New Auris Excel Sport Tourer Hybrid Vs Prius

[cviclark]

William

Please make your views known to customer.relations@tgb.toyota.co.uk. At the moment I feel I am banging on a locked door. All I want is a digital speed readout on the trip information panel. This should be a simple change but Toyota just don't get the message. On a normal car it may not be an issue as engine noise is an audible indication of speed but in a hybrid not having a clear speed indication is down right dangerous because they are so quiet. If enough customers complain maybe they will let the dealers change it.

There is a device called the Hud-e which may be a third party way to go but this, in my opinion should not be necessary. Unfortunately I tried to get normal wheels and tires, without success, and I guess Toyota have marked my card. It would appear they are more scared of admitting they got it wrong than satisfying customers. I love the car but the lack of attention to such details is frustrating. I liked the cabin of my gen2 prius but not the gen3, hated not having folding mirrors, and what idiot parks a rear wiper in the middle of the window. Small details, but if I had not discovered this car (by chance) I would not be driving a Toyota now.

[cviclark]

you should know as it was supplied by you but if you drive a Yaris you know what speed you are doing without a speedo.

uuuurrrggghhhh, I could not think of anything worse

Any car with HUD gets switched OFF when I get in it, cant stand it, especially at night. Great for fighter pilots, not for me...........

Kingo

[valmiki]

Got to say I love the HUD. So much so, that now I'm thinking of buying the wife an Auris Hybrid (the -2013 model), I am disappointed it doesn't have one. And aren't digital speedos much more common now? It;s almost like Toyota are running down the spec and make it a little 'lower range' compared with the rest of the models.

[PeteB]

Got to say I love the HUD... disappointed it doesn't have one. And aren't digital speedos much more common now? It;s almost like Toyota are running down the spec and make it a little 'lower range' compared with the rest of the models.

Toyota seem to be going the other way. 2 friends who had older Yaris models have switched because the Yaris now has an old fashioned analogue speedo hidden behind the steering wheel (not to mention the loss of the sliding rear seat, rear headroom and oddments stowage space)

One bought a Renault Twingo which has a digital centrally mounted speedo (and sliding rear seats - Renault started this feature on the original Twingo of the 1990s which was never sold in the UK). Can't remember what the other guy bought but I know he switched to get a digital speedo.

I bought a Yaris in 2000 to get the digital instruments and fantastically versatile accommodation, and then had 2 Mk1 Prius from 2002-2011. I then bought another Yaris (last of the old model) T-Spirit with Multi-Mode transmission (which I loved, although some people hate it) and was dismayed to find it had gone back to dials - at least they we still centrally mounted so I still had the benefit of a clear view and less refocusing (oddly, the cheapest Yaris still had the digital set-up!)..

If I'd known how much I couldn't live with an 'ordinary' engine again, and how much I hated dials like my Dad would have seen on his army vehicle in WW2, I'd have bought a slightly older used one with the digitals. As it was I made a rather expensive mistake - it depreciated almost 50% of the £14k I paid for my highly spec'd model in 14 months!

I'm very concerned by the spy shots doing the rounds of the Gen 4 Prius which show Auris like instruments and almost zero oddments storage like the latest Yaris.

Very happy now with my ex-demo 2012 Prius T3 with SatNav, cruise control and sensible wheels!

[PeteB]

Got to say I love the HUD...

Me too - we're not all the same, but at least those that don't like it can turn it off. Fitting an accessory system is more of a pain.

It's probably cheaper to fit it on all models than to differentiate - on the Mk1 Prius, they actually designed 2 different steering wheels for that those models they didn't want to have the switches (like all UK models) - we had to buy a £240 steering wheel as well as the switches!

Surely the cost of designing and producing two separate steering wheels was disproportionate? (they were the identical in every other way).

At least with the Gen 2/3 (and Auris/Yaris Hybrids) they just using blanking plates that could be swapped!

[Surv1v0r]

<snip> 2 friends who had older Yaris models have switched because the Yaris now has an old fashioned analogue speedo hidden behind the steering wheel <snip>

I have an entirely different perspective on digital versus analogue. I can't stand digital watches because you have to "read" rather than "scan" them. I feel exactly the same about speedometers. Instruments hidden behind a steering wheel which also contains a SRS airbag is I agree, a real problem.

