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New Prius Owners - Give Us Your Report

674 messages,  Last post on Oct 02, 2012 at 9:01 PM

You are in the Toyota Prius Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Prius, Hybrid Cars, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 63 of 68

#618 of 674 UNINTENDED ENGINE SHUTDOWN by subjective

Nov 28, 2011 (11:38 am)

I can now answer my own question. Toyota's official line is that this "engine shut down feature" started to be implemented in late 2010 and 2011. All 2012 Toyota's will have this feature. Toyota tells me that the 2011 and 2012 Prius cars completely shut off the engine when both the brake and accelerator are applied at the same time. In all other Toyota vehicles when both the brake and accelerator are applied, the brake stays on and power is cut but the engine is not turned off. I can not imagine anything more frightening than being on a multible lane highway in a heavy rain storm with large trucks bearing down on me and the vehicle i'm in has a sudden loss of power. My 25 yr new vehicle purchase with Toyota has now ended.

#619 of 674 Re: UNINTENDED ENGINE SHUTDOWN [subjective] by lowflyer1

Nov 28, 2011 (5:32 pm)

Replying to: subjective (Nov 28, 2011 11:38 am)
I can't say for sure but I'd bet this "safety feature" is a Toyota self-defense response to the government's unwarranted attack on the company a while back during the GM/Chrysler nationalization mess.
 
Toyota was doing too much business and was now in competition with the govt, so they used every dirty trick in the book to try to handicap them.
 
I didn't closely follow the incidents where Priuses allegedly ran away but seem to recall the investigations pretty well exonerated Toyota (floor mats jamming accelerators or some driver error have been blamed officially.)
 
Nonetheless the govt levied massive fines etc.
 
IMHO predatory lawyers and the govt. are far more worthy targets of blame than Toyota for the advent of this "safety feature"....even if my facts aren't 100% on the mark.
 
At any rate, I vowed to buy a Toyota as my next car, and I did. Last week I bought a 2011 Prius IV right off the truck.
 
Go Toyota!

#620 of 674 New 2011 prius lll by subjective

Jan 10, 2012 (11:17 am)

I'm happy to report that we purchased a new Prius lll Dec. 19, 2011 and it is working out well for our use of family errands. Milage indicated has been from 55 mpg on secondary highways at 50 to 65 mph down to 45 mpg at 70 to 75 mph. Earlier I posted concern about a new 2011 Prius ll loaned to us while our Tundra was being serviced in which the engine unintentionally shut down when the brake and accellerator were depressed at the same time. This has not occurred one time on our new one in 1200 miles. The experience has not been good with our dealer. We have reported the Toyota dealer, which we have purchased from and serviced with for 25 yrs, to the Florida Attorney General for what we see as deceptive sales practices. They advertised 20 % off on any 2011 Prius in stock which you simply don't get. We are also reporting this to the Chairman & CEO of Toyota Motor Sales USA.,

#621 of 674 Switching from Yaris to Prius . . . by maximus43

Jan 10, 2012 (1:17 pm)

My 2009 Yaris four door sedan (automatic) was my daily commute road warrior since May 2009. However my daughter recently totaled her POS Chevy Cobalt (she is just fine, thank goodness) and so she is inheriting my faithful Yaris. The Yaris has ZERO problems after 66,000 miles, and still obtains about 30 to 32 mpg in mostly city driving, about 36 mpg in hwy. Even the original brake pads still have decent amount left and may go until 80K or 90K. What an amazing little car.
 
Anyway, I have now acquired a 2010 Prius with mileage of 45K for what I think was a very fair price ($15,400 plus tax and $399 dealer fee), and I am hoping that the increase in gas mileage and the stellar reliability reputation of the Prius will make me a happy customer when combined with the various small creature comforts that the Prius offers over the Yaris (SmartKey entry system, steering wheel controls, a conventional cupholder, a real center armrest, a hatchback for easily hauling various flea market items, and a more firmly planted, quieter ride, IMHO). My Yaris is a wonderful utilitarian vehicle, and I damn near bought another one, but the very good price I paid for this Prius convinced me to take the hybrid leap.
 
However I never would have purchased a new Prius; the cost of a new Prius seems so high that it seemingly would take a decade of driving to realize any petrol saving, unless you do a LOT of driving. Furthermore, the argument for the Prius over the Yaris has more to do with the overall comfort of the driving/ride experience rather than the comparative operating costs, because the Yaris is relatively inexpensive, extremely fuel efficent, and so darn reliable.
 
