What I hate about my Prius

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Jul 10 2006, 11:11 PM) [snapback]283822[/snapback]</div>

NOT SO. My dealer checked into this and determined that there are no "optional holes" for moving the seat. His guess is that doing so changes the airbag geometry (too far from the steering wheel = bag not effective; too close to the steering wheel = bag as lethal weapon).

One way of fixing some of the leg issues is to use a thin seat cushion under your butt with no back cushion.
This gave me my thigh support. Raising yourself too high, however, will put your head up too high requiring you to duck to see overhead traffic lights.

Other things I don't like about my 2004 Prius (some already mentioned by other posters):
Interior lighting on controls is way too dim; my braille isn't good enough to work them only by feel.
Side windshield posts are too wide
Fog lights NOT independent of headlights. They're pretty much useless, actually
A/C on all the time; puzzling temperature regulating system
Rear 12v outlet would be handy
MFD should have better sun glare shielding; unreadable on bright sunny days

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nda3rdCar @ Jul 10 2006, 09:04 AM) [snapback]283853[/snapback]</div>

If you set the smart key system to unlock all doors instead of just the driver door, the hatch will unlock everytime you unlock the driver door. Then you don't need the latch to pop the hatch from the inside. The instructions for setting the system to unlock all doors is in the manual and probably somewhere here on Prius Chat as well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AlphaTeam @ Jul 10 2006, 11:23 AM) [snapback]283950[/snapback]</div>

I never have a problem filling mine. I just put the pump on the fastest setting, and it just fills up. Maybe the California pumps are different, but it always works for me. Try another station, and see if it is the car's problem or the pump's. I have never put more than 9.6 gal. in mine, usually in the 8 to 9 gallon range.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OriginalGT @ Jul 10 2006, 01:30 PM) [snapback]283993[/snapback]</div>

Really? I thought that was something you have to get the dealer to change for you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harrv @ Jul 10 2006, 03:40 PM) [snapback]284001[/snapback]</div>

Nope it's cake. You just hold down the Unlock and distress buttons on your remote until you hear it beep twice... If I remember correclty, check the manuel just to make sure. Takes two seconds, and makes the smart key feature even cooler.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Jul 10 2006, 01:48 PM) [snapback]284008[/snapback]</div>

Ah, thanks! Also found this online:

http://www.darelldd.com/ev/prius_smart_entry.htm

 

The one thing my old Saturn had that is superior to my Prius is the cruise control. I really don't care if every Toyota has the same, stupid cruise control and they're not going to change it. That doesn't make it less stupid. It's just AWFUL. It's more annoying than anything else on the car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OriginalGT @ Jul 10 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]283993[/snapback]</div>

I prefer to keep the extra security of the driver's door unlocking by itself but would also like to release the latch on the rear hatch from the inside. I noticed this "missing feature" at the airport when I picked up my wife and her baggage. She could not open the rear hatch from the outside despite having a smart key on her person. It seems the car has to be in Park or off for the hatch to open?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VABeachPrius @ Jul 10 2006, 12:41 PM) [snapback]283879[/snapback]</div>

Chris -

Thanks for the tip! Was that mentioned in the manual? I didn't see it and it's not really an intuitive way to do it.

I still think there's too much "touch screen specific" functionality. You shouldn't have to futz with a touch screen while you're driving.

Mike

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(grasshopper @ Jul 10 2006, 11:15 AM) [snapback]283859[/snapback]</div>

I totally agree!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Jul 10 2006, 12:46 PM) [snapback]283885[/snapback]</div>

I don't have a problem with the front side pillars, possibly because I have short legs, so my seat is far enough forward that the pillars don't block my view. I DID test a SCION and a Corolla when I was car shopping, and both of them had pillars that were totally impossible for me.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jul 10 2006, 03:55 PM) [snapback]284018[/snapback]</div>

I think I just haven't gotten used to the controls on the CC yet - I haven't done much highway driving so far.

 

Can't stand the fixed volume MFD beeps.

I do like how the 2006 doesn't beep when you push the INFO button on the streering wheel. That alone almost makes me want to upgrade from my 2005.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OriginalGT @ Jul 10 2006, 12:30 PM) [snapback]283993[/snapback]</div>

Let's say you've left a light on, or somehow drained the the aux battery. If that happened, you'll have to crawl into the trunk around the rear seats in order to trip the manual release to get to it. Hopefully you don't have any stuff in the trunk in your way.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jul 10 2006, 12:55 PM) [snapback]284018[/snapback]</div>

I think you had the same kind of Saturn as me (1996 SC2?) and I must admit that I liked the cruise control functions a lot more on the Saturn than on the Prius. My husband didn't agree with me and said the Saturn cruise control functions were odd compared to every other car he'd ever been in.

 

Having the Prius for just 2 weeks I can tell you that the thing that irks me the most are Toyota's lawyers and the people that listen to them. I am so sick an tired of not to be able to use so many features of the car because some lawyer decided to cover Toyota's posterior.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Jul 10 2006, 07:11 PM) [snapback]284120[/snapback]</div>

Care to elaborate?

 

Dislike:
Lack of power adjustments on seating
The stupid antenna that has to be manually unscrewed (which I can't reach without standing on the door sill) if you go into a carwash.
Lack of moonroof.
The disproportionatley small wheels and the unusually long distance between the front and back wheels.
The finish -- my new car does not have a new car shine to it.
ODO button and the miles per hour/kilometers per hour toggle button, as well as controls on steering wheel, are not lit up when lights are turned on.

Like:
The cruise control -- I hardly ever used it on my other cars because it didn't have the ability to adjust by 1 mph up or down the way the Prius does (or maybe I just never figured it out). I tried the c.c. for the first time on the Prius during a very long drive Last Sunday, and was pleasantly surprised at how effectively it was at maximizing my mpg -- I was able to get 48-51 mpg while doing 60-76 mph over several hundred miles -- without my having to watch the monitor constantly and adjust my foot on the pedal.

I love the keyless entry system. However, my one insecurity is that when I lock the doors by pushing the little button on the handle, I can't really see the blinking headlight confirmation and I am not always able to hear the actual click of the locks. So, sometimes I am not quite confident that I locked the car properly. I think there should be a short audio beep like there is when you unlock it.