I went to my friendly neighborhood Toyota dealer and put down a deposit on a blue Prius III. (they say it will be delivered in a few weeks) Before I did, I took one for an extended test drive (about 30 minutes). I noticed 2 things ... concerns: 1) how do you accelerate from a dead stop and use only battery. It seems that I touch the accelerator and my MPG drops to 20 or less. Is there a secret I have not yet learned in my 1/2 hour of experience with a Prius?? 2) I also noticed that the Prius driver seat has NO lumbar support. In the short drive that I took, I started to notice some discomfort. Is there a cushion or pad out there that y'all could recommend to give me better ... or some lumbar support? Finally, now that I've joined the club, is there a secret handshake or forehead slap that I need to learn. Or do I have to actually wait until the can is delivered? Is this something that the dealer will show me?
Hey JB. In order to accelerate on just battery from a stop, you must accelerate mildly/slowly. If you battery doesn't have a good enough charge, you may not be able to do it. The Gen III definitely has the ability to use only the battery from a complete stop. The Gen II can as well you just have to be easy on the gas pedal.
Great post, hope you love the car we have 2 Gen II you will get akick out of the cult and the posting. Just wait to you are driving the car and get next to another prius owner. Watch the smiles -- Bye the way the car is a blast to drive and the 2010's are even better than the Gen II Again Welcome Larry
I also noticed that the start of acceleration was very slow when trying to use electric only. I was a little afraid of the cars behind me... Would they honk? Are they impatient? I wanted to ease into it, but most people don't start off that slowly. How do you time things in your acceleration?
Yah, The secret matra is YAB DAB DEW. It was first repeated when Fred Flinstone took off with his leg powered GREEN CAR with Barne his side kick.You say it then push the foot feet down and away you go.ound:
drspielman, you could actually push her hard to get her up to speed and then ease off the pedal and ease on it again to engage only the electric motor. I've been practicing this type of driving on our Prius demo for the last couple of years and it does allow you to get great MPG's. Just takes a little practice.
There is a power lumbar in the IV and V models (with leather). Might also be available as part of dealer or port installed leather on the III. If you don't want leather, then I guess you have to hunt something down at the back store or auto accessories store.
