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2010 Prius - Next Generation

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Comments

  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    felt - i have a vw cabrio convertible now and there really are no blind spots even with the top up so that's probably why the Prius seemed like such a difference. good point about the cabin protection - my cabrio offers very little protection, which is one reason i couldn't wait to get something bigger and safer, which is probably why i like the cr-v so much. good to know that you dont feel claustrophic in the prius, especially since you're tall!

    question for anyone, is paying the extra 2k to step up to the IV to get the leather seats worth it??
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    A friend just got $500 off on a fully loaded Prius.
    I read in the WSJ that you can get $1,000 off.
    The fully loaded Prius was a waste as the 4 electronic gadgets are not worth $3,000.
    The leather seats are nice, as are the NAV and BT gadgets.
    I would prefer the NAV and BT with or without the solar alternative.
  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    Yeah, does anyone hav the solar package? It sounds cool but I haven't seen it yet.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    you are right but my comments were directed at the person from Ca. with his heartless comments against the hard working people from the UAW. They didn't get GM in the mess they were in it was management and Wall Street. I'm betting that person wouldn't last a day on the line in ANY auto plant, American or Foreign. Now back to the Prius.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I've heard pluses and minuses on it but these are all from people who don't have it. I too wonder who is right or if either are right. I think it will be one of those packages that one person will praise and another will not. Plus I think it may be better suited for the hotter climates than say MI. which may only get say 10 days a year if that many into the 90's. This summer has been weird and we haven't had 10 days in the 80's I believe.
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    No issues at all. I'm at 47.5 mpg lifetime done by actual hand calculations,i.e. Tot mi driven / Tot gal purch. A friend turned in his 2004 for a new 2010. He had 246,000 mi on his after 5-1/2 years. My own goal is 250,000+ by the end of 2013.
  • ctlctl Member Posts: 129
    I normally don't post much, but read amusingly with your personal attacks. If a plain-fact statement hurts so much (no need to blame the messengers), easy to see ur opinions towards non-big 3 cars and wonder why u r here.

    Back to Prius III - a car that I think has the best feel-good karma to me than said a Benz S65 AMG :)

    you are right but my comments were directed at the person from Ca. with his heartless comments against the hard working people from the UAW. They didn't get GM in the mess they were in it was management and Wall Street. I'm betting that person wouldn't last a day on the line in ANY auto plant, American or Foreign. Now back to the Prius.
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    the solar looks nice, especially on the white exterior; however, it is not really practical. it works to keep the inside the same as outside, but when the outside temp is 98 degree, then 98 inside is still very hot. You can turn the AC on remotely which is a cool feature; however, you cant turn it on unless you are w/i certain distance from the vehicle, then do you turn it on and stay outside and wait for 3 min for the inside to cool down before getting in? Mine comes with the solar. again, it looks nice (black solar on white exterior) but not very practical. Hi highly recommend the nav + bluetooth
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    I don't see any "personal attacks," though the conversation got slightly sidetracked. As a side note, please don't type posts in "text message" - we're not a cell phone.

    Re: discounts - This seems to only work in larger markets. I had a friend shopping for a Prius in a college town, in which there's only one dealer who carries the Prius. No negotiation possible. She tried to cross-shop the Fusion hybrid, and they were out of hybrids long ago.

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  • ctlctl Member Posts: 129
    I think the host is quite clueless in correcting the attackee but not the attacker. I am betting the host won't last a day in a college classroom and I don't see any personal attacks in the above comments :)

    I don't see any "personal attacks," though the conversation got slightly sidetracked. As a side note, please don't type posts in "text message" - we're not a cell phone.

    you are right but my comments were directed at the person from Ca. with his heartless comments against the hard working people from the UAW. They didn't get GM in the mess they were in it was management and Wall Street. I'm betting that person wouldn't last a day on the line in ANY auto plant, American or Foreign. Now back to the Prius.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Back to the Prius please.
  • feltfelt Member Posts: 105
    I own a G3 - IV, now with 1492 total miles on the odometer. Yesterday, I drove from Teton Village, WY, spent all day driving around Yellowstone Park (numerous stops at park features and wildlife), spent the night in West Yellowstone, then today drove home to northern Utah. 429.2 total miles on the gas tank when I filled-up ... and the calculated mileage was 63.9 mpg.

