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I have the '07 Touring w/#6. I was originally leaning towards an Acura TL Type S, or an Infiniti G35 Sport or a Lexus IS350 (I liked the Lexus best), but I decided the Prius was more exciting and more practical on several levels. While the Prius may not keep up with any of those 3 cars, it is very gratifying to fill the tank with 9 gallons after driving nearly 400 miles. And my mileage keeps on getting better.
I gave up my 260HP Acura CL Type S for the Prius. I loved the Acura, but the Prius has a Zen-like quality to it that makes it very attractive. Oh, and one of my runs to 95MPH was in a "race" with a Civic Hybrid. I know I could have dusted the Civic, but we ran out of room as rush hour traffic was building.
So... If you want a practical, very reliable (according to numerous sources, including Consumer Reports), low maintenance, quiet, comfortable car - definitely consider the Prius.
A) Cruise: It's a personal choice. I find that using my own inputs that get very very slightly better fuel economy by using pulse and glide. On a very long trip cruise is very helpful though. You mentioned putting it on at 35 mph. I definitely wouldn't do this because the HSD is set up so that when you let off the pedal at 41 mph and less the gas engine actually turns off and burns no fuel whatsoever. This is a huge saving. If you set it at 35 mph as soon as it sensed 34.8 mpg it would shoot some gas into the system. You might want to up your setting to say 45 mph and higher.
There was definitely an issue with the Traction Ctl System and heavy snow/ice on the earliest Prius'. If you were at a dead stop in deep snow or on ice the TCS would brake the wheels to keep you from spinning out...but then you wouldn't go anywhere.
To address this issue in 2005, beginning with the 2006 models, Toyota modified the TCS to allow some spinning of the wheels to allow the driver to spin and rock themselves out of deep snow.
Pose your question also on PriusChat or GreenHybrid to drivers who live in Canada and the Rockies. Most will tell you it's not a problem.
He too is still on his original set of brakes!!!
Tread lightly and this amazing car will continue to surprise and surprise.
At a cold start the computer will tell the ICE what to do.
After being warmed up fully, 10-15 min, then you have more control over the ICE up to 41 mph. Up to this point if you don't give the GO pedal much pressure you'll crawl forward on the e-motor only such as in slow heavy traffic or in a mall parking lot.
When you put your foot into it the ICE will take over and run almost all the time. It's very dependent on your foot. Release the pressure, under 41 mph, and the ICE will turn off.
Don't worry about crawling up to 40 mph from a standing start, it takes too long and doesn't work. Just accelerate up to normal speed and then let off the pedal if conditions warrant it. To tell you the truth, no one, well almost no one, ever get off from a standing stop faster than I do. I just gun it get up to the speed of traffic and glide/coast as much as possible. ( 48 mpg lifetime average over 40000 mi - mostly highway at 62 mph )
Slowing sales? Feb sales were an all time record for Prius, I'm told. Toyota has ramped up delivery to the US dealers. Now that they have lots of cars, they have to use "standard sales practices" for cars, instead of "if you want it, make an offer, it's the only one we'll have this month" as happened in the past few years.
There is some speculation Toyota is using up parts for the current model, getting ready for the next generation Prius. It's possible, but there is no real evidence, although there have been some comments from Toyota people on how "well" the new design is coming along.
The deals are attractive especially the financing.
Regarding the green reflection on the window at night... there has always been a dimmer on the dash light 'roller'. All the way UP it clicks into place and is very bright. Roll it DOWN slightly past the click and the screen goes to a dark background with very little reflection on the windshield.
Has ANYONE had to replace their batterry near 1000,000 iles?
If it's within or very close to 100K then it's still within warranty until 2009. Toyota's own testing indicates that the batteries should last the life of the vehicle ( 150K? 200K? 250K? ).
Do a google and see how many actual owners have had the batteries fail. Lot's of people were afraid that they might but there is little or no evidence that they ever have.
I have a friend to whom I've sold two. His Prius is his office. On his second one the odo turned 135,000 miles on it's third birthday. Other than change the oil and filters and get three sets of tires he's done nothing to it at all...and he's on his original set of brakes. After 50 years of buying Fords his last two vehicles were Prius' and he can't wait for Oct 2008 when the next Gen comes out. His 2004 will have about 200K+ on it by then.
There have been failures. More in the gen 1 than the gen 2 per vehicles on the road. So far the only failures I've heard of in the gen 2 were caused by manufacture faults, and occured relatively early in the life of the battery. They have been failures of a few cells only. Toyota replaced the battery without incident. Last I heard there are less than 30 replacements - out of well over 200,000 vehicles on the road.
Think reliability of automatic transmissions for comparison.
Nope, the original Prius did not have the same warranty as the Gen 2. I think it was 75K and 5 years, but don't quote me on those numbers. I have seen some problem reports on the Gen 1 that were not covered under warranty because the owner had over 80K miles.
Can you provide a URL or address to confirm these numbers? Where the heck would one get a Used Prius battery?
Thanks.
Here is Edmunds first Road Test of the 2001 Prius. It states that the hybrid warranty is 8/100 just the same as the Gen 2 Prius.
