What I hate about my Prius

I don't live in a place that gets real winter, either, but I've visited places that do. And they're way ahead of us with electric vehicle infrastructure. Nearly every parking lot has a place to plug in your car, and most vehicles have an electric plug hanging out the grille!

Now if only those vehicles had more batteries and no 'coolant' that needed to be kept from freezing...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AlphaTeam @ Jul 10 2006, 01:23 PM) [snapback]283950[/snapback]</div>

i just signed up last night for prius chat,so please excuse this late response.YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS NOT THE ACCURACY OF THE GAS PUMPS,BUT THE INABILITY OF OUR PRIUS'S TO TOTALLY FILL THE FUEL TANK!I ACTUALLY LET MY CAR RUN OUT OF GAS A COUPLE OF TIMES,SO I KNEW I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET 11.9 GALLONS IN THERE.IT TOOK ME A COUPLE OF EXTRA MINUTES TO DO THIS WITH THE PUMP CLICKING OFF AND ME PULLING THE NOZZLE OUT AND PUTTING IT BACK IN.
ON THIS PAST FRIDAY(8/11/06),I PUT IN 11.88 GALLONS.I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ACCURATE MPG!!

 

My biggest complaint is in the CD-MP3 system. Given how much they charge for that system, I find it amazing that

1) it refers to the directories in an MP3 CD as "Folder 1", "Folder 2", ... no matter what the actual directory names are;

2) that you cannot go directly to a specific directory via the MFD -- you pretty much have to go through each folder sequentially;

3) it takes something like 15-20 seconds for an MP3 CD to be recognized.

 

n2y2, I too am 73" individual my only requirement in buying a new car anymore is 'does my hair rub on the ceiling of the vehicle'... if not then "I'm good!"
I've had the 03' Xterra and the fog lamps couldn't be turned on without the headlights, somthing i had to live with then and same now.

I've got the lean down for the hidden blind spots, the mirror flip wow i will have to try it as my Prius is calling for me even now this morning... haha

I bought a 'homedic seat massager, i don't turn it on but i do fold the sit pad up behind the back pad which gives me my lumbar support not to mention occasional massage when needed.

 

Just (re)noticed one thing that is REALLY the only thing I think I "hate" about my Pri: the turn signal arrows do not dim when you dim down the displays for night driving. Those are some honkin' bright arrows! <_<

 

And a new gripe from me too. You can't lock the doors until all the doors are closed. I often will be unloading groceries etc from the car, and want to lock it before I fill my hands with bags. NOPE! It beeps and complains and makes me close the doors first.

 

... considering trading it in. These are the main squawks:

1. Seats. Can't sit in them for more than 30 minutes or they pinch the back of my legs and cut off the circulation. I am trying different cushions for the seats now but have not really found any solution yet. Moved the seats back/forward etc with no luck. They really need to tilt to support the backs of my legs differently. Tis is a real show stopper for me. What good is a car if I can't sit in it? Toyota needs a basic lesson in ergonomics.

2. Lumbar support!!

Would be nice though I have found the sweet spot setting of recline and distance from the (small) steering wheel. I often spend over 5 hours a day in my Prius and so far things are fine.

3. Steering wheel is too far away. (See gripe #1 seats)

I didn't find the distance a problem, however it took a bit of getting used to the wheel's seemingly small size and positioning - kinda like a golf cart.

4. Cruse control. Should only be say "cruse" when it is actually engaged and controlling the speed. It lights up now when it is enabled (as opposed to engaged)

If yours says "cruse" you should take it back and have the "i" installed under warranty. But this is sorta similar to other cars. My Chrysler displays "Cruise" on the panel when the system is enabled, but "Cruise Set" appears when it is actually engaged and controlling speed.

5. A Pillar blocks vision.

Seems every car I drive these days (I rent cars a couple of times a month) has a wierd blind spot somewhere. The only one that I have not gotten used to in the Prius yet is that one in the middle of the rear glass. But with the dark tint I had installed, you can hardly see out the back window anyway.

[snip]

10 Doors auto lock / unlock when in drive/park

Autolock would be OK but I will add gripe... Power window lock diables the driver's window buttons in addition to the passengers'. This is the only car I have ever owned that did this, and it's annoying.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ed stark @ Aug 13 2006, 12:45 PM) [snapback]302592[/snapback]</div>

There have been enough posts in this forum and others about the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge and the variations in bladder capacity that I think Toyota needs to address it - At least by telling people about the possible traps, such as unexpectantly running out of gas, etc.

BUT . . . This does not need to be corrected to get accurate MPG. The consumption computer on the MFD is more accurate at calculating gas mileage than you will ever be at the gas pump.

