I Rented a Zipcar - Toyota Prius

I saw something in WSJ ($) the other day about buying a Toyota Prius, and how the problem isn't just getting one at your price, but getting one at all.  Let me give a piece of advice on the topic: save your time and money and don't get one.  I rented one from Zipcar for the weekend, and I hated it.

It's uncomfortable, handles like a 1980's Corolla, has grabby brakes, and the worst radio I've ever heard in a car.  Ever.  Like: I thought something was wrong with it, so I pulled over and spent ten minutes trying to fix it but, no, it's all working.  It just sucks.  The previous renter boosted the bass and treble to the moon, but to no avail.   Photos (click for larger) and more of the review after the jump.

Then there's the controls: they're utterly counterintuitive. Presumably, I'd get used to them if I lived with the car long enough. Why should I have to?  Why can't the wiper stalk work like every other wiper stalk on every other car?  Why can't the radio just turn off when I spin the knob, instead of requiring me find a separate power button on the dash?  Why is the symbol for "your lights are on" showing up in blue on the dash where every other car uses that symbol for "your brights are on?"  And why do all the controls and all of the dash have to be digital, like controls on my DVD player?   It's a car, not a videogame.  Probably that 's the automotive future.  I don't like it.  (Note photo of dash at speed, below.)

And why won't the car stop?  I mean, without pedal fade and grinding.  Yes, I know it has regenerative braking, and I know that's going to feel different from my regular driving experience.  But the brakes ought to work well enough to stop the car before they start worrying about pumping juice back into the battery.  OK, they do stop the car.  I'm sure the brakes are adequate for use on public roads, but they feel like crap.  They grab and jerk.  Possibly, the car needed a brake job.  Possibly, these particular brakes were aberrant.  Possibly, that's just how they work.

There's a transmission setting, labeled "B," that seems to affect the road horsepower.  That is, it seems to brake the car on throttle lift much more than the "D" setting.  I never did learn what else it does.  (According to wikipedia, that's about it.)  There was no manual with the car.  I liked the CVT, which I'd never driven before.  I kept playing with it, and never quite got used to the disappointed expectation whenever the revs got up to where my ear wanted it to shift. 

Why bother putting a tilt adjustment on the steering wheel if it's only going to work through five degrees of arc?  Believe me, the seat is enough of a torture device that five degrees of steering wheel adjustment won't help.

Combine that with the Zipcar XM radio and you want to kill yourself.  Hey, Zipcar: I don't want to hear Latin music and Larry King.  I want actual music. Salsa doesn't count.  Neither do Pop hits.  Where are the channels? Look, it's possible this particular XM radio controller had something wrong with it, but I read the instructions and I still couldn't get but about 20 channels.  Maybe the unit is broken.  Or maybe the XM in Zipcar is a preview of some kind, but it was disappointing.  (Based on the experience, I can assure you that Sirius will win the satellite radio war.  It isn't even close.)  I listened to my iPod.

Any redeeming features?  Yes.  The steering wheel is nice.  It's very small and kart-like.  That makes the car feel zippy and smooth for the first 30 feet.  Then you realize it handles like...well, I said that already.  The windshield wipers cover the ample glass very nicely, and the windshield washer sprays very well (see photo above and note the six discrete jets of cleaner).   The reverse gear indicator is an internal beeping; a good idea in a car that lacks the normal clues to motion and status.

The gas mileage was nice, too.  I usually have to fill the wagon at the Sagamore rotary, but the Prius barely registered a notch on the gas gauge.  I suppose that's why people put up with the rest of it.  But I really don't want an uncomfortable, twitchy, jerky-braked tin can with poor rearward sightlines.

The gas mileage isn't worth it.

Comments

[Brian from Racedriven]

Interesting...a toyota prius not very good, no surprise here, I have never driven a prius and I most likely never will either. People buy a prius for the simple reason of...its cheap hybrid (20k+), reliable and good gas mileage, nothing about handling.

I have driven in Boston a couple of times for the autoshow and seen a couple of prius here and there, I would think a good handling car is needed in Boston with those roads...including coming off the MassPike and entering the Big Dig area.

One thing I would like to test drive one day is a Ford Escape hybrid or its Mercury counterpart, that looks interesting, I like the frontend styling.

