A Blind Perspective, Part V

I have been waiting to write a review on our 2010 V with AT, from a blind car enthusiasts perspective, which comes from mostly sensory, audible and tactile inputs, until enough time had been spent with the car to be able to relate somewhat of an objective opinion.

The other half of this review's opinions wil be those of my wife's, who's experience and knowledge comes from over 1.5 million miles of driving experience (over 21 years of sales covering a 9 state area in the Midwest) and an understanding of a vehicle's driving characteristics from attending Bob Bondurant's High Performance Driving School and having driven cars like a: BMW 850, Mid-Engined Lotus Esprit, (modified) 400 Hp Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, Acura NSX and a Ferrari 206 GTS, needless to say our car knowledge leans toward the High Performance, but since we retired, I discussed with her a practical high mileage utilitarian vehicle would suffice. Boy were we surprised!

We started this adventure back in Dec. of 2008 when I began researching High Mileage vehicles, the Toyota was always at the top of everything I googled, however, the upcoming Honda Insight and the already tested Ford Fusion Hybrid were also being discussed, but, everything kept refering back to the NEW upcoming 2010 Toyota Prius.

The Friday before the Monday launch of the 2010 at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, we went to our local Toyota Dealer here in Springfield, Mo. and test drove a 2009 Touring, and were impressed with it's ride and marginal handling, which didn't seem as numb as many of the magazines had bemoaned. When speaking with the sales manager, we told him we would wait on the NEW upcoming 2010, which was being launched in 3 days, and we were willing to leave a $500 deposit to be first in line when that car became available. His words were "there's NO garantee that car will EVER come to market, and we've received NOTHING from Toyota about that car"! Monday the car was launched, and many of it's specifics were released, and we knew it was going to be worth the wait.

I searched for and found, the Internet/Fleet manager's E-Mail addresses and phone numbers of 10 Dealers in our Region and E-Mailed them with a list of options and accessories we desired, and asked them to call if any of that criteria could be met.

We had 3 deposits with dealers in a 200 mile radius. During the months from Feb. to July, I was reading all I could absorb on Prius Chat about the NEW car, its features, pricing, specifications, colors, options and finally, release date. All this time I'm trying to convince my wife what a great car this will make us, she's still having many misgivings, and the more she reads on Gen II, the more reluctant she becomes..

On my behalf, because some Sites are not accessable to my Screen Reading Software, she continued to check area Dealer Web Sites to monitor what they had in stock and what was ""Available".

One day in June 2009 I called Olathe Toyota, in Olathe Kansas, to inquire about a Silver 2010 V with AT they had "Available", I spoke with a VERY pleasant sales lady named Shannon Merkle, who explained the Dealership had titled it, and were required to use it for at least 3 months as their demo. I told her I had learned that the Dealers in the K.C. Region received their allocation lists on the 5th and 20th of each month, and would she let me know if they would be receiving any Blue Ribbon V's with aT? She PROMISED she'd keep me informed. Dealing with her had been VASTLY more pleasant than ANY of the other Dealerships thus far, I secretly hoped they'd be the first to respond.

Once again, my wife, a few days later, spotted a Blue Ribbon Metalic V with AT, "Available" on Olathe's Web Site! I called Olathe, asked for Shannon, she was off that day, so I spoke to the Internet manager about the V w/ AT they showed "Available", he said "yes" it was incoming on the Kentucky Hwy, and "no" it wasn't spoken for. We were given its VIN, and a $500 deposit was placed on it.

My wife (thanks to the posts on Prius Chat) was able to track its entire trip to portland, watch its unloading and even see photos of their containment in the Kentucky Hwy's hold. Then the wait began.

We were originally told it would arrive at Olathe on 7/27/2009, but Shannon wouldn't be there due to her daughter's graduation from the Air Force Acadamy, so we elected to wait to pick it up on her return, just for the pleasure of meeting her. The reason this was important was because she'd done EVERYTHING she'd promised, and that's rare in that business.