I have had my Prius a month and put 3,700 miles on it. I have reset the consumption feature at every fill-up and, based on the amount of gas I have purchased overall, I am comfortable assuming the computer is about dead-nuts-right-on. Accurate electronic fuel quantitizers are not rocket science technology.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Curtis SAC @ Aug 17 2006, 01:29 PM) [snapback]304740[/snapback]</div>

That would be due to the fact that we don't need a big wheel so we can see the 'gauges' hidden behind it like every other car. Indeed, it does take some getting used to, as does everything else when you get a new car: Where you rest your elbow, where the light controls are, etc. Oddly, while the Prius dimmer is left of the steering wheel (like every car I have ever driven) in the Camry Hybrid (don't know about other models) it is on the little trip meter selection/reset 'stick' coming out of the instrument cluster behind the wheel on the right side. Not even marked as the dimmer. My friend who got one a few weeks ago said it took them awhile to find it. I expect it is mentioned in the owners' manual but surely it is the MOST odd dimmer location I've ever seen.

 

Seems to me the steering wheel issue is yet another of those intensely personal issues...I love it just as it is. About a month before I got the Pri, I was driving a rental LeSabre on a trip. THAT steering wheel felt like the wheels you see in 18-wheelers. PLUS, if it were any bigger, I wouldn't fit under it because of how close 5' me has to sit to it.

Just like the beep or no backup beep...and if I hadn't been able to get rid of THAT I WOULD have killed someone by now... :huh:

 

What have I done?

I am 3 days away from delivery of my shiny new Prius and I went out looking for more information. I stumbled upon this forum and the first thread I examine is "What I hate about my Prius".

What have I done?

Now I am sensitized to everything anyone has ever found to nitpick about their Prius. I could have just gone on about my own business and experienced my new car for myself, first hand. I might never noticed some of the things you guys have noticed. But no! I had to go look at everything negative thing all the perfectionists in the world have to say about the most important and technologically advanced car to be introduced in the last 100 years (well, maybe 90, 80, 70 -- something like that; you get my drift).

What have I done? More importantly, what do I do now? Do I not show up for delivery? Do I kiss off my deposit? Change my phone number and email address?

Or, do I try a different, happy thread in this chat site? Try to press the "reset" button for my brain? Pretend I never never read about blind spots, thread-bare armrests, gratuitous fog lamps, invisible windshield wiper stalks, stupid trips to the gas station, inaccurate mpg calculations, illogical/perfectly logical gear shifts?

Or do I suck it up and take delivery of my overpriced (but great tax incentives!) green machine and just to chaulk up all this misery to doing my part for the good of society?

Arrggh! What have I done?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(holytechie @ Aug 18 2006, 04:08 PM) [snapback]305607[/snapback]</div>

Take a deep breath and relax, holyt...Welcome to the cult of the Prians. It's ALL good! Can't find it right now, but there is at least ONE thread titled something like "my favorite thing about etc."

What you have done is one of the best things you could have done!

Welcome to the cult!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Aug 18 2006, 03:10 PM) [snapback]305592[/snapback]</div>

I gave up a LeSabre for the Prius. I prefer the smaller steering wheel. Allows better control of car.

PS: Thanks for the WeePri's. They arrived Wed just as you said.

 

OK, I woudn't say I "hate" it, but I don't think it would kill Toyota to put just a bit more padding in the armrests. <_<

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(holytechie @ Aug 18 2006, 07:08 PM) [snapback]305607[/snapback]</div>

Oh, cancel your order immediately!!! Go and find another car that gives you the gas mileage, low emissions, comfort, passenger and cargo capacity, all the cool features, and 95% customer satisfaction rating of the Prius for a better price! Go on. You can do it!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(holytechie @ Aug 18 2006, 04:08 PM) [snapback]305607[/snapback]</div>

If you are lucky, your dealer would let you drive a brand new Camry Hybrid home instead.

:lol:

 

Ummm...HT....We feel your pain...REALLY...now, take a deep breath, and do some more reading! B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(holytechie @ Aug 18 2006, 04:08 PM) [snapback]305607[/snapback]</div>

This is really a case of Your Mileage May Vary. Much of the problems are subjective. For example, one person may hate the seats, but another will have no problems. Some problems are based on past driving experiences (ie "My last car had......"). Some problems come from life experiences. I don't have dogs or kids and I'm the only driver. What would I know about seats getting dirty? Many problems have solutions (like adding a BT brace to improve handling).

I rented one for two weeks in order to see what it was like during a normal commute. I knew what the car could (and couldn't) do; in relation to my own commute and driving experience. I lost having power seats, separate fog lamps and a metric converter that changed everything (no just the speedometer). I'm happy I made the change, and I'm sure you will too. People are different; heck, we don't even get the same mileage.

The Prius is not the Universal Panacea for cars; no car is. Take a look at Consumers Reports and you'll see cars with awkward controls, blind spots, uncomfortable seating and the like. I could probably get into your present car and find problems that you don't see, simply because they aren't problems to you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Aug 19 2006, 06:34 PM) [snapback]305974[/snapback]</div>

Yes, that would be great.