Toyota Prius Q&As


New Toyota Prius

Question: Ever have the gas engine take over on your Toyota Prius?
I don't feel comfortable talking the Prius on long trips. We find the front seats cramped and uncomfortable and for long distance driving, I am not sure we would save that much on gas.

Also, have you driven to the point where the electric energy bars have been depleted and the gasoline engine takes over?

After we bought our car, on the Sierra-Nevada mountain uphill grade driving from San Francisco to Reno, the bars were almost depleted and the last remaining turned purple. What a fright -- we turned off our air conditioner, opened the windows and managed to get over the mountains before the bars all disappeared from the display panel. Later the dealership did have us bring the car in and they checked and adjust the computer controls and I was assured the car would not stall.

Answer: 1. Your Prius have no problem, I don't even think your dealer did anything.
2. Battery bar does not represent the actual battery left on your Prius. (if I remember right, last bar left is still between 50-60% full to save the battery)
3. Your Prius will not stall by running the Gas only.

P.S.
Don't try this - but I rent one back in 2005 and REALLY tested it out. Charged up full and From stop on flat land floor it and ran it until the Prius only uses the gas engine. At about 95mph. And I top out 108 on the long down hill freeway. Also just like you did on a long hill turned on everything and see if it will fail.

BUT I DID NOT FAIL!

So, I ordered one

For you, please, just let the car do it's job...

 

Question: When will the redesigned 2008 Toyota Prius become available?
I heard it is supposed to get gas mileage that is approaching 100 mpg. Is this correct? I am looking forward to seeing that car. Does anybody know when it will be available for purchase?
heard it is supposed to get gas mileage that is approaching 100 mpg. Is this correct? I am looking forward to seeing that car. Does anybody know when it will be available for purchase?
I am referring to the information at this site (not the plug-in), but this article is from 2006, so I was hoping there would be a date by now:. Thanks.

Answer: Sorry to tell you, but the Toyota Prius's aren't going redesigned until 2009. They will probably only get a few mpg's better than the current one. Toyota had a Prius concept though that looks exactly like the current one, but is a "plug in hybrid" which got more than 100 mpg, if that's what you were talking about. They aren't producing it though.

 

Question: Does anyone know how many gallons of fuel can you fill in Toyota Prius 2006 model?
I know the capacity that Toyota claims is 11.9 gallons, but I am trying to see whether it is possible fill 11.9 or if it varies, by how much in real terms.

Answer: If you're asking about a Prius bought outside of the USA, then it's 11.9 gallons, and behaves much like any other car.

However, if you ARE asking about a US Prius, then it gets a little weird. To keep evaporative emissions low (i.e., gasoline fumes that escape into the air when you fill-up your tank at a gas station) the US Prius has a flexible "bladder" inside of the metal tank. Think of it like a waterbed mattress. When the tank is nearly empty, the bladder is relatively compressed and flat, with not much liquid (gasoline) in it, and not very much fumes either. When you fill it up, the bladder expands, and even though the liquid content increases a lot, the fumes still remains very low.

But what does this mean for capacity?

The bladder isn't perfectly flexible. And that's especially true when the weather gets cold. As a result, you'll rarely be able to fit 11.9 gallons into the tank -- your best chance of this will be on a hot summer day. During the cold winter months, you might find the capacity reduced by a gallon; maybe as much as two gallons in REALLY cold weather (0 degrees Fahrenheit or below). It is documented in the owner's manual.

 

Question: What are your opinions on the Toyota Prius?
Is it worth the money? Is it fun to drive?

Any opinions?

Thanks.

Answer: If you are looking for a performance car, the Prius is not for you.

If you are looking for a daily-driver car that is very-low-maintenance, gets great gas mileage and has all sorts of electronic gadgets (drive-by-wire, touch-screen controls, Smartkey, etc.), the Prius is for you.

Not only should you consider the gasoline prices, you should also consider the savings in maintenance costs:

- The Prius brake pads and rotors will last 100,000+ miles due to its use of regenerative braking. My other car is a Range Rover, and I had just changed all four sets of its brake pads for $400, which lasted only 30,000 miles. In another 30,000 miles I will have to spend another $900 on the Rover for new pads as well as rotors.

- Since the Prius' gasoline engine is not in use all the time, you won't have to change the motor oil in the Prius every 3,000 miles like a normal car-- The recommended change is at 5,000 miles when using dino oil in the Prius. It's also virtually unheard-of for the Prius to fail a state emissions inspection.

- The transmission in the Prius has no clutch and has no fixed gear ratio (the planetary-gear power-split device varies the power delivered to the wheels without having to shift gears like a regular transmission). Its simplicity makes it very robust and low-maintenance.

If you are looking for a reliable, fuel-efficient daily-commute vehicle, the Prius is a great choice.

 

Question: I just bought a Toyota Prius.Its got a bunch of battries and electronics.Can I SAFELY jump start anothr car ?
I am very concerened that a jump start situation may fry electronics or do some damage that I wld'nt even know about ..

answer: You can jump start another regular car with a Prius but only under VERY specific circumstances. You MUST make sure that the other vehicle will not be cranked while the cables are connected. You hook up the cables with your Prius in READY mode and make sure power is flowing by turning on a dome light or other small load in the other car to see if it works. Wait about 15-20 minutes to let the Prius DC-DC converter charge the other vehicle's battery and then unhook the cables BEFORE trying to start the other car. This is very important as the current surge from trying to crank/start the other car with the cables still connected could blow the 100 amp fuse protecting the DC-DC converter or it could blow the DC-DC itself. The fuse cannot be replaced without replacing the entire under-hood fuse block and the DC-DC converter is part of the inverter assembly that controls the 2 electric motors so damaging either would be expen$ive. If you must jump start another car
1. use the lightest gauge of jumper cables you can find to help limit the peak current flow.
2. make sure you don't hook up the cables backwards as a reverse polarity jump start will cause major damage to both vehicles.
3. If you aren't sure that the owner of the other car won't try to start it with the cables still connected then take his/her keys so that they can't.

