I have the 2025 Prius Plug-in XSE Premiuim with the Advanced Technology Package, including the digital rearview mirror, just a couple weeks old. I used it a couple times. Cool. Very different experience. Don't usually use it though, I'm curious to know how others use it? All the time, or in certain situations? How do you like it? One thing I have noticed though. Items seen in it (such as a car behind one) look MUCH closer in that digital rearview mirror than they do otherwise (including the other mirrors, or the backup camera as seen on the screen, etc.) That can be confusing. Why does it do that? Can that be adjusted? Thank you.
I don't use it normally, but it's handy as a back-up if the rear window's got a lot of water build-up, or there's someone or something in the back obscuring the view. It has zoom, pan and tilt controls - I don't recall how mine was originally, but I know I did play with those at some point to make it match the real mirror as close as possible.
Probably affects a smaller set of users but I have had cataract surgery in both eyes so my vision is fixed at infinity in both eyes and I wear tri-focal glasses. It's difficult to focus on the digital image which requires me to use the reading portion of my glasses. I have to tilt my head back quite a bit. The digital image has no depth to it unlike a traditional mirror.
With the actual mirror, your eyes are focusing on the objects reflected in it. Whereas they focus on the screen of the digital rearview mirror.
I actually prefer using the digital mirror as I find the rear visibility to be quite poor without it (I think the older gens used to have a curved/cutout glass? which Toyota didn't bother with this gen for some reason). It was pretty much the only reason I went with the highest trim, as the digital mirror was only available there, otherwise I would have been happy with the base model, 17" rims with hubcaps, no sunroof (don't use it, and the car is 20kg heavier with it) and better fuel economy. You do suffer from having to refocus your eyes however. It's a physics thing, so unfortunately it can't be adjusted and there's no way around it for any digital mirror design. I haven't noticed that 'objects seem closer' effect though, especially versus the backup camera. I'll have to test and see for myself, though as others said, there are zoom, pan, tilt controls (see the owner's manual for the best explanation).
To follow-up, the most likely reason is your zoom level is still set to the default (middle of the slider bar). Your car should have delivered with that default, unless they changed it for you. One of the first things I did after delivery was to set the zoom level to the far-left position on the slider (max zoom out) - forgot I actually did this until checking yesterday. See this page in the owner's manual:
