First Panic Stop today - NOT good!!

OK, but if they're not up to spec in your opinion try another dealer or mechanic with proper testing facilities. Brakes are such an important safety system!

 

The brakes work fine in most normal driving situations... just not as well in extremely demanding scenarios.

 

That's what I mean, emergency brakes are the most critical. If they don't work properly complain to dealer and, if necessary - escalate the complaint!

 

Note that the brakes locking up doesn't mean that they're undersized. In fact it would indicate the opposite, that they're not undersized (at least for a single maximum force stop - typically brakes are larger to handle the heat of repeated braking events, more than the force required for a single braking event).

Are they actually staying consistently locked (which I'd think would set an ABS fault), or are they locking, unlocking, locking, unlocking?

In any case, as far as complaints about the feel... yeah, Toyota's not good at blending regenerative and friction braking. Some of this will be because of how the brake-by-wire system deals with variations in initial friction braking performance - wet discs will cause things to be rather grabby when it first goes for the friction brakes, as an example.

 

I think they're not too bad, I've had no issues. Because of the regenerative braking, I'd agree that the "feel" could be better - but regenerative braking is something which I don't think we'd like to ditch.

I'd like to see how they performed with a set of performance tyres, instead of the unremarkable ECO tyres, which are designed for maximum efficiency rather than grip. Many of my cars I've upgraded the tyres with amazing results - probably the most noticeable was a 2006 KIA which originally came with Korean tyres, I replaced them with Continental Premium tyres, and it was transformed as a car, both in highway stability as well as the speed which I could maintain around roundabouts etc.

 

Mind you, there are different ways to handle the regenerative braking - a lot of newer EV designs put all of the regenerative braking on the accelerator, instead of the brake pedal, improving feel greatly.

 

As I understood it, @KennyGS has experienced Prius braking before and found this latest car to be significantly different from that!

 

In Ontario, Canada where I grew up, the license plate transferred with the vehicle, when it was sold. I remember when they went from license plate annual renewal by calendar year to staggered annual renewal. They originally staggered it according to the owner's birth month.
Here in Virginia, the license plate stays with the previous owner.

 

Try driving normally more often

 

I'd suspect the system is working as it should, and the ABS activated, which indicates it was indeed a very hard stop, at the limit of tire traction.

I do know what bad brakes are like: I've had a brake fluid change (on another vehicle) that left one rear brake disabled, that was one messed up situation.

I'd say you found the car's limit, and maybe need to use more following distance?

 

I wish I could, but sometimes others interrupt my normalcy - especially when they pull out suddenly or cut me off. Unfortunately, life can be unpredictable.

 

"Cut you off" means they enter your lane in front of you, put you one car length further from your destination? The nerve, lol.

 

Not as unpredictable if you allow for these things. E.g. in your two scenarios: (1) if you see a car at, or approaching, the end of a side road, allow for the fact it might be a drug addict or drunk and assume he or she's not going to stop, adjust your speed so you can stop, or check your mirrors to see if you can go around them. (2) Check your side mirrors often and if you see someone coming up in the next lane and there's a gap in front of you, expect them to take that gap and adjust your speed. Things usually happen "suddenly" if you're not paying enough attention or are distracted from your driving by something else.
P.s. Your normalcy seems like it may be faster than mine.

 

Around here pretty much everyone rolls stop signs on side roads, it's rife, and never addressed in safety campaigns by cops. I don't think anyone has even a clue, that the broad white line you're supposed to come to a full stop before, is a sort-of one sided cross walk.

 

A long held mantra in my air traffic control experience was.....
.. expect the unexpected!

I distinctly failed to convince my colleagues that once you expect something, it ceases to be unexpected. In fact the whole idea is to anticipate any conceivable possible event and prepare a plan to safely resolve that eventuality.

 

Yes, the Plate goes with the car normally - unless you've bought a Personalised Plate - which I've done.