[PeteB]

<snip> 2 friends who had older Yaris models have switched because the Yaris now has an old fashioned analogue speedo hidden behind the steering wheel <snip>

I have an entirely different perspective on digital versus analogue. I can't stand digital watches because you have to "read" rather than "scan" them. I feel exactly the same about speedometers. Instruments hidden behind a steering wheel which also contains a SRS airbag is I agree, a real problem.

and so it will always be - everyone has different likes and dislikes - I had my first digital watch in 1977 and find it takes me longer to read an analogue one, but that's just me.

What I don't understand is why manufacturers don't come up with a graphic display that can show either analogue or digital at the touch of a button (or a mixture of needle/number like the engine displays on a jet liner). They could have a wide choice of styles etc., which could either be set by the dealer for those who don't do menus, or from the touch screen like some of the options on the Prius. Overall, by having a single system for several models, they could presumably reduce production costs at the same time as broadening appeal.

One dealer I spoke to recently said that several of his customers had also bemoaned the loss of digital instruments on the Yaris, while another dealer said some of his customers had expressed relief at the reversion to analogue!

If it comes to that, given the wide disagreement over wheel sizes, why not make it optional at the point of sale - how hard can it be? Really?

[timberwolf]

I think it depends on the watch and whether it is the right sort of time! I prefer digital when I want to know the time more precisely. I seem to recall that reading an analogue clock was something that we had to be taught as children and was part of some children's tv programmes - Play school?

As for speedo, I really like the digital display on the Prius Gen 2 and I like knowing to the nearest mph - I feel that is more important since the wide spread use of speed cameras. In a more grown up world before speed cameras, a vague display of your speed on an analogue dial was fine, and where the drivers judgement and that of police officer were trusted.

I'm curious, how do people who dislike digital speedos cope with speed limit signs - wouldn't they have to read those?

Knowing Toyota they would be awkward on purpose about choice unless it was their idea of choice. Toyota often gives the impression that it would rather not have customers and that it is doing you a favour in selling you a car!

[johalareewi]

I think it depends on the watch and whether it is the right sort of time!

Many years ago, there was a digital vs analogue watch debate. Not sure who came up with it but one the gems was "A digital watch tells you the time, an analogue watch represents time."

[Cyker]

They could just have an analogue speedo with a large 2 (or 3 ) digit display inside the dial, like you get on some sports cars ;)

The nice thing about the Yaris display was that you didn't have to alter your eye focus so much; On the newest Yaris I find the dials too close and it takes me a second to focus and try and find the stupid speedo needle which is a second I could spend avoiding idiots! (Sooo many idiots.... )

It has good and bad sides; Previously I never bothered checking my speedo except when I saw a speed camera because all the focus switching would give me eyestrain and a headache; Instead I just followed the speed of traffic. Now that I do check it more regularly (As it's a very quick glance!), I tend to get narked when the car in front of me is doing 25mph and opening up a huge gap in front of them, but in turn probably nark off drivers when I'm doing *exactly* 30mph (indicated) while the people in front of me have hooned off at 40+ and also left a huge gap!

[Parts-King]

Previously I never bothered checking my speedo except when I saw a speed camera because all the focus switching would give me eyestrain and a headache

Should have gone to Specsavers?

http://youtu.be/3KZeO5oc428

[Cyker]

Ugh, no, don't go to specsavers; They are one of the worst 'opticians' I've ever used!

You'd be better off going to a supermarket and getting some generic glasses than getting a so-called prescription from them!

[cviclark]

The whole point is that on the new Auris it should be so easy to have both Analogue and Digital if only I could get someone at Toyota to admit it is an oversight and put the customer first. Again I have come up against customer relations whose intransigence is frustrating. .

[Surv1v0r]

The whole point is that on the new Auris it should be so easy to have both Analogue and Digital if only I could get someone at Toyota to admit it is an oversight and put the customer first. Again I have come up against customer relations whose intransigence is frustrating. .

The more threads I read on here, the more depressed I become about modern Toyatas :(

[FROSTYBALLS]

I would imagine that Toyota, like any other manufacturer, would make changes if they had a substantial number of complaints about the existing set up.

We shall never know how many existing customers are quite happy with the analogue instruments.

[Cyker]

A customizable digital matrix dash would be pretty cool :)

I do wish you could program the centre console display in the Yaris Mk3 to act like the Nissan GTR's instrument console (Which is a gadget freak's wet dream )