    I consider the above to be a fair indication of "possible" mileage, but not to be expected in "normal" driving. OK, the facts: Yellowstone Park is fairly flat, and the posted speed limit is 45 MPH, which I did not exceed. Right in the "ideal" range for mileage. I made no special effort to maximize mileage, except whenever I came to a downhill, I did take it out of cruise control, and tried to stay in the "glide" zone shown on the Hybrid Monitoring Indicator screen. The A/C was operated about 40% of the time; the traffic was heavy, and at times it was stop and go. I did not inflate the tires over and above the pressure that was delivered to me by the dealer. I accelerated normally, certainly not excessively fast, but not slow either. When approaching a stop sign, or stopped traffic, I coasted to a stop where possible (there were motorist behind me)(the park was crowded). Today I left West Yellowstone, and drove 65 mph home, with a stretch of about 50 miles at 70 mph. I used cruise control and ran the A/C; I passed whenever approaching slower traffic.

    I know that driving 35-45 mph is not normally possible for 300 or more miles, but it does illustrate what is "possible" under (close to) idea conditions. Incidentally, the design that permits the A/C to be operable without the engine running is a major factor. What a fantastic design feature that is.

    BTW, I have no special abilities, nor made special efforts. I think anyone that would follow the simple conservative habits identified above could achieve the same results.

    Happy motoring.
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    I am little tired of non-prius owners keep telling me like they are experts that prius are only good for people driving in city streets. as a new prius IV owner, I can say that is not true at all. on highway going at 60 - 70 mph still gets me at least 40's mph.
    -
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    can any prius owner tell me if maitenance for Prius is different than any non-hybrid vehs ?? I normally takes my Lexus to this shop for oil change, but today I was told that he does not service any hybrid vehs (even oil change). Is there any special handling in terms of maintenance for a prius? anything I need to pay special attention to ? another question, do I need to warm up the engine I non-hybrid vehs? when I turn on the veh, the gas engine picks in for about a minute, does that mean the engine is warming up and I should not start driving until the gas engine turns off ?
    thanks
  • jpeters1970jpeters1970 Member Posts: 82
    As an owner of a 2004 Prius I can attest to the car's reliability and low cost of ownership. I have close to 70,000 miles and I've changed the oil at 5,000 mile intervals with synthetic oil. Air filters and tires were changed at their normal intervals. I think the 2010 model will do just as well if not better. It is the most reliable vehicle I've owned. I considered a Jetta diesel but the VW reliability really turned me off. They've improved but nothing compared to Toyota or Honda. I think the Ford Fusion hybrid is a great alternative to someone who wants a Prius but does not like the futuristic non-conventional styling. I've read fantastic reviews of the FFH from consumers and journalists. I think since many of the components are from Toyota suppliers you are going to see good reliability. Besides, Ford has really improved over the last few years.
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    I have a 2004 Prius. It is the best car I've owned including a Cadillac Fleetwood in the 80's. I change the oil and oil filter myself in the spring and in the fall. Nothing unusual.
    I did install a Fumato oil drain plug as I do on every new car I get. The simple twist action just makes it easier for Do It Yourselfers.
    The engine comes on for a short time at first, probably to charge the traction battery.
    It also reloads the still warm radiator coolant from the thermos jug. No need to warm up the Prius.
    Most reporters still don't get it. It gets most of it's economy from the DIRECT drive of the small ICE engine which is fine for city driving and most highway cruising. Aerodynamic styling, light components and regenerative braking add to the economy. It gets it's good performance from the fast acting intermittant boost of the electric motors when accelerating, passing or climbing "short" hills. The DIRECT HSD is more efficient than generating and using electricity 100% of the time.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    It has been my tenth day of my 2010 Prius ownership. It's a premium package plus sunroof. In Canada we have different packages.

    Sold my 2007 BMW 335i and am more ecstatic about my Prius than the BMW. No kidding. Just a short time ago as a BMW driver I was swearing at all slow drivers and now I just love going on the slow lane and enjoying the scenery.

    For the first time in my life I dont want any other car than the car I am driving right now. And believe it or not I am almost getting the EPA mileage though I am not quite there yet.

    It still takes time to transform a lead footed BMW driver into a feather footed Prius driver. My only regret is that I did not buy a Prius sooner.

    Pardon my praises but I am still at the 10th day of my honeymoon with my car.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    CNET reviewers picked the Honda Insight over the Toyota Prius?

    Why? Because they felt it was more of a performance car.

