first long trip report

On the previous model the rear vents go under the front seats. On the info display it can be set to front only or all. I would think that feature would be retained in the latest model.

 

Yeah seems like Toyota is always thus: our gen 3 is the same: the best it can do is to split air flow between windshield and feet.

Arguably there's an additional hells-a-popping front-defog mode, that runs the fan speed up, directs all air to front windshield and forces AC on, but it would be real nice to have one vent-mode option, that directs all the air to the windshields.

All our Hondas over the years were thus.

 

On the tablet climate display in my g4 there is an econ icon that selects front or all seat vents. On the smaller dash info display it shows front and all and the air flow. There are depictions of seats and the air flow in yellow arrows going under the front ones. Or just to the front if selected.
This is not the main climate display showing feet, mid, and all that. It’s a separate function.

 

Check carefully, there are small heat ducts to direct to rear occupants. It is non selectable on the dash controls. (I can't vouch for how well they work) The anti fog button works pretty good in my area if the world and with imperceptible fan noise. Just push the button and away it goes.

 

Thanks for your impression - you bring up some interesting points. Hows your conclusion so far?

I feel cabin heating is generally hit or miss with many economy cars. It depends not just on set temperature but too many outside variables. I expected more from the Prius though especially with a heat pump and less dependency on a combustion engine.

There are air outlets for the rear seat but its more the bare minimum:
rear seat vents | PriusChat

 

Of course you can. I've done it a few times this winter.

 

I wish I could say much but the delivery was postponed a few times already so I'm not impressed at all with Toyotas logstics

 

"fuel consumption was 11.1 km/l...higher than what I expected...though speed was high (120-150 km/h), car was full (2 adults + 2 kids + luggage), external temp was low for italian standards (10-12 C), AC often on to defog the front windshield."

---26 MPG's seems like an almost impossible number to attain in a Prius when driving at distance. How big are your kids...?

Drive Unwisely and the 2023 Prius MPG Drops To This Low Value | Torque News

AC is not needed when using the defog. AC is faster when first clearing major fog after parking, but the lowest fan setting on barely warm, (no AC) will keep the windshield clear.

"road noise is significant (19 inches with summer yokohama)"

---That's an exaggeration. Was your last car a Lexus? Were your windows down at 90? With low volume music on, I cannot hear my car at all. The G5's (particularly the highest trim) are way quieter than your average car.

"wipers are very noisy when swinging at speed >100km/h;"

---Your wipers must be defective then. I don't think I've ever heard my wipers make a sound yet. Contact your nearest service center immediately!!

"when heavy raining, the water wiped from the windshield consistently hits something near driver windows making a quite annoying sound, even my wife noticed it from her seat."

---Any chance a foreign object was stuck to the driver's side windshield? Perhaps a bird or a fruit?

"very unstable: keeping the desired temp fixed to 21C, turning the AC on and off made a huge perceived difference...is it working properly??)"

---The climate control system in the G5 is literally overpowered compared to the G4. Any chance there was something blocking your air flow? Perhaps you were trying to dry your socks and had them hanging in front of the vents??

"no windshield-only directed flow option: only coupled with feet-directed, strange choice..."

---Incorrect. There's a little button on the far left of the cluster (looks like a windshield) that will blow air only on the windshield (confirmed on the graphical display). Keeping the fan on the lowest setting, will keep the windshield clear of fog.

"i can confirm that no air outlets for the rear seats is a VERY bad design flaw...I knew that, though..."

---Oh no you can't.

"my right knee was hurting a bit resting on the side wall (a bit too hard surface)."

---What if you didn't rest it against it? That was my solution. Or maybe wear some knee pads?

"adaptive cruise control was nice and relaxing, though i had the impression that it's only monitoring the front car distance/acceleration and not also the cars in front of it "

---Lmao.

"handling is surprisingly good: I come from one of the best handling hatchback (Alfa romeo 147), and Prius has a quite stiff and reassuring setup. Though the 195mm wide tires really struggle when cornering hard or starting uphill."

---So you were getting the tires to fail during cornering with your wife, two kids, and full luggage in the car. What speeds were you reaching around the corners? Were the kids screaming? I've taken my LE into some corners at speeds that would get me into trouble with anything outside of a legitimate sports car. Everything was tight and the drift was controlled and predictable. My tires are also pumped way up and my profile is inferior to the 19's.

And your tires were struggling going uphill you say? Did you have the traction control disengaged? Perhaps I think I now understand how you got 26 MPG's....

 

If this was my family, the kids would be cheering and the wife would be screaming..... but that's just me.

 

Up until now I thought that the second key fiasco was limited to the North American market Siennas, and that it was already fading away.

"Mother Toyota, when can I get my second key?"
"I have no clue"

I don't think they admitted to going above 70 mph in this article. Whereas the OP was doing up to 90+ mph. I wouldn't be surprised if that alone would be responsible for a 30% drop in fuel efficiency vs 70 mph.

 

These days break-in rules seem to be pretty lenient and vague enough to be open to interpretation.

For example, Toyota recommends not to drive the Sienna at an "extremely high speed" during the first 600 mi/1000 km. I don't think 150 km/h would be considered "extremely high", and I am almost sure there is an RPM limiter (there certainly was on my 2014 Prius), which would not allow the engine to rev up to anywhere near its physical redline.

Finally, Toyota doesn't even say that driving at an "extremely high speed" is going to fry the engine and/or void the warranty; this precautio is only to increase the engine longevity.