Toyota Prius (First Generation)

cliffy1 · November 2000

You may want to stop by the dealership. Ask to see the confirmation. They have a private web site that they can access and input your name. It will come back with the status. It should say something like "ordered" or "vehicle reserved" or "vehicle assigned". Unfortunately, the dealer is not given regular updates and this can be very frustrating for us and the consumer.

In the alternative, you can also call the distribution office of the region. Let me know the state you live in and I'll let you know the which distributor to contact.

mrgreenjeans · November 2000

Thank you Cliffy1 for your help. I live in the Hartford,Connecticut region. I will take your advice and go back to my dealer to see if the car was "TRULY" ordered...although they did provide me with a confirmation number. I wonder if there is any way I can track the car via the internet? That would be a cool way to track its progress from Japan to Hartford,CT. Again, thanks for your help.

Keep it GREEN!

cliffy1 · November 2000

In CT, you are in the NY region. Call information in NY and ask for the regional Toyota offices. I wish I had a number for you and I might be able to find it this week. Call the main number and ask for the "distribution office" You will be connected to the office that allocates the cars. Explain your situation and see if they can help.

The dealers don't even have a very accurate way of tracking cars. When you order on the web site, we can go into our private dealer site and see that your order is "pending". Once we confirm the order, it changes to "assigned". It stays in this status until the car is 2 to 4 weeks away. The status changes to "reserved" but we still don't get the VIN or an exact ETA until a couple of days before the car arrives.

judiths · November 2000

You were right, of course. The local dealer who figured he could have a new one here in two weeks was dreaming.
I put down a deposit on a white Prius trac car today and plan to pick it up next Saturday. I wanted a white one, which makes sense in our sunny climate. It's the only white trac Prius in town, and I finally got nervous about the little white bug getting sold, leaving me to wait until March. The dealership does have a second for customers to try.
One of the final sales points for me on the Prius was the web groups. Web groups for some of the other cars I was considering didn't seem to be as nice people, or to be having as much fun with the cars.

mrgreenjeans · November 2000

Thanks Cliffy for your advice. I did not call the distribution center in New York, but I did go down to my local dealer and ask, "What Up?" They had NO CLUE! They felt, as did I, that I should have heard SOMETHING from Toyota by now. They promised to contact their "head" honcho to inform him of this situation. When I asked him if he could give me a rough estimate of when he felt the car might be rolling in, he said perhaps late December or early January. I said, "WHAT?" I didn't expect such a delay. I was told the car should be in this month. I can not tell you how frustrated I am with all the delays. I am considering withdrawing my order, but fear the penalties would be stiff. Is there any way to contact Toyota directly to find out what is happening with the car? I feel my dealership is just as clueless as I am and I don't want to badger the wrong people. Well, that's it for now. Until the next episode....Take care! Keep it Green!

andre3000 · November 2000

Yes, that's right... I got to bypass the ordering process and bought my Prius on the spot here in Los Angeles, CA. I started calling around and asked dealers if they wanted to sell their TRAC cars and demos until I found someone ready to deal. It seems that the dealer has to keep the car for three months before selling it. I bought a white Prius with about 950 miles on it.

The whole process took about four hours. I'd also placed an order on an Aqua Ice Prius back in early October, but couldn't wait any longer as my other car is in the shop. (The rental car cost me $1700+ for just over a month's use... not including gas!)

So anyway, it pays to ask around. I'll probably get a call or two from the other dealers who said they'd "look into" selling their TRAC cars. Anybody in or near Southern California can email me for details or with questions on which dealers seemed more likely/ready to sell.

andre3000 · November 2000

I read an earlier post that essentially said that any dealer selling their trac Prius would be making a mistake. That's so true... and it seems like the dealers know this. Two out of the three stores I tried were getting replacement cars soon and were very cautious about making a promise to sell.

The third had already gotten their replacement and, thus, were able to sell to me. I hope that clarifies things a bit.

-Andre

mrgreenjeans · November 2000

On Tuesday, I received a neat little gift from Toyota. It was a pocket-sized electronic organizer. This was the FIRST time Toyota gave me any recognition that I was buying the Prius...other than taking my initial down payment.

