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I love it. I am a techno-geek and the toys did it for me!.
The NAV is VERY nice and really works well and is intuitive.
The blue tooth quality is outstanding. I now wait till I am in the car to talk on the phone. (shh don't tell anyone.).
The speed dial setup allows you to call while driving and there is sufficent speed dial spots for just enough emergency or frequent people. I LOVE the ability to use my MP3 player on the AUX input and for me these three things were WELL worth the $1,200 they cost. I would not have gotten one had it been the basic model. I see no downside to any of the devices.. I don't have XM but can see how it would be totally seamless if you did have it. The NAV tracking is right-on and I have no idea where the antenna is unless it is a button like thing at the front of the dashboard. Doesn't matter. It works very well.
Bill (3rd day owner report)
Toyota Canada sent me a "form letter" stating that due to market research they chose to not include that option !
I suppose it is too early to find out if the Canadian cars have the wiring in them to accept Nav, or if the display would correctly switch between U.S. and imperial measurements.
Oh by the way the Nav does have the data for Canada.
Thanks in advance for any info.
Eric
I ordered it today at TG. I am not sure if I am making the correct decision in colour as I got the Aloe Green Metallic with the B package and Bisque leather. I actually prefer the Magnetic Grey but wanted a lighter interior after getting out of a Camry SE with a black interior.
I asked about the GPS Nav system and I think I can swap out the radio (at great cost) if I want to add the Nav when it arrives...who knows when.
Do you have the issue that I have experienced and that is that the ICE starts right at moving forward and does so with a shudder? When it starts while moving, you really don't notice it...but at take off it happens with a noticable shudder. I drove a Hylander Hybrid today and it was so smooth that there was virtually NO discernable switchover!I am concerned about this.
What colour/options did you get?
Eric
I am not sure what it does, however.
I didn't really know what I was doing driving home in the dark. There are a lot of gadgets to learn. I'll be posting my impressions in the coming days.
Thanks to all for keeping this board going with such useful information!
Thanks
tom
Ok, fine, I figured out how to trick the computer by recording an extremely short time. The weird thing is I went about 1/2 mile from there, on level to slightly sloped down road, a couple of stop signs, and got 75 mpg.
There is an art to riding the pedal just enough. Personally what helped out a lot is the mini energy flow display you can put under the spedometer. The big one is cool, but too distracting. The mini is the way to go! I now see what others were saying about accelerating just enough to keep the electric going.
To all of you considering one: here is another gem- you dont have to replace the brake pads for (I believe it is) 100,000 miles!
The radio is top notch, I bumped the treble up and it sounds great; it is just that I want more bands than 3 in the equalizer. Come on, Toyota programmers, put it in there!
While I do hear some weird electrical noises I dont hear in other cars, the manual explains this is normal. I don't mind at all. I would describe these as whirs, hums, and clicks. Some occur after you park for a bit. We are talking quiet subtle noises here. And I can hear GMC's whining from 1/2 block away, SERIOUSLY.
With the windows closed even 80mph is smooth and quiet.
Ears are happy with this choice.
I just wonder what other differences there are/
That sounds about right. I think it's called the ECO drive monitor (I like "mini energy flow display") and pressing the Display button on the steering wheel cycles through all 8 or 9 possible displays. From what I've read elsewhere, I don't think it has everything that the Nav display does.
On the non-nav display by the speedometer: one screen shows a graphic representation with arrows of what's powering the wheels (gas &/or battery) or whether the wheels are feeding the battery (coasting, braking). One screen shows your gas consumption in est. mpg for the current trip. That's in bar graph format. One display shows the average mpg for the current tank (resets each time you add fuel). One display shows how many more miles it thinks you can drive on the current tank of gas. There are a couple of odometer displays. I can't think of the others off the top of my head...
The noise canceller has worked fine in my car even in three cylinder operation. Some folks have complained and there was a Honda fix to that (Change front speakers and some such thing).
I wasn't sure if the TCH had a screen like the Prius. It must be mesmerizing looking at the screen instead of driving!
tom
That sounds about right. I think it's called the ECO drive monitor (I like "mini energy flow display") and pressing the Display button on the steering wheel cycles through all 8 or 9 possible displays. From what I've read elsewhere, I don't think it has everything that the Nav display does.
I dialed up the "mini energy display" under the speedo during my road trip. In general it is useful, but I was surprised that it did not display the mode where ICE is driving the car and recharging the battery simultaneously. In that scenario, you do not see an arrow showing energy flow to the battery on the mini-display, but the Energy flow screen on the main LCD does show it.
FYI.
While I do hear some weird electrical noises I dont hear in other cars, the manual explains this is normal. I don't mind at all. I would describe these as whirs, hums, and clicks. Some occur after you park for a bit. We are talking quiet subtle noises here. And I can hear GMC's whining from 1/2 block away, SERIOUSLY.
With the windows closed even 80mph is smooth and quiet.
Ears are happy with this choice.
I agree that the noises the car makes (including the vent "rattle" that I heard once or twice) are subtle, quiet, and generally non-obtrusive. Nothing (including the brief 70 mph lurching) made me think "This will drive me crazy". Not even close!
The ride is very smooth, a combination of good suspension and tall tire sidewalls. I still think a major component of TCH freeway noise is the A/C fan. I manually turned it down a few times, and was surprised just how much quieter it was that way. With the stereo cranked, all extraneous noise is a moot point, anyway.
They want $847 a year for full coverage with $500 deductibles.
