Topic: Test Drive: 2013 Toyota Prius c Technology

[johngenx]

The S2K hits ALL the right buttons.  The bonus is that it's super reliable.  Imagine that!!

[rrocket]

I'm telling you guys....an S2000 with a turbo kit is about the perfect sports car. ~300 HP and 235TQ.

[X-Traction]

I know someone who has one of these, and claims it's useless in the winter, due to the computer programming not allowing any wheelspin whatsoever.  So if you have one tire on ice, the car is basically crippled.  Do all prii suffer from this?

Hybrids have to have traction control because spinning the wheels at high speed can damage their electric motors.  This is why the Prius always had traction control right from the start, even though they didn't get stability control until about 2008. 

People complained about this on the first and second generation Prius' sold in North America.  I understand Toyota reprogrammed the system to allow a little wheelspin.  This may not be enough for situations where you need a lot of wheelspin to get anywhere.

[X-Traction]

Discussions of hybrids keep repeating claims that simply are not based in reality.  An example from this review:

"I have a friend who uses her 2010 Prius to pick up her kids and groceries ... and swears she almost never pays for gasoline."

The Prius C is not a plug-in hybrid.  Any energy stored in the traction battery came from burning gas, directly or indirectly. 

Running in the electric-only mode does not create energy from thin air. It just means the traction battery is being depleted. And the only way to refill it, directly or "laundered" by slowing or going downhill, is by burning gas to run the ICE to speed up, go uphill or just act as a generator.

The high mileages claimed by some who maximize use of the electric mode probably are because they are driving slower on average and increasing their trip time.  In fact, they may be losing mileage because of the conversion losses of excessively using the ICE to fill up the traction battery, and then converting that energy back into propulsion instead of using the ICE directly.

Definitely people new to hybrids will find they are filling up less often, and buying less gas each time. But hybrids don't violate the laws of physics.

[blotter]

I know someone who has one of these, and claims it's useless in the winter, due to the computer programming not allowing any wheelspin whatsoever.  So if you have one tire on ice, the car is basically crippled.  Do all prii suffer from this?

my 2011 Matrix has a simple on / off button.
it's amazing how easy the car will spin out of control with it off in the winter!

[Waterlooresident]

Whenever I look at the dash layout of any 'PRIUS', the first thing I say to myself is  "Oh God No, there is no way I'm buying that car!"  Then I think about the great fuel economy and I have another look at the interior. That's when I see the dash and again I say to myself "Oh God No, there is no way I'm buying that car!"

The good news is that with the new 2016 Toyota Prius, they've gone to something like the Lexus CT200h, with it having a normal instrument pod in front of the steering wheel. That one small change alone will get me and millions of other consumers to consider buying a Prius for our own.

[rrocket]

First you complain about wanting to see the road in front of the bumper and now it's seeing the dash......