A coupla things I'm not enamored with on my new Prius.

What car did you come from? It is basically an econobox - Although the VW's are better

Use "power" mode when you first get the car - the throttle mapping of the pedal in the other modes makes it hard to modulate -- I was surprised at the power - and this is my first smaller car.In "Eco" you basically have to "floor it"

The climate control will not turn the fan on until heat is available -- keep it in "auto". The gauges are lacking -- not fan of the placement either.

You have to take the car as a package.

 

get a scangauge. it tells ice RPM , temp gauge, instance MPG, avg MPG, throttle position, and a host of other info. you can use it turnoff the reverse beep.

 

Have you checked the tire pressure? Cars leave the factory with tires over inflated, and are supposed to be adjusted during PDI--could be that wasn't done by the dealer. Could be the issue.

 

1. Have you at least checked tire pressure? Others have seen pressure at delivery vary wildly, not necessarily set to the door placard level. Mine, like many, arrived with 39-40, unchanged from the ship. A few others were underinflated.

2. This judgement varies from person to person and region to region. It is plenty adequate for my tastes and my local driving culture.

3. Get an engine monitor, such as ScanGaugeII.

 

My suspension has loosened up a bit after 30K. Much of it has to do with the tires I think.

As mentioned, set the climate control to Auto and it will do the rest. The fan speed is lowered to 1 when cold and raises by itself as the engine warms up. Pretty cool. You can switch modes btw and it will still be in auto mode.

Power mode if your friend.

 

That and no way to observe the 12 volt battery health were my issues too. Check out my Next generation MFD (click below) for some interesting upgrades Toyota should do for a Prius gauge package.

 

All LRR tires let you feel each and every crack in the road. I drove my Mother's 1999 Corolla last month it also was very smooth riding. You can change tires but you will see a 4 to 6 mpg decrease.

They stopped putting temp gauges in most cars 10 years ago.

Many people don't see a change in MPG when they drive using "power mode".

 

Do you have decent dial gage? Cost only $9 anywhere.

The non-Five Prius ride is not really stiff. I just came out of a new Honda Accord Coupe ... try that for stiff. Yes, you feel bumps in the road in prius, but they are not so jarring to me on the backside. the seats a very soft.

Acceleration - it gets the job done and I've never been in trouble trying to merge.

 

What Stream said, regarding car's leaving the factory with tire pressure set to sidewall maximum. The dealership is supposed to lower it, but it might have been missed.

Still, a lot of owners set pressure higher than what's on the decal on the door sill, somewhere between that value and the maximum pressure on the tire side wall.

Check what mode you're in. ECO will make you feel like you're stuck in sand sometimes. I like "Normal" mode, basically having neither ECO or PWR buttons pushed.

I think Toyota could map the throttle to be peppier, and tweak the transmission to the same end, but with this car fuel economy is paramount. I've switched from ours back to a second gen Civic Hybrid a few times: the Honda is faster of the mark (or at least feels faster), but no big deal. You will get used to it.

Total agreement. Toyota's "No coolant temp gauge for you" is arrogant. I use a block heater, and grill blocking, and would like to know engine temp, please, if it's not too much trouble...

Anyway, look into ScanGauge, it will show this, and a lot more.

BTW, have you looked for the tach yet?

 

You have a great car, but you'll have to put up with a few things like slightly less than rocket power to achieve the high MPGs. Like mentioned in posts, use the PWR Mode button if you need more response.

It's getting a lot warmer down in Mass, so do check your tire pressure. We only have about 220 miles on our 2011 we just bought at the end of February. The morning after we brought it home I adjusted the cold tire pressure to 40 PSI front and 38 PSI rear when the temperature was 31 degrees. It's nearly 60 out now and I bet I would find 43-44 PSI in the fronts had I not adjusted for the milder temperature last week. On our roughish Maine roads it doesn't ride plush, but definitely smooth enough to be comfortable.

I usually keep track of my tire pressures on an almost weekly basis during the change of seasons, especially when it has been as abrupt as this one. The rest of the time I like to check every couple of weeks. Optimum pressure in the tires makes for optimum MPGs, and that's why we have a Prius in the first place.

On average, tires gain a pound of pressure every 10 degrees of positive temperature change and lose a pound of pressure for every 10 degrees of cooling.

If your dealership over inflated your tires when it was cooler out, you may be riding on extra hard tires. This type of over inflation could lead to tire damage, or worse. So just check them, just in case.

 

You do realize The Prius actually has 4 modes? Only one doesn't have a button. Try "normal". That is no button pressed at start up.

If you are driving always in ECO..then your throttle mapping is going to be tuned for more gradual response for potentially better mileage.

Normal...may feel, well...more "normal" to you.

And from what I've read over the years, most Prius drivers get excellent mileage in normal.

 

You got a lot of good advice, hope it helps, let us know what worked for you.

 

On my Gen 2, The Scancage II shows RPMs, Intake air Temp (I had and have the theory that my Prius overheats under the hood in Mississippi summers), 12 Volt Bus Voltage and Engine Coolant Temp

 

Power Mode won't defeat the purpose of getting a Prius, you'll still get fantastic mileage. Those buttons just affect how the throttle responds to the gas pedal, but if you put the pedal to the floor, the response is the same. In other words, pressing the gas pedal 1/4 way down in PWR mode causes more acceleration than in ECO mode, but you can just press the pedal farther down in ECO mode and the car will do exactly the same thing. The only other difference is that, in ECO mode, the heater and AC use less energy (don't heat/cool as fast).

No car is perfect. I hope you grow to enjoy your Prius.

 

In "AUTO" the compressor will not turn on unless the "AC" button is pushed and the light is illuminated.

If I'm running around in traffic I use power mode -- I just got home -- nice long day in the country .. car said I got 49 + ....in power mode all day.

I drive other cars and the mapping is just too different to use "Eco" -- if I drive only the Prius for a couple of days it becomes second nature -- then I get whiplash when I go back to my other cars.

 

I just found out about the "normal" mode. Feels more like my 2009. Eco mode is too sluggish. I have better right foot control in normal mode too. Really love the Gen III improvements, but now must learn all over again how to squeeze the most mpg out of it. I miss the stage 4 start signal that I was used to feeling. Still need to block the grill and program the xgauges.

 

Cheaper than a scangage and maybe more interesting for a Prius is a OBDII bluetooth + android phone running torque. More things you can measure/log.

 

I've driven many cars over the years & the Prius is the first one that I've seen without a temp gauge. Not that others don't have them but I wouldn't say that "most" cars don't have them.

My 09 Corolla, 07 Corolla, 07 Matrix all have a temp gauge too. My 10 Prius does too now, thanks to my Scangauge II.