Hi. Long time reader, first time writer. I've been looking to get the next-gen Prius for many years now, but I am seriously concerned about the dashboard design. I had LASIK eye surgery (not recommended) a few years ago, and I now get halos/starbursts during night driving. I also have very poor overall night vision because of the surgery. Since then, I've been looking at cars that have very bright lights. My current car is a Toyota Corolla '98, which has very weak lights. My dream car would be an AWD hybrid hatchback with the brightest legal lights available, but that's another topic. Anyways, could anyone shed some light on this matter? Is the dashboard brightness adjustable? I recently read a review from Gearlog that has me very concerned (just type gearlog prius on google). "My co-driver on a recent Prius press trip, who has 20/15 corrected vision, had trouble reading parts of it. I suspect Toyota will be hearing from focus groups who find the gauges a) still a bit confusing and b) badly in need of a sizable font option."
From Gearlog: "Pros: More efficient, quicker, roomier up front. Fewer weird hybrid-car sounds. Extensive safety features, options. Cons: Value and hybrid break-even point uncertain until price set (this spring). Confusing shifter. Hard-to-read gauges. Cheesy leather upholstery. Bottom line: The third-generation Toyota Prius gets hundreds of technical tweaks for better mileage, more performance, and more cockpit space. Even mainstream buyers should take a look. In such an amazing car, it's hard to believe Toyota forgot the iPod adapter." I see a few possibilities on why there hasn't been a response: 1. Nobody cares. Haha. 2. Nobody on here has been able to drive the Prius at night. 3. Nobody can relate to night vision problems (or LASIK) that has driven the Prius. 4. This is a concern that no moderators at PriusChat want to deal with as it's very damaging to the car's legitimacy. In other words, it's true that the gauges are hard to read if you have night vision issues and/or had LASIK. Message to me: Don't buy a Toyota Prius.
5. You posted something on Friday 12:30 AM, and when you check back in at 9:30 am, you don't see a million responses. Most of us sleep during that time slot!!!!! Maybe you should cut the group some slack....we answer when we can... we are not at your beck and call. So buy a Fusion!
Sorry. Didn't mean to come off as impatient. I just know that many live and breathe the blog on here as I have been the past few weeks. It's very informative. And I was just trying to BUMP the topic up as I saw it fading away without a response. No plans to respond again...for bumping purposes anyway.
I share the same concerns. My 2005 has adjustable brightness for the dash which really helps with the night vision issues, at least the glare of the interior lights. If the 2010 does not have that, I won't be buying it. You might also try some amber vision night goggles, they really help cut the glare without reducing visibility. I can relate to the post-op issues that you face.
Regarding your poor night vision and the need for bright headlights, I think you should consider getting Philips X-Treme Power headlight bulbs. They are the brightest halogen bulbs made -- maybe 80% brighter than regular halogen bulbs. They cost 2 for $49 at most places, but can be had for less during sales. The downside, as with all brighter halogens, is shorter lifespan. You might find yourself having to replace them within 8,000 to 16,000 miles. But with my own night vision being poor and these X-Treme Power bulbs being so bright, that's a trade off I'm happy to make.
LED Headlights would be your choice. As for interior lighting, the Touch Tracer helps with locating the buttons. Gearlog's concern is the small MFD. Really, you don't need to read any of the text. Just look at the graphs and animations. All the text say is the title of the screen and some labels (Which you'll memorise within a month anyway).
This 78 year old does not drive at night . Not because of night vision, but all that other stuff likie DUI drivers.
Regardless of what car you buy I suspect you will have some issues with night vision. Heck I have excellent vision and still have issues at night when driving. I say get the LED headlights and if necessary add some good quality driving lights if the factory ones are not sufficient. Good luck.
Why do some people just automatically assume the reason they haven't gotten responses is due to some sort of conspiracy? You need a hobby if you really believe that.
The gauges were readable to me. The MID (multi-information display) is a bit small though (compared to the larger LCD MFD on the 2nd gen) and in my 2 brief drives, I put more attention on driving than the MID. Yes, #2 and #3. Outside of any press/media events that Toyota held (the one in Napa and one in Arizona (?)), the ONLY two events at which Toyota permitted any non-media/non-press/people unaffiliated w/Toyota to drive the 2010 Prius were the LA and SF events. Those were both held at 11 am to 2 pm. I have no idea about the media events.