Allstate wanted $750/ 2 months
Everywhere else, farmers, progressive, etc, wanted about $980.
I also get 10% off by having a renter's insurance through them.
Only one thing gives me pause- doesnt Allstate do a "New Car Replacement"? :confuse: (couldn't find it on the site)
I cannot provide a direct link. It looks like you have to step through the drop-down menus.
I cannot provide a direct link. It looks like you have to step through the drop-down menus.
Try this - it's not the list, but takes you directly (I hope) to the 2007 Camry:
http://www.safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3845.html
For the first fillup, when I opened the gas cap, there was no hiss and the cap didn't require much unscrewing, so I was left wondering if the dealer hadn't closed it up properly when they topped it off--of course there were no fuel system warnings or other "check engine" type lights on the dash. I made sure to put the cap back on good and tight after that first fillup, but basically it would only take 13 gallons!
Is it really a 17 gallon tank or something less?? Maybe Jimmy Hoffa's in there taking up space....
The installation kit is two paper templates and a few pages of printed sheets.
The templates are not correct but I modified for my installation w/o any problems.
The distance across the front (7 1/8") and just before the hinges (7 5/8") are the same on both. As are the distance from the hinges to the latch (12") and the distance across the hinges (6 3/8").
The curvature on the base looks the same.
The main difference is on the top where on the TCH there is an indentation to allow taller items to be stored and on the XLE there is a cover that probably contains the rolling mechanism.
The person in parts was talking about color and trim codes from the VIN so I still have more research to do. The XLE I checked had the Bisque Leather interior so that didn't help. We were wondering if the 4c XLE has the same surface as the TCH while the 6c XLE has the leather top. If it is this way I'll need to decide if I want a regular or leather armrest and then track down the VIN of a XLE with that type of top. (If anyone has sample VINs for a 4c and 6c XLE with an Ash interior I would appreciate someone letting me know.)
Forget the 'build my vehicle' function. They are coming only 3 ways;
Basic
Basic with a SunRoof
Loaded with everything
If you want any other combo you will likely have to wait until all the other orders have been filled and the Georgetown plant gets up to full steam maybe early in 2007.
I showed a couple last night when you stop at a stoplight and shut off the AC, how acutely quiet the car is. It's like sitting in a parking lot!.
I really enjoy the JBL sound system. If there are audiophiles out there who think it is sub-standard, then I must disagree. I have Bach-Prelude in Fugue in D minor on a pipe organ on my MP3 player and love to blast that as I drive down the road.
This morning three guys in a Buick wrenched their necks trying to figure out just what it was I was driving and who made it. I have had many people exclaim that it is a real head turner!. I love showing people how I can unlock the doors with my hands in the air and start the car with no key. Then I dazzle them with the blue tooth phone and for the coup de gras, the NAV system.
I could be a car salesman!. BTW I did write the salesman/dealership a nice email yesterday because of their committment to honor the waiting list sequence, provide me with exactly what I wanted and still hold the line on MSRP.
Overall my first week impression is a solid 10.
Hope this helps some of you who are waiting and as anxious as I was. It is definately worth the wait!
WillyBill
Thanks for your research and keep us posted!
See the article link below:
http://dwb.newsobserver.com/news/ncwire_news/story/2958090p-9394830c.html
Thanks for all the wonderful posts, they will sustain me until I get my TCH
Reading lights in front and two in back.
Hang in there.. It's worth it !
Anyway, in the less than 100 miles I have on it, my early impressions are very favorable. The car really is nice! It is unbelievably quiet. I knew my Honda Element was noisy, but I guess I had forgotten how quiet a vehicle can actually be.
I have not noticed any steering issues or lunging or rattles. Of course I haven't been in it mush yet.
Some minor gripes are the following:
1. You really need to compensate for the long nose when turning. I almost hit my other car when turning into the garage. You can't really see the front of the car so it's hard to know how close you are to impact. It's just something I'll have to get used to.
2. I also seemed to have some trouble backing out of my garage and driveway. The seat backs seem very high and I am not that tall. turning my head did not give me that much visibility. I really wish they offered the backup camera. If it ever comes available aftermarket, I'll be the first in line.
3. My last little gripe is that it would be nice to have the manual in full color rather than black and white. i'm sure this is just a cost decision, but with all the colorful displays on the navigation etc, the black and white manual doesn't do it justice.
All in all I think I will love my new car!
One of the Prius features I like (we live in MN) is that when you shut it down it pumps a few liters of coolant into a thermos bottle which then is redelivered for a faster warm up upon restart. This helps reduce emissions as well as shortens time to get heat into the cabin esp in mid January! Nothing in the TCH manual says anything about this nor do I hear that whirr. Anyone know if this exists in the TCH?
Now all we need Toyota to do is build a plug-in version of the Prius for our local excursions and E85 compatibility (lots of ethanol plants in MN) and we can tell OPEC to go packing!
Congrats! What did you wind up getting and where did you get it?
The TCH does not have this feature. There was a bit of streamlining/cost-savings that went into the TCH vs. the Prius; also the rubber fuel tank enclosure (dynamic volume, hell on manual calculations) wasn't included.
------------------
A national finance magazine is looking to interview consumers who are looking to purchase a hybrid vehicle and are looking at it from a financial standpoint, hoping to save money from the high cost of fuel. Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Saturday, June 10, 2006 by 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET containing your daytime contact information and the hybrid vehicle you are considering.
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com