Bragging Rights !!!!!!!

Thanks. I think my bike fits inside then.

By the way, am I right that this length 61" (= 28 + 33) is for the Prime almost 20 cm or 8" less than for the current PiP? Should this area not stay almost the same in length? Or do I make a mistake? Maybe your front seats were really way back and mine in the PiP are not so far back.

 

I wouldn't trade 6-7 EV miles for ~3.5" deeper trunk and flat bed. No way.
I wouldn't trade the independent rear suspension (double wishbone) back to torsion bar for slightly wider trunk (at the narrowest place).
If the CFRP hatch door is thicker than the previous Aluminum (at both sides?) and if it shortens the trunk depth a bit - this is something I am willing to accept for advanced materials experience (future cars will use more of these).
Even the lower roof does not bother me.

The trunk is smaller than my PiP but still usable and adequate for all our needs. Usually it is almost empty.
But that's just me

 

Hey, maybe a Prius Motorhome? Then you can even take the kitchen sink.

 

let's hope there are a lot more like you to make this thing a success! the good thing is, non prius owners will never know what they lost. they'll be comparing to other plug ins with even smaller hatches.

 

We may not be a representative sample of the greater Prime market here at PriusChat, but is it me or does interest and actual/planned purchases seem much higher this time around on the boards here than with the PiP?

 

Most won't have any clue what they gained either. People want one specific model of Prius to be everything for everyone. The idea of balance is lost on our market, one so confused the concept of want is thought of as need. That's how we get into our SUV mess. So many people were told by so many people that they were necessary for safety, that belief took hold. The want became thought of as a need. The same thing happened with the ability to tow. We were told over and over and over that what people had wasn't enough, that more is necessary.

In other words, the longer those mindsets persist, the easier it is to lose track of want. You look at anything less as a compromise to great to make. There's no effort to identify need anymore. There's an unwillingness to change. That's why the mindless stating of EV range ends so many constructive discussion attempts. Someone will blast out numbers without thought, then not bother to consider anything else.

This is why overcoming status quo is such a major challenge. Toyota gave the gen-4 Prius a radical look to make it stand out, to get people to notice it is different now. Being able to convey the message that handling has been greatly improved certainly won't be obvious to those making comparisons. Never noticing improvements without obvious numeric differences is far too easy. They won't know what was gained. They focus on what was lost, then dwell on it.

 

that's because people buy what they want. build what they want is a standard in business. to foresee what they may want before they know it, is a valuable skill that most lack. ridicule and scoffing usually accompany it until and unless it is a success.

 

I'm 6'4" so my seat is usually far back. I'm not sure 8" back though.

 

That's about 5" more than for me, so probably there is indeed a serious difference in the driver seat position.

 

I spent 8 hours in my new Prime reducing the population of flying insects on my way home north from Southern California yesterday, a trip of about 440 miles. Apologies for what may be a lengthy post, but I have some observations I'd like to share about driving this car. Note: My model is the Advanced one and I realize that some of my comments may not apply to the Plus and Premium models that omit features of the Advanced.

HUD: The display position on the windshield is adjustable vertically, probably to accommodate heights of various drivers. However, I found that the horizontal position of the display is too far to the right (Corrected- this was originally incorrectly stated as "left"). The projection abuts the right margin of the display so that, because of parallax error between the eyes, the left eye sees both of the numerals in the speed readout. However, my right eye only sees a portion (about half) of the right numeral (ones digit). So the display readout is slightly out of focus and I have to move my head to the left a little to get a clear image. I thought it might have been my position in the seat so I tried different ones, but where I was most comfortable meant that this anomaly was present. I tried a lot of other things, including different vertical positions of the display without satisfaction. Remember I had 8 hours in the car, so I had a lot of time! I wish there was a way to adjust the position of the display horizontally so that I could move it to the left. There may be, but I haven't found it yet, if it exists.

I also found that the display seems to project from a left to right direction onto the windshield. The image appears most "square" when I move my head so that it is slightly to the left of the head rest. If you are familiar with using LCD projectors, this would be similar to "keystoning".

DYNAMIC RADAR CRUISE CONTROL (DRCC): This is a neat feature, but there is something to watch for when it is engaged. Coming north over the Grapevine, I noticed that the radar would react to a vehicle in an adjacent lane as the lanes curved so that the adjacent vehicle moved more directly in front of mine, even though there wasn't a vehicle on front of me in my lane. This situation didn't occur very frequently, but when it did and the DRCC kicked in to reduce speed, I felt uncomfortable because of the traffic behind me. So I learned that it is not good to use this feature in traffic at all, even if it does add an apparent level of frontal collision safety.

I also tried different "ranges" in its sensitivity. The ranges are very "conservative" and speed reductions initiate from a pretty long distance from the vehicle being approached. So I always used the "shortest" distance (sensitivity).

It is pretty nice, though. I learned that as soon as it senses a vehicle coming up, the indicator on the dash appears moments before the speed reduction initiates and, if it is clear, changing lanes maintains speed. If it is necessary to come up closer to the vehicle being approached, the speed reduction is smooth- slowly at first and increasing as the distance closes. On changing lanes, the resultant speed increase is also very smooth. Be careful here though. If there is traffic coming up behind you on changing lanes, your increase in speed may be too slow and you may have to "help" it and use the gas pedal to increase the rate change.

AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM (AHB): The sensors have difficulty distinguishing between headlights and reflections off of street signs. When the high beams turn on, reflections off of street signs increase. The system reacts by turning them off and the cycle repeats. I tried increasing the sensitivity (this can only be done when the car is stationary), but results weren't better. I'm going to try decreasing sensitivity next.