    That makes no sense whatsoever! Both the Insight and the Prius are lame performance cars. That is like comparing a BMW 335i and a Audi S4 and picking the BMW mainly because it has better fuel consumption . :confuse:

    In my particular case I would sacrifice speed/perfromance/driving dynamics for low mileage in my Prius anyday. Otherwise I would have kept my BMW!

    I
  • jpeters1970jpeters1970 Member Posts: 82
    I'd have to agree. Have you sat in the new Insight? Very cheap feeling doors and the interior is tight. I'd take the next gen Prius any day over the Insight. Now as far as other Hondas are concerned, they make great cars. I think their cost cutting really shows on this vehicle. To get at the ~20kUSD price point they definitely sacrificed quality. Slam the doors and you'll see what I mean. It feels like a 1972 Datsun B210 my parents had when I was a kid!!!!
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    The Toyota hybrids actually need less maintenance than a non-hybrid of the same size and type. The hybrid systems need no maintenance of any kind at any time - EVER. The only requirements are..
    oil/filters every 5K or 6 mos
    air filters @ 30K, 60K, 90K, 120K etc
    inverter coolant drain replace @ 100K
    spark plugs replace @ 120K - 150K as needed

    The rest of the items like tires wipers and alignments are 'wear' items

    You may not have to replace the brakes - EVER
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    that is good to know. thanks alot.
  • biomanbioman Member Posts: 172
    My wife and I really wanted to purchase a Honda. So, we went to our dealer and test drove the Insight. It was a downer. The Insight could not compare to the Prius IV we eventually purchased. Both cars could not hold a candle to our Accord Coupe V6, but we are not purchasing the car for its acceleration. We want a high mileage, hybrid vehicle that is a hatchback. That left the Prius as our only choice. The Ford Fusion is a nice car, but it is not a hatchback. In fact the rear seats don't fold down because the battery is behind the rear seats. The one thing the Insight had that is missing on the Prius is a USB connection for an MP3 player. I understand that this feature is coming in September if you get the navigation package. Since our car does not have the navigation package we will find an alternate way to listen to our MP3 player.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Doesn't it have a audio imput? On our HHR that we tow behind our motorhome it has the audio imput beside the radio which works great with our Garmin which has a built in MP3 player so we get the mapping and it quiets down the music when it needs to give directions, all through the car radio.
  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    wait, does it really not have an ipod interface?? there is no input jack??
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    In this day and age iiiif no jack for a mp3 player that sucks. All I could find was something about blue tooth streaming of music whatever they mean by that. My phone has bluetooth and also carries mp3's and plays them.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    I looked at the Insight and the interior was small and looked cheap. Makes a Honda Fit look like a bargain based on its better quality and larger interior and its significantly lower price.

    The hybrid Ford Focus is a great car but similar to the hybrid Camry if not much better. Both are designed primarily as non-hybrid sedans to accomodate a much smaller battery. So space efficiency is not as good as a Prius whose design for a hybrid system is not a after-thought.

    You and I are among the rare ones in North America who likes Hatchbacks. One of my favorite cars of my past was a 88 Acura Integra. Driving a hatchback now brings back good memories.

    My 2010 Prius has auxilary input for my MP3 player.
  • biomanbioman Member Posts: 172
    I think you must live on the West Coast because your 2010 Prius has the MP3 input. Your Prius must also have the navigation package. We owned a 95 Integra that we replaced, in 04, with an 04 Honda Accord Coupe. Great cars. The Prius is replacing a 99 Ford Explorer, thus the need for a hatchback. The hatchback should allow us to continue to transport most of the things we need to do our gardening and home improvements. We are both retired so we no longer have to transport kids and their equipment all over the place. We want a hybrid because I love new technology and we are tired of giving money to people in Venezuela and Iran who want to kill us!!
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I think the aux input is standard. The USB is what comes with the NAV. All you need is the aux input to use the ipod.
  • biomanbioman Member Posts: 172
    Thanks, I missed the AUX Input in the list of features. Since we have not yet taken delivery of the car I'm still going on reading about all of the features. You're absolutely right. The CNET article on the Insight and Prius was referring getting all of the features of the MP3 player on the car's radio/nav display. For that you probably need the USB port.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    I am glad somebody addressed your MP3 inquiry. Such a high tech car without MP3 music would be a contradiction indeed.