Monday the 27th 2009 we were fortunate to sell our 2007 Acura RDX, and we'd be able to pay cash for the NEW car. The next day (7/28/2009) we went to our local Dealer to pick up our deposit, and were told "if you'll agree to purchase the one that's coming, we'll discount it $500". Reluctantly, we declined. I immediately returned home and I called Shannon, saying we had a slight problem. I explained the situation and said we'd prefer to buy from Olathe since she had been so acommodating, but $500 was $500, and we'd buy from them if they'd match the offer...they did!

Next, I asked her, before we arrived, if she could have the following things performed, things like have the Service Dept. set the Back Up Beep to 1, change the "Meter" to +2 and could one of the kids around the Dealership wax the car (for a fee) so the bugs after our 195 mile return trip would not be so bad.

Here's the reason I've been delaying reviewing our car, it's difficult to be objective shortly after just making a multiple 10s of thousands of dollar purchase, and be almost anything but glowing about what you've just bought. Any criticisms of your NEW ride is a reflection on your ability to make sound buying decisions and indicates your not a logical buyer...just emotional. So I've held off a whole 12 days, I deduce I'm now TOTALLY logical and devoid of ANY emotional attachment to this vehicle!

Since my wife is the only driver, and we'd just sold our only car, we rented a car one way from Springfield, Mo. to Olathe, Ks., we awoke early the morning of the 4th, and began our journey. Our rental was a Ford Focus, nice little car, but gutless. We arrived at the Hertz drop off facility in Olathe, just blocks from the Dealership, we were promptly greeted by Shannon, who picked us up. When we pulled in the Dealership, our car couldn't be seen, and we were introduced to many of the staff and the owner. We went over some of the intracacies of the purchase and we went over a PreDelivery Checklist I had worked up (you'll find it below).

2010 Toyota Prius Delivery Checklist

* Is a copy of the Vehicle Inquiry Report available, or is that what you Faxed us?
* Can we get a copy of the pdi Checklist?
* Do we have the Window Sticker?
* Do we have Valet Cards?
* Do we have BOTH Key Fobs?
* Metal Key ID Plate included with Keys and Fobs?
* Confirm ALL Manuals/Accessory Instructions are in the Car.
(Instructions for: Remote Start, VIP 3200 PLUS, Illuminated Door Sills and Original Wheel Lugs & Unlock Lug Key)
* Is the DVD with the Owners Manual?
* Get a Tube of Blue Ribbon Metalic touch-up paint.

Inspection:
* Check Oil Fill Level.
* Towing Hooks installed?
* Eyelet Cover in Front Bumper?
* Antenna Installed?
* Fuel Cap Tightened?
* Check Tire Pressure, 38 psi Front, 37 psi Rear.
* We’ll need our License Plates installed.

* Check that the following items are installed or included:
-Cargo Organizer
-Wheel Locks
-Rear Bumper Applique
-CF Carpeted Floor and Cargo Mats
-All Weather Floor and Cargo Mats
-Iluminated Door Sills
-VIP 3200 PLUS Vehicle Intrusion Alarm
-Remote Engine Start

* Configurations:
Dealer Settable ONLY, Options:
-Back-Up Beep:
Set to ONE (1) Beep (Dealer Settable ONLY):
-Set Meter to +2 (settings go from -2 0 +2, Default is 0)
In Owners Manual pg 583-Dealer Settable ONLY.
(this setting is to brighten up the Red Arrows on the Energy Monitor screen on the MID)
* Show us the location of the OBDII Output Port.

User Settable Options:
-Wireless Key Fob configuration:
1st press on Unlock button Unlocks Driver Door ONLY.
2nd press Unlocks ALL doors (Default?).
-SKS Configuration:
Configure so that only the Drivers Door Opens when it is touched, and touching the Passenger Door Opens ALL Doors and the Hatch (Default?).
-Auto Door Lock;
Configure to Lock when Speed reaches 12MPH, and Unlocks when Drivers door is Opened.
-Set ASL (Automatic Sound Levelizer) to ON
-Load Blue Tooth Phone and Phone Book Contacts
(when transferring the Motorola’s Phone Book to the Nav, if asked to “Operate the Phone”, select from the Motorola’s Blue Tooth Menu “Settings” “Transfer (or Transmitt” Phone Book.
* Have them show us where the OBD2 port is located.

