Hello happy Prime owners, I have read many postings here and there suggesting improvements for Prime. Most gripes are about the IT portion of the product and most if not all seem to be very constructive. I also see many discussions in the owners group site, The Prius Owners Group and found very similar threads. I am inviting all of you to send in your good ideas here so we the consumers will end up with better products. Here is my first suggestion. Open up App development for the freelance developers like ones for Google Android and Apple IDE. We can make a world of difference. Quote from the Prius Owners Group site, "My main point is simple, the main reason for car companies keeping software in house is obvious, they refuse to give up what might be a source of revenue. That's fine from a revenue perspective but continually, the one thing consumers despise about their vehicles is the hinky way most of the software works, or, more to the point, doesn't work. This is what happens when you insist on reinventing the wheel with, arguably, people who are already on the second team, the stronger developers are already employed by, well, Google and Apple, to name just two companies." By the way I see someone already started a thread similar. See, Prime Process Suggestions huskers, Sep 14, 2016, in forum: Prius Prime Plug-in 2017-Now What do you think? Alex J
Outstanding suggestion! But will Toyota listen? Maybe if we speak loud enough. I've had my Prime about a week. Outstanding car and I'm a car guy. My only real complaint is the navigation and related interface. It's like something from the 90's. Love the big screen but the lack of Android Auto and the Apple equivalent is a Hugh Letdown. I mount my Pixel with Google Maps next to the Toyota Nav display. It's light years better. Let's fix that first (and make sure we get the update) Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I think my suggestion would be to terminate all the in-car apps and just improve in-car display of information like current tire pressures. Having a bunch of apps you can't control unless you are stopped is useless and having control when you are moving is dangerous. I'd just use my phone over any in-car apps that aren't telling me something about the car.
Right on. I totally agree with it. I would like to use the screen while I am parked at a beach drinking my latte or a parking lot where there is a charge station as an extension of my phone and then all the apps will be loaded in my phone so I can remotely control the car with it. This is where something like entune can come in. Yes, the state of the automobile can be displayed such as what you suggest on TPMS, pending service schedule and other car related information. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I think the number of times in my life I've wanted to fiddle with my car when I wasn't actually driving is exactly zero. And the number of times I've sat in my car fiddling without actually moving (aside from when the highway is closed) is also zero. I can fiddle with my phone without any connection to the car and I can't imagine any function I'd like my car to respond to other than climate control.
1. Tactile controls that can be used without taking your eyes off the road! At least for done frequently used functions. 2. The ability to output my phone display to the car's display wirelessly so that I can use give based Satnav apps using the car's display. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
In your case you do not need a large screen. I do everything online and travel a lot so I see myself using that large screen to enhance reading and viewing while I am away from home. I use a docking station at home which connects to a large monitor so I can see things better. My eyes are not as good as they used to be plus when I see a large amount of data such as Excel worksheets my phone is inadequate for that. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I have a 17" laptop plugged into a 40" 4k monitor. I would never, ever, sit in my car to use an 11" screen over the 5" screen on my phone, I'd go in the hotel and open my laptop.
Ok that works for you but I do not carry around 40 inch tv and have a hotel room everywhere I go. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Sadly, manufacturers are moving in the opposite direction, and shoving/pushing to be at the forefront of such innovation. Yeah why adjust vent mode via a simple slider or dial, when you can bury the function in a Multi Function Display, that'll pretty much TOTAL the car when it fails?!
You mention "tactile controls" - a great idea, and not exactly new - I remember driving a Rover 2000 (Rover P6 series) when I lived in the UK, and when the Rover 2000 first come out (mid-1960s), it won all sorts of awards for innovation and safety features, and one thing I do remember is the way the switches and knobs were layed out on the dash-board, they were all shaped different from each other so they could be easily found by touch - a beautiful car, the design of which was inspired by the wonderful Citroën DS19, anyone remember those?
Just thinking of costs. Ten years down the road, the cost of replacing the MFD (I have an alternate explanation for that acronym ) starts to rival the car's value.
We will see if we can influence the company by posting good constructive suggestions. We need to address the needs of all not just some segments with special requirements. Here is a man who lives in a Prius and his needs may be unique but different. (see this on you tube, ) Giving him on the built in large screen the full Internet contents via his cell phone will make his living better. He does not have 40" TV set and does not carry around a hotel room with him. He only has his car which happened to be an old Prius. Here is another video that shows how to go camping with Prius.
