Likes and dislikes about the 2004 Prius

those who haven't driven the Classic don't know anything about turning radius. We have both and the Classic out truns the 2k4 by almost 2 feet, do to the extra width of MG1 moved the CVT over and that shortened the left axle and control arm which allows less movement of the spindle so less turning radius. I like a trunk compared to the hatch. Just my observation. Both are cool cars. Also I think the A/C on the Classic is a bit stronger, more powerful as it seems to cool the car a bit quicker. Just wish the Classic has SE/SS, that would have topped the list on it too.

 

My grips are few:
-no change tray ( one of the cup holders is used )
-wish you could change between the info screens by
means pressing the steering wheel switch again
-more front leg travel ( and I'm only 5'10'' with a 31'' inseam)
-agree with the fan spped switch too on the wheel, the passenger window auto feature, and all of the things jamarimutt says

 

Hi Randalla,

Would you use the fan speed switch with A/C off, or you just would prefer to control the A/C level manually instead of using the thermostat?

If the former is the case, then you can get what you want, effectively, by turning on the thermostat (auto a/c) but then from the climate screen, turn off the A/C. Once you've turned off the A/C, hitting the temp down button will increase fan speed, and hitting the up button will decrease it.

 

and one other thing...my biggest gripe is the navigation system that tells you have arrived and you are over 500' from your destination. When you are inputing street names--YOU HAVE TO BE EXACT ! Seems to be no fuzzy logic to aid set up.Toyota should look at Honda's version and get a good idea why that system is so much more user friendly having the thing freeze is also a pain too !

 

I agree. Nav is just terrible. I heard that Toyota is working on fix. I am still waiting..... Arm rest needs better design. Difficult to open.

Otherwise, I am impressed with the car. Especially the safety features like ABS/ VSC which saved me from getting into a serious accident on freeway last week. Money well spent!

Keyless entry/start is my favorite.

 

Likes/Dislikes

After two months and 4000 miles here are a couple of observations:

Likes:
1) Windshield washers; its better than a car wash and really pumps out the fluid.
2) Smart entry & start; its just too easy and cool.
3) Mileage; am averaging about 50MPG combined.
4) Steering wheel mounted controls; has more controls than my $45K Acura.
5) Turning radius; its like a go-cart in the city.
6) Map light & glasses holder; a great combination of function and use of area.
7) Fold down seats; they are easy to fold down and most importantly, they are actually flat and not at a 5 or 15* angle, it holds a ton of stuff.


Dislikes:
1) Rear hatch closure; needs an outside handle.
2) Inside hatch release button; there needs to be a release latch inside the car near the gas door latch on the floor.
3) 15" wheels; gotta have the 16s
4) Rear drum brakes; they should be disk.
5) Tires; they are ok but Toyos would be better.
6) Steering wheel mounted controls; the night illumination should be brighter.
7) Power window and lock buttons; there should be lights for night time illumination.
8 ) Body side molding; had to get some custom made, no stock OEM available in colors.
9) Rear windshield wiper; should be articulated like the front, doesnt cover enough area.
10) Navigation system; why is this so difficult!? Needs instructional CD.

 

My biggest gripe is that I don't have one, and they won't be available till next year sometime if I get on the waiting list. Also don't want to pay retail.

Atoyot

 

I love the steering wheel controls -- besides being convenient, I'm now used to keeping my hands on the wheel and view doing stuff that requires me to reach somewhere else with more trepidation than I used to. So it has a sort of trickle down extra safety benefit for me.

I wish the steering wheel wasn't quite so small though - haven't seen anyone else bothered by this, but I am more comfortable with a slightly larger diameter wheel. Minor issue, of course ...

 

Delrey,

I'd just like to be able to shoot up or down the fan speed more easily than having to take your eyes off the road to change screens and select the a pushbutton on the MFD.

 

With A/C on or off?

 

In either case. A lot of the time I like to drive with the windows up in an effort to maximize MPG with no a/c if it's not too hot. I may leave a window cracked a bit for air circulation. When you come to a stop, that's when I would crank up the fan if it starts to warm up.