We went over the above checklist to everyone's satisfaction, and by this time they had pulled the car around front, so we went to inspect it. Everything looked Kosher! We then returned inside wrote them a check, signed the paperwork, passed on the mandatory offer for Extended Warranty and went to the car for an hour and a half of indoctrination on its features, functions and operation, which for us was VERY usefull, since this was only the second time we'd ever seen a Hybrid. Fortunately, several weeks before, Toyota had been gracious enough to send me (NO Charge) copies of the Owners Manual and Navigation Owners Manual, and we were relatively informed on its functions and operations. It was, however, EXTREMELY helpfull because the girl was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the car and easily Blue Toothed our phone, downloaded its Phone Book contents and loaded our home address in the Navigation system. We then all hugged and said our goodbyes and started our journey home!

After adjusting the seats and mirrors, we began our trip home, I had checked tire pressures (with a Talking Tire Pressure Gauge) and they were set to 37.5psi Front and 36psi Rear, which I was going to set to 40/39 when we arrived home, thinking the higher pressures would increase fuel mileage. We hadn't driven a block when my wife said "it's got more power than I ever imagined" and "it rides fantastic". You here at Prius Chat had convinced us to take the scenic route home, and there were a few curves and bends in the road my wife could experiment with, she was more than impressed with its handling prowace, though she said it's NO sports car there's significant road feel and manners. She was VERY impressed when we traveled a section of road near our home that has almost imperceptable ripples on its surface, that to date, she's ONLY been able to feel in our BMW and Ferrari, and she could feel them in the Prius V (must be that European tuning)!

Initially I noticed things like fit and finish, I could run my fingers along the gaps in the doors, hood, and hatch, and could discern NO increases or decreases in their openings, so I deduce those gaps are VERY uniform. I felt around the windshield and found the fit to be EXCELLENT with NO gaps or rubber gaskets protruding from within. I did notice the fairly obtrusive bolts protruding from the wheelwells and the vinyl applique near the rear doors.

I was startled by the overall shape of the car, somehow, I had it engrained that the car was a dumpy little hatchback that had NO character whatsoever, muchless a SPORTY one!The rake on the windshield is awesome, and I'd describe the car more a FASTBACK rather than a Hatchback, more in line with the old Datsun 240Z (I guess I'm dating myself). I guess I never realized it has a significant rake to the rear deck as well...VERY sporty! I was also impressed with the front air dam and the minimalistic openings in the front end, hopefully this will eliminate the need to stuff foam rubber into the grille to improve cold weather start warm ups in the winter. My only concern will be its close proximity to curbs and obstacles.

As virtually everyone agrees, the SKS is incredible, both my wife and me find ourselves reaching for the Keyfob each time we go to the car, however, that's going to be an easy habit to break! Also, when using the hatch, whenever closing it, I thought I had to then go to one of the front doors to touch the locking area to lock the doors and hatch, I surmised this was a little strange, but when rereading the Owners Manual, I discovered there was a Lock button to the right of the Unlock Pad on the Hatch.

The CVT transmission is something I'm not terribly familiar with, the only CVT I'm familiar with are those in snowmobiles, but the principle is the same. The transmission on the way home was TOTALLY transparant, I'm sure thats the way Toyota wants it. We both kept waiting for the shifts, which NEVER came, but eventually you concentrate on more obvious things at hand.

The interior is quite pleasing, and though several items require some adapting to, like the console, I love it (it reminds me of my Grumman Tiger AA5B aircraft cockpit) it seems to cocoon each occupant in their own environment, my wife, on the otherhand, dislikes it (I'll keep working on her). And, yes, we both agree the seat heater switches are obnoxously located, but at least they won't be turned ON/OFF accidently!

