Prius Prime excellent vehicle with minor annoyances.

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by eluo, May 16, 2017.

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  1. eluo

    eluo Member

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    It's been 2 weeks since I took delivery. Compared to my 2nd generation, the look and driving dynamics are excellent but there are also some minor annoyances.
    1. I can't no longer rest my hand on the steering wheel at the 6 o'clock position. Why is there the white plastic blocking that spot? Anyone else annoyed by this?
    2. Lost at lot of cubby spaces compared to my 2nd gen. I understand the need of space in the back for the larger battery but why eliminate the cubby space up front?
    3. Center armrest storage space. Prefer the hinge on the back than on the right. With the hinge to the right, it is more difficult for the passenger, my co-pilot to access the storage space.
    4. Lost the rear middle seat.
    5. Spare tire as mentioned by others. Glad a jack and pump was included. I added a patch kit. I'll not use the liquid filler / glue provided in fear of killing the TPMS.
    6. Rear wipers. I don't mind not having one. Just annoyed by my habit of reaching for that nob.
    7. Same with shift lever. It is a lot lower compared to 2nd gen. I have the habit of reaching for it at the wrong spot.
    8. Prime is lower to the ground than my 2nd gen. I though 2nd gen was already low. Not good with snow, high curbs, steep driveways.
    9. Tire wasn't properly inflated when I took delivery. Only learned yesterday that they were all >50PSI. (not a car issue but a dealer issue)
    Again these are minor annoyances. If I had to do it again, I would still buy this car without hesitation. And if I can change 3 things with this car, it would be 1, 2 & 4
     
    #1 eluo, May 16, 2017
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  2. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Old habits die slowly; me I'm just treating this Prime Advanced like a new friend that has all kinds of great, new characteristics that I get to discover every day!

    .
     
    #2 HPrimeAdvanced, May 16, 2017
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  3. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    No - 7 o'clock is just fine.

    This may interest you:

    Making due with less "cubby" space | PriusChat
     
    #3 Lee Jay, May 16, 2017
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  4. alexcue

    alexcue Active Member

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    #8, interesting because my 2014 scraped in my driveway all the time, The Prime hasn't done it yet. The angle of approach must be different between the two.
     
    #4 alexcue, May 16, 2017
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  5. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    I'm with you; my 2012 PIP could easily be caught off guard by a normal looking driveway; I had a bunch of scrapes with it. My Prime Advanced is much better; same neighborhoods, no scrapes. Oh, and no getting hung up on concrete parking stops. It's new AND improved!!

    .
     
    #5 HPrimeAdvanced, May 16, 2017
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  6. eluo

    eluo Member

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    I tend to drive with one hand. I can't rest my hand on the 7 o'clock position without exerting some energy to keep the car straight. Maybe if I were to realign the steering wheel so the 7 o'clock becomes the 6.... ;)
     
    #6 eluo, May 16, 2017
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  7. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    Are you just looking for things to whine about? :)

    That may sound offensive, sorry, I do not mean to offend you. If you read about the PrRime and test drove it before you bought it, then you already knew all of this.

    I have a friend who is in his 80s. He likes to buy the same model of car every year. He loves that model and each year they change or upgrade one thing. So he knows all the features. The buttons are all in the same places from the 2015 to the 2016 models, etc.

    We are still driving our 2011 Prius 3. Mostly my wife drives it. I am driving the 2017 Prius Prime. But this way, each of us may go back and forth each day. Both of them handle better than my 8-ton dump truck. ;)



    I just got the studded winter tires rotated to summer tires last week. Summer tires are a lot quieter. :)

    I pushed through 8" of fresh snow this winter with the Prime, it did okay. They both do great on ice, driving across frozen lakes and rivers is a dream in these things. Studded tires provide fantastic gripping [compared to summer tires or 'all season' tires].
     
    #7 ForestBeekeeper, May 16, 2017
  8. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Weird. I can - in both of my cars that are like this.
     
