New Prius - Impressions So Far

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Adrian Ryan @ Feb 14 2007, 06:50 PM) [snapback]390248[/snapback]</div>

Curious. I assumed all European RHD models would be the same. UK cars can switch the speedometer with a dashboard button (but not the trip meters, odometer, or information screen). There is a separate metric/Imperial setting for the navigation system.

The bars disappear faster as the tank gets emptier; it's a long way from being linear. I assume the intent is that it gives you a finer indication of how close you are to empty - it's more important to be able to tell the difference between 5 and 10 litres in the tank than between 35 and 40 litres.

The next stage after 1 bar, is for the last bar to start flashing, and you get a beep and "Add fuel" message on the display. This beep and message is repeated every time you start the car. At some point later as the tank empties further you will get a reminder "Add fuel" message on the screen while driving, but no other visible indication.

You can expect to be able to make maybe up to 50 miles after the bar starts flashing, I reckon.

What's the problem? How's compass mode different to any of the other modes? Are you saying you haven't found the voice command? I use "Single map" (as opposed to "Dual map"). It may also accept something like "Map Mode".

Very much depends on weather. My lifetime average is 51 or 52 mpg Imperial, but I do mainly short journeys. This is a bad time of year to start - if you're getting 50 now, you're doing well, I reckon.

 

Wow, this is a long post, but thanks for sharing. To me personally, these are very minor inconveniences given how much fun I am having driving this baby. If you are used to driving Jaguars, I can understand your unhappiness towards these details. Most of us (I think) bought the Prius without expecting luxary sedan qualities, but a reasonably priced, high-tech piece of equipment that gives you good mileage and is better for the environment. I bought my Prius for about $26,500 (including taxes etc - 2006 package 4), but if they added features that you expected and raised the price for another few thousand dollars, I would have to go for a lower package. It would be nice to have all these details, but you have to agree that it's a fun and a different car to drive.

 

>Voice Command System. Why is there no reference or explanation or command list for this feature in the Owner's Handbook?

It's in the DVD nagivation handbook - the separate one that they give the NAV option buyers. Not alot of point handing it out to a package #2 user - they'll only get jealous

But.. Although I love it, I'm a wee bit frustrated with for instance, the inability to give certain commands on 'certain screens'. I mean, if I can 'Louder' (increase volume - I realise this is stupid, as I have a button on the wheel for it.. but bear with me) on the MAP screen, why cannot I do it on the INFO screen.

Likewise, 'Call HOME' cannot be done on the Climate screen? And has to be done.. I do not know. I forget. but voice commands should be independant of what screen is on the LCD. It should 'just work...'

I've not run out of petrol yet.. but my bars seem to be going down evenly. I'm down to 3 bars after a week's driving.

I have a kvm/mph switch, although I'll never use it.

The cruise thing? My previous car, if you 'cancelled' the cruise with either a brake press, or using the cancel button.. it forgot where you were. I'd just hit 'set' again when I got back up to my cruising speed. This isn't really a problem for me, personally.

Intelligent Parking - I don't think this is on the US models? Although it should be..

My list of gripes so far include :

Awkward drivers's seat belt position. I'm by no means large, but there seems to be very little room between me and the center console to get my belt clicked in.

The voice recognition having only some commands work on some screens.

I find the backup camera fairly odd to use. Maybe I'm not used to it, but I find I'm turning around *anyway* and that rear window is tiny..

The 'smart-key' unlocking. Sometimes I can walk to up to my car and it'll unlock the doors. Sometimes I have to grab the handle. Sometimes I have to get my keys out and clicky the unlock... This always happens when I'm trying to demonstrate the 'coolness' of the smart entry to a friend

The 'Auto' cabin heater always uses the foot warmers. If I hit the middle fan things to blow air onto my body, instead of my feet, it disables the Auto.

And my knees get cold - the mid-level fan outlets (either side of the steering wheel) don't seem to angle down nicely to blow on my knees...

Oh, and I keep turning off the Auto-dimming mirror, but everytime I start up the car it returns to its Auto-Dimming capability.

Steve.

 

Adrian,

Welcome to the site. Thank you for sharing your experiences with some of the options not available to us in NA. To offset the lower winter fuel economy I increased tire pressure to 42front/40rear psi and blocked the grill with pipe insulation. The insulation keeps the engine from running as much which is most noticable when stopped.

 

I filled my tank with gas on January 22. 10 blocks showed on the gas gauge. I drive short distances 2 or 3 times a week. Today I still have 10 blocks showing. Is the gas gauge stuck? I've owned the 2007 Prius for a couple of months.
Mary

 

There IS a way to turn off the voice command prompt and have only the beep. On my US 2006 model, I go to the Menu->Setup screen, scroll to the second screenful, and there is an item called "Voice Recognition Guidance". Set this to "Off" and Jill shuts up.