While they would not commit to a delivery date, I was wondering if anybody has had any similar experiences. If so,did your Prius soon follow? Can you tell I'm loosing my grip on patience?

Thanks for any input! Keep it GREEN!

prius_lover · November 2000

I recently took the Prius out for a test drive and I love it. It's wonderful to drive. I'm 17 and considering this for my college car. My questions so far are as follows:

1) To date, how many Prius orders have been placed? I want to know because I would like to know how many cars are guaranteed to be made. I know that the 2002 model should sell even better than this one and that Toyota doesn't just give up on cars, but I would like to know how committed they actually are.

2) What's up with the whole tire thing? From what I've read/heard, they're standard size tires but a special design to reduce road resistance. If they're standard size, then if I'm ever really in a bind, then I can get a tire, sacrifice some gas mileage, and get home. Are they a special size?

That's it for now, though I'm sure I'll have more. Thanks in advance.

cliffy1 · November 2000

If you call 800-GOTOYOTA, you can open a dialogue with Toyota. Explain your situation and they will get you in touch with the regional distribution people. As I mentioned before, dealers have very little information until the car actually reaches the port.

paul456h · November 2000

I received the pocket-size organizer just around the time I got a call informing me that the Prius I ordered has arrived in the US (Long Beach CA).

paul456h · November 2000

The tires that came with my Prius are Bridgestone Potenza RE92. According to www.bridgestone.com, these are "performance" tires. They describe these tires as follows:

- High performance tire designed to complement today's sporty coupes, sedans.
- Circumferential tread grooves provide efficient channeling of water to help resist hydroplaning.
- Bridgestone's variable pitch technology effectively limits road noise.
- Our most popular H-rated high performance tire due to extensive use as original equipment on vehicles such as Acura Integra and Honda Civic Si.

The last item would imply that these tires are fairly common. The tire size for my Prius is P175/65R14, which is a standard size. (I found snow cables for them with no problem.)

judiths · November 2000

My white Prius is in my carport. I have noticed some of the people in Prius groups giving their vehicles nicknames, but with only days before I got my car, nothing appropriate occurred to me, until I drove past a local lake to see that a big flock of white pelicans had arrived and were cruising along with their usual flair under a bright blue sky. Their topline and the angle of head and beak reminded me of the Prius. The smoothness and grace seem appropriate, too.
Our long drought has broken with cold rain which is beginning to cause some flooding. First thing in the morning, I was disappointed not to have a pretty day to enjoy driving when I picked up my new car, but by midafternoon I was just glad to be driving the Prius in order to get home safely.

marrii · November 2000

We ordered the Aqua Prius the third week in Sept. We didn't hear anything for one month and then received an email saying the original time of 0-2 months for delivery was wrong. The car won't even be built until Jan. and we may see it in Feb. or Mar. In the meantime, we stopped by the dealership to see what they knew (nothing!) and were shown a color card for the 2001 Prius that had six colors instead of the four shown on the website. One of the additional colors was a very nice blue that had a violet cast to it. I asked if we could change the color on our order. A week later I called the dealer and asked about the color change. I was told the change had been made and there would be no additional waiting time as a result. About two weeks after that, the salesman called to say there are only four colors and my order was never changed. I have gone to the Toyota website and inquired. I was told to talk to the dealer. I told them if I could get an answer from the dealer I wouldn't need to email them. They referred my inquiry to a higher level.

Has anyone else seen the color card with six colors? In addition to the light blue color there was another dark color that was either a dark blue or black. I'm really going to be upset if I accept the Aqua and then see someone driving around in that blue car!