    #8 Lee Jay, May 16, 2017
  9. eluo

    eluo Member

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    No scrapes yet from the driveway. Only hit a high curb when opening the door. My 2nd gen's door would have cleared the curb. Since Prime is lower (i measured), I had assumed that it will hit steep driveways too. Seems like steep driveway is not an issue with Prime.
     
    #9 eluo, May 16, 2017
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  10. eluo

    eluo Member

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    No offense at all taken. This was an impulse buy for me. Found out about the Toyota $2500 rebate few days before it ended. Decided to buy and bough the vehicle in less than 24 hours. Didn't know anything about the Prime other than that is a plug-in with 25 miles range, no rear wipers and no 5th seat. If I knew Toyota would extended the rebate for another month, I would of spent more time researching. Again, I have no regrets. These are minor annoyances compared to all the features not available to my 2007 Gen 2 Prius that cost more than my Prime 10 years ago.
     
    #10 eluo, May 16, 2017
  11. febarr

    febarr New Member

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    Elou,
    I'm getting ready to buy a Prius Prime Premium. Not happy about the lack of a spare -- how do you handle that? Should I dump the Dunlops and replace them with Michelins? (I live in CA, so rain/snow driving not frequent.) Thanks for any advice.
    Febarr
     
    #11 febarr, May 16, 2017
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  12. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    I bought a plug kit and compact compressor to complement the Toyota-provided goo-kit, which I'll try never, ever to use.
     
    #12 Lee Jay, May 16, 2017
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  13. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    I got a spare tire/wheel at America's Tire, since dealer could only order the wheel but not the tire. $356.10 including mounting and tax 7.75% in Orange County. I keep it on hand just for long trips, not in the car. I think the Michelins are a lot better than the original factory tires for my driving here in California; they're quieter, last longer, and are reasonably priced. Good luck!

    .
     
    #13 HPrimeAdvanced, May 16, 2017
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    and, you can no longer stand a traffic cone up in the rear of the hatch.
     
    #14 bisco, May 16, 2017
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  15. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Aw man!!!I can't haul my vertical traffic cone anymore. Aw, it's the end of the world for me!!

    .
    I hereby designate my Prime Advanced trunk, a certified horizontal cone zone!!, Har, har!
     
    #15 HPrimeAdvanced, May 16, 2017
    Last edited: May 16, 2017
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  16. eluo

    eluo Member

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    Prius Prime in the U.S. comes with 3 year roadside assistance. This is a service that I will probably not use since I like to do my own repairs. If it is a small leak (all leaks I had in the past were small), my plan is to re-inflate the tire and drive it home. If I'm far from home, I'll drive it to a parking lot and patch it there. This is the patch kit that I bought --> Slime Deluxe Reamer Plugger - Walmart.com
    I never had a catastrophic tire failure in my 20+ years, 300k+ miles of driving. Hope I'll never experience one. If I do, then I'll use the roadside assistance.

    Mines came with Bridgestone Ecopia. They seem fine in the miles that I have driven so far. I don't have experience with Dunlops to comment about them. Sorry.
     
    #16 eluo, May 16, 2017
  17. rockryno

    rockryno New Member

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    I want the last 30 seconds of my life back. Why I clicked on this post, I'll never know.
     
    #17 rockryno, May 17, 2017
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  18. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Only 30 seconds, man you're quick, and you must be very efficient! I could use a few decades myself; I've been told that I have a "hit" for high miles! har, har!

    .
     
    #18 HPrimeAdvanced, May 17, 2017
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  19. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    So much for my Buddha garden:
    [​IMG]
    Guess I'll have to seat belt him in the passenger seat for HOV access . . . and drive to Nashville to find the HOV lanes.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #19 bwilson4web, May 17, 2017
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  20. I'mJp

    I'mJp Senior Member

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    Gota love it... Slime Deluxe Reamer Plugger - Walmart.com

    made by SLIME who has a whole product line of slime...
     
    #20 I'mJp, May 17, 2017
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