One note: I live in Massachusetts and am a little over a hour from Boston and despite its roads and traffic, I still enjoy going there.

See Yeah!

[Joel A.]

I, too, have rented a Prius and agree: it's not for car enthusiasts. Neither, though, is the Corolla or Camry: Prius is for the masses. When you have a chance, check out the Accord hybrid.

[Josh Wardell]

Funny, as yesterday someone pulled up to me in a zipcar prius and asked directions.

No comments on its looks? The Aztek-inspired back end?

Thanks for the detailed report. No surprised here, it's all exactly as expected. I still can't understand why priuses are the most common car in my work parking lot.

[Brad Munson]

Maybe it's the "Tyota" part as much as the "hybrid" part. I dunno, I'm certainlly not addicted to big, fat America cars -- I've been happily driving a Honda Civic for a dozen years -- but I've always felt there's something, well, 'rickety' about the Toyota:the way it moves, handles, sounds. Thanks for the insight...

Brad

[Lucius Seven]

Yes! I also rented a Prius from zipcar. This car is an absolute horror. It feels like you're driving a refrigerator. The whole flavor of the car -- make it 'different' because its green -- is such a failure. All the non standard controls are awful. The display panel in the center is downright dangerous -- you have to turn your head away from the road to look at it, Its seriously bad design. Driving this car made me want to commit suicide. The designers who worked on this car should be in jail.

[DGate]

I have never read such crap as the comments above deriding the Prius,its a fantastic car and having owned over 150 cars from a Bentley,Porsche,ferrari and everything in between feel qualified to make this statement.How someone who admits they have never driven a Prius expects anyone to take them serious is laughable.
The stupid reaction of the first author about the B position on the drive selector just shows up his or her own deficiencies because it is doing exactly what it was designed to do.The B position is for descending steep hills and introduces more drag through increased regen thus recapturing normally wasted energy by force charging the battery pack.This writer seems more interested in the sound system than learning about the car and new technology but then turns around and critisise's the digital dash saying it compares to his DVD player which I presume is beyond his capabilities as well.
Another comment about Prius handling from a non user but thinks they would prefer a Ford escape...give me a break,do'es the Escape handle?
I agree the Prius is not for everyone just like the other cars mentioned but what I take exception to is stupid biased remarks from uneducated (on the Prius) people running the car down just because its different and they can't adapt or be bothered to comprehend the technology.
If pilots adopted this attitude we would all still be traveling in DC3s.

I suspect the XM radio controls were set so that you were flipping between preset channels rather than choosing the channel yourself. XM radio offers far more than 20 channels.

I suspect the XM radio controls were set so that you were flipping between preset channels rather than choosing the channel yourself. XM radio offers far more than 20 channels.

[JoeM]

I'm presently renting a 2006 Prius while my Jaguar S-type is in the shop. Reading all the points from others above, I'm inclided to agree that the handling is not for enthusists, but then again it's a "green" eco-car, and it's not meant to be all things to all people.

I like the Synergy drive system, and I can live with the notchy driving characteristics given that it is trying it's hardest to conserve fuel. I've always driven full sized cars, and recently the luxury sport sedan, so I wasn't expecting any more from the Prius than it provided.

I like the cargo space, and the fact that the rear seats fold all the way down to give you a totally flat deck.

The digital controls, and their location right smack in the middle of the dash, is not the greatest. I don't like having to change settings on a touch screen; it's very distracting because there's no tactile feel from the smooth display surface. A shuttle wheel or something similar may have made more sense.

My biggest complaint: comfort. The tilt amount for the steering wheel is worthless, and it doesn't telescope. The drivers seat doesn't go back far enough for anyone over 5'10" (I'm 6' and my legs are cramped). The lumbar support is non-adjustable, so if your back is shaped differently than the seat back, too bad. The "wings" on the sides also press my ribs uncomfortably.

All in all, a clever and eco-friendly car. I won't buy one though because of the comfort issue; I wouldn't buy shoes either if they didn't fit. Shame, though.

[Sean]

A request to anyone reading this article; please take it and every comment with a shaker full of salt, then go test drive a Prius for yourself! Ultimately no-one's opinion matters more than your own.