mrgreenjeans · November 2000

Dear soon-to-be Prius owner, the colors you are referring to are not for the 2001 Prius cars, but rather for the 2002 Prius'. I also saw the "other" colors and was equally impressed. I have done much research on this car and have viewed many many websites regarding this car and I have been told that the colors that you are referring to are not available. I also ordered the aqua blue. I wasn't going to order it at first, but when I saw what it looked like up close and personal, I was stunned by its beauty. It will also go well with our new state license plate (Connecticut). There are many other options available on the 2002 such as GPS (Global Positioning System), possibly cruise control and leather seats. I was also told that the energy monitor might one day be used as a monitor to watch movies etc....that's a bit far fetched if you ask me, but it sounds cool. Do not get discouraged about waiting. There is only ONE plant in Japan building these cars and they are building a very limited number of these vehicles. I ordered mine in August,2000 and still await its arrival. Patience will pay off, I'm sure. The only other thing I have to say is congratulations and THANK YOU! Thank you for taking a chance on a car that promises to usher in a new era of more "conscious" vehicles and hopefully drivers.

~ Keep us up to date on your vehicle's progress. And don't worry about the color. The aqua blue reminds me of the clear, blue sky the car promises to keep clean. Take care! and KEEP IT GREEN!

judiths · November 2000

And undergoing other tests to see how they perform:
http://www.sonarsearch.com/prius/m6run.jpg

judiths · November 2000

A Prius with leather seating would be like a chain-smoking doctorhis health advice would be compromised and the Prius "green" credentials would be compromised. Leather is part of the "red meat" industry--neither earth-friendly, nor good for human health.
Buying a Prius gives a person the high ground in talking about a better future for life on our planet. The cars are neat in big and little ways, right down to the "ashtray" which isnt good as an ashtray and serves as a reminder not to smoke in the car (or anywhere).
I teach at a University and I am going to have fun showing students my new car. One Prius wont make much difference in local air pollution levels, but mine is going to sell more Priuses when people see it and ride in it. I wouldnt want to have ordered leather on the car, as youngsters would be likely to tell me all about the pollution associated with the meat and hides business. "You bought a car producing reduced emissions and then ordered leather seats, leather from an industry that is polluting our ground water with nitrates and causing birth defects", they would think. If I offer a ride to members of the local Student Environmental Action group, a nice group of young folks, I wouldnt want to see a cringe when they see the interior.
Leather seats have their place: on Cadillacs for senior citizens whose arthritis makes it very hard to slide into the car, or on "luxury" SUVs, where they are consistent with the statement the owner makes by driving the vehicle.

mrgreenjeans · November 2000

I agree with you that leather seats might appear to be contradictory to the "GREEN THEME", but like it or not, demands shape the market. Society demands alternative cars ---> enter Prius and Honda's Insight. Sadly, if people wish to drive around in their environmentally friendly "Green Cars" with environmentally unfriendly seats Toyota just might oblige. I am happy to hear that you are spreading the "word" by showing your students your new vehicle. I will too once I get the vehicle. My students constantly ask, "When is that electric car coming?" I remind them it is not fully electric, but they just don't seem to care about that part. I plan on using it as part of several lessons: alternative cars, hybrid systems, recapturing energy etc...I wish you all the best. Let me know how you use the car in teaching your students?

judiths · November 2000

I'll mention the car when I talk about greenhouse warming and extinctions. It sounds as if you will be able to incorporate lots about it in your classes. Wonderful!

cliffy1 · November 2000

One of our technicians has purchased a Prius. He is not particularly green and his commute is a long one on the highway. So why is he buying it? It seems he will be able to get alternate fuel vehicle tags from the VA DMV. This qualifies him to use the HOV lanes and cut his commute time in half.

This is the first time I have heard of this being done in this state (well, technically a commonwealth but who notices?) and I'll let you all know how it works out. He should have his tags in about 3 weeks.

judiths · November 2000

When I gave the address for drag-racing Priuses, I gave the picture's address. Friends report being unable to see the whole site. This address should work better:
http://www.sonarsearch.com/prius/

bonkil · November 2000

I have owned a Prius for about a month and 1000 miles. The first tank of gas got me about 380 miles, or about 54 mpg. My mpg has dropped each subsequent fill up, with the last one dropping to about 44 mpg. I have driven about the same route for all 1000 miles.
When I took it in for the 1000 mile checkup, they tested it and said all systems checked out okay. They suggested a higher octane gasoline and that I needed to learn to drive it (you do maximize use of the electric motor if you don't have a heavy foot on the accelerator, in spite of the literature and reviews). I have gotten better at driving it over the time I have owned it, which would suggest to me that I should not lose mpg over time.
I live in Chicago, where it has gotten quite a bit colder in the last month.
Anyone else have this experience or any advice?
THanks
Bonkil

