Thinking Of Buying A Pruis

[Neil147]

I'm thinking of buying a Pruis but have a few questions before hand.

I had a Mercedes C Class 250CDI but had to reject this because of the faulty injectors and it taking an age to repair, therefore I am looking for another car. I am just waiting for the refund to come through.

Although the Pruis is not as nice looking inside it does have lots of gadgets on the T Sprit model. Also I doubt if it will handle as well at speeds, however saying that the Mercedes was spinning all over the place in the recent snow and ice and was not controllable being rear wheel drive

These where the questions I forgot to ask at the dealers?

1. If you do not purchase the “protection Park”, which includes the rear parking sensors, how does the automatic parking work, does it work solely on the camera. ?

2. How much space do you need for the auto parking to work, can this get into tight spaces?

3. How many MPG would you get travelling around 80mph on a motorway Or 40mph on a dual carriage way ?, i’m not a particularly slow driver when nothing is on the road, so wonder if i get better mpg then just a diesel car.

4. In normally travelling conditions e.g. motor way at 80mph can you do 400 miles without filling up at a service station. ?

5. bluetooth connectivity, can I sync my phone so if it rings I can answer with the steering wheel ?

6. Has anyone tried the adaptive cruise control and what do they think, i watched the Toyota website and the video said if a car breaks sharply in front you will need to break as the system may not be quick enough.

7. Are the leather seats worth the extra 1400.

8. What do you think of the Sat Nav system, i read some fourms who said it was a bit slow to react, also has anyone managed to put a fix on so you can put in a route whilst driving.

9. The reversing beeps, have you disabled the bleeping as i think that would get on my nerves.

If you could help it be greatly appreciated.

[emphasis303]

The leather seats are definitely worth it, my gen 2 prius gets about 400miles on a fill up in town let alone the motorway, the gen 3 is supposed to be even more fuel efficient.

I havent had the reverse beeps done yet but will do next time in the dealership.

I think regarding the parking space size, the computer will tell you whether it can do it or not.

You should've gone for the e200cgi I was so nearly tempted!

[phil4]

I'm thinking of buying a Pruis but have a few questions before hand.

These where the questions I forgot to ask at the dealers?

1. Protection sensors are completely separate to the park assist. The park assist will still let you crash into a bollard without warning, the protection pack will just audibly alert you to it.

2. Has managed to get me into a couple really quite tight spaces without too much trouble. It goes in backwards, so really doesn't need much room

3. No idea. I'd not say I'm particularly slow, and I get around 56mpg at the moment.

4. Sorry, don't know, never done motorway at 80mph for a full tank.

5. If you have a suitable compatible phone, yes. Mine works with both my phones. Your mileage may vary.

6. Not seen this offered on a Prius before now, so no, wasn't able to test it on test drive, and not fitted to my car. Suggest you check it's available.

7. Entirely a personal choice. The cloth seats are more like suede than cloth. Didn't like the leather, reminded me of pleather. But it's a matter of taste.

8. Find it just fine. Mine can already be adjusted while moving. Personally find the TSpirit system much better than the one in my old BMW. But tastes vary.

9. Had the reversing beep disabled before I took delivery. Requested at purchase, done before delivery. So doesn't drive me mad.

Hope the above help. I'd put the caveat in that all of the above is my opinion of my car. Yours may be different, may perform differently and may have different features.

[Fujisan]

I'm thinking of buying a Pruis but have a few questions before hand.

These where the questions I forgot to ask at the dealers?

1. If you do not purchase the “protection Park”, which includes the rear parking sensors, how does the automatic parking work, does it work solely on the camera. ?

I think it uses a combination of the camera and sensors in the front bumper (on the side by the wheels).

2. How much space do you need for the auto parking to work, can this get into tight spaces? Don't know never used it in anger.

3. How many MPG would you get travelling around 80mph on a motorway Or 40mph on a dual carriage way ?, i’m not a particularly slow driver when nothing is on the road, so wonder if i get better mpg then just a diesel car.My guess is it would be just as good if not better than a diesel (of the same engine size) at those speeds.

4. In normally travelling conditions e.g. motor way at 80mph can you do 400 miles without filling up at a service station. ? Maybe, but remember the Prius only has a 45 litre tank, other cars might seem to have a greater range but their fuel tanks are nearly twice the size!