In general, the voice recognition is not that useful. I once figured out how to enter an address into the Nav system by voice commands, but it takes about 9 commands to do it (separately specifying the state, city, street, number, and finally the "set as destination" command.) I don't know if I could remember the sequence while driving.

If I'm on the road and say the "I'm Hungry" command, all the system does is display restaurant icons. I would like to have it offer a choice of nearby restaurants and allow me to pick one, then guide me to it. It's annoying that you have to stop the car to set a destination like that, and the voice commands don't really help the situation. My Garmin GPS doesn't have voice commands, but I sure can locate a restaurant and set it as the destination while in motion. Win some, lose some, I guess.

 

I just want to clarify one thing:
In the North American Models, it is possible (and easy) to change Miles/KM both in the speedometer and the NAV system. On startup, when asked to select a language and Accept, you can choose Spanish or French, and (I think), if the speedometer is on KM, the NAV system will convert to KM. You should be able to change MPH/KM for your NAV system in Ireland that way...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Lawrence @ Feb 14 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]390335[/snapback]</div>

Just a small point of clarification... the "Louder" and "Softer" commands are not the same as pressing the Volume +/- buttons on the steering wheel. These commands actually change the volume level of the Nav guidance, not the audio system. However, this can also be modified through the MFD (Menu -> Volume), even while in motion (imagine that!).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kimgh @ Feb 14 2007, 07:47 PM) [snapback]390581[/snapback]</div>

I second that - definitely turn off the VR guidance... it will make it much better!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kimgh @ Feb 14 2007, 07:47 PM) [snapback]390581[/snapback]</div>

I think I'm in the minority around here in thinking the Voice guidance in the Prius is actually pretty good once learn the key commands (although there are a few more I wish it had). Of course, the recognition performance is related to ambient noise in the car as well as your speaking accent.

That said, all you need to remember to set a complete address while in motion is the command "Address". Once you say that command, "Jill" will prompt you for each part of the address (State -> City -> Street -> House Number). Note that the prompts for Address entry are still given even with Guidance off.

As for commands missing, I wish you could set an intersection destination by voice. I often know what neighborhood I want to go to, but not the exact address. Why did Toyota not include this?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kimgh @ Feb 14 2007, 07:47 PM) [snapback]390581[/snapback]</div>

Actually, there is a command for that.

Normally, you can just hit the voice button and yell out a POI category and it will show all the icons on the map (like with "I'm Hungry"). However, try saying "Nearest" before the category (i.e. "Nearest Fast Food") it will automatically show the closest POI with a Add/Enter Destination and Show List buttons. Unfortunately, the Show List button is only available if you are not in motion. <_<

All in all, voice nav is not a perfect system, but not all that bad either when you know how to use it.

Has anyone figured out the software motion override for the 06/07 Nav yet?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DES_Prius @ Feb 14 2007, 11:05 PM) [snapback]390671[/snapback]</div>

The language setting in the Nav is completely independent from the measurement unit (miles/KM).

The speedo is toggled with the hard plastic button right below the MFD, but the Nav mileage unit setting is found within the Menu settings. The odometer and trip meters will not change from the native measurement unit according to the country for which it was built.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Lawrence @ Feb 14 2007, 11:35 AM) [snapback]390335[/snapback]</div>

I too am irked by not all commands working in all the screens. It's quite annoying to hear the reply "this command is not available [in this screen]...", something to that effect.

As for the smart key. It ALWAYS works for me. The trick is to walk up to the car and touch the black plastic strip on either of the two front door handles. It should ALWAYS unlock if you do that.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Feb 14 2007, 04:33 PM) [snapback]390570[/snapback]</div>

I agree w/the OP's gripe about the trip computer. My cheaper 02 Nissan Maxima's trip computer (standard on all of them of that model year) had mpg, average speed, count up timer, outside temp, and distance to empty. My 350Z's trip computer has all that + an extra trip odometer (for a total of 3 in the car), a digital speedometer and a useless stopwatch. The Z's w/tire pressure monitoring can also get the pressure of all 4 tires displayed in trip computer. Manual transmission Zs also let you (via trip computer) set the engine RPM at which a red shift light would turn on to remind you to shift.

As for the cruise control forgetting its speed <25 mph, that's not necessarily a Japanese car thing. It's not true on either my Z or my former Maxima.

We've got no IPA as a choice at all on US Priuses.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Adrian Ryan @ Feb 14 2007, 12:50 PM) [snapback]390248[/snapback]</div>

Welcome to PC.

After reading your narrative about the Prius, I must say that (my opinion, mind you!) I sincerely believe you are looking at the car in the wrong light.