I've had a 2007 Prius for about a week now and I'd like to make some notes and counter points of my own.
Firstly, never-ever-ever judge the sound system in a rental car! Every rental I have ever had the displeasure to ride in or drive has been ruined a prior renter who thinks "feel the music" means "max the volume and bass until the speakers blow out."
I test drove a dealer-new #2 package and a #5 (which I bought) and both had a very nice sound system. Combined with the exceptional outside noise reduction, this is the best audio experience I've had with a car. On the other hand, I didn't buy it for the radio, so lets move on.

I'm a little taller than average, at 6' even, so a fair number of vehicles can be a little uncomfortable for me. The 2007 Prius is quite spacious inside with lots of head and leg room in both the front and back seats.
The steering wheel adjustment does leave something to be desired, however. A telescoping steering column would have been a nice addition for us taller than average drivers.
Another comfort problem I encounter on a regular basis with almost any vehicle is the sun visor. It is not long enough to block the sun from my peripheral vision when moved to the driver side window. This pretty much makes the swivel feature useless for me. A few cars have built in visor extenders for just this reason, the Prius does not and needs one rather badly due to the extended length and height of the side windows.
As the article author mentions, rear viability is a bit weird. Otherwise, it is a comfortable ride for me.

Now lets get to what most people will probably say is most important; Acceleration, Breaking, and Handling. I don't know about previous year models, but the 2007 has decent acceleration -for a commuter vehicle-. This is not a sport car folks, don't expect it to perform like one. The VW commercial "0 to 60? Yes!" comes to mind.
The Continuous Variable Transmition (CVT) is a little different... it doesn't "shift" like a standard transmition. This takes a little getting used to, especially if you're like me coming off a manual transmition car. However, the electric motor provides adequate acceleration for slow starts and can run on battery without any assistance from the gas engine up to 30MPH (based on personal experience and comments by other bloggers). Faster starts employ the gas engine and if you really put the pedal down it will draw on both power sources for maximum acceleration. Note, it is not wise to fast start and "race" a Prius as it results, just as in normal vehicles, in lower Miles Per Gallon (MPG).
As for Breaking concerns, this topic requires a bit of rethinking about how you drive. As stated by others, the Prius regenerates energy to the battery which is lost as heat and friction on standard vehicles. However, the Prius is not without a normal breaking system and does employ it in heavy breaking and/or below 7MPH. Because of the way the Prius works the best driving practices for maximum MPG encourage those safe and courteous driving practices most of us forgot about the day we got our licenses. Yes, the breaks will feel alternately slugish/grabby as you drive if you are the type of driver who has to get as close to the next car as physically possible before applying your breaks. This is not a tailgater friendly car. However, if you drive conservatively and sensibly you will have a much better report with the regenerative breaking system, and a much more enjoyable drive.
As for handling... my Prius has a better turning radius than my previous car ('94 Nissan Maxima) and handles just as well in turning. Maybe someone wrecked the Prius that guy tested.

My biggest complaint is not with the car at all, but the multi function display (MFD). Many of its features which make it a useful and desirable component (Bluetooth phone and DVD Navigation in perticular) are crippled while in motion. You can not dial the phone manually or set a destination while driving, even if you have a passenger to attend to those functions so you can focus on driving. Also, each time you start the car, the map software requires you to agree to drive safe and not watch the map. Some people may actually need this reminder... constantly. I on the other hand do not and find it rather obnoxious that I can't disable it permanently. Thankfully There is an after market device to address this issue, but at $300... I'd rather have had the original system designed without the nanny system.

Secondary to the MFD annoyance is the auto-fading rear view mirror. Note, this is an option on higher priced models and is not standard on all Prius models. The auto mirror basically has a layer of liquid crystal that is activated by some light sensors in the front and back of the mirror to reduce glare from headlights. Think of those light sensitive eye glasses that become sunglasses outside. I have found that this device reacts far too late and is very sluggish. It is not active all night as one would expect, it only activates when it detects light from a following vehicle, and usually only when they are too close anyway.

[Toyota FJ Cruiser Community Free Manuals & FJ Movies]

Toyota is a master of manipulating supply to increase demand, they did it with the FJ, maybe they had something to do with the Wii shortage too :-)

Oliver

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