5. Bluetooth connectivity, can I sync my phone so if it rings I can answer with the steering wheel ? No problems so far :D

6. Has anyone tried the adaptive cruise control and what do they think, i watched the Toyota website and the video said if a car breaks sharply in front you will need to break as the system may not be quick enough. I think Adaptive CC is a United States only option

7. Are the leather seats worth the extra 1400. For Toyota "leather"

8. What do you think of the Sat Nav system, i read some fourms who said it was a bit slow to react, also has anyone managed to put a fix on so you can put in a route whilst driving. Again, no problems

9. The reversing beeps, have you disabled the bleeping as i think that would get on my nerves.

If you could help it be greatly appreciated. Yes, it can be disabled.

[Neil147]

Fujisan beat me, looks like only on American models, a bit of disapointment as i was looking forward to that.

Hi Phil

I think Cruise Control should be on yours I see you have the T Spirit, anything above T4 has it.

This video was posted 9 months ago, so i think you should have this.

[phil4]

Fujisan beat me, looks like only on American models, a bit of disapointment as i was looking forward to that.

Hi Phil

I think Cruise Control should be on yours I see you have the T Spirit, anything above T4 has it.

This video was posted 9 months ago, so i think you should have this.

Hi Neil, yes have CC, use it daily and works just fine, it's just not the adaptive stuff.

[Ikelos]

I had the reversing beeps stopped after a couple of weeks, took the dealer about 3 minutes to do, much better now.............just one beep..............

[DrCez]

...

3. How many MPG would you get travelling around 80mph on a motorway Or 40mph on a dual carriage way ?, i’m not a particularly slow driver when nothing is on the road, so wonder if i get better mpg then just a diesel car.

4. In normally travelling conditions e.g. motor way at 80mph can you do 400 miles without filling up at a service station. ?

I monitored my fuel usage during some long motorway trips at Christmas:

Re Q3:

Averaging about 70 mph (75 indicated by car) I was getting around 50-52 mpg (based on tank calculations, not the car's computer which can overread by about 5%). I noticed that in sections with 50 mph limits the consumption improved significantly to more like 60 mpg and I would expect maybe 65 mpg on a 40 mph dual carriageway.

- I would expect much better consumption in the summer (the cold air creates more drag and there is a cost to heat the cabin) - at Christmas it was around -2 to 2 deg C while I was travelling.

- Roads were pretty quiet although the Prius really comes into its own in heavy traffic which typically doesn't really impact the mpg much.

- Consumption does increase significantly as you get up around 70 mph. If you're talking about driving at a true 80 mph the Prius would probably indicate around 85-88 mph and I'm sure that would pull the mpg down below 50 mpg.

This is for a Gen III Prius which is reportedly a bit more efficient than the Gen II, especially at motorway speeds.

Some people who post here also log their fuel consumption at fuelly.com (click on the UK option at the top left for UK gallons) although this won't necessarily answer your question about fuel consumption at specific speeds.

Re Q4:

Fujisan mentioned that the tank is relatively small at 45 litres (9.9 gallons). On long journeys I found I was filling up after 350 miles or so but I was being conservative: I didn't want to get caught out in the snowy weather. Your theoretical limit at 50 mpg is nearly 500 miles, so I think 400 miles per fill-up is about right. Some of the Prius marketing material boasts about the long range of the car but in my experience it is not especially impressive; what is impressive, though, is how much less you pay to fill up with a tank of petrol (my last car had a 60 l tank but the Prius has a similar range with a tank 3/4 the size).

If you're interested in how the car performs on motorways make sure you get a test drive to see what it's like at 70 mph. Some people have reported a bit of wind noise around the driver's door; in my car there is some sound that isn't apparent until you get over about 65 mph, but it is not noticeable if the radio is on (I think the fact that the car is so quiet makes any little noises more apparent). If you're getting a T-Spirit you'll have cruise control which was one thing I missed on my T3 on the long drives. In previous cars I had become accustomed to judging my speed using the tone of the engine but because the Prius has a CVT (and the engine is much quieter) speed isn't related to engine rpm, making it much harder to maintain a fixed speed without constantly checking the display (but at least it's a heads-up display :) )

[johalareewi]

1. If you do not purchase the “protection Park”, which includes the rear parking sensors, how does the automatic parking work, does it work solely on the camera. ?

The protection pack is separate from the auto park and is just a set of parking sensors (that beep as you get closer) and a boot liner (which you can buy separately anyway). I think the auto park uses the camera and additional sensors (not the protection pack ones).

3. How many MPG would you get travelling around 80mph on a motorway Or 40mph on a dual carriage way ?, i’m not a particularly slow driver when nothing is on the road, so wonder if i get better mpg then just a diesel car.