This is not a Jag, a Volvo or an Audi. Those can pretty much be classified as high end or "luxury" autos (again, my opinion). They are expected to have all the bells and whistles.

All the "technology" you wanted to "try out" is basically transparent to the operator.

You said you didn't buy the car for it's gas mileage and a great deal of the technology of the car is obviously used towards this end.

The car also has 1/2 the Carbon Dioxide output of the even the more fuel efficient cars out there....my wife still drives my 04 Honda. It gets 28 MPG. I went on some site (forget the URL) but it had a little tool where you put in the make and model of the car and it will tell you how much CO2 it puts in the atmoshphere over so many miles. Over 25,000 miles, the Prius puts out HALF the CO2 of the Honda.

If you bought the Prius for all the bells and whistles it might have, then you bought the wrong car.

As far as your "value for the money" comments......as I said before, I used to drive an 04 Honda Accord. My fuel bills usually ran around $200 to $250 a month (my commute is 100 miles/day, plus other driving). Now my fuel bills run about $90 to $120/month. Basically a little over $100 /month savings. But my car payment went up from $270 to $370! So that's a wash. The insurance is a bit more expensive but not much...basically a wash.

So in purely cash flow terms, the car is not saving me much (if anything). The real savings are seen when looked at through "environmental" eyes.....

I am putting out HALF the CO2 into the atmosphere of most other cars. Everytime I gas up, I put almost ZERO gas vapors into the atmosphere. I used to use almost 1,000 gallons of gas a year.....now I use a little over 500 gallons.

Just think about this...if EVERYONE could afford to just go out and buy a Prius, US autos would put out HALF the CO2 emmisions and use HALF the gasoline they do now......If you have seen "An Inconvenient Truth", that is worth the price of the car alone in my book.

As far as your other comments regarding the car, they have merit when looking through the eyes of former luxury car owners. That being said....

Have fun driving your Prius!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Adrian Ryan @ Feb 14 2007, 12:50 PM) [snapback]390248[/snapback]</div>

I can't address many of your complaints about the Prius as I don't have some of them or don't bother to use the others. I will say I bought mine for fuel economy, enviornmental reasons, and a $3150.00 tax credit from the Govt. My Prius has pkg. 1 and we paid $21,500 for it. Every week I fill the tank while shopping. I could care less about how many bars are showing. All I care about are how many MPG did I get before resetting the trip meters. You had some nice luxary cars before and I'm sure they cost far more than $21,000 dollars.

The Prius does exactly what it's designed to do and at a very affordable price. My only complaints are about resetting the cruise control continually and the lack of comfortable, 6 way power seats.

 

Wow! A lot of these gripes are how I feel too. Glad I'm not alone.

Sorry to hear that your Prius is not as "user friendly" as you would have liked it. Jaguars are ok in my opinion but being a tech guy, I'll take a geeky car like the Prius over a Jag. I love my Prius but it does have it's flaws. The Nav system on the 2006 + models are the best I have ever seen, factory or not in the U.S. Still, I can't begin to tell you how many times "Home" translated into "Banks" or "Ski Resorts". Not being able to tell "Jill" an address without having full detail is also annoying. Still, until we get Traffic reporting, 3D street level viewing, with live weather like those in Japanese/Korean GPS units, the Prius one will do.

As mentioned, consult your manual or ask your dealer for a Nav manual.

 

Hi Adrian,

I am not sure if any of the long replies addressed this or not, but here goes. To get good mileage out of a Prius (which you are not, unless its -30 C there these days), you need to accellerate at a moderate rate. That does not mean gently at all. And it does not mean flooring the pedal.

The Prius uses the motor for what in other cars is called "acelleration enrichment". Without enrichment, there is little issue with dipping into the acellerator pedal, and fuel economy. In fact, the engine is more efficient at the mid-power output. This is also why the engine, although it snaps on quickly, slowly comes up to speed.

With a good brisk, but not full throttle accelleration, you may improve your mileage on 20 to 30 miles trips up to the low 50's mpg (US gallons) in temps above 10 C that average around 40 to 50 mph. You should also keep the tires at 40 psi in the fronts (or a little higher) and 38 psi in the rears (or a little higher). The door label is wrong as to the least wear pressure. And keeping the tires at these pressures will avoid wearing out the tire edges prematurely.

While you might not be able to toss a Prius around like a Jaquar, it can be driven spirited, IF, you take care of the back-end wiggle. I would NOT recommend doing any quick manuevers before taking care of that FIRST. There is a company in Florida who has just the fix, and you can find their product (BT Tech Chasis stiffening plate) on PC chat's store here. I have no affiliation with BT Tech, or PC Chat's store. Until such time as you have that fixed, DO NOT react quickly with the steering wheel based on what you feel through the seat. Its best to drive the stock Prius with one's eyes primarily.