prospective owner -- what don't you like?

1) Blind spots. Rear view got better as I got used to it, but on curvy roads the look front left is severely blocked by the A-pillar. Canyon roads would be very tiring.

2) Crosswind sensitivity, and lack of freeway tracking. Experimented with tire pressures and alignment, but it never went away completely.

Everything else is nits to me.

 

One thing I'd change is I'd like it to have better handling at freeway speeds. It does tend to wander just a little bit. So far though, this has been a very minor issue. I've never felt unsafe while driving it. Some have complained about handling during windy conditions, but I haven't experienced that yet.

 

Yes, it’s a good fit for that type of driving.

I personally find the car quite comfortable for short and long distance driving, but seat comfort is a personal perspective thing. My first month of owning an ‘05 Prius we took a 1000+ mile trip down to San Diego and back. The 50.5 MPG definitely was not a pain in the butt. :wink:

You’ll be saving about $10 a week just by not being forced to buy premium! And that is before you even start to calculate your saving from the MPG difference between the ‘stang and Prius.

What don’t I like about the Prius? The interior beeps would make more sense if it was part of an ultrasonic back-up system to help with the reduced views while backing up.

 

I think everyone posted all the primary drawbacks, and most of the nits, I can think of.

Only two other nits:

• Climate control user interface is... well, I have a problem with it. (I'd prefer a big bar that goes from blue to red. )
• The Prius only uses the electric engine for reverse. Thus, if you need to drive up a steep driveway backwards, it can be slow going. Too steep, I've heard, and it can be impossible.
  
  That said, how often do you need to go up a steep hill backwards? I don't, but maybe others do.

 

Rattles like a cheap car.

 

Tire/road noise is bad on roads that have had "chip-seal" especially from the rear seats. This is no problem on recently resurfaced or ungrooved concrete highways.

Reallignment of wheels right after purchase was necessary to make road handling feel safe on my 2004 Prius. It still takes getting used to because feedback from the electric power steering makes you have to pay attention FULL TIME to keep from wandering off to the low side of a crowned road.

I was used to Mercedes 300SD seating for the previous 15 years, and found that, though much firmer, the Prius driver seat left me less tired and less "sore butt" than the 2 1/2 hour trip that made me stop and stretch after 1 or 2 hours in the Mercedes. I'm 5'10" 200# and like to drive, especially the Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt\";p=\"82157)</div>

I'd suggest visiting your dealer then - both my Prius's are the most solid cars I've ever owned -

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt\";p=\"82157)</div>

Its those cheap OEM tires. I changed mine, some of the rattles went away.

Get Goodyear Comfortreds when you get a Prius. They really do help dramatically lower the felt road vibration, and vibration causes rattles.

 

Before you drive 500 miles get the tires upgraded for the cost difference. I am not sure they still have this deal I wish I had known about it earlier. I have the OEM tires and on good roads there is no problem but on the grooved/scraped roads it is really noisey.

I only have about 1800 miles on mine but no rattling. For cross winds (50-60 mph gusts here in El Paso) I just have to slow down to 55 or 60 mph and then it is just like a regular car.

Other than some of the other things mentioned, do not open your windows if driving faster than 45 mph. For some reason you get blasted and very noisey.

I do not like the GPS NAV. I should have gotten pqackage #4 or #5 and bought a Garmin system. My garmin handheld was better: more up to date, flexible (you can load just the maps you need to get a higher fidelity). And the new maps cost $70 not $250.

My driving pattern is about 35 mph for 8 miles, 60 mph miles 8 miles, 25 mph for 2 miles. I am getting about 59 mpg on this tank according to the MFD (so about 56 prob). I could drive 70 but then I only get about 50 mpg. That is at least an extra gal of gas I can save and I only takes me about 5 extra min to get to work.

 

I'm 6'00" with a 34-36" inseam and I drive with the seat not all the way back - one short of full back. So clearly driver comfort is a very variable factor. Make sure you test drive it well and see if you really fit well in it.

I THOUGHT the visibility would be my biggest pet peeve. It is not. You quickly stop noticing. The biggest "downer" for me is the gas tank/fuel gauge issue. This has been discussed/re-discussed on this site and was even the subject of an official Toyota service recall. Even people who have had that work done or whose cars supposedly fall outside of the range that need it (mine) admit that something just "isn't right" there. Either the tank doesn't hold as much as it should, or it spits gas back out at you, or it drives for 300 miles reading "FULL" then plummets to empty over the next 50 miles or something. I just wished it all worked like a "normal" gas tank and gauge should work.

It's not a deal breaker, by a long shot. But it is the only thing I find slightly annoying. You can live with this - no regrets AT ALL having bought this car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bookrats\";p=\"82137)</div>

That's not an electric problem, it is a traction control problem. Electric motor actually has better torque for going up hills than ICE. Better tires would fix the sensitive TC problem. As for being slow in electric, who goes over 20MPH backwards anyway?

 

Not that you don't know this, but you will likely miss the power and sound and the feel of the Mustang. The Mustang isn't that well built, but the Prius isn't exactly solid. It is, however, more than fine.
Clearly with your commute the gas in the stang is killing you, so I guess its what you are willing to pay vs fun. Our Prius has been fine so far.

 

I'm 6' tall and have no comfort issues at all. My only three gripes are:

1. Visibility--- not really out the back, but the A pillar does get in the way on some curves, and the rearview mirror is a bit lor for what I would say is ideal. This is largely due to the slightly higher driving position, I think.

2. Highway meandering--- slightly irritating at times, especially if there is any wind to speak of. I realise the Prius was not designed as a cushy full-size highway cruiser first (as was my old Avalon) but other midsize cars don't seem to wander around quite so much.

3. The audio system doesn't play MP3s--- I long ago evolved beyond audio discs for music. For a car that's this advanced, not playing MP3s is just a sin of omission... and a TAPE DECK?!?!?! How 80's retro can you be?!?! Some people say they dislike the sound of the sound system (I have package 6 with the 9-speaker JBL setup), but it's fine with me... I had planned to do some modding to the system, but I don't think I will now (other than getting more inputs so I can use a hard-drive-based mp3 player).

Other than that I have nothing to complain about. Bottom line is, would I buy this car again? I would unhesitatingly say "HELL YES!"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil\";p=\"82104)</div>

Ditto for me. The rear and side-rear visibility is not great, but I'm paranoid and insist on a good look over my shoulder before changing lanes. The view from the Prius is better than that in my old Paseo, but is not as good as in my Accord (or the old Maxima). I'm being extra paranoid to compensate.

My Prius does seem to get tossed about a lot in high winds--maybe even more so than does my old Paseo, which has a lower profile. I suspect that such wind is a rarity here, and it's only bugged me a couple of times. It's a mid-size, after all, that handles like a small car, and that is generally a very good thing (IMO).

The rest is nits indeed. The display screen dims when the headlights are illuminated, rather than when the auto-dim mirror knows that it's getting dark. During daylight rain showers (when various laws may require headlights), this can be inconvenient for someone addicted to monitoring mpg.

The JBL stereo is not the greatest, but it more than suits me. Thumps just enough to be as obnoxious as I'll ever want.

I still love this car. I've never said that about an automobile before, and I'm no motorhead.

 

I'd say you'd hate the seats, but from what I remember about driving in Mustangs in the past, the seats in the Mustangs aren't much better (I'm talking the 80's models here).

Other than that, you've got a lot of hard plastic in the Prius (it puts my old '87 cavalier to shame in that department) and the squeaks and rattles that come with hard plastic over uneven grounds.