On the other side of things if you are jumping another Prius it can be started with the cables still connected as the 12V battery doesn't crank the gas engine (The HV battery does). People have been known to jump a Prius with a string of 10 D cells or a pair of 6V lantern batteries before as the peak draw during start-up is only around 30 amps.

The best option is to simply carry a good portable jump start pack with you and use it for jumping various vehicles.

 

Question: Looking to get a pop trunk kit for my 2002 toyota prius...?
I wanna get a pop trunk kit for my 2002 toyota prius. im not talking about just pushinga button and it pop open. im wanna get a switch where i can install on my consule to pop it open and make the trunk swing up and down and close when im ready. its a southside thing. but yea anyone know if its easier to do myself or to get someone else to do it. and would you reccomend anyone or help with a diagram. i know all it takes is a linear accuator to make it go up and down but how would i make a switch to control it?

Answer: This isn't the exact solution to your problem, but it's a possible starting point. Good luck.

 

Question: If price was not an option would you get the toyota yaris or toyota prius?
I am looking to buy a new car pretty soon. Price is not really an issue I am just looking for the better car. I have been looking at the Prius and the Yaris. What do you think and why?????? Thanks

Answer: I would go with the Yaris, because that's what I did! I love my little Yaris Sport. It's sporty, but excellent on gas mileage. It's cheap, but it doesn't look or feel cheap. And even though it has a small engine, it doesn't feel that way. I paid less than $17,000 for my fully loaded 2007 Yaris, but even if someone offered me $30,000 for it, I would turn them down.

 

Question: Toyota prius?
so ya i like the toyota prius.
but i was wondering if people who have them like them or not.
and tell why or why not.

Answer: I recently bought a 2007 Prius and so for its great. The gas mileage ranges at 50 to 55 mpg . has tons of available features and options, drives good, rides good, handles great, easy to manuever, tight turning radius, back up camera. smart key stsyem enables u not to have put key in long as its on u such as pocket /purse etc. u can go up and touch the door handle and it unlocks, the hatch back sorta gives wife that suv feeling, very fun car to drive. and its a great Hybird. i done lots of reveiwes and asked tons questions before i decided but i am glad i did. its the car of the future unless gas prices fall tremdously and dont see that happening, and even if they do produce a better option on a greener car for the envronemt and a alterntive on fuel prices you will save tons on gas while they r doing so. and u do get a tax incentive . I love our prius and I am a guy who has always been a pickupman, i still have my full size truck but i do enjoy driving the prius. great car. iw ould suggest getting the extra mile warranty which is 6 yrs/100,000 miles. this covers everyhting except brake pads , tires oilcages etc. but anything that goes wrong on the car is covered free rental car assitance and no deductibles etc. well hope this helps u make ur decision ..

 

Question: How long is the battery supposed to last in a hybrid ( toyota prius)?
Also, how much would it cost to replace?

Answer: i heard about 3 years.
and i've heard alot about prices.
some say 3000 bucks and some say 5000.
i would go with 4K/
ok buddy. here is the thing. U R NOT GETTING THIS CAR SO U CAN SAVE MONEY ON GAS. U R GETTING THIS CAR SO U CAN SAVE ENVIRONMENT.
thats better. hybrids do have nice milage, but after calculating the gas money u save and the battery, u come out losing couple of grand. but, its that much better to environment. if u want hybrid, make sure u know this.

 

Question: What is the least amount of money I can pay for used but reliable Toyota Prius?
I'm looking for about $2000-$4000. Is that possible?

Answer: Pretty much impossible. The first year the Prius came out in the US was 2001. The Kelley Blue Book value for an '01 Prius with the standard features and 125,000 miles in just fair condition is $7500.

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx

And that's a lot of miles for a 7-year-old car. If you're looking for a cheap fuel efficient car, just try to get a small one like a Honda CRX.

 

Question: What is the difference between the Toyota Prius and the Touring?

Answer: The Prius is available with two trim levels- the Standard and the Touring. Both trims are based on the same vehicle- a four door hatchback- and there is no difference in the basic body.

It comes down to essentially the amount of equipment that comes standard and the appearance. The Touring edition comes standard with:

1. tuned suspension (tighter, more responsive if you push it)
2. 16" 7-spoke alloys on P195/55R16 vs. P185/65R15 tires on 15" alloys
3. high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and integrated fog lamps
4. larger rear spoiler
5. price difference of $895

HID's and the fog lamps are only available with the package #4 and up. Changing out the original alloys and tires is not recommended for a non-Touring Prius because the mileage will suffer with different, probably heavier rims and tires that are not low-rolling resistance tires (like the OEM Goodyear Integrity's).

Package #4 runs $2580, but that package includes many more features like Stability Control and the JBL 6-disc CD. So it's hard to make an exact comparison for what the Touring additions are valued at. As always, you have to decide if it's worth it.

You are able to get option packages for both the Standard and the Touring trim levels. So if you wanted navigation, for example, you could get that in a package for either version. Options like that are still options, they do not come standard on the Touring edition.

 

Question: Toyota Prius.....?
The Toyota Prius is electric powered for city use and petrol motor for highways.. Why didn't they put a diesel motor in it to make it more fuel efficient?

Answer: That is a very good question. I think the future is with these type of hybrids that can use bio-diesel/electric. If Mercedes with their new diesel engines and Toyota's Hybrid technology were to get together, they could probably create a great system.
But then the big oil companies and Governments probably will not allow this to happen until the price of oil reaches $100. a barrel and people start to demand change.


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