greggarvan · November 2000

Hi there. Been doing my homeowrk and getting ready to buy, and off to the Ithaca, NY dealer today. great test ride, met and beat expectations except this infernal wait until mid-May or later if I order today. I've been reading through many of your posts - anyone have any ideas of dealers, etc. that might have better access or someway of speeding this up? Thanks Greg

judiths · November 2000

I have been looking and thinking for a while. When things jelled for me, I didn't want to wait until April or whatever, so I put a deposit on the local trac car in my choice of color and went and bought it a week later. I would have preferred to break in my own, but after a week of driving, I'm very glad I did this. If I had not had what I wanted in town, I would have gone to the Toyota dealer locator on the web and started calling until I found the dealer with the car I wanted, working in concentric circles from home. They should knock off some money if there is significant mileage on the car.
I don't know how thing are going in the Northwest, but in the south, dealers have not been pushing the car very efficiently. Priuses are fun to drive, so it is not rare to go to a dealership on a Saturday and find that some dealership staff are using the car as their run-around vehicle and they and it are at home. In my state, cars can't be sold on Sunday, so Saturday was my main time to look and test cars. My car is a "demo", but was driven by the dealership owner, so it didn't have a load of different drivers trying to see what it could do.
Dealers can't get around the order system
and just get you one quickly, unless there has been a sudden big change in the situation.

jimalden · November 2000

If anyone is in the driving range of Southern California, plan on
attending the first annual West Coast G.O.H.E.V (gathering of hybrid
electric vehicles) Saturday December 23rd in Griffith Park, (Los
Angeles) CA.
This is a BYOBBQ (Bring your own BBQ.) Or, bring a picnic.
This gathering is open to all Hybrid or EV car owners and enthusiasts
(Prius, Insight, EV1 or other EVs) including all who are on waiting
lists for one.
There will be at least one Toyota representative there.
Appropriately, this gathering will be in the vicinity of Travel Town,
so if you have kids, you can explore the old trains and take a ride
on a mini train around the park or go to the Los Angeles Zoo
afterwards.

Please write me and tell me:
1) the most often asked question you have had about your car
2) the most ridiculous question about your car
3) the most incredible story about your car
4) the most desired accessory for your car
5) any interesting or funny anecdotes you may have about your car.
6) other eco-things you own

These will be read at the gathering.

Besides food, Frisbees etc., bring $1.00 for each door prize ticket.
a $3.00 donation is appreciated but not mandatory.
RSVP is mandatory to determine which area of the park to reserve.
When e-mailing, please give the following information:

Name
Email address
Home City
Car Driven, ordered, or desired
Amount of people in your party

There will be a special prize for the person (with a hybrid) that
traveled the farthest to reach the gathering.

Please email me at: jimalden@email.com to be added to the list and
for specific directions and times.
Hope to see you there!
-Jim Alden

dennism2 · November 2000

I have had my Prius for about 2 months now and have 1400 miles on it. I have had the same fluctuating fuel mileage issues. When the Prius is fully warmed it gets around 50mpg in town and about 48 on the highway. When it is cold and traveling short distances it gets about 36-37 mpg. It is my theory that this is because the piston engine runs all the time when the engine is not fully warmed up. This is probably to warm up the catalyst to keep emissions low. My wife commutes in the car only about 2 1/2 miles and has some steep hills in the route and gets about 36-37 mpg consistently. I haven't seen a big difference from late September when I got the car to now, so I don't believe it is varying too much with winter temperatures. It took about the same time to warm up in September as now.
I am very happy with the Prius. It is a little lower fuel mileage than advertised, but its emissions are only a tenth of other cars now on the road so I'll take a little reduced mileage on warmup for the lower emissions. I have had no problems other than a sticky fuel filler door that doesn't want to open with the lever opener.

cliffy1 · November 2000

As for your fuel door, I can tell you how to fix that. Open it up and look at the inside of the door. You will see a metal latch. Push it towards the back. Bend it only slightly. Now close it and try again. What you are doing is reducing the distance the lock has to move to free the door.

bonkil · November 2000

Thank you very much for confirming that my experience has not been unique. I have noticed that the gas engine runs much longer when the weather is colder.

