I am very interested in buying a 2014 Prius v (not sure which trim level yet). About six months ago I rented a Ford C-Max and was very impressed with its dash displays showing fuel economy, battery usage/charging and eco coaching information. Does the Prius v have any displays like this? Are they easy to read and helpful in maximizing your fuel economy? When I test drove the car a few days ago I wasn't impressed with the minimal information I saw and found it basic. Am wondering if there are other menus or displays that I am missing? Haven't been able to find much info online. Thanks Shan
Prior to owning a v, I owned a Gen 2 and found that the screens were 'busy' and distracted me from driving. Now that I have a v, I only watch them on long 5+ mile straight ways. The other drivers deserve your attention.
The Prius dash displays give you everything you need to maintain efficient driving. The simple power/throttle meter is really all you need. There's gobs of info and videos available telling you how they work and how to use them. There's also a good amount of data available via the NAV display in terms of MPG history, energy usage and the like.
The nav screen of our Prius v Five ATP has screens which show information on fuel vs battery usage, history and even a cute real-time graphic that shows when the battery is charging, when the gasoline engine is being used and when it is in EV mode. We never look at these screens - more interested in just driving the car and getting 40 mpg day in and day out. I wouldn't compare anything to a Ford C-Max. I read last year that the C-Max was #1 ... in defects per vehicle.
Fuel usage information is pulled up on the dash display by pressing the "DISP" button on the steering wheel. It cycles through off, instantaneous mpg, average mpg and miles to empty for the main odometer and two trip odometers, depending on which "TRIP" you select with the adjacent button on the steering wheel. If you don't ever reset the avg mpg for the main odometer it will track the lifetime avg mpg of the car from its first tank.
