Test drivin' a Prius this week

No; just enjoy the test drive. Try to test it under as many traffic conditions as you can.

city streets open freeway congested freeway rural or suburban highway (not freeway) right turns left turns etc.

Just enjoy it!

On my first drive I was pretty impressed that when I pulled up to a stop sign the engine shut down. Still am, as a matter of fact. You'll notice it, I'm sure.

The only negative that we noticed was that we weren't impressed with the field of view looking out the rear window through the rear view mirror. It's fairly limited but we've gotten used to it now.

Good luck...

Good idea. I'll make sure the dealer knows some brick roads near the store, as that's a good portion of my daily commute. Thank you.

Have you tried the method of adjusting mirrors they described on Car Talk? It works pretty well in my Saturn, which had a nasty blind spot behind me and to the left.

I discovered that method years ago; the problem is that it leaves a blind spot (on some cars) from the time it moves out of sight of the side view mirror and into direct view.

It went very well - the Prius handles nicely, accelerates well getting on the highway, the in-dash display is intuitive and not as distracting as I thought it might be, and I could barely tell when the gas engine cut in and out. The only thing that stood out as annoying was the limited rearview-mirror visibility; I prefer to have more of a view as to what's coming up on me.

Unfortunately, the three cars they had on the lot contained unwanted option packages putting them in the $24k range, and they confirmed there's no way of installing just the onboard satellite navigation short of the $5k all-inclusive accessory package, so I walked. I just couldn't justify the added expense - the base model price was pushing it, and my treat was to be the sat nav, not the other things I have no interest in.

They promised to call me if a base model Prius turns up in their allocation, and I'll consider it if I can find an elegant sat-nav solution.

I bought a 2004 with the #4 option package. I use a handheld Magellan Meridian Gold for navigation purposes.Works well for me.

Alan

That's what they want you to believe. I installed a Kenwood KNA-DV3100 with the

8" touch screen in my '04 with the Package 7. It's a full-featured touch screen, voice activated DVD-based GPS navigation system. The screen goes where the plastic hinged door that covers the compartment right below the radio. I have about $1500 in the Nav and display, and it cost $200 to get it installed. It works FAR BETTER than the Toyota OEM version in the Prius.

An added bonus is that since it uses a separate screen, I can keep the consumption display up at the same time I am using the Nav.

You can see the pictures here:

Hope that helps.

Steve

On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 14:46:48 -0400, "Fustanella" put together some random words that came up with:

I agree with you regarding the rear view from the center mirror (as I mentioned in an earlier post). It could be better. We have 5k miles on ours now and have gotten used to it but it is still somewhat annoying.

We ended up spending more than we wanted to but we still believe we got full value received. Not sure I'd want to give up the options now though. We like the gadgets as much as the next person, I suppose. But, suffice it to say that we really didn't plan to spend as much as we did. When and if you do make your purchase, be prepared for the additional warrenty offer (increases the warrenty from 3 years to whatever you want - we took 7 years) and, of course, they want to sell you a service agreement, which we also bought but not so sure we got a great deal on that now that we've had time to study it further.

I've seen some dash mounted satellite navigation systems that look pretty good that can be added as an accessory item. These aren't from Toyota but are relatively inexpensive. I'm considering adding one in the near future.

Glad you had a good test drive. Hope you can eventually find the one you really want.

Larry Morphew

They were quite willing to consider an integrated idea, and were open to aftermarket options - they just didn't know of any offhand that met my requirement that it use the existing display, which hamstrung them. I didn't feel any pressure from them to go with their system.

Thanks for the tip on the Kenwood. I'll give that serious thought.

Does that cover the battery? One of the nagging concerns I have is what would happen when the hamsters in there get tired, and who handles the replacement cost. There's also the chance I'd be out of the car before then, though I bought my current car new in '96 and it's going strong.

Steve's Kenwood comment gives me food for thought, and I'm also considering one of the Palm OS handhelds with GPS built in as I'd get more overall use out of it, in the car and out. The latter isn't as elegant but it is more flexible.

It's in their court, augmented with the fine advice I'm receiving here and in other Prius conversations.

Does that cover the battery? One of the nagging concerns I have is what would happen when the hamsters in there get tired, and who handles the replacement cost. There's also the chance I'd be out of the car before then, though I bought my current car new in '96 and it's going strong.

Steve's Kenwood comment gives me food for thought, and I'm also considering one of the Palm OS handhelds with GPS built in as I'd get more overall use out of it, in the car and out. The latter isn't as elegant but it is more flexible.

It's in their court, augmented with the fine advice I'm receiving here and in other Prius conversations.