Our Blue Tooth Phone system with our Motorola Razor 2, works flawlessly, and yes, we have the 2 second delay when making a call.

I VERY much like the feel and texture of the leather, it seems to be rugged yet supportive, I also like the material on the doors and console, however, I'm not convinced it's real leather. We've owned several Mercedes and BMWs, and the seats in the Prius rate quite well for comfort and support, though everything, except Lumbar, is manual.

The instruments are something I have little knowledge of, other than what I've read and memorized, and MOST, if NOT all, of the buttons around the Navigation Screen are unusable to me, but I've already learned where and in what order the Ev button, ECO button and PWR buttons are on the right side of the console just above the Joystick. Also the Park button and Start buttons are now very familiar, along with the Fan, Front and Rear Defrost, on the Drivers side there's the Temperature Up/Down, HV/AC Off and Auto. Even the Touch Tracer I am able to use when in the car alone, can be used to control, on the left side, Top-Volume, Bottom-Radio Presets and middle-AM/FM1/FM2/XM1/XM2/XM3 and the Touch Tracer on the right, Top Left-Trip, Top Right-Display (for the various MID displays), Bottom-Temperature Up/Down and Middle-Recirculate/Vent along with the buttons below the Touch Tracer that control Talk, Answer and Hang Up (on the lower left side) and the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control's Distance button and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) button on the lower right. My wife loves the Touch Tracer, and says it's is very intuitive and natural, with little pressure to activate it. She had already become aclamated to all the screens and displays, and we're both becoming better aware of what everything means (like each power symbol in the 1 minute screen indicates 30 watts and each one in the 5 minute screen means 50 watts.

Another item we noticed was the Low Profile Michelin's sensitivity to VERY small changes in tire pressure, we left the Dealership at 37.5psi Front and 36psi Rear, and the ride was comfortable, almost sporty, we tried 39psi Front and 38psi Rear and the ride became VERY harsh and uncomfortable, we then tried 35psi Front and 34psi Rear and the ride was comfortable, but a little soft, we finally settled on 37psi/36psi and that gives a compliant yet sporty ride.

On the way home we tried the DRCC (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control) and it functioned flawlessly, though we used it sparingly since we didn't want to run at a continuous speed, we then tried the Lane Keep Assist (LKA) which my wife was hesitant about, and tended to fight with it somewhat, she said it's going to take some time getting comfortable with it, and some time to truly trust it.

Though neither of us are Audiofiles, we were perfectly happy with the radio, and we've had XM for years.

The Navigation system, though NOT as user friendly as our previous unit, is MORE than adequate.

I have ridden several times in the rear and found them to be equally comfortable to those in the front. Storage areas are somewhat inferior to others in this class, but it depends on a given drivers needs. The materials used seem to be of a better than average quality and have a good tactile feel, though I can't discern (nor can my wife see) any leaf pattern in the dash, she says it's merely wavey.

We purchased the Illuminated Door Sills, VIP 3200 PLUS security system, Remote Engine Start, Wheel Locks, Rear Bumper Applique, and Cargo Organizer, our two favorite items are the Door Sills and the Cargo Organizer. For $49 the Cargo Organizer is the BEST bang for the buck, it's a polystyrine piece that fits in the storage compartment and gives several shallow compartments in which to store various items, like: portable battery powered air compressor, portable battery booster, flashlight, small array of tools and chamois. Least used (just because we can't remember) is the Remote Engine Start, though its range is only 80 ft., it seems to be somewhat ineffective when any obstacles are between the FOB and the car.

We've tried the HSA (Hill Start Assist) and it works exactly as advertised, since my wife is acustomed to Heel and Toeing, this feature has limited value to her. The simplist way to summarize this review, is to quote my wife when we arrived home and many times since then, her exact words were, "I LOVE this CAR!!!".

David & LaDonna (aka blind guy and wife)