When test driving Prius v 2012, I've noticed that prius will roll back a bit when stopped on a steep slop. I think it is due to cvt transmission design. For example Subaru have a "hill holder" button, I did not noticed anything like this on prius or is there one? One solution I think is to drive with two feet, left on a brake and right on a gas; when releasing the brake apply gas at the same time to minimize car rolling back.
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop Starting in 2010, the Prius came with hill start assist. I'd guess the Prius v has it as well. To activate, just press the brake down really hard while at a stop and it will beep and flash the Hill Start Assist light on the dash. Have you read your manual, does it mention it in there?
I don't have one yet :-/ I just test drove one and bought it. The strange part is when I asked the Toyota Manager about this issue he didn't have a clue.
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop Just looked, and yes, the Prius v has hill start assist. Toyota Prius Hybrid - 2012 Models: Prius v Two, Prius v Three, Prius v Five Look at the link and click on safety and convenience.
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop Hill assist, as others have pointed out, is used if needed while still in Drive. Also..... The Prius HSD doesn't have conventional gears including park. It uses what's termed a parking pawl. When on a slope and placed in Park, it will roll back till it engages the internal pawl. Depending on the degree of the slope, the impact can be quite hard. Engaging the parking brake before letting off the brake pedal is the proper technique to eliminate this. Congrats on your new car! :rockon: and :welcome:
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop I would try to avoid driving in slop. It's messy and gets all over the running gear. On a different issue, if you need to start your Prius on a slope, you should use the built-in hill-holder feature. Just press the brake until you hear the beep. Tom
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop Thanks! The Prius v is very spacious and the rear seat slides forward and back in addition to reclining; nice touch. You mean the pedal on the left to the brake? Will it disengage automatically when I press the gas? I'm used to older cars where the manual parking brake has to be disengage manually :-/
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop No. That's the parking brake. You press the regular brake pedal down all the way while in drive and stopped, then it will beep and light up the light engaging hill start assist. If you park on a hill then you can engage the parking brake. To disengage, press down on it all the way it springs up. The hill start is when you are in drive and stopped on a hill and need to accelerate when a light changes, traffic moves etc. I think once you have your car you'll figure it out with ease.
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop You step on the parking brake pedal to engage and step on it again to disengage. That's for parking not hill assist.
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop When the hill start assist is engaged it will indicate with a yellow light on the dash
Re: Prius v - rolls back when stopped on steep slop You may be spoiled by a nice feature of some Subarus. Most cars, including my older Subaru, lack this feature. Manual transmissions will roll back on the slightest slopes. Automatics generally idle with significant forward pressure, so can hold position on steeper slopes before rolling back. The Prius 'idles' with much lighter pressure, so its rollback performance falls in between. As others have already pointed out, you can press the brake hard until the Prius Hillholder feature engages with a beep and a flashing yellow icon on the dash. I believe that it remains engaged as long as the brake is lightly pressed, then releases about two seconds after letting go of the brake or when forward motion begins. But being accustomed to free-rolling manual transmissions, I just don't use it. This will work. But most drivers will quickly get the feel of doing this with just one foot. Drivers of manual transmissions won't need to adjust at all. Don't become one of those absent minded two-foot drivers who continually rides the brake pedal, as this can slash fuel economy and cause serious premature brake wear in normal cars. (I don't know how the Prius responds to this abuse.) These drivers are sometimes recognizable as having their brake lights on much of the time, or randomly flashing on and off, even as they accelerate uphill. Their brake lights often change states when hitting road bumps or dips.