 

So don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with you -- but since we don't have fan controls on the steering wheel, try doing the below.

I think you'll have to do it once per drive but it still seems better than controlling the fan via the touch screen:

1. Turn on auto a/c from steering wheel
2. Turn off the a/c from the climate screen's a/c button only.

Now your "auto a/c" up-down buttons on the steering wheel control the fan! Down means more fan, Up means less.

 

Thanks, Delrey! I'll give that a try

 

I tried it myself this morning and it worked too well. I forgot all about it and found myself wondering later, why it was so warm for a sec.

If you are in fan only mode, as I described before, and then hit the auto A/C button on the steering wheel, you go back to a/c on auto a/c mode. Another press turns everything off. I should try leaving it in fan only mode and see if turning the car off and on again resets it.

 

I'll try it myself on my way home from work today.

 

I have had my '04 #9 for a week now, here are my short falls:

1. Speaker for the phone is cheap, should use the JBL stereo
2. No power seats
3. No sunroof option
4. Need more voice commands (like CD shuffle, etc...)

These are all things I can live without but would be nice to have.

 

Oops, I forgot to mention one more thing that I like a lot. That's having the speed and status display located just below the windshield.

I'm tall, and in most cars the steering wheel gets in the way of seeing everything in the instrument cluster without sometimes having to scrunch down.

Of course, there's the obvious: No longer having to make major diversion of eyes from the road to read the instrumentation.

Oh, one other point, I just drove I-8 and I-10 across the lower deserts of California and Arizona at temperatures as high as 108 degrees. It seems that the hotter it got outside, the cooler the air got form the climate control system. I was very comfortable. And .. I was impressed at its effectiveness.

 

i have to agree with the VSC. i went and tested it when i got my car and could not make a skid to save my life.

in fact the only time that i could even spin a little was on the grass in a field and even then i think i only spun less than a full rotation of the tire before the VSC took over and straighten me out.

as far as your diappointment with the air conditioning. i think that in southern arizona, you might be asking a bit too much. if you arent dying, then the air works. as far as it running all the time, i found that statement to be a bit strange. have you had air that only ran occasionally that kept the car cool without freezing you out?? in high temperatures any car would cycle the air on and off so often, it would be a waste of energy for it to shutoff.

i did notice some road noise louder than i thought was normal on certain types of roads. to be honest with ya, i rarely drive without music so this was only recently noticed.

 

Nice thread! Things that, at just 1K mi., I have wished for:

Body/bumper moldings to protect against parking lot dings. There are threads addressing this topic, and I intend on doing something to rectify this strange oversight by Toyota.

A real trash receptacle. Or at least that the pull-out drawer at the bottom of the center console was removeable for emptying.

A coin holder.

A glass moonroof.

That the parking/emergency brake was of the correct type - i.e., hand-operated.

That the interior door-pulls were of the correct type - i.e., angled grabs.

That the plastic used for the dashboard, etc., was on par with the quality of the rest of the car. Surfaces inside a car which a passenger could potentially impact in a crash should have some give, not to mention that most vehicles have used 'padded' dash moldings for quite some time now, and it just plain feels better to the touch. But I assume this was somewhat of a cost/weight design issue, and if it's a necessary sacrifice, it's one I'm willing to make.

Better tires, as noted above. And maybe anti-roll bars as well. These will be looked into soon.

I'm mystified that this car lacks an under-hood light.

I prefer an analog gas guage, for its 'readable' indication of exactly how close to empty you really are. The flashing digital 'bar' tells me nothing precise.

Telescoping wheel and seat bottom height/angle adjustment. Maybe adjustable lumbar support too.

An inch or two more rear headroom.

That the stereo system reset itself to a preset moderate volume level upon restarting the car.

That the cruise control not require you to reset the desired speed after coming to a full stop.

That the seatbelt warning beep not start sounding until after a several second grace period.

Also, it would be interesting to be able to monitor a tach, if irrelevent.

I might be leaving out a few, and I'm sure I'll come up with more, but I agree with all the 'loves' listed above, and am overall as pleased with my Prius as I had hoped for.