Do you think that it makes a difference if you always leave the headlights on when you drive? This might use electricity down sooner and thus the gas motor runs to recharge the batteries.

While I agree that the car needs to run for awhile to warm up before it can maximize gas mileage, the other thing that seems different is that the gas motor turns on more readily at startup, even when the car is warmed up and the battery fully charged. Do you know if it is possible to adjust the sensitivity of the accelerator?
THanks

judiths · November 2000

Yahoo chat mentioned Priuses for sale listed on a site called cars.com .I checked and there are some listed.

eburcksen · November 2000

I ordered a Prius months ago. But after reading some reviews, I'm growing a little uncertain about the purchase. I'm a commuter from San Francisco to Los Angeles and score more than 30,000 miles a year. Driving up and down Highway 5, cruise control and comfort are very important to me: Prius doesn't come with cruise control. I'm driving a '99 Ford Taurus right now and the Prius is considerably smaller. On that commute I have to scale a long and steep climb - the Grapevine - and I'm wondering if I will go uphill at a snail's pace.
In order to get rid of my doubts I would like to rent a Prius either in L.A or S.F. to find out how it feels on my long commute. Budget Environmental at LAX has the Honda Insight and other "green" cars, but not the Prius. Any suggestions?

cliffy1 · November 2000

Hmmm.. Not to throw a wet blanket on the Prius idea, but you are aware that the Prius is not really at its finest in the conditions you describe right? Toyota has gone to great lengths with the salesmen to make sure we don't over sell this car and the one thing they stressed is that this car is at its best in in-town driving. While I don't think you would have a problem over the Grapevine, you could save several thousand dollars with something like a Corolla and get nearly the same mileage.

The Prius get 52 in-town but only 45 on the highway. The Corolla with a 5 speed gets 41 and the automatic gets 39. A true long distance trip may even see these numbers go higher.

Now, in answer to your question, every dealership has a Prius in stock as a rental. I'm not sure if they would be too happy about you putting 800 miles on it for such a test though. You may need to check with several dealerships to find one that will agree to such a thing.

dennism2 · December 2000

I can't believe the headlights use enough energy to make a significant difference in fuel economy, although I have also wondered about the same thing. I also would be very surprised if the throttle sensitivity can be adjusted as the system is a "drive by wire" type where there is no mechanical linkage to the engine. It is controlled by the computer responding to the movement of your foot on the throttle pedal.
Cliffy1, thanks for the tip on the gas door. I'll try it and save myself a trip to the dealer.

emc2go · December 2000

If you want a Prius but don't want to wait any longer, drop me a line. My job is transferring me overseas on very short notice so I have about a week to sell the car that most are waiting months to get.

The car is Superwhite with light grey interior. It has about 2800 miles on it and has been loved and cared for from the day I bought it. It's flawless. I average 47-48 mpg (calculations made at the pump, not using the trip computer) with about 75% freeway driving.

I listed the car on eBay because I thought it would sell fast, but I'll stop the auction if one of you folks wants to buy the conventional way. Email me for more information. If you want, include your telephone number and I'll call you back immediately.

I live in Los Angeles, CA. Since I have to sell quickly and I know this club spans the globe, I'll drive the car to anywhere within 350 miles of here. If you live farther, we can work something else out. You'll love this car of the future... I know because I'll miss it.

J. Anthony
emc2go@technology911.com

sam125 · December 2000

eburcksen:
Go to toyota-prius @ egroups.com and read post 2844 for Grapevine experience.

paul456h · December 2000

There is also a post on http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/toyotaprius. See "SF to San Diego round-trip report" posted by mo_mpg on 11/27/00.

jrct9454 · December 2000

Pay attention to Cliff's response - everyone else is focusing on the hill-climbing part of your question, but my first reaction is that the lack of cruise control is an absolute deal-breaker if you want to use this or any other car on long trips. I too have had the occasion, far, far too many times in the past ten years, to sprint the 380 miles from the Sacramento area to Ventura and vicinity, and the only time we had to do that without cruise control was the last time...this is not the car for this purpose.

