2008 Seaside Pearl. Finally here!

As some of you who may have followed my 3 month saga, my 2008 Seaside Pearl, Special Edition Premium package is finally here, and it's awesome.

The dealer was really classy and cut me a cheque for the refund of 1% GST which only comes into effect Jan 1st, without even having me ask.

The only problem, of course, is that the SKS system isn't working as intended. I can't start the car without putting the key in the slot, but I can unlock the vehicle with my hand on the door handle. So I'm bringing it back in on Tuesday for them to figure out exactly what's happening.

Anyway, without any further ado, here are two pics I took at the dealership before driving off in the salty/snowy roads!

Thank you all for your support and information. This is a great community.

MAB


http://pics.livejournal.com/mab1981/pic/0001c74b.jpg
http://pics.livejournal.com/mab1981/pic/0001dhr5.jpg

 

As a matter of fact, I figured it out just by looking at the things that were just under the steering column. Turns out that pushing the button made everything okay.

Another interesting note, the tires are actually Bridgestone tires, and not the Goodyear Integrities that I was expecting. Will have to see how everything works out.

Drove it around for about 80km today, managed to average 7.4 L/100km (31.78 mpg) on the MFD, but it's really cold, and I made lots of short trips. I always wasn't trying. I was just driving it for the sake of driving it. I did manage to execute a glide (was just fooling around) which was pretty nifty.

Anyway, fun times. I've got it plugged in right now and staying warm in anticipation of my trip later tonight. Engine Grill Blocking is next on the block.

MAB

 

The Bridgestone tires that are installed are Turanzas, P196/55R16.

MAB

 

The Special Edition Premium package is the name of the middle option package available to Canadians. There's the base model, Special Edition Premium which contains Vehicle Stab Control, JBL Audio, Bluetooth, AM/FM CD with MP3/WMA Player, in-dash 6 disc changer, aux jack, 9 speakers, Smart Key System and Backup Camera. the top Model is called Special Edition Premium + Nav, so you can guess what it has. ;-)

MAB

 

Thanks! Yeah, with the huge snow storm yesterday, safe driving was definitely on the menu. We had the cargo net already in the car, and you can be sure I didn't pay for it. Maybe it's a standard feature for us?

MAB

 

Awfully. Well, sorry, it performed admirably considering the weather, but the windshield wipers are awful (going to get the Bosch Icons), and the Bridgestone Turanzas were very prone to slippage and I almost got stuck in the 15cm of snow on my parent's street. It was only by reversing onto a recently plowed road that I was able to make it out (got a single purple on the battery!).

To be honest though, it seems that it was a pretty decent ride. Understeer was a touch of a problem, but only taking corners too fast (30km/h).

I'm getting Toyo Observe somethingorother tires on (Nokian WRs are out of stock until next year) put on on Wednesday. Will report how it rides then.

My dad had some 1" pipe insulation in his basement so I had enough to do the top two slats in the upper grill. Gonna stop at Rona tomorrow to buy two more pieces, which should suffice. Funny how it's the perfect length.

I'll keep you posted when I play around with the Toyos.

MAB

 

No, Ranger, it didn't. I had the dealership put one on pre-delivery. I'm about as mechanically inclined as a snail is inclined to move at the speed of sound. ;-)

MAB

 

The mileage does tend to be suffering right now. My tank average right now is at 8.1 L/100km, which is better than what my Impala was doing at this time of year. Much better. This is compounded by the fact that I make frequent short trips of 5km or so during the day. When I'm just unplugging the block heater, fuel efficiency is pretty decent, but when the car's been sitting in a bitingly cold parking lot for several hours, it's anyone's guess how long it's going to take to get things back to normal.

I'm going to complete the engine grill blocking over the next few days, which will hopefully help. I'm also trying to learn to drive with a lighter foot.

MAB

 

You're quite right Tideland. I keep forgetting that even this car has a bit of a break-in period. My odometer's sitting at 258km right now, which is far from a full break-in. In any case, I'm still immensely enjoying driving it, which is ultimately the goal for me: a car that I love to drive. So far, the Prius hasn't disappointed.

MAB