I've test driven a Prius a couple of times, and hope to soon place an order for one. On my last test drive I was shocked at how well the auto AC worked. In fact, it was probably the best AC system in a car I'd ever experienced (though granted I haven't really driven a luxury car either.) I'm really shooting for a black Prius though with a tan interior (may take gray though if I have too.) I know previous black cars I've driven have always had a problem with the AC keeping up (or sometimes even really working at all) in summer. I was wondering if I could get some real-world feedback from black Prius owners on how well the Prius fares in these conditions, particually those living in hotter states? I appreciate any help.
I've got a black '04 here in N. Va, where it doesn't get blistering like the south, but we did have a good number of days in the 90s the past two months. When I get in the car after it's been sitting directly in the sun for 9 hours at work, I turn the a/c on the lowest setting possible, which takes about 10 minutes to get the car cool. If I'm really hot or want to cool down faster, the second lowest setting will cool it down in half the time. The auto-temp setting will cool it even quicker, but that's only used mostly on the weekends when my better half likes the temp to be always around 69-71F. Even still, we're able to keep the mileage of the car in the mid to lower 50's. -m.
Hello. Well, black prius and southern california here. I've even tinted which probably helps it hold more heat in, BUT If I crank the a/c to MAX right when I start it up, seriously within 2 minutes it's cool enough. Only thing I have to wait for THEN is my sunglasses that I usually leave in the dash to cool off As far as when I'm driving, after 15 minutes or so I usually find myself too cold from the system (and I grew up in Washington, so being "too cold" in a car in the summer, IN CA is unheard of) and I bring the fan to a minimal speed or turn it off and crack a window. The a/c in the Prius, at least for me, is the best a/c I have EVER had ina car I've owned. Hope this helps!
When I was offered a Black Prius back in June, the color concerned me for the very same reason. Despite the common perception, the sun does shine occasionally here in the Northwest and when it does, it can get rather warm (a handful of +100 days this summer). I have found the best tactic has been to open all of the windows for the first 1/4 mile or so to bring down the interior temp. After that, I have rarely had to run the fan past the middle setting to keep the car at a comfortable temperature. It also helps greatly to get a well fitting sun shade for the windshield.
I've done a bit of testing with a datalogger and the car color actually makes a fairly small difference in interior temperature. I haven't tested two Prius' side by side, but a test of another car showed a difference of only 4-5 degrees (144 vs 139) for a black vs. white car. Heat entering the glass (the greenhouse effect) is the main source of parked car heat. The two best things you can do to keep the interior heat down are crack the windows about 1/4" and put a shade across the front window.
I've done a bit of testing with a datalogger and the car color actually makes a fairly small difference in interior temperature. I haven't tested two Prius' side by side, but a test of another car showed a difference of only 4-5 degrees (144 vs 139) for a black vs. white car. Heat entering the glass (the greenhouse effect) is the main source of parked car heat. The two best things you can do to keep the interior heat down are crack the windows about 1/4" and put a shade across the front window.
And the Heat Shield product that Danny got the chat board a deal on fits great (though I do fight with the suction cups a little on the rear window).
I have a black Prius w/tan interior in the heart of the sultry south. Any car, no matter the color, is blistering hot if it has been sitting in the sun for a while. When I get in, I also open the windows for a few minutes and by then the AC has caught up with the heat. I usually keep it set at 78 with the fan on the lowest setting. Setting it on auto often results in the car being too cold, even with the 78 degree setting. At any rate, the AC works just fine with the black exterior.
Brad, You do know there's a sunglass holder up by the map lights? I find putting my clips or glasses in there keeps them a bit cooler than on the dash.
Yeah, it just seems that they get hot no matter where I put em, especially the glove box, whcih seems weird... But yeah, just a minute or so and I'm good to go so no worries