Try a 4 cyl Accord or a new Civic or Corolla - you'll be surprised at how lively and refined these cars are, and none of them will make you miss your Taurus...which, for all of its limitations, is a well-suited car for the kind of driving you describe. A 2001 Accord Lx 4-cyl automatic will be just as lively as a Taurus LX 6 [with the Vulcan engine], roomier, and a whole lot nicer at resale time. But the Prius for this purpose? I don't think so...

mitphd · December 2000

In response to a number of inquiries as to foreseable winter problems with the Prius, there are a number of design flaws with the as-shipped vehicle that may spell disaster for those of you who purchase and drive these under serious winter conditions such as typically encoutered in northern New England.

It is well known in the battery technology community that NiMeH batteries are not compatible with cold temperatures since you can't charge them at low temperatures without damaging them, they won't take a full charge, and they have terrible discharge kinetics. You can expect your battery charging capacity to start droping off below 50 F and disappear as temperatures drop to 40 or 30F. This may be the reason behind some of the postings on low mileage performance that others have noted.

Under typical New England winter conditions, the Prius should perform like a clunker, meaning you should expect poor starter performance, jump starts, poor heater and accessory performance (i.e. I believe these run off battery power in the Prius) together with mediocre mileage performance when the temperature drops below freezing.

Most likely you won't be listening to your electric motor whirr much when your tootsies are cold since the gas engine will likely start and operate the vehicle when temperatures drop below freezing. This is due to the fact that the batteries won't take a full charge at low temperatures and the "smart circuitry" design will "tell" the gas engine to startup and charge the battery which will report a low charge state.

Another, potentially dangerous problem for winter driving conditions is that the Prius will likely have terrible handling characteristics on snow and ice due to the use of the low rolling resistance (read poor traction) tires which are designed to improve fuel economy on dry roads.

If you already purchased a Prius and thinking about how you will survive a cold New England winter, you might want to consider replacing the low rolling resistance tires with higher traction snow tires and get an insulated battery heater box so the battery will work the way it is intended to. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Toyota had the foresight to offer a battery heater as a cold weather option. Unfortunately, snow tires will likely reduce fuel economy but could prevent a serious accident. The battery heater box will further reduce fuel economy due to additional weight and may be expensive since you might have to have one custom built. Otherwise, I'd pray for a warm winter.

Another possible option is to hold off a purchase until you benefit from the Prius' first encounter with a Northeast winter. You may find that dealer prices drop if it turns out to be a fair weather vehicle.

P.S. Regarding posted references to possible cold weather testing in Canada, these may be just rumors since Toyota has not reported any results regarding cold weather performance. It is worth noting that Honda initially restricted sales of the Insight to CA and AZ, most likely due to some of the reasons I noted above. In any case, your batteries will definitely not work at below freezing temperatures without auxiliary heating so don't leave home without a battery heater. And don't forget to replace the tires and wear longjohns.

jimalden · December 2000

GOHEV Southern California Hybrid Gathering re-scheduled.
http://members.nbci.com/gohev/gohev.htm

At the request of a several people, because of proximity to
Christmas, the GOHEV, (gathering of hybrid electric vehicles)
originally scheduled on Dec. 23rd, has been moved to Sunday, January
7th 2001 at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, CA.
There has been a great response to this event so far.
Edmunds.com has offered to give out shirts, mugs and other goodies.
A representative from Toyota will be joining us as well.
So far, both Toyota Prius and Honda Insight owners will be there.
Actor Ed Begley Jr. emailed to say he might also be joining us.
Hopefully hell have his EV1 with him.
A writer from Entertainment Today will also be there for a story and
pictures.