    Just like you I love the Prius for its new technology , fuel frugality and for the similar politcial reasons you had stated (though I am Canadian and high fuel prices does benefit my country) ;)

    But for me it's more than just that.

    I got so many speeding tickets driving my BMW. So fast cars are a no-no for me right now.

    Also my BMW 335i was serviced 32 times in 32 months because of malfunctions.(some of them recurring many times over again). After this reliability became my top priority especially since I own a 83 MB300D that my father bought 26 years ago and it still keeps on going and going and going.

    I referred to Consumers Report and JD Power surverys and the one car that stood out in terms of reliability is the Prius. Also there are quite a few Prius taxis with very high mileage and no major issues especially battery issues.

    The thing I like about the Prius is no run-flat tires and front wheel drive. With my rear wheel drive BMW equipped with 8 tires (snow + summer) I ended up with a car that needed 8 new tires (17' winter and 18' summers) after two years at a cost of 800 Canadian $ each (abut $750 US). No kidding. Also my snow tires got me stuck so many times in the snow that I know every Good Samaritan in Toronto who will give a shove to a stuck car.

    So that basically sums up the reasons why I have a metallic blue 2010 Prius on my driveway.
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    AMEN !!!!

    i could not agree with you more. My choices were 2010 prius or 2009 Lexus IS 250. dont take me wrong, I still like the lexus because I still have one, but after considering all the factors like you mentioned in your prior post, I now have a white 2010 prius IV in my driveway, ;)
  • biomanbioman Member Posts: 172
    If you don't get a radar detector you may still get speeding tickets in your Prius!! In fact, you might have been able to keep your BMW and saved a lot of money by purchasing a radar detector instead of the Prius!!(just kidding) I try not to speed, but I do have a radar detector in each car I drive. I have found that if I try to stay with the speed limit I am in greater danger of being rammed by an 18 wheeler. So I stay with the flow of traffic and listen to the radar detector. The FWD makes the Prius a much more stable vehicle in snow without the need for a set of snow tires. The maintenance on the Prius seems to be quite simple and straightforward. Can't wait to get my Prius and say goodbye to the Explorer.
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    does anyone know if it makes any difference to use octane 87k 89 or 91 for prius?
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    I have always used 85, the lowest in Colorado, without any problem.
  • railroadjamesrailroadjames Member Posts: 560
    For all practical purposes.. It's not an issue in all my 103,000 miles. I use the cheapest I can find. The '04 Prius is, without a doubt, the most impressive car I've ever enjoyed since I started 51 cars ago. I love 566 miles to a tank.
  • tyler70tyler70 Member Posts: 82
    does anyone know if remote a/c comes in with all models or just with the solar roof only?
  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    I believe it just comes with the Solar Package which you can add onto the III and IV models
  • justlooking9justlooking9 Member Posts: 21
    I was able use BlueTooth streaming audio from an ipod 2G/3.0 OS and iPhone 3G/3.0 OS, no issues. But if I also try to connect my iPhone as a phone, the BT streaming connection is lost. If I reconnect BT streaming, the phone connection drops. It would be nice to maintain both BT connections to my iPhone, otherwise I need to use a separate phone and BT streaming device. Any ideas?

    I was able to use an LG GR500 as a BT phone, and an ipod 2G as a BT streaming device, works fine. All audio from the ipod (pandora/game/ipod/video) is sent to the Prius BT audio.
  • rogue9rogue9 Member Posts: 8
    Dont know if your prius has the navigation or not, but I found out the hard way that not all phones are compatable with the prius bluetooth system. My favorite phone would connect and then drop connection within seconds of lynking.
    Found out toyota has a website that shows all the phones that are and are not compatible with the bluetuth systems in each car. I think its something close to toyotaletstalk,com try that site to see if your phone is able to work properly with your cars bluetoothe system.
    I had to buy a phone i didnt want and add a line to my plan for 10 bucks a month just to have a phone that worked well with my prius. The phone was free for signing up for two years so for 10 extra dollars a month my problem was fixed.
    I called and talked to tech support from my provider and from the manufacturer and it came down to the fact that not all phones work with it unfortunately. Goodluck I hope this helps you.
    My solution wasnt the one I wanted but it was either use the goofy in your ear run of the mill bluetoothe or find a phone that worked with my car. So i chose to pay to take advantage of all the cool features my car had to offer.
  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    Does your regular ipod have bluetooth? I have an ipod touch but I didn't think it had bluetooth so I figured I wasn't going to be able to connect through my Prius since it doesn't come with ipod interface...?

