What I like best . . . and least

My last car was a 1990 Ford Probe, so that's what I'm using for comparation.

What I like best is the CVT.

What I like least is the JBL sound system. I'm used to it, but it isn't that great.

 

My Prius is on order like yours, for delivery as of Jan 1 +...

Most fave: The amount of interior room; the hatchback + rear folding seats combo was a HUGE selling point for me. My husband and I go on snowboarding trips every other weekend in the winter, and fold-down seats are a MUST in fitting our boards and gear (without having to resort to a rack, which I would think adds wind drag and lessens the mpg on a ~500 round-trip trip).

My current car (a '96 Saturn) has the 60/40 fold down rear seat and can fit a lot more gear than a typical compact car...so it was wonderful to have that option in a Prius.

Least fave: The visibility out the rear window/hatch. When I test drove, I had a hard time adjusting to the rearview looking thru the hatch window. I believe over time I'll get used to it though, as I did only test drive it for about 30 minutes and I've had my current car for almost 9 years, as obviously that's what I'm used to right now. Time will tell!

The Prius has too many positive things going for it that far far outweigh the negatives. The way I put it is, a 2006 Prius will be a HUGE upgrade from a 9-year old Saturn for me and will have a lot more functions that I don't have on my current car, which I will be thankful for!

 

Best: SKS!
Least: Cruise control design.

• Master switch has to be set every time you start the car
• Loses the setting if you go below 25 or stop even without turning the car off
• Dash indicator shows when the Master is on, but there is no way to tell that it is actually engaged.

You can guess that my prior vehicle had the opposite design. It works better than GREAT except on rolling hills. But then I've never had a car with any sort of ability to recognize "there is an uphill right at the bottom of this down hill" and start acellerating early on the up hill. The "1 MPH" per bump of the CC stalk is very precise, bump it up 5 times and you go up 5 MPH.

 

Best: General appearance of dash especially large, clear digital speedometer; the nav system (with reservations about the inadequate instruction manual). The convenient and capacious console where the hand-brake might have been. The big capacity for luggage with back seats down.
Least: The substitute for a hand-brake operated by left foot. Poor rear view.

But I've only had it for a few weeks: several things I haven't tried yet so this list might be different in 6 months time.

 

Bestest Features:

1. SKS

2. Location of instrument cluster (although the display itself could stand improvement)

3. The hybrid technology!

Worstest Features:

1. JBL "Premium" sound system :angry:

2. Non-telescoping steering wheel or pedals (wife is 4'9"), and no advanced airbag system (only in our '05--advanced airbag standard in '06 model)

3. Upholstery color too light and hard surfaces like glovebox doors scratch too easily

 

Like:
1. SKS of because!
2. The hybrid technology
3. The fuel econmy
4. Low emission
5. The long list of standard features
6. Hatch back
7. Interior room
I can go on and on...

Dislike:
1. Poor front left view.
2. Blind spots, but got used to them.
3. Crappy OEM tires result in TC kicking in on wet and uneven roads.

 

Yeah, that's one of the big reasons I didn't buy the car; I found that left pillar too annoying.

 

Wait, we can have more than ONE of each?
Pro:

• Amazing versatility of the inside for carrying stuff. For instance the fold back flat front seats.
• 'heads up' display forward on the dash. MUCH safer as your eyes don't leave the road as far and don't have to adjust for near and far (good for us older folks)
• Not initially intuitive but BRILLIANT shift design. It doesn't matter what gear you are in NOW, you ALWAYS use the same motion to get to a specific gear.
• Transmission goes into Park when you push the Power button to shut down, one less thing for the driver to do

Con:

• Would like more thigh support (6'2")
• Headrest is tilted too far forward for my preferred seat back angle.
• No EV switch available in the North American cars

 

I have an '05 with 5000 miles on it now. I like the roomy interior, the hybrid technology and I especially like the NAV system (hope you got that).

What I dislike, along with several others, is the visibility issue and the fact that the beast is more than a bit noisy on the highway. I also wish there was a way to adjust the sound quality for the bluetooth unit.

 

Like: Resale value. I can't think of another car out there under $100K where one may routinely earn 33% ROI including tax credits.

Dislike: A** busting driver's seat. Can't take more than two hour continuous stints without sciatica-like pain.

 

YAY: a car that is first on the planet to PROVE you can help other PEOPLE---and, if you're so inclined, your COUNTRY, while helping yourself. Think of THAT!

(Runners-up: MFD "re-education instrument", 4-dr. hatchback (genius!), CVT, speedometer/display placement, nooks and crannies, nice-looking alloys (never had alloys before, like Gen 1 even more), seat height/visibility (kitchen-table-ish!), SK/SE (the Gadget That Won Me Over), AND :drum roll: that little mark that reminds me which side my gas filler is on!!)