A recent motorway trip of 40 miles at about 80mph gave 46mpg (on the car dash). The car dash reading is about 2-3mpg higher than calculated (like at fuelly.com). If you load the car up with luggage and passengers and it is raining, your mpg will drop a little more. The cold also zaps mpg so expect to get better mpg in the summer. If you stay around 65-70mph, you can easily get 50mpg. Even in winter. At 40mph, I get around 55mpg. I tend to drive the Prius like normal car and am getting 50mpg (calculated) on average.

4. In normally travelling conditions e.g. motor way at 80mph can you do 400 miles without filling up at a service station. ?

You should be able to do 400 miles on a tank at 80mph. The Prius has a 45 litre tank. I have done 450 miles on a tank and still had 4 or 5 litres left (although not at a constant 80mph)! Note: The fuel warning indicator comes on quite early so you still have a large range left in the tank. You can use the dashboard 'miles left in the tank' to see how much further you can go. There is even some fuel in the tank when it this hits zero.

8. What do you think of the Sat Nav system, i read some fourms who said it was a bit slow to react, also has anyone managed to put a fix on so you can put in a route whilst driving.

I have a portable satnav which sticks to the window. If you look on the Prius Chat forum, there is a thread there where such a mod has been done (will invalidate your warranty though).

9. The reversing beeps, have you disabled the bleeping as i think that would get on my nerves.

There is a customer option to have the reversing beep disabled BUT it has to be done by a dealer.

My dealer did it free during the PDI. YMMV

[hertsnminds]

A question about the reverse beeping, is this a warning for other road users and pedestrians that you are reversing (like some commercial vehicles)? I would assume the Prius only uses the electric motors when reversing so the car is silent and the only warning another road user would have without the beeps is the reversing light.

If you have a safety feature of the car disabled and you are in an accident what would the insurance company say?

[cootuk]

Strangely enough the reversing beep is only in the cabin.

I guess you could fit a reversing lamp with built in beeper if you are concerned.

People seem to walk behind reversing cars regardless of whether the engine is running, but then they walk behind lorries that have the proper beepers.

[timberwolf]

8. What do you think of the Sat Nav system, i read some fourms who said it was a bit slow to react, also has anyone managed to put a fix on so you can put in a route whilst driving.

I have a portable satnav which sticks to the window. If you look on the Prius Chat forum, there is a thread there where such a mod has been done (will invalidate your warranty though).

The restriction of not being able to enter a route whilst moving was changed on the European Sat Nav software version in late 2008 for the Gen 2. The Sat Nav software between North America and Europe has always been different, such as some voice commands and that the North American DVDs will not work in the European Sat Nav ECU and also vice-versa.

There are enough Gen 3 T-Spirit owners here who ought to be able to test whether that feature has been retrograded in the current version of the Sat Nav?

[Fujisan]

The restriction of not being able to enter a route whilst moving was changed on the European Sat Nav software version in late 2008 for the Gen 2.

There are enough Gen 3 T-Spirit owners here who ought to be able to test whether that feature has been retrograded in the current version of the Sat Nav?

I sorry, if people think texting whilst driving is dangerous, how much more dangerous is trying to set a sat nav destination whilst doing 60 mph!

If I need to reset the sat nav, I'll pull over to a safe parking spot first, thank you.

[timberwolf]

I sorry, if people think texting whilst driving is dangerous, how much more dangerous is trying to set a sat nav destination whilst doing 60 mph!

If I need to reset the sat nav, I'll pull over to a safe parking spot first, thank you.

It's not that dangerous if you ask the passenger to change the destination.

[Fujisan]

It's not that dangerous if you ask the passenger to change the destination.

That depend's on your passenger's sense of direction.....

......you could end up in a whole different world of trouble!

[timberwolf]

It's not that dangerous if you ask the passenger to change the destination.

That depend's on your passenger's sense of direction.....

......you could end up in a whole different world of trouble!

:)

Lacking a sense of destination might be more accurate? I'd have thought a sat nav was made for people who lacked a sense of direction...

[phil4]

8. Find it just fine. Mine can already be adjusted while moving. Personally find the TSpirit system much better than the one in my old BMW. But tastes vary.

[Neil147]

Just a couple more questions

Does anyone actually use the B on the gear leaver, I read its for when you go down hills to charge the Battery.

Does anyone continually drive in power mode or do you just use that when coming onto a motorway to pick up speed quickly and then return to eco mode.

I also read the rear view camera is not good when its raining, therefore should I add the rear parking sensors since the rear-view is slightly obstructed. Has anyone notice poor camera display in poor weather conditions.

