In addition to the windows, make sure your hatch is fully closed too. We just got our 2012 and I have to say that it's the quietest car I've ever driven. If you can't figure out the issue go back to the dealer and ask a service person to take a ride with you so he can experience your problem.
A car you CAN'T drive ????? Please ..... Turn the radio up ... or dump the car and be done with it. I can't imagine with your extreme complaints that this issue could ever be resolved to your satisfaction. If the car was as bad as you say ... it would be reported as such EVERYWHERE, by every magazine that tested it, and complained about here constantly ... and it's not. Either there's something wrong with your example ... or you're simply expecting too much. Mine, and most of the other cars owned here ... are just fine for what they are. You're expecting WAY too much from a $20K +/- econobox .... even if you CAN pay $30K+ for the same car with some tech goodies. No matter what anybody says ... it's a light, extremely fuel efficient econobox. If it was as quiet as a Lexus ... it would get 10 MPG less ... just like the Lexus CT200h does. It's almost impossible to believe you did all that research and due diligence, and never noticed this issue, that I've never noticed once. This level of complaint after all that research and all those test drives just don't add up ... at least to me. There HAS to be something wrong with it. REV
I've not had this problem, but set tire pressure to what it should be. I doubt struts are bad this early. If you still don't like it, return it quickly.
1) Ensure the windows are up and the hatch is sealed. 2) Confirm the same noise/buffeting sound/event is reproducible. 3) Have someone ride with you that can confirm the noise/buffeting sound/event. 4) If 2 and 3 are confirmed, take the car to the dealership and maybe have a salesperson ride with you over the same area so the dealer can experience the event. 5) See if you can take another Prius off the dealership lot on a test drive over the same area to see if it is specific to your car or to the Prius in general. Take the same salesman if possible. 6) If it can be confirmed and is specific to your car, maybe there is something wrong with how the car is sealing itself (windows, doors, hatch, etc) and the dealership can look into fixing it. Good Luck. I think this is the first time I've heard of a problem like this.
I'd be really interested in having you record the sound you are hearing. It makes no sense to me, especially if your windows and hatch are closed. Are the "bumps" you're talking about washboard gravel road pumps? Or asphalt, or what? One surface I can say I'm not thrilled driving my Prius on is the lined cement...the Prius does tend to "whine" on those types of roads, but not enough to make me cry.
Trying not to be defensive or judgemental but I agree with the opinion that if this is a condition you absolutely cannot live with, and cannot remedy, then you will have no choice but to change vehicles. You can try all the experimentation offered. What environment do you live in where the majority of your driving in on bumpy roads? In this day and age, even in rural areas, you are usually not that far from flat pavement. If you indeed do the majority of your driving on roads so bad they make the Prius into and auditory nightmare, then unfortunately perhaps you did purchase the wrong vehicle and missed an important part of your homework.
It is illegal in must states to wear headphones or anything that would prevent you from hearing emergency vehicles but you can play your stereo as loud as you want
Earphones are illegal in Ohio. I'd go back to the dealer and if necessary have them come travel the roads you have this problem with. Might it be the noise maker in electric mode? Reference for the law: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.84 I am also a new owner v wagon owner and can't say I've experienced the same. There is road noise yes but not intolerable. W
HEY! I resemble that remark. The on-board display for the past ~ 1000 miles is at 54 mpg right now, and climbing as the weather warms up.
LOL SB !! Fuelly says most are getting 39-41 MPG, and nobody was over 52 out of about 60 drivers, so you're doing better than everybody else !! Congratulations ! You must have ideal conditions, combined with excellent hypermiling skills, or your on-board display is off even more than the Prii's. REV
Gosh I hope not LOL I started a fuel receipt accumulation last week, since I have to admit I wondered the same thing. I'll have a believable result in 6 weeks or so. I drive the Lexus the same way I drive our Prius, and have to admit I would be less than satisfied with a long-term fuel economy in the 40s. I expect ~ 90% of my Prius MPG and so far that seems to be the case, if the on-board display is accurate. Other CTh owners who came from different cars may have different expectations. In that respect the watered down EPA sticker does a disservice by telling people that 40 mpg in this car is reasonable. Parenthetically, that is the problem with Fuelly: driver demographics for each car may differ.
Where? What state? There's no cooling off period in CA. See http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...es+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a and http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr35.htm.
I hope that it turns out that you really ARE getting those MPG's. I've been considering the C, but if those MPG's can be documented by a few reliable people, that would make me reconsider. Looking forward to your calculated results !! Hard to believe that Lexus has underestimated their MPG's by that much. That could only hurt them competitively. I know we have members here that have the perfect driving conditions, the perfect terrain, and the perfect weather, and regularly exceed 60 MPG in their Prii, but I have rural quite hilly 50-55 MPH conditions, and real seasons, and average 48 with my Prius, with an all time highway high of 57.6. I think I'm doing great averaging 48 over the first 25K miles and am very pleased with my Prius. I drive normally and don't hypermile excessively ... just drive sensibly. REV
Invoke the lemon law... return the car if you ar not satisfied ... they have to take it back. IT IS THE LAW.
My Prius is very loud on rough asphalt, however if I move over a few inches to where the roadway is less traveled, 90% of that noise goes away. I'm sure it's that way for a lot of folks. I get to choose the amount of noise I hear.
I'll be sure to post them. I also promised F8L I would swap tyres between the CTh and the Prius to isolate their fuel economy effect. I drive in Central/Northern New Mexico. No where near the winter of PA, but pretty hilly. I drive over the continental divide every 5 days or so. I am lucky the highway is multiple lane and usually sparsely traveled, so I am able to "drive with load" (DWL in Wayne Gerdes lingo.) The idea is to within reason keep the ICE load pretty constant while tolerating fairly wide swings in car speed. I often hit 75+ at the start of a hill, and have slowed down into the 50s by the top. Heavily loaded trucks have this sort of speed pattern, although in their case the weight is the cause more than trying to improve fuel economy.