This will be in a picnic/BBQ area, so you can bring food, Frisbees etc.
The Grills are in the park. Expect 65 to 70 degree temps. (updates coming)
The gathering will be from 12:00 noon till the early evening.

Anyone owning or interested in owning any type of alternative fueled
vehicle is invited.

Please email gohev@email.com for specific directions and registration.

Please let us know if you will attend, and how many people are in
your party.
Hope to see you there!

judiths · December 2000

Before I bought my Prius, I checked a website which was supposed to show how much I would save driving it versus my old vehicle. The savings were not impressive.
I gassed up after two weeks of driving my new Prius. My last weekly fillup on my 1982 Land Cruiser was $30 and the Prius is running on $6.50 a week, with considerably higher than normal miles on Thanksgiving week.

sam125 · December 2000

"mitphd" has listed far more mis-information than I car to rebut, so I'll limit it to this:
The car has a battery heater. Cabin heat, provided by the combustion engine, is circulated through the NiMH battery to warm it when needed.
Now that we are well into December several folks at toyota-prius@egroups and the prius group on Yahoo have posted cold weather, and driving-in-snow experiences. No problems.
Mileage does go down rather dramatically which will happen whatever car you're driving - but Prius keeps emissions low regardless.

Sam Williams

mrgreenjeans · December 2000

I was struck by mitphd's take on Prius' ability to "make it" in a cold climate. So struck was I, that I thought of cancelling my order. But alas, reason took hold and I did some additional research. My research taught me that the Prius handles itself as well, if not better, than most vehicles. I spoke to Toyota myself after reading mitphd's post and was assured that I had made the right decision. This car is certified to be driven as far north as Alaska. What's more, because of the unique hybrid system along with its unique transmission this car responds well to both cold weather conditions and slick roadways. I often visit another website created by a Prius owner. He lives in Minnesota and keeps us "Prius People" up to date on its performance in Minnesota's brutal winter weather. So far, his journal updates speak of a car designed to perform no matter what the weather conditions are like. It is important as the world turns a corner in automotive technology that we share information. I will proudly drive my Prius no matter the weather: rain, snow, sleet or hail. I know that these cars are the first generation of cars yet to be. As a society, we are waking up to the fact that we can have a tremendous impact on our environment. Clearly, the Prius is a car with a conscious. The promise of the Prius is to help add balance so that the impact we make in the future will be a positive one. Let's all work together to KEEP IT GREEN!

paul456h · December 2000

> I was struck by mitphd's take on Prius' ability
> to "make it" in a cold climate. So struck was > I, that I thought of cancelling my order.
> But alas, reason took hold and I did some
> additional research...

Good for you. It only goes to show that one should not believe speculations posted on the web. Enjoy your Prius.

bonkil · December 2000

I live in chicago, where as I write this we have 4 inches of snow and the temp is forecast for zero tomorrow.
I won't drive my Prius, but then, I won't drive any other car; when conditions are this bad, it is just common sense and civic responsibility to take public trans if you have to go out.
I did leave my Prius out on purpose one night when the low was 4; it started as readily as it did when the temp was 60. That was only one test, but it did pass that with flying colors.

Does anyone know if using a different grade of gas makes a difference for either gas mileage or performance?
Thanks
bonkil

pocahontas · December 2000

Edmund's road test of the Toyota Prius is now available. Here's a direct link to Road Test:
2001 Toyota Prius, by Brent Romans.

Thanks for your comments. ;-)

Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host

wenyue · December 2000

In the latest issue of Motortrend (I think), Toyota Prius won a comparsion test agains the Honda Insight. FYI