    There's not even a usb in the car so I figured to hear my music over the car speakers I would have to get a wire to plug into the aux jack. But I think doing it that way does not allow you to change tracks, etc. I listen to audio books and I wold like to be able to pause/rewind when I'm getting a call or getting out of the car.

    For your iphone situation, I have heard of other people having trouble listening to music and getting calls from the one device. Google "iphone prius 2010" and I'm sure the articles I've read will pop right up. Hope you find a solution!
  • wvgasguywvgasguy Member Posts: 1,405
    My iPod Touch has bluetooth and works well in the 2010 Prius
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    Would it work in the 2004 Prius, where my BT Blackberry works perfectly?
  • donewithvwsdonewithvws Member Posts: 47
    What gen itouch do u have? I have 2nd gen and I really thought it didn't have bluetooth altho it would be awesome if it did. I thought just the iphones did it. How do u connect the touch with the car?
  • justlooking9justlooking9 Member Posts: 21
    I have ipod touch 2nd gen with the 3.0 firmware upgrade ($10), and a my Prius does have Nav. To establish BT audio with a device: Push Setup, select Audio, then setup your devices. I have two devices setup, looks like that's the max.

    Follow-up on using the iPhone for both streaming audio and phone: I upgraded the firmware to 3.0.1 and now I can have both connections, but the phone keeps dropping out and has to reconnect, the audio doesn't seem to be effected.

    The most stable configuration is using a separate phone and audio device. It's pretty cool, I have my keyfob, ipod and phone in my pockets; push start, then my ipod starts playing through the car audio where it last left off and phone is connected and ready to use.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I always figure if I can spend 25 to 30K or even more on a vehicle I should be able to spend a couple hundred more or so to make whatever I want compatible with my new car.
  • feltfelt Member Posts: 105
    My only regret with the NAV system on my G3, IV, is the software. Obviously a sub-contractor suppled product; do updates come out from time to time? Do other software publishers provide a better product? Might the one included in the new Prius be a demo and a full version is available for additional $$.

    IWhen and if updated software becomes available, is it uploaded from the CD?
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    The NAV software on my 2004 Prius was for the most part better than other standalone products available at that time. The 2007 Highlander was about the same. The only feature I really miss is the auto zoom feature that closes in on your destination as you get close so that the screen is always full of where you are and where your are going. A great feature missing from most GPS systems. A friend just bought a 2010 but I have not had a chance to try his GPS.
  • feltfelt Member Posts: 105
    Thank you for your comment.

    Does anyone have any idea who the author of the software is?
  • gfr1gfr1 Member Posts: 55
    Most all leading GPS Nav system data is provided by NAVTEQ, but the data displayed, info, logic and the like are specified and contracted by the OEM. Such as for Toyota, the dealership locations, etc., might, or might not, be displayed. The data source of current systems are pretty much associated with a particular manufacturer specific outputs, though different divisions, such as Prius, will probably have their own specific DVD, or download. The originals will be the full deal and they come out, mormally, once per year - around September. Some manufactureres don't contract for all data, as it can clutter the system, depending how it's designed. I imagine contract costs enter into the equation, also. You have to realize that it takes a while for new streets, roads, data, etc., to be re-surveyed and included into the annual updates, also. Another issue is rural and remote, seldom used areas, don't warrant an annual survey. Steeet address can't be specific locations, as the system uses a grid. For each house number to be a data point would be a data/cost nightmare. For instance, curved streets get the grid system out of calibration pretty quick. And, some "Circle" streets run in a full circle. How do you come up with grid house numbers for those? Which part of the street is "North", "South", "East" & "West"? What I'm saying is, don't expect precise nav data,as to a specific point, but to a grid area. The output of the nav route display will be a combination of the updated data and system logic. You have some control of this too, depending on what you input and select for the nav system route. - gfr
  • feltfelt Member Posts: 105
    Thank you for the info ... obviously you are more knowledgable than anyone I have found on this subject.

    I have owned a Gramen GPS for years, and did live in a rural area .... I understood that new streets were not shown, and why. I now live in a Utah city, and many major streets, that have existed for perhaps 100 years, and not shown. I wondered if the datbase supplied with a new car, was .... like a new computer, a sample program, that required the purchaser to pay extra for the full program.

    Thanks again.
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