Save a step- power button automatically puts in Park!

I love how this thread pops up every couple months. Its literally identical every time. Keep it going!

 

I found about that this morning too.

 

I read on the internets that doing this will instantaneously void the warranty and dispatch the Prius Police to your house to beat you mercilessly. Just saying.

 

Been doing this for nearly a year since I got the car and read a previous thread about it! Saves a step, and ensures you won't forget to turn the car off!

 

theres a "park" button?

 

It appears if you open the door before pressing the power button

 

I agree it's not problem at all.

I was thinking to save a step - During holding the brake pedal, and press the parking brake pedal it's could be good idea, the "P" will switch automatically. It could be useful to stop on the hill road.

 

Yes. I pressed it, assuming a kissable woman would suddenly appear in the passenger seat, but it doesn't seem to work.

Tom

 

1. Emergency brake 2. Park 3. Radio off

4. Power

Thats how I do it. It's the safest way to go about it. When you use an automatic transmission on any other car, you don't pull out the keys without putting it into park.

But whatever, just do what you're comfortable with.

 

I have never put the car in park before shutting it down since first using it in Sept 2009 - I read the manual (as reported also here Post #16 from Quattro) thoroughly before using the car and never used "park" before turning the car off.

I think the whole process of pressing "P" before turning off is to keep "compatibility" to drivers accustomed to standard automatic where you *have* to put in Park before shutting off (drove very few automatics and for extremely short periods, so some other user here can comment). The fact that the P switch is completely separated from the gearshift lever, means that P is not *that* important and can be side-stepped as the car takes care of itself when shutting it off (and that is what I would expect from a 2010 car).

I have driven last week a rental car (a Renault Scenic) that had a manual transmission with electric handbrake and it applied the handbrake automatically when I turned the car off (though handbrake and P are "different", they block the car nevertheless).

The only time I use P is when I am at a traffic light and I don't want to tire my right leg by pressing the brake the whole time. I don't want to put it in neutral either, to avoid rolling, and to prevent the ICE to turn on, if it has to.

 

This is the key point. Much of the Prius human interface has been tweaked to feel comfortable for ordinary drivers coming from ordinary cars. The shift pattern and engine creep are good examples.

Tom

 

Only if you open the door with the system powered up in drive, reverse or neutral.

 

When you power down the car, not only will it go into park by itself, it also switches off the power to the radio until you power up again!!

Technology is awesome!