judiths · December 2000

I generally like the review, but think the title doesn't work well, as the Prius is definitely not Karl Marx's car, nor a car for the masses in his sense. Nations following his teachings have a truly wretched record in protecting the environment. Communism isn't known for incubating efficient and clever technological innovation, either. Nor does it usually produce fun-to-drive vehicles.
Karl Marx's car arrived a while ago and was nothing like the Prius  his cars crowded the roads out of east Germany as the barriers to the west came down. As soon as there was a chance to get out, many people got in their Karl-Marx-mobiles and headed west toward the land of the Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes. If you look through Yahoo and eGroups discussions, you will see that many people are attracted to the Prius for precision engineering, and some would have gotten a German mid-size sedan if they had not gotten a Prius.
Many people are nuts about this car. What are Prius owners like? They are the kind of people who make websites and business cards for their cars (The following websites are listed on my cars card: Prius is #1 environmentally-friendly gasoline-powered vehicle on sale in the US (http://greenercars.com/pr4.html)
and # 1 in Edmunds Top Five Cars for the Environment
(http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/top5/top5_May99.html).
The reference to Star Trek in the review is on the mark. Prius is Captain Kirks car (Its the right thing to do), and Mr. Spocks car (Its logical). It would be difficult to explain the "fun and exciting to drive" part to Mr. Spock, of course. Ive driven mine for a little over a month in both city and freeway driving and I am getting even more fond of it as time goes on.

Peterun · December 2000

Perfect white Prius . . . . 4300 miles. . . $19,500 firm. Factory CD
player; mats. Garaged in Southern California. All interested phone (310)
273-5565, ask for Peter.

mrgreenjeans · December 2000

I recently received my Prius this past Monday, December 18th. I was beyond thrilled. It looked and performed even better than I remembered. Since Monday, I have put on about 230 miles. On average, I am getting around 37 mpg. This is good for any car, but I was wondering what other people are getting for gas mileage. Granted I live in a cold climate with a hilly topography. Which leads me to my next question...this little dynamo does not like hills. I noticed that ascending up a hill zaps the car of it's energy. Is this normal? I am honoring the "break-in" period by not exceeding 62 mph and not "gunning" it when moving from a stop sign. Is the poor gas mileage and lack of energy going up hills part of "breaking it in" or is this normal given the cold weather and hilly topography? Is there anything I can do to improve the gas mileage and/or trek up hills? I must admit that I am taking it easy with this car for at least the first 500 miles or so. I don't want to ruin the hybrid system, of course. Another item I noticed is that the energy monitor screen seems dimmer than when I first saw it. The temperatures outside have been averaging around 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit. Is this one way the car preserves its battery? Finally, does anybody know of an excellent glass cleaner. Each one I try either streaks the windows or leaves a film on them. Aside from these questions, I must say that this car is phenominal. It is easy and fun to drive. It feels like a luxury vehicle. I am impressed with the 2001 edition and can't wait until the 2003's come out. Thank you in advance for any help with my questions. KEEP IT GREEN!

flemide · December 2000

After much research including gleaning the thoughts of you good people, I decided to go for it and went down today to my dealership with my number and info in hand. I was shocked by how disinterested they were, lots of mumbling about how they would try and get my order in by tomorrow but they didn't have an onsite computer,did I know I was "on a list" (of 2 by the way) and did I know they weren't into "pushing these cars." Huh? How about a thank you for doing business, a little chat, a little fore and after....the whole interaction took less than a minute even with my conversation openers. Has anyone else met this passive reaction with a purchase...it made me very nervous...the topper was the complaint that they "were required to sell the demo after 60 days" and those were the only ones they sold...why would a dealer not be into such a "clean" deal? I am bewildered, such a non-event.

freewayguy1 · December 2000

In November, I put my $500 down and ordered a Prius. I was told that my order would arrive in the Spring of 2001; however, since they had other Prius' coming in sooner than that, I could take delivery early in the year.

In December, about 4 or 5 weeks after I placed the order, I called the dealership to ask about the status of my order, how many Prius' came in, etc. The sales manager, who helped place my order, acted as if he had amnesia about me ever setting foot inside the dealership. He said that no cars had come in and he had no idea when any Prius' would come in. I called the salesman the next day (hoping that they would have time to get their story straight) and he told me the same know nothing story.

A week after that the salesman called me and tried to sell me a MR2 Spyder (with a beautiful color) that just came in. I asked him about the Prius again and he said that they knew nothing, but he would call me when they found out "something." So far, no phone calls. They have my $500, but they don't seem to be interested in selling the Prius at all. What great public relations this is! What is going on here?

Toyota Prius (First Generation)

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