[wooski]

Just a couple more questions

Does anyone actually use the B on the gear leaver, I read its for when you go down hills to charge the battery.

Does anyone continually drive in power mode or do you just use that when coming onto a motorway to pick up speed quickly and then return to eco mode.

I also read the rear view camera is not good when its raining, therefore should I add the rear parking sensors since the rear-view is slightly obstructed. Has anyone notice poor camera display in poor weather conditions.

I've used B sometimes - but to be honest whilst it provides more retardation it doesn't stop the car accelerating on a steep hill so I mostly just use the brakes to recharge.

I personally dont use the other modes at all. I've totally gotten used to the normal mode and can make the car creep along in EV mode just by watching the eco monitor (on the head up display) and learning tricks like keeping a steady throttle over speed bumps (i.e. no accel / de-accel etc). You get the full power of power mode by pushing down harder on the trottle. When I try to use one of the other modes it disorientates me so I always quickly switch back to what I know.

Yes in very heavy rain sometimes a drop of water will be visible on the rear camera but you can still see the car or object behind you. I know some people give the camera a quick swipe with their finger to avoid this but I've never bothered. The rear camera is a great boon for parking - I really like it.

[Fujisan]

Just a couple more questions

Does anyone actually use the B on the gear leaver, I read its for when you go down hills to charge the battery.

Haven't been down any big hills where I felt the need for the extra 'engine braking' of the B position.

Does anyone continually drive in power mode or do you just use that when coming onto a motorway to pick up speed quickly and then return to eco mode.

The power / eco buttons (in this respect) only alter the throttle response, so after an initial play with new toys, I don't use them these days.

I also read the rear view camera is not good when its raining, therefore should I add the rear parking sensors since the rear-view is slightly obstructed. Has anyone notice poor camera display in poor weather conditions.

I find the camera is quite well protected against the weather and if it was clean / clear when you set off it will be OK at the end of a journey. There has been a only one or two times it has had rain / dirt on it and part of the picture has been blurred but it was still usable.

But I think the rear sensors are still a good investment

[Chris Dance]

I have used B quite a lot coming down hills it gives a good Battery charge if you use it going down hills. My son uses it a lot in the French Alps in his Prius.

The camera I find is very good, it prevented me reversing into a small child, the childs mother was letting her off spring run round parked cars. Luckily I spotted the child behind me on the car screen.

I have never used self park I find it takes too long to set up.

[Neil147]

cool.

Last question is about Sat Nav.

Can you listen to music and does the sat nav voice only come on when it tells you to make a turn and then goes back to music.

[Dave R.]

I have used B quite a lot coming down hills it gives a good battery charge if you use it going down hills. My son uses it a lot in the French Alps in his Prius.

The camera I find is very good, it prevented me reversing into a small child, the childs mother was letting her off spring run round parked cars. Luckily I spotted the child behind me on the car screen.

I have never used self park I find it takes too long to set up.

My understanding is that "B" is for engine braking - i.e. via the petrol engine, and so in "B" you DON'T charge the batteries. Just coast down hills (or use the brakes genlty) and the Battery will charge.... but I can stand correcting :)

Re the camera - I must use dirtier roads than everyone else, as my camera often gets covered in crud - but the image is still good enough to see what is happening. I tend to give it a quick wipe before setting off (all of the salt on the roads recently hasn't helped!).

As Chris observes, self-park takes too long to set up - and in my experience, it can only cope with "easy" parking spaces so isn't worth the trouble!

Re Satnav and the stereo - the two can operate at the same time - but I must admit, I have the satnav volume turned down to zero and just use the head-up display (far less distracting for everyone, particularly if you know the way, and are just using the satnav to get a better idea of your ETA!). The display kicks in when you are a few 100 metres from the next turn.

[Fujisan]

cool.

Last question is about Sat Nav.

Can you listen to music and does the sat nav voice only come on when it tells you to make a turn and then goes back to music.

Sat nav lady speaks OVER the music.

You can adjust the volume of sat nav lady so that she can be heard.

Plus you have the direction arrows come up on the HUD!

[Chris Dance]

Next time you use B downhill watch the green level on the Battery it increases dramatically. It could from the kinetic energy from the brakes. The charge is coming from somewhere.

Just checked: the charge must be from the brakes not the use of B.

Answer

The B position serves just like lower gears in a normal car, and it's really only there to slow the car when you will be descending a long enough hill that you would have to constantly apply the brakes. It doesn't recharge the batteries in the car any better than the normal brakes do, it's just there in the case of situations like long, mountain roads and the such to keep the car from gaining too much speed and keep you from using the brakes too much.