So far, after just 1/2 a tank, my car seems to be averaging only 47mpg according to Prius trip computer )which means I am probably getting just 45 mpg). I placed more air in the tires and am learning from all of you how to goose more mpg from the beast. Janaury is a horrible time to set the bar for this car, so perhaps with warm weather and a few tankfuls I will see something over 50 mpg. The problem is my city commute is only 8 miles one one, and the car is barely warmed up by the time I get to work or to home.
 
On the freeway I easily acheived a mpg over 50 mpg . . .which i find a little odd given the EPA estimates--but I realize athose estimates are based on paritial usage of the EV mode in the city, something that can't be accomplished on the freeway.
 
Anyway, I am a total computer/mileage geek, and so I am completely in love with the "geek-ou" experience offered by the Prius computer readouts and such. It truly is an engineering marvel

#622 of 674 2011 Prius IV 2000 mile report by lowflyer1

Jan 10, 2012 (7:25 pm)

We bought our Prius back in November 2011 and now have just over 2000 miles on it.
 
So far, it's a mostly good report. We love the car, it's amazingly smooth riding for such a small car -- heck, it's a better ride than the 2005 Odyssey we traded in on it, which was a far better ride than the Cadillac I had before that. I am very impressed with the quiet cabin and the aerodynamics of the moon roof, which is the quietest (when open, of course) of any car I ever owned.
 
The cockpit layout is well done, especially the shifter which is perfectly located for using the "braking" function for speed adjustments on the road or braking assist when slowing/stopping. I can see we'll get a LOT of miles out of the brake pads as I hardly ever use the brakes. Instrumentation is superb.
 
My only cockpit complaint is the instrument light dimmer which is unlighted and difficult to operate. This makes it impossible in the dark. Maybe it's just me but I feel the ergonimics folks at Toyota dropped the ball here.
 
Cruise control is great in function and operation but is slow to react when adjusting speed in one MPH increments. Operation is a bit awkward sometimes when I forget that the control stalk turns with the steering wheel -- I occasionally find myself operating the wipers when trying to operate the cruise control.
 
We got the remote a/c and solar roof package but I wish now I'd known about the Advanced Technology package as I feel it would have benefited me to a greater degree on the highway and my wife in parking. The solar roof will be of more apparent benefit in the warmer months, but I don't think it'll really be worth the money, even here in Georgia....we'll see.
 
Right after we got the car I found oncoming drivers flashing their lights at me at night, indicating that they thought my high beams were on. They weren't. So left my garage door down, pulled up to it, and looked at where the lights hit it. I was disappointed to see that after Toyota did so much right with this car they sent it out of the factory in Japan with the left headlight aimed egregiously high.
 
When I took it back to my dealer I was pleased with their prompt attention to the matter but again disappointed that: #1 - they aimed the low beams so low that now I can hardly see more than what I estimate to be 100' in front of the car, and #2 - that the service advisor indicated that the techs made the adjustment without knowing where the lights SHOULD be aimed (No headlight adjustment specs and/or equipment???) I'll be going back for another adjustment and to ask the obvious questions.
 
Now, for the trip computer and speedometer. I was pleased to see mileage calculated in the 50 MPG range on the trip computer. However, in our town we have several radar equipped traffic signs that flash your speed when you approach them. It was disappointing to see that my speedometer indicates (after numerous passes) exactly two MPH faster than the radar sign indicates. This is a great lawyer buffer to help Toyota avoid frivilous lawsuits by idiots who simply look for anyone to sue over anything, but appears to me that it will lead to erroneous mileage indications which likely will cause owners to over maintain the car for mileage based service procedures.
 
Erroneous speed indications also give a false sense of fuel economy in the form of inflated MPG figures. That also disappoints me. Additionally, I am in the habit of calculating my mileage based on gallons pumped and miles driven at each fillup. Sorry Toyota, I am consistently calculating about 2-4 MPG LESS than the trip computer shows. Combine this with the fact that the odometer is likely about 2 MPH fast and you have a potential for a rather large difference between TRUE MPG and INDICATED MPG. Maybe some of the math geniuses on the forum could figure out what's going on. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to apologize to Toyota...oh yeah, I know about the differences in fuel pumps etc but most of my fillups have been at the same pump.
 
Don't misunderstand, I'm happy as a clam about the mileage I get, but would be a lot happier if the instrumentation were more accurate. Technology this seemingly perfect deserves to have these speed/mileage/mpg indications to be closer to perfect. I can deal with a couple of MPH on the speedo but the MPG off, on a Prius????
 
