i know the prius doesn't use gears in the traditional sense but thats just the way im gonna explain this ok. Sometimes when im accelerating the rpm's get kinda high and it feels and sounds as if the prius is in a higher gear then it should be ex. accelerating in 3rd gear when you should be in 2nd in a manual, just feels like its taking forever to get up to speed especially with such high rpm's. then after you hit like 45+ it feels like its finally up to the right gear, i didn't notice until one of my friends mentioned this to me. :|
Can you tell the sound difference between an engine pumping the Otto cycle verses Atkinson-Miller? That alone changes what you hear. It also points out that the power delivered is different. The other big player is the fact that the engine is much closer to the firewall than with traditional vehicles and that front-end itself is shorter, so naturally it will sound different. As for the feel, because it is so smooooooooth, you won't ever feel the torque like you will in a traditional vehicle. Instead, concentrate on the speedometer. You'll notice you're actually going faster than it feels.
You and your friend might still need to get your minds to meld with the Prius You are subconsciously waiting for the shift points which never come. It feels like you aren't coming up to speed because you aren't jerking 3 or 4 times while you get there. The ICE doesn't rev up and down to match gear shifts, it just stays up. Try a test: Use an accelerator pressure that matchs the (normal please, this is not a drag race) constant acceleration of the car next to you coming off a signal. Hold it there and notice that you actually get up to speed faster
the prius is always in "high" gear. The gas engine isnt good at giving out torque at low speeds, thats where the electric motor kicks in And the electric motor cant do much at speeds above 40+ and thats where the gas engine gets good torque.
justwatchme, What's important to realise is that a petrol engine gives out its maximum power at its highest rpm. Therefore the optimal thing to do for fastest acceleration in a CVT-type car like the Prius is to hold the engine at maximum rpm, by adjusting the gear ratio as the speed increases. Only when you reach your desired speed will it lower the rpm. That high rpm is aiding your acceleration, not hindering it. I don't quite follow all of your post though - you seem to be both complaining about the high rpm, and contradictarily saying it's in "too high" a gear, like 3rd instead of 2nd. That would imply a low rpm(?)