The traction battery (the big, expensive one) is covered by the standard

8 year/100,000 mile drive train warranty. If the salesanimal said you had to buy an extended warranty to cover that battery that long then he was lying.

After seven years of Toyota selling about 100,000 Priuses I have found zero reports of battery replacements other than those damaged in accidents.

All extended warranties are insurance policies, priced to return a profit to the seller. If you can afford the possible loss or repair cost it's always a better bet to self-insure (in other words, don't buy the extended warranty).

Been on waiting list since April 04 in New York. A prius came in August, but dealer wanted 3000 over MSRP. I walked. Are these cars available without dealer overcharges?? Has anyone paid MSRP? Above?, Below (HA). thanks AK in NY

For the extended service agreement (extended warranty), the Prius only qualifies for the Toyota Extra Care Platinum Plan for the Toyota-backed warranties. You do NOT have to buy it at closing, but you can buy it anytime before your 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty runs out. you do not have to buy it from the dealer that sold the car to you, or the dealer where you intend to have the car serviced. You can shop around, as pricing varies from dealership to dealership. You can get the maxed out 7 year/100,000 mile/$0 deductible plan for less than $1000 (shorter length plans for even cheaper), if you know where to shop...

Lots more info about the Toyota extended warranty, including known dealers with good pricing (and how to get out of your current overpriced warranty and buy it cheaper), can be found at:

I've heard varying stories about the Toyota Prepaid Maintenance program... Some dealers claim that you can only buy it at closing, some others claim that it is only good at their dealership, but I don't know if they're really selling the Toyota plan. I do know that you can also shop around (check with some of the dealers in the above document) and get a better than MSRP price for the plan, though. Whether it is a good idea depends on the price that the plan is being offered to you at, and what the going rate is at the dealership's service department that you're planning on using (different shops have differernt hourly rates). MSRP for the program is at: Note that you'll be double-paying for the Toyota Roadside Assistancewith the prepaid maintenance plan, as every US Toyota Prius comes withit free for 3 years/36,000 miles.

We hadn't gotten to that point, since they didn't have a model that served my needs.

The hybrid battery, in the US, is standardly covered by the 8 year/100,000 mile Hybrid Vehicle System warranty. If you live in CA, MA, ME, NY, or VT, the hybrid battery on the 2004 and newer Prius is covered by the longer CA Emission Control warranty for 10 years/150,000 miles.

See question #17 on:

1. What is the warranty for Prius?

Toyota has extreme faith in our hybrid technology, so Prius comes standard with the following coverages:

Basic: 36 months/36,000 miles (all components other than normal wear and maintenance items).

Hybrid-Related Component Coverage: Hybrid-related components, including the HV battery, battery control module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter, are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet for details.

Powertrain: 60 months/60,000 miles (engine, transmission/transaxle, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, seatbelts and airbags).

Rust-Through: 60 months/unlimited miles (corrosion perforation of sheet metal).

Emissions: Coverages vary under Federal and California regulations. Refer to applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet for details.

Accessories: For accessories purchased at the time of the new vehicle purchase, the Toyota Accessory Warranty coverage is in effect for 36 months/36,000 miles from the vehicle's in-service date, which is the same coverage as the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty. For accessories purchased after the new vehicle purchase the coverage is

12 months, regardless of mileage, from the date the accessory was installed on the vehicle, or the remainder of any applicable new vehicle warranty, whichever provides greater coverage, with the exception of car covers. Car covers are warranted for 12 months from the date of purchase and do not assume any coverage under the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

You may be eligible for transportation assistance if it's necessary that your vehicle be kept overnight for repairs covered under warranty. Please see your authorized Toyota dealership for further details.

For complete details about Toyota's warranties, please visit

refer to the applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet or see your Toyota dealer.

Prius customers are covered by roadside assistance and road hazard insurance for 36 months/36,000 miles from the vehicle's in-service date. Examples of this service include flat tire, vehicle lockout and jumpstart. See your Toyota dealer for details.

Many dealers sell at MSRP; I bought mine at MSRP in Fresno, CA, even though I live in AZ. I realize that living in NY, CA is not an option for you.

But it looks like the backlog is soon to be resolved. A dealer here who told me in April that they stopped taking orders because they had a one-year backlog told me today that they have sold out their waiting list and have some coming in soon that are not spoken for.

considering

I gotta recommend a GPS navigation system that is designed for automotive use. They are much more intuitive in a car, and the controls are set up for some one that has to keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. I use a Garmin eTrex Legend when I am on the road, and it leave lots to be desired. The display is smalland monochrome . The memery only holds 8 meg of maps. There is no voice activation, or contingency re-routing.

-John