Hey, Prius!

Yes, the Prius can do 100+ MPH

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:42:00 +0000

As has been widely documented, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was ticketed back in March for doing 104 MPH in his Prius. For some reason, the story just broke yesterday.

In any case, I've read a number of articles/posts where people simply don't believe that the Prius can go that fast (much less with Woz in the car). Naturally, there have been a fair share of rebuttals as well, some going as far as citing the Prius' European specification sheet.

But I have what I believe to be the best rebuttal of all - photographic evidence of 100+ MPH.

I took this on a long stretch of I-94 in Michigan about a month ago. I had always been curious at what speed the Prius might top out, so when I topped 100 MPH I whipped out my iPhone and took this pic. From what I remember, the Prius was relatively stable and it felt like it had a little more left - so I don't doubt that Woz could have easily been doing 104 MPH.

And yes, it was extremely dumb and dangerous for me to do it - but I live to tell the story.

Ask me a question

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:51:00 +0000

So I have plenty of topics I will eventually get around to, but if there's something specific you want to know about the Prius (in a semi-biased manner, since I do love the Prius), let me know and if I've had experience with it, I'll write it up.

For context, I have a 2006 Prius with all the options except leather - so if you have questions on how supple the leather is, I'm not your guy. Otherwise, drop a comment here and I'll see what I can do.

Shake, rattle, and roll - a year later

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:14:00 +0000

Ok, ok, so I haven't written in over a year...but look on the bright side, I still have the Prius!

At least I have some perspective on the infamous rattles now. As I reviewed some of comments to my old posts, sounds like people have gone to great lengths to curb the problem. Some people have tried wooden shims to tighten up the dash, and some have claimed to have sold their Prius because they couldn't handle it anymore (being a bit dramatic, aren't we?). In all cases, the consensus is the same - the rattles are common and prevalent.

Me - I did nothing. I adapted, and have learned to live with them. They exist in all the commonly mentioned areas - numerous places on the dashboard, windows when they are rolled down, and somewhere in the back by the trunk.

Yeah they're annoying, but as far as car trouble in general goes, it could be a lot worse. I've had zero mechanical problems, and I'm now over 20,000 miles. The only money I've spent on the car has been for oil changes.

So while it's not what I expected from Toyota in terms of overall build quality, I'm still very, very satisfied with the Prius.

Shake, rattle, and roll: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:51:00 +0000

Unfortunately, the rattles and squeaks haven't gotten any better as the weather has slightly improved (in the 50s now). Over minor bumps you don't hear anything too abnormal, but the streets of Evanston and Chicago are some of the crappiest roads on the planet. The dashboard rattle by the speedometer persists, and I've found two more glaring rattles. When the back windows are rolled down about an inch, each rattles very noticeably. About half way down, the rattle seems to go away. That kind of makes sense, seeing how the window is probably held a little tighter by the seal as it moves down.

As I've done some research, the rattle issue appears to be an extremely common complaint. Searches on priuschat.com as well as Google bring up plenty of similar experiences. I guess to some degree it makes me feel a little better since it's not just my particular Prius that is jacked. I also take solace in the fact that rattles are relatively minor annoyances, and not major mechanical failures (unlike issues with my previous car, a 2005 Acura TSX). Still, I lobbed a call over to my dealer and am going to try and take it in and see what they can do to correct some of these annoyances. They'll probably just jam some weatherstripping in various nooks and crannies. We'll see how it goes...

A marvel of redundancy

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 01:53:00 +0000

I believe it was Motor Trend that called the Prius steering wheel as a "marvel of redundancy." Redundancy isn't usually a desirable trait, but in this case it's fantastic. The dinky little steering wheel duplicates almost all the daily day to day functions you would need found elsewhere on the dash, such as navigation controls, switching screens, volume, climate control, etc.

Like the smart key, the steering wheel is just one of those things in a car you take for granted as being low tech and otherwise useless. All they are used for in most cars is for (oddly enough) steering, an airbag, and a horn. But if keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel are the two most important things to safe driving, why are all the controls on the dash? The Prius shuns this notion and jams (in a logical fashion) numerous controls onto the wheel. Once you get used to it, almost everything is at your finger tips.

The engineers put some thought into this. Obviously you can't mimic every button on a steering wheel, so they had to pick their battles -- and they won. I'd say you can perform 90% of your normal driving tasks without ever having to move your hands off the wheel. The things I use the most are volume (for both audio and phone calls), info (energy monitor), map (navigation), and temperature controls. Like the smart key, it makes so much sense that I hope we see more of this in the "average" car soon.

The key is smarter than most people

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 02:38:00 +0000

The smart key system in the Prius is phenomenal, there's really no other way to describe it. For those that might not be familiar with the Prius' key system, it uses a "smart key" system that replaces a traditional set of keys. The smart key is essentially a transponder that sends out a signal (RF?) that the Prius recognizes, which unlocks your doors automatically, lets you lock doors as you leave, and start your car all without taking your keys out of your pocket.

While all of that is really slick from a technology perspective, it's the convenience you get used to that's really sweet. Instead of taking my keys out as I walk to my car (usually hands full with bag, coffee mug, iPod, cell phone, etc.), I just walk up and open the door, put my foot on the brake and press the start button. I'm in the car and powered up in less than 5 seconds. When it's time to get out, I exit and close the door, then press the "go secure" button on the front door, and the Prius arms the alarm and I walk away. It is just too sweet...and it sure beats taking out your janitor-sized keyring full of supermarket preferred member cards.

For as advanced as cars have become, it's kind of unbelievable/ridiculous that we have to jam a piece of metal into a hole, crank it to start, and then leave them jangling around for the rest of your drive. A smart key system is a natural progression for "keys" and we're sure to see more of it soon. It's an impressive technology that the Prius has integrated that you usually only see in BMWs, Mercedes, etc. And it's probably my favorite feature yet.

Shake, rattle and roll

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 03:23:00 +0000

I should probably start with something positive, but this particular topic bugs me, and the Prius suffers from it -- squeaks and rattles. Within the first couple days of driving the Prius, I noticed three distinct rattles already present; one on the dash, one on the front passenger door, and one in the back by the hatch somewhere. After only driving two weeks, these three annoyances have been omnipresent.

I know I'm too anal about this, but rattles, squeaks, and vibrations just bug the hell out of me, especially in a brand new car. I'm hoping the cold weather is attributing to it a little, but more likely the overall fit and finish of a Toyota just doesn't meet my admittedly high expectations. From a more general perspective, I've noticed that the door handles, center console armrest, dash materials, etc. are good, but not great (like Hondas). I know that after a year or so, every car begins to develop these kinds of noises, so this is not a huge deal. But like I said, it's not a redeeming quailty for a new car to have.

I'll be keeping my ears perked for any new squeaks, creaks, rattles, and vibrations.

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (DK) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 01:31:00 +0000

Well, it's been 12 days since I bought my black 2006 Prius with #7 package (everything except leather) from Grossinger Toyota in Lincolnwood, IL. We're still in the honeymoon phase, but I've already seen a lot in the first two weeks that should make for interesting fodder. Each day I'll highlight something good, bad, or otherwise interesting. So let's get started!