The 11-inch screen is awful

One thing I can think of: saving money. Designing a hands-on, ergonomic system, one you can mostly operate without taking your eyes on the road, that takes more effort and $’s.

 

yeah, not toyotas forte. stick to what you know

 

Get LE. You won't find better value. XLE or Ltd are wasteful. I had to buy 2021 PP Ltd, because that was the only and last 2021 PP my local dealer had. As soon as the chip shortage is over and the tide turns in favor of car buyers again, I will be selling my 2021 PP Ltd for a net gain.

BTW, I have the 11.6" screen turned off most of the time. There is no need to have it on. And, I use my Garmin for my navigation.

 

What Garmin model is that; we have an ancient one, might be time.

 

This is an ancient one too. Nuvi2699 has been discontinued for a long time. I think at least 7 years old? Surprised they still have the page for the unit.
nüvi 2699 LMTHD | Garmin

 

I don't like screens except for looking at things - like a map or information.

When they decide that the screen will replace buttons and knobs - it's a disaster.

There is a recent local complaint - the new GOLF has ditched the awful DSG transmission for a proper Auto - which everyone loves - but they've put in an entertainment/climate unit with NO knobs, NO buttons - all on screen spots which you touch (like the Aussie PRIUS entertainment unit). And not one Journalist has held back with complaints about it.

 

Yeah, that's the only bad thing about my '21. Not an Apple fanboy and don't want the Koolaid. It's actually OK that my phone isn't fully integrated into the car infotainment system. My phone is off when I'm driving anyway.

 

Speaking of phones, that large, portrait-oriented touch-screen looks very similar.

 

That would be the plan with Apple CarPlay. Your phone "desktop" would be transposed to the 11.6" touchscreen. What a distraction.

 

The 11.6" screen is poorly optimized. Finding a way to replace it in my new 2022 is starting to become an obsession. I'm currently trying to figure out if it's possible to "downgrade" to the 7" stereo. I'd probably need to buy the dashboard, AC vents, climate control pieces, etc. that go with the 7" stereo.

 

duct tape a tablet over it, major improvement

 

Meh: just drop-kick it off the end of the driveway, put in an old school am/fm radio, and some ergonomic knobs/sliders (no buttons!) for the heat/vent controls; I'd love it.

 

I had a chance to use a Prius Prime as a loaner vehicle. It had the 11.6 screen. The glare from it was horrible and actually gave me a headache. No way I could buy a car with a screen like that.

 

Toyota has no idea what they are doing with car information systems, they really don't, I think they hired a homeless guy to design it for them. I have the screen and its only good for a very few things, not upgradeable, not much useable except for navigation, music and ac, there is so much more a big screen like that could have been used for.

 

Somewhere on this site there is a thread that points out that the screen you all love to hate so much is actually the compute engine for some of the advanced features that make the advanced/limited model worth while.

Yes, it would be nice if they put a glare guard on it, but the makers of the device did not make it just for the Prius. It's an aftermarket device installed by the OEM and integrated into the dash fairly well.

 

Hot take: Outfitting a vehicle with virtual controls that require you to take your eyes of the road to work them (instead of physical knobs/buttons that can be operated by feel, with your eyes on the road) should be illegal. It's not just an annoyance, it's a safety issue.

 

On that note; Toyota should move the EV/HV and drive mode buttons to the steering wheel. Maybe put them on a paddle shifter so we don't have to look down to change modes.

 

Yup, easily reached sliders and knobs, preferably with detents, are vastly superior, don't require you to nearly drive off the road to accomplish an adjustment.

As an example, lower levels of 2019 Honda Fit:


"Higher" levels got the screen-and-button style:

 

Just my opinion, but I really like the integration that's available with modern technology. Take the physical knobs on the post just above this one for instance. The pictures on the knob are really small, and you have to take your eyes off the road to see what you are setting it too. Imagine the simple interface where they pop a picture of that knob up on the HUD (heads up display) as you turn the knob. That lets you instinctively locate the knob and see the result while still watching traffic. The knob can still have the pictures so that your passenger can adjust the knob too. The circuitry needed to implement that is fairly cheap and commonly used.