Some Driving Questions

I never found the rear vision to be a problem. The first month of driving it on the weekends (wifes car) I found that when backing up into a parking spot I could never tell how close I really was. Just trial and error to find out what the rear picture really ment, finally was able to get reasonably close. The front is the same, it'll come to you just don't get really close till your familiar with the car. It ain't horrible honkin' long so you can allow extra till you know it's dimensions in your head. As for your trip, if you nomally listen to a couple of favorite radio stations pre-set them before you leave the lot in Moses Lake. Just tune them in then press and hold one of the number buttons till you hear the beep. That way your not trying to figure out the radio while your dirving an unfamiliar vehicle. The front pillars do take a bit of getting used to. But no worse than a Ford Aerostar or thier ilk. By the time you get close to Bellevue you'll be more comfortable with the car and it should pose no problems. After a week or so it'll be just another car, well a very special nother car.

 

OK, Bob, I guess I might be the lone voice here about visibility, but I agree with you - it DID take some time to feel comfortable driving my Prius. I can not see the front end of the car and had to put in the dangling ball in the garage in order to have a chance to park it in far enough. It just nosedives down so quickly! Also when parking in a lot with those concrete blockers, I HAVE hit the underside of the car (this was when I first got it). IMHO, the rear view does also take some time to adjust to (at first the split rear view was bizarre. I've been driving my Prius now for two months and now none of that bothers me. When I pull into a parking lot, I can judge based on the car next to me as to how far forward to pull. Now that the side mirrors are adjusted further out according to another thread on properly adjusting them, there is not a problem there either. Let's face it, the Prius is a WAY different car in almost every way. The whole driving experience is different, but lots of fun. I still get a thrill every time I get behind the wheel.

 

You aren't alone in occasionally trying to figure out where the front end is.

I can't find the link right now, but on the JP Prius site, someone found the official Toyota Prius Accessories page. Aside from nice things like rubberized cargo area mats with lips (for spills and such), I noticed one interesting thing I've been meaning to explore more.

There were a couple of little 'antenna' looking things that apparently attach to the front bumper corners that stick up and let you see where the corners are from the cockpit.

They seem to come in two versions, one is fixed, and the other appears to be self-retracting, ie, it telescopes out only when you want to use it.

 

Here's the link :
http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/All_toyota_lineup/prius/menu/frame/op.html

Click on 'Functional Item'.

Don't count on me for translation !

Richard. 8)

 

Yeah, that's the one, thanks.

It also appears they have the 'backup mirror' option which drops the curb side outside mirror down for parking.

As well as a fitted car-cover.

Very cool.

 

The pillar blockages and rear spoiler just take a little time to get used to. I had my wife stand at various places around the front and rear bumpers while parked so I could better visualize where the bumpers are.

The small air dam under the front bumper is low enough to hit most parking stops so it really makes sense to quickly figure out how to judge when parking or you'll hear it scrape.

Even with a few of its idiosyncracies its still the most fun and interesting car I've owned.

 

hahaha ..... Sorry, I just visualized this.

"Oops, sorry honey. I didn't mean to....oops, sorry again. Can you move a little to the.....oops. Honestly, I didn't mean to.....wait.....wait, come back." :mrgreen:

 

I have found both the front and rear views to be rather limited. While not a huge problem when driving MOST of the time, it can be a factor when driving on mountainous roads with sharp turns. The windshield pillars, being much thicker than those found in normal cars obscure the view quite a bit.

I was 'yelled' at by a motorcycle cop (while driving - this had never happened to me before!) for cutting someone off on the freeway as I changed lanes. Never saw him. My 'adjustment' to driving the Prius is now to glance over my shoulder when changing lanes. I have found a small blind spot that mirror placement cannot solve.

When I last posted a comment about this, everyone jumped all over me telling me that I had to 'get used to it'. Someone even had the audacity to suggest that I sell my car to others who are waiting for them since I didn't appreciate it enough.

It's a great car. But to answer your question, no, the view is not great. 50 miles a gallon, is, however.

 

The French Prius will be able to have a 'backward radar' (I don't know how to translate this ...) that beeps when you getting close to an object, when you move back. It has 4 sensors in the rear bumper, and it is sold as an accesory and mounted by the dealer. The price is 386 euros (tax included) plus the mounting fee.

You can see it here :
http://www.toyota.fr/showroom/prius2003/ac...ccessories.html

Richard. 8)

 

Hey, can you check on the price for the Filet horizontal ?

FYI, you might want to look at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...9&category=6779 for a much cheaper backup system.

 

The price is 54 euros.

I've attached a spreadsheet file. I know it's in french ... :wink:

Thanks for the link !

Richard. 8)

 

To answer the original questions:

1. The windshield pillar does not bother me.

2. Getting a feel for where the front and rear are during parking took some time. Requires extra caution and larger parking spaces until you get used to it. Eventually it becomes second-nature.

3. View out the rear is the one thing I dislike about the Prius. I have gotten used to it, but I wish it was better. There is no wiper for the bottom part. I'd happily give up a couple of mpg for a less-aerodynamic shape that provided a somewhat more vertical rear window. But I can live with it, and in every other respect it's a great car and I love it.

I always turn and look over my shoulder before changing lanes.

 

Hello to other Prius owners, from southern California.

Here is our story about buying a 2004 Prius. We ordered a Prius last October without having had a test drive, which bothered me no little! At that time deliveries were, we were told, about two months away. A month later we got a call, saying our car--color and options ordered--had arrived. Hooray! But two days later the sales rep called, apologizing because someone had sold it to another customer; he would "make it up" to us. We figured someone had offered over MSRP, the dealer took it, and we were left out in the cold.

Our dealer's rep claimed they didn't charge over MSRP though several in the area did. So we thought that, despite their assertion, paying more than MSRP brought faster results. We even offered to take a car fully loaded with the most expensive add-ons, something like $5,600 above MSRP, though we really didn't want the navigation package. In the meantime we took a test drive at another dealer, who had a demo with the navigation package that really "got" my wife. It found a McDonalds located right next door to the dealership. She would have taken a fully-loaded car then and there.

We finally got delivery on January 17, in the color and options we ordered. I guess I can say it was worth the wait. The fuel mileage after about 700 miles hasn't reached the advertised 50-60 mpg range, but 45 mpg isn't too shabby, given the sudden jump in gas prices in California.

The main criticism I have is the small rear window area, with the spoiler partially blocking the already-limited viewing area through glass that has an uneven surface--it appears wrinkled. And I would like leather seating and power driver seat, neither of which was offered this model year. I'll bet one or both will come later.


Norm

P.S. Making it up to us got a dealer add-on paint and upholstery protection, and LoJack at dealer cost, both worth a total of about $500.
Because we didn't take delivery in 2003, the federal tax deduction dropped from $2,000 to $1,500. We came out about even.

 

N/A

 

I'm sorry for my bad english. My last trip to the states was ... let's say ...20 years ago !

By "mounting fee", I mean installation cost ! I'm sure you can have the sensors be painted the same color than your car, but your dealer probably won't get bored with that !

Enjoy riding, lucky man !

Richard. 8)