BOO: non-adjustable driver's seat

(Runners-up: the ridiculous over-engineering that went into those two USELESS triangular little "windows" up front, with their own DEFROSTERS, yet; GUESS GAUGE)

 

Great Idea for a post. Before I bought our Prius we went looking for negative comments and could not find much. I think we need to be honest, the Prius is different. Some things are better and some are worse, but each person needs to find that line to decide if the car is right for him/her. I may say some negative things, but I don't regret buying the Prius.


Likes:
Hatchback and interior room (that's what finally sold me)

Feel good about driving an efficient car

First of my friends to get one (now they are everywhere)

Smart Keyless Entry - I didn't want this feature (one more thing to break) but the car had it and WOW! Now it is such a pain to actually have to put the key in when driving the other car


Dislikes:
MFD part 1 - Please give me buttons I can feel. I think it is unsafe that I have to take my eyes off the road to change some of the audio and HVAC settings (this is a big one)

Drivers seat - I almost didn't buy the Prius because after a 20 minute test drive I was sore. I have found a more comfortable position, but it is still nothing like my VW or Honda.

Driving experience - Mushy steering, mild acceleration, poor handling and too loud. I know, I know, I keep telling myself it is not a sports car, but Honda & Toyota make some nice handling inexpensive cars. I wish the Prius handled better

Tires - Ditto what's already been said

Flimsy sheet metal - It can easily be dented just by leaning against it. I know Toyota was going for light weight and saving cost, but it feels like a beer can.

MFD part 2 - I wish the two energy screens were combined into one. I want MPG, Avg MPG, battery state and engine condition on one screen (this is a small one)

EV Switch - I wish I had one.

Resale value & long term maintenance - There is a lot of new stuff on the car and I am worried it won't hold it's value as well as other cars. The Prius may be a collector car or a quaint anacronism. I can't get some parts for my 15 year old Honda. What will it be like keeping the Prius running in 10-15 years?


Neither Likes nor Dislikes
Visibility - The Prius is much better than other Euro sedans I have driven (VW Passat and BMW 3xx) but not as good as a minivan or Honda CRX.

Hybrid Drive, CVT, Shifter etc - It is amazing how quickly humans can adapt. When we first got the car the shifter was weird, the sound from the engine was all wrong, but now I don't even notice it. I just get in and drive.

 

First off, I have European model (May 2005, so "newer" model).
I have to say that I find the Prius most AMAZING car on the road. I have Corolla TS (2zzge engine), MRS with custom PE Turbo and drive daily all other Toyota's available in Europe.

Pro's:
- Hybrid technology is SO cool. Looking at the energy screen is AWESOME.
- LCD touch screen in car this cheap? You bet!
- Smart Entry - simply amazing. I refuse to buy any new car that doesnt have it anymore.
- JBL System - I have to disagree with others, JBL comes in our base Prius here and it is miles ahead of any other stock Toyota system we have. Maybe for some hip hop listeners it is missing some base but I love it. Gazillion times better of systems found in similar cars.
- Looks - Prius looks awesome, sporty. People say that it looks great.
- Novelty factor - going around town with engine off, people's faces at the gas station when I sail away? priceless.
- Steering - nicely weighted, awesomly low turning cycle
- Sporty ride - Maybe it is only European, but Prius has an awesome mix of sporty and comfortable ride. I actually thought it a bit too harsh after I just got it.
- Nice passing power - better than comparable turbo diesel.
- CVT - pretty nice and easy to get used to.
- Cruise control - intuitive and helpful. Why should it stay on after I restart the car?
- Nice legroom at back
- NVH levels - very low levels of outside noise, except during hard acceleration. For those complaining, maybe get different tires (softer but less mpg)
- overall interior design - very nice!

Bad points:
- I would like loads of soft plastics like in Corolla or Avensis
- More headroom at back
- deeper trunk
- slightly annoying drone under hard acceleration.
- few plastic screetchy sounds once in a while (better than most other Toyotas though).
- I would like darker seat fabrics like in our European models.
- lumbar support for the seats
- telescopic steering wheel
--------------------------------------------------------------

Simply put, I love it. I truly believe that overal this is the best car Toyota has produced ever. It gets up to 30% better MPG than comparable Avensis Diesel, and without any sounds. Gliding through air is an nice feeling.

