traffic light stops to prevend the motor from running only for your personal comfort)?
Thanks Jorin, great tips! We have windows down for summer and coats for winter - in my opinion (but not the wife's!) that should mean leaving the A/C and heaters alone... Luckily my route has an average speed of about 40 mph, so I'll stick it in the eco mode and hope for higher MPG. My only drawback is due to a waiting list, I could take the car from the showroom, or wait till August. The showroom car comes with "17, not "15 wheels. Though I think the bigger ones look better merged I would have chosen the smaller ones for better economy.
I am happy with the 17" wheels my soon arriving Prius will have. In my opinion they give the car a sportier look, while with 15" especially the back looks like a stranded whale
I wouldn't have the patience to wait 6 months, not after trying it out! We only went in to look at the Yaris Hybrid, the missus said "how about summat a bit bigger...?". We never even looked at a Yaris, not after tripping over the new Prius as we walked through the doors. Cheers hill!
Wow, quite the upgrade from the i20 1.1! Enjoy your new ride. Hopefully it comes sooner than later! Advice for a newbie? "Just drive it". I wouldn't worry about the mpg for the first tank or two. Just drive it gently like you would any other car and get a feel for the car. After you've settled down, then you can get to the finer points like learning your commute route and figuring out where you can take advantage of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system to maximise fuel economy. For example, where can I accelerate and where can I glide to take advantage of the terrain/geography of the road to maximise the time that the engine is off. Learning where to lift off the accelerator to reach the roundabout or junction at the correct speed to maximise gliding time and minimise braking. Of course eventually you would want to try the new all-speed dynamic radar cruise control, especially on contraflows where speed is reduced. As long as there's a car to follow, your Prius will adjust the speed accordingly. It is more fuel efficient if you manipulate the accelerator yourself (because you can hold a constant accelerator position and let the speed vary rather than hold a constant speed and let the accelerator vary.).
Thanks Tideland, fingers crossed today is the day - I've then 3 days to play with and look at it before work on Monday...! I regret not asking to take the handbook home with me while they prepped the car, as it is loaded with more toys than I've ever had before. I bought the i20 purely for economy, and it is a joyless vehicle. Spent the last 2 and a half years moaning about it in Hyundai forums with similarly annoyed owners. I've already caught myself thinking "I love it!" of the Prius...!
If you don't mind reading the North American owner's manual... Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Warranty Select 2016 Prius and click on "Toyota 2016 Prius Owners Manual (OM47A29U)"
It'll be missing a few things that are specific to the UK (like the rear passenger seatbelt use indicator or how to use the rear foglight but I'm sure both are self explanatory )
The UK ones are also online. It won't let post a link but if you Google Toyota Prius Manual UK it comes up.
Cheers Patrik. If I'm lucky I won't need to...I expect to receive a happy phonecall this afternoon.....! - A slight delay, something about a missed recall for longer suspension screws...?! Downside is a wait till Tuesday, upside is a loaned Toyota from tomorrow till then, and a full tank of gas when I pick up my Prius. Have attempted to ease the feeling of disappointment with a curry, box of malteasers and a night of xbox...! The manager has leant me his Avensis till the Prius is ready - a nice touch, as we expected to be squeezed into an Ago or Yaris! It is lovely to drive, a world away from the Hyundai. Possibly Tuesday I'll finally be a real Prius owner...
Just clarifying - I haven't bought a Prius yet - but are you saying that if the A/C is on, that the ICE won't turn off at traffic lights etc. Where I live (semi-tropical), A/C is on probably 80% of the year. I'm wondering how that would affect fuel usage? I guess other cars I've test-driven (petrol Mazda & VW) with STOP/START, the A/C compressor stopped when the ICE stopped, but the circulation fan kept going.
No, that's the Gen 1 Prius! Gen 2 and newer have electric air conditioning compressors that run off the hybrid battery. It's just that the A/C compressor does take a bit of power, especially in hot climates, so turning it off briefly saves a bit of power. (It has to be brief. Any longer, and you end up using more power because the interior has warmed up a few more degrees). However, in the Gen 4 Prius, you can use the "ECO Heat/Cool" function to help reduce electrical load. This mode will limit the maximum draw of the battery by the A/C compressor. This means it'll take a bit longer to cool down the car but you'll end up using less power. For even more savings, use S-Flow. It'll detect if there's a front passenger and will blow air towards the driver only, front passengers only or the entire car.
The motor keeps running if the temperature of the motor is getting too cold to provide the warmth you wish inside the car. If you need cooling and the battery SOC is too low, the motor will run only to load the battery. It maybe will not run if you disable the a/c. That's what I meant.