There was a question about over the shoulder rear vision compared to a gen 2, which was my previous car. In the Prime, I didn't notice it being an issue, but I wasn't looking for any. I adjust my side view mirrors so that I they are more outward such that to see the side of my car, I have to move my head a little. That maximizes the rearward field of view to minimize those blind spots to the rear. I read about adjusting them that way many years ago somewhere. In addition, the blindspot monitor works really well. So when looking in a mirror to change lanes, the indicator will be lit when there is a car next to you to make sure you really look to be sure you are clear to change lanes.

I didn't notice any issues with rearward over-the-shoulder vision in backing out of parking spaces, but my drive yesterday only included one instance like this, so my experience with this situation is small.

So that is most of the things of which I noticed that I felt Prime drivers should be aware. I should have taken notes as I made the trip but didn't. So this was by my memory, which I confess is spotty.

I need to finish with things that were positive about this long trip from Irvine to Sacramento with a stop in LA totaling about 440 miles. Most of this is subjective as I am not even close to being called a car "reviewer". Comparisons are to my '05 Gen 2 with which I spent 12 years and 250K+ miles.

--The ride is firmer, but in a better way as there is a better "feel" of the road. I guess this is due to the newer suspension.

--Steering is more "precise" and "tight" with good feedback ("feel"?). I don't know the best way to describe this. I have driven several different Mercedes and BMWs and with those cars, the steering (and probably other things) provides the "riding on rails" feeling. The car goes exactly where you point it and doesn't "waver" from that path so as to require constant small adjustments. It's very nice and allows for very smooth steering.

--Comfortable seat. The electric adjustments allow for an "infinite" number of adjustments. If I thought something wasn't quite right, a blip on a control made a small adjustment. This isn't possible with the non-electric, stepped adjustments of my older car. The lumbar support is nice too, something else adjusted from time-to-time. I think the testament to the comfort was that I drove from LA to Santa Nella, about four hours, before needing a bio-break. Normally my interval between stops is 2-3 hours. Seat comfort was an issue in the Gen2. Not so with the Prime.

--Audio system. I was told that the car coming in ear-marked for me was a Premium level one. I opted out because I wanted the upgraded audio system. Fortunately, I was provided the only Advanced model that Tustin Toyota received in this shipment and it was in the color I wanted (Magnetic Gray). I appreciate well-reproduced music (I have a pretty nice home audio system) and since I spend a lot of time driving also like to have a decent one in the car. This audio system is very good. Nice, wide response range. Very nice, broad soundstage. Still a little weak at the very bottom, but it's a car, and reproducing very low frequencies is difficult in a car.

--Gas usage. I received the car with a full tank of gas and a fully charged battery. I only was able to do a very short recharge (less than an hour) before making a work-related stop, a stop in LA for lunch with my daughter, before leaving SoCal for my trip home. So by the time I left LA, the battery was fully depleted and I do drive on the "fast" side on the highway. When I made the stop on the trip, there was 345 miles on the odometer and I had added 7.5 gallons of gas which calculates to 46 mpg. Not great by Prius standards, but acceptable by mine. Those 345 miles included the entire gamut of driving conditions: urban surface streets, heavy freeway (hey, it was SoCal), and long distance freeway at "higher" speeds.

This is a VERY nice car and I am VERY pleased with it. I like the techie stuff in it, it is nice to drive, and, of course, very frugal with gas. Oh yes, and I really like its looks. My work commute is almost exactly 25 miles, the EV range of this car, and I am looking forward to finding out how it will perform in that role. Thanks for allowing me to post a lengthy comment, but I hope that it is helpful and informative.

 

Picked up my Prime today from Dianne at Carson Toyota. What a pleasant experience. I took the train up from San Diego and she picked me up at Capistrano and drove me to the dealership. I'm very pleased with the deal I got. Quick and easy. If you're in So Cal and considering a Prius, you owe it to yourself to give her a call.



Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

It uses laser which is line of sight so the opposite can and will also happen if the car in front in your lane is being tracked but disappears over a crest or a curve.

Consider a powered mini-sub that fits underneath one of the front seats so it won't be in the way. I have one and for a signal I tapped into the rear door speaker wires running underneath the door sill. Very effective at adding some low punch but not the stoooopid loud, thumping bass kids think they need.

Was any of that using CHG mode?

 

You might be the 1st on here. Congrats

 

it seemed like a pretty select club back then, because you could pre order ahead of time, and track your vehicle's progress. i think there is more controversy this time, because of the seats, and hatch space and all the new features people want info on. more actual/planned purchase? i'm not sure. definitely a divisive vehicle, much like the gen 4 lift back and the election.

 

At least us older Prius owners aren't out there on the streets protesting.

.

 

It is available in Europe (gen1 std hybrid) . And batteries keep getting smaller & more energy dense. That's one of the speculations on why we didn't get it over here, that there wasn't enough room for a 3rd row & a bigger pack.
.

 

No, none of it.

 

Fotomoto: Good idea of the placement of the subwoofer. I agree that some folks definition of "low end" is distorted (my attempt at audio humor here).

 

Something I forgot to include in my "discoveries" during my long drive home: If you use sunglasses with polarized lenses during the daytime, you'll have to raise the brightness of the HUD display to its maximum level. This may not be necessary, depending on the angle of the polarization of your glasses compared to the angle of the light from the display, though. Just keep in mind that when you are not using your sunglasses, you may have to readjust the brightness to a lower level.

I guess you could just tilt your head to find the spot where the angles of polarization and light are similar so that brightness adjustment isn't necessary.