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Newbie complaints, er... recommendations

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by beckerman, Sep 22, 2008.

  1. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    I love the 2008 Prius [package 8]. The following are my recommendations for 2009 and beyond:

    1) Locking glovebox needed.
    2) Grippier steering wheel as the leather [or whatever it is] is so frictionless that I am fearful I will lose my grip in a turn. Suggestions on modifications?
    3) Team up w/ Garmin and get a better nav system. The Prius nav system is so counterintuitive and user-unfriendly.
    4) Offer a 30-minute lesson or DVD on the method to obtain optimum mpg. If it wasn't for this site, I would be clueless on that issue.

     
    #1 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  2. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    the 2010 prius will have a new navigation system.. toyota has been conducting user surveys to see what features they want and how much the consumers are willing to pay
     
    #2 rigormortis, Sep 22, 2008
  3. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    They can save money and use Garmin as their outside supplier.
     
    #3 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  4. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Why a locking glovebox?
    For a better grip on the wheel, try leather driving gloves. They also keep the wheel and the MFD clean. Or you could have an after market wheel cover installed.
     
    #4 richard schumacher, Sep 22, 2008
  5. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    A locking glovebox so a valet cannot rifle through the car, looking for sunglasses, radar detector, etc.

    Leather gloves? Since when do Prius drivers imitate Formula One racers?
     
    #5 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  6. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Eww, valets. Hmm, how could this be done conveniently? One would need a second separate key.

    For me it's not for style: it keeps smudges and skin shmutz off control surfaces. It's nice never having to clean the steering wheel.
     
    #6 richard schumacher, Sep 22, 2008
  7. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    I live near and frequent NYC, so street parking is difficult. Valets and parking attendants are notorious for looking for swag which is usually not discovered missing for several days later.
     
    #7 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  8. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

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    Storage: Use some of the secret hiding spots for your "swag." The one under the center console is useful... some spaces in the hatch are evevn more hidden. Like the little covered cubby off to the left of the cargo area.

    Steering: I've never lost my grip on the steering wheel in 2+ years of driving a Prius. Maybe your palms sweat a lot more than mine. If so... slow down a little and allow more following distance! :)

    MPG: That should be a required course concurrent with driver training. It's not only the Prius that can benefit from these techniques. And believe it or not, you can drive a Pius just like you drive a "normal" car and still get much better fuel economy!!
     
    #8 Ichabod, Sep 22, 2008
  9. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    No, it's the LACK of grippiness. If it was humid, it would grip. It's too smooth and dry, so my fingers slide on the surface.

    All sneaky valets know all the usual hiding spots.
     
    #9 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  10. SantaCruzGal

    SantaCruzGal New Member

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    Gawd I sooo agree with your complaint re the "slippery"steering wheel. When I rented a Prius for a weekend before making the decision to buy that was one of my concerns, in addition to what I perceived as the narrow width of the actual wheel...it seemed pencil thin. As such I chose to buy a faux ostrich (bumpy/knubby) leather wheel cover at Kragen. Sure, the leather steering wheel cover from the Prius Shop would have looked nicer, but I knew I'd never be able to attach it w/o it looking half assed. Anyway said cover addressed BOTH problems and now i'm steering with the best of them.:nerd:
     
    #10 SantaCruzGal, Sep 22, 2008
  11. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I've heard that before and don't get it...few cars these days have them. If you have a lock, and it's locked, and someone breaks into your car they're going to break it open assuming there's something good inside. Maybe it would keep away the wandering hands/eyes of a valet from your check book or CDs, but little use. Put it in the hidden drawer on the lower front of the center console...unlikely they even know that's there.
    Yup, get the Wheelskins cover from the Priuschat shop:
    PriusChat Shop : Wheelskins EuroPerf Perforated Leather Steering Wheel Covers - $66.90$59.95
    Yes and no, it definately could be better, and cheaper to upgrade. But if you learn a few tricks (like enter the city first, then the street, then the number) it gets pretty easy and it's pretty darn flexible compared to a lot of lower end GPS models I've used.
    That's why we're here!
     
    #11 efusco, Sep 22, 2008
  12. beckerman

    beckerman Junior Member

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    Dr. Evan:

    Thanks for the update...nor get back to the OR.
     
    #12 beckerman, Sep 22, 2008
  13. wchardin

    wchardin Senior Member

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    You feel that the steering wheel is pencil thin? I think the wheel is a nice size and fits well in the hand. The leather on the steering wheel feels like the same leather on my old IS250 steering wheel. The leather feels of high quality. The only thing I can think of it make the steering wheel have more grip is buy a cover. That or put double-sided tape on it.
     
    #13 wchardin, Sep 22, 2008
  14. pdhenry

    pdhenry It's HEEERE!

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    That's what Honda does for the Fit...

    I'd say the Prius GPS isn't bad, just different (I recognize this is a minority opinion). My Garmin has some useabilty quirks that are at least as bad as the stuff on the Prius - like when you enter a city name on the Garmin the list of possible matches has no relationship to your current position (IMO they should list the choices in order of increasing distance).

    One thing that I think is missing on the Prius is text-to-speech for street names and POIs. That and a $70 annual map update...
     
    #14 pdhenry, Sep 22, 2008
  15. wchardin

    wchardin Senior Member

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    Toyota also does this with the Toyota 4Runner Urban Runner, it comes with a removable Tom Tom unit. I think that Toyota has one of the best navigation systems I have ever used, but there is definitely room for improvement.
     
    #15 wchardin, Sep 22, 2008
  16. Bill Lumbergh

    Bill Lumbergh USAF Aircraft Maintainer

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    Posts reported ^^^
     
    #16 Bill Lumbergh, Sep 22, 2008
  17. other car gets 10mpg

    other car gets 10mpg New Member

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    +1 for crappy steering wheel. And the seats suck.

    Also, this forum dowload speed is so slow compared to other forums I'm on. Try 6speedonline.com. much faster download speeds.
     
    #17 other car gets 10mpg, Sep 22, 2008
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