Road Test 2001 Prius
I sold the first one in this area back at the end of 2000 but just to make sure my memory wasn't wrong I looked it up again. It always was the same.
The biggest problem seems to be on the older models and the ones not using snow tires. Hmmmm
Well, I told you not to quote my numbers! Thanks for the correct numbers. However, note that the Gen 2 Prius has a more generous warranty of 10 years, 150K miles in the CARB states. I don't think this was available to the Gen 1. Note that this covers only the batteries and hybrid systems.
Sometimes big brother watches you, and sometimes just watches out FOR you.
No, I wasn't meaning to say that Toyota voluntarily added to the warranty.
"Sometimes big brother watches you, and sometimes just watches out FOR you. "
Big brother is always watching you, more and more, and I have not yet found the area in which I got back more from the Government than they took in taxes.
Middle of the road fair weather tires. That's it.
Test drive both and decide if you like handling. I found the "standard model" felt a little unsure on the road. Unfortunately, the Touring is not available in Canada.
If you get snow frequently, you will want snow tires for winter (4 tires). Some owners purchased steel rims and snow tires for the winter. Some slide around (or don't move), some don't get snow.
The BT stiffening plate will help with the "unsure" feeling on the road as well as feel in cornering.
We had it for a couple of years on our 2005 and now have the plate on both 2007 cars.
Carl
If inop let me know.
We had it on the 05 and now on both 07s.
Carl
Oil/filter change every 5K miles. 15K and 30K a few other inspections.
I go to a "quick change" shop that knows these cars well.
Just keep receipts for warranty.
Carl
Oil and filters for the ICE every 5K or 6 mo as noted above.
Timing chain for the ICE..no maintenance.
Sparkplugs for the ICE .. replace at 100K plus miles.
Air filters for the ICE as normal say once a year.
Winterizing for the ICE as normal say once a year.
Note the highlights.
Brakes? Many reports of original brakes going well over 100K. A friend is at 140K with his original brakes.
Oh the coolant in the PSD has to be changed at some interval between 70K and 100K miles.
That's it.
Having said that, I'm in Florida, and the weather is generally mild in the winter, so it's not a fair comparison to folks living up north.
I'm curious to know what led you to decide on the Touring Edition, and what differences have you found in the feel and performance? What equipment differences besides tire/wheel size?
I'll let riposte comment on the handling differences (if he/she test drove the standard model).
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Hear that sound? It's countless Prius owners rushing out to touch their dashboard for the first time :surprise:
When the Touring Edition was introduced, I thought I'd give it another chance. The car was transformed. It's still not a sports car, by any stretch, but everything that so disliked in the "regular" Prius was gone. The handling is better, due to different shocks and larger wheels. The touring has standard HID headlights, and a larger spoiler. Check out Toyota Prius home page or I'm sure you can find it here on Edmund's.
Good luck!
The roads around Denver suffer greatly due to weather, and the closer we get to home the more primitive they become. For us, the Touring edition would have to include free kidney replacement or at least a urinary catheter.
In my opinion the complaints about wind buffeting are, uh, overblown. Not an issue for anybody that has owned an SUV or minivan. We've had some wicked downslope winds this winter in the foothills of Denver but have never felt at risk. The steering, however, can be characterized as "light".
Our salesman was pimping the Touring because of the "cooler" wheels and bigger spoiler which is marginally noticeable. If I were that concerned about being cool I certainly wouldn't be buying a Prius. At the other end of the spectrum leaning toward dorkiness I saw a guy driving around our little village in his new Barcelona red Pruis with a large, handmade sign hanging just below the license plate that said "50MPG!" I wonder how long before somebody "keys" him in this land of "I-want-to-be-a-big-boy" pickup trucks.
Thanks,
djkrs2
The Toyota Prius is the Most Satisfying to Own (UK)
According to the most recent J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? magazine 2007 UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released today, the Toyota Prius is the most satisfying for new-car owners. It tied with the Lexus IS for the top ranking for models included in the study.
The Prius received 868 index points out of 1,000. Prius owners were most satisfied with day-to-day operating costs, vehicle quality, appeal and dealer service.
I am seriously considering a Prius. I am taking my wife and kids to see Mickey Mouse in Fla in June (we're from South Jersey). I have a 7 year old van that may need to be replaced. Is the Prius big enough to hold two grown kids in the back seat comfortably? Plus luggage for 2 women for a week? ( us guys only need a pair of shorts and a tee shirt..)
Thank You,
Tom
Any chance it will be available on the 2008s or will it wait for the full redesign?
Has Toyota ever given any explanation or justification for the glaring ommission on a vehicle that's very easy to be optioned to more than $25K?
Just got my 2007 Touring Package #2 and I got the dealer to activate the RS3200 Alarm System. No GPS.
Supposedly the alarm system is in all the PRIUS's but just not activated. I got the dealer to activate via instruction I got off the forum and the dealer activated with not questions asked and said the activation worked.
Question - how can I tell it is activated? Are there any indications?
I am curious to see if I can activate the system in my car.
Thanks