In summation, I absolutely love the car overall and still look forward to driving it each day. We've tested it on local roads in Georgia, South and North Carolina Interstates, as well as the winding, steep secondary roads of western North Carolina and have been pleasantly surprised at the acceleration and, especially road hugging handling. Aw, heck, I might as well admit that a Miata driver who was trying to shake me on a nice curvy road near my house couldn't do it. Now, I must admit that I have no idea how accomplished a driver he was but my Prius was not even near its limits of lateral traction. Maybe this is nothing to crow about, I suspect not, but I was impressed that this little "turtle car" had so much spirit.
 
Would I buy a Prius again? You bet I would, in a heartbeat....even though some of my Conservative friends are calling me a Democrat and shaking their heads at me when I ghost by in EV mode.

#623 of 674 Re: 2011 Prius IV 2000 mile report [lowflyer1] by bobw3

Jan 11, 2012 (10:33 am)

Replying to: lowflyer1 (Jan 10, 2012 7:25 pm)
Just because the speedometer is a couple of mph inaccurate, doesn't mean that the odometer is inaccurate, so this shouldn't affect your manual MPG calculations.
 
And for the previous poster, it's hard to compare a Yaris to a Prius, since their different classes of vehicle. The Prius is about the same inside as a Camry and has more cargo space than a Camry. I'd say most folks buying a Prius aren't in the market for a car the size of a Yaris, otherwise they'd be better off comparing the Yaris to the Honda Fit, or some other similarly sized car.

#624 of 674 Re: Switching from Yaris to Prius by snowboarder4

Jan 11, 2012 (11:03 am)

Replying to: maximus43 (Jan 10, 2012 1:17 pm)
Yaris is not the same vehicle as Prius. For anyone who feels they want a subcompact with fuel economy similar to an Eclipse or Rabbit, which I have also owned over the years, the Yaris fits well. I am glad to drive the Prius. Much of my time is spent climbing Fourteeners and snowboarding. The Prius fold-down seats are almost always down with gear stuffed across the storage area. Not only does the Prius handle steep grades in the mountains, people I meet are amazed that my vehicle goes as far up Forest Service roads as most other vehicles. With respect to fuel economy, I achieved 50 MPG during summer driving for a few years, taking care in driving habits. In winter, my mileage can drop off to about 43 MPG due to the cold. As to the owner who only commutes 8 miles to work in the Prius, my workplace is 8 miles from home. Usually, I ride my bike to work: much higher fuel economy. However, the Prius does take me places in about half the time as my bike.

#625 of 674 Re: 2011 Prius IV 2000 mile report [bobw3] by lowflyer1

Jan 11, 2012 (7:22 pm)

Replying to: bobw3 (Jan 11, 2012 10:33 am)
That's food for thought in this electronic age (I'm showing mine with that comment.)
 
I think "old school" from the time when odometers and speedometers were mechanically connected so that an error in one would definitely mean an error in the other. I had not even considered that they might be separate electronic components. But I must admit that I was puzzled by the disparaties between electronically calculated vs. old fashioned "miles driven/gallons added=mpg" methods I've experienced with the Prius. I just figured to stay at it till it all made sense (maybe with enough calculations.)

#626 of 674 clarification . . . by maximus43

Jan 12, 2012 (2:14 pm)

Sorry if I implied that the Prius and Yaris are comparable for anything beyond a basic desire to achieve good mpg . . . the two vehicles offer very different driving experiences and capabilties. That's why I stated "the argument for the Prius over the Yaris has more to do with the overall comfort of the driving/ride experience rather than the comparative operating costs" . . .but I obviously didnt make my point very clear in my rambling discourse
 
I do wish the Prius had as much soft plastics in the cabin as the Camry does, but other than that, you are right-- the cockpit experience is much more comparable to a Camry than a Yaris.

#627 of 674 New 2011 Prius lll by subjective

Jan 13, 2012 (5:59 pm)

I have found at night on a dark highway our low beam headlights are not bright enough. They shine in a narrow band more like fog lights than low beams. I took it to the service dept. today and complained about the right low beam was not as bright as the left. The tech reported that the right projector housing was distorted from overheating. They ordered a new projector housing to be installed tomorrow. I would think a high tech car like the Prius should have better lights in the full line, not just in the top of the line. This is a new car! I expect more for quality and safety sake.

Messages Page 63 of 68

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