 

In no particular order:

Things I like the best

Steering Wheel - I love all of the functionality that is packed into the steering wheel besides the horn and steer left/right: Volume up/down for radio and mobile phone, audio mode selector, climate control temp up/down, A/C on/off, front defroster on/off, rear defroster on/off, recirculation toggle on/off, voice commands, mobile phone off hook/on hook, Info screen toggle for energy monitor/consumption screens, navigation map button. I love having everything at my fingertips. When I drive other cars I have to take my eyes off of the road and reach for those buttons. Not with the Prius - I can do everything by touch using the steering wheel controls, and without taking my eyes off of the road. Very nice, this is one of my favorite features.

Keyelss Entry, Keyless Start - I like this more than I thought I would. Funny thing is when I drive my wife's Sienna (no keyless option), I always jump in the driver's seat and look for the start button. Then I have to unbuckle and get my keys out, then insert them into the dash. I'm spoiled by the Prius.

WMA/MP3 capability of factory radio - I love this. I had a book-on-CD that spanned 8CDs. I ripped this to WMA files and put all of the files on one CD. Now it takes only one of my 6 CD slots, and I have 5 free for other things like music. It's awesome!

HID headlights - I'm never going back to halogen headlights ever again. The HIDs are very bright and light up road signs at much greater distances. Driving at night is actually enjoyable because of the headlights.

Planetary gearset in the transmission - I like the smooth feeling of the transmission. Since there are no shiftpoints as in a conventional automatic transmission, acceleration is very smooth.

Super high-resolution screen of the 2006 - wow, this screen has very high resolution. The maps no longer contain jagged lines, and there are subtle drop-shadows under most things. It's very readable. The back-up camera must be higher-resolution too, because the image is sharper than our 2005 Sienna backup camera.

Backup camera - I'll never buy another car without it.

Slightly narrow body style - I like the fact that the car fits into compact parking spaces because the car is a bit narrower than average cars. I also like this because I have more room in my garage. Also, when centered in a parking space, there is more room on either side of the car, allowing easier entry/exit and also makes it a bit harder for others to ding the doors.

Entry/Exit - It is so easy to get inside this car. And it is equally easy to exit the car. This is because of a good height for the seat and also a very high roofline for the front seats. I don't need to duck my head very much to get into the car.

LED brake lights - very cool and modern.

Safety - I like the front and side airbags and stability control.

Almost invisible tailpipe - I like the fact that Toyota decided to minimize the appearance of the tailpipe. Many cars have bold shiny tailpipes that advertise their gas-thirsty ways. I like what Toyota has done with the tailpipe on the Prius. I wish it was even more hidden.

Things I like the least

Hard plastic door panels and dashboard. I have a 2006 package #8 with the factory leather option. The seats are quite comfortable. I love the perforated leather. Why couldn't they extend the leather onto the doors and dash? I may look at having an interior shop do that for me.

Plastic wheel trim-rings - I took these off as soon as I got home from the dealer. The wheels appeared much more sporty after that.

 

Things I like most about my Prius:

I love the fact that you can, depending on your mood and circumstances, choose to either drive the Prius like any other car without thinking about what's going on under the hood, or use the info screens to analyze what's going on. There are things I'd like to see added to the info displays, but having them at all is really nice.

CVT. I love the smooth accelleration, especially going uphill.

HID headlights. These are amazing. Driving with these on feels less like driving with headlights on and more like driving down a really well-lit street.

Driver's seat ergonomics -- yeah, I know many people dislike this, but I'm 5'3" and the seat feels very comfortable to me. And compared to my previous car (96 Saturn SL2), the seat is pretty high off the ground, providing me with some extra visibility.

SKS / SKE -- I'm not sure whether I like this because it saves me the trouble of digging out my keys or just because it feels kind of futuristic.

Auto-dimming rearview mirror -- I've never been bothered by headlights shining into my eyes since I started driving the Prius.

Things I like least:

Rear visibility. It's not just that the view is cut in half by the spoiler -- to me, looking out the rear window feels like looking through a tunnel. My last car was a sedan, and the rear window was much closer to the driver's seat than the Prius's hatch is. The rear camera is a nice feature, but it doesn't really help that much. I'm slowly getting used to this, but it's my biggest complaint about the car.

Voice recognition. I hate having to sit through the long prompt, and it often misinterprets what I say.

The left front tire's tendency to leak air -- although to be fair, this is a problem with my Prius, and not Prii in general. I just discovered this today and will be taking it in tomorrow, after which I'll probably be back whining about the fact that road hazards aren't covered under the tire warranty.

 

You can turn off the some of the voice prompts, just got drug outa bed to work so can't remember where, think settings.

 

Thanks -- I'll look into that. I admit, I haven't read the NAV manual yet, just the regular owner's manual.