Finally getting a new IMA battery!

[reagle]

Do you mean it drops to 2 bars, then gradually works back up to 4, sits there, and sits there, and suddenly climbs back up to full? We were seeing that sort of behaviour. I'm very sceptical of "full" in that case. My guess is it's declared 4 bars the new "full".

FWIW, that car is still on the road, close to 18 months later, still no IMA warning light.

Yes and no. In the past it would basically rev the engine and charge slowly to 4, then 5, then jump. That would take 8-10 minutes and all assist would be disabled. Now it just charges to 4 and kinda "lives "there, allowing assist, and doing "opportunistic" charging as opposed to forced charge. It still climbs to 5, then kinda slides through 6 and 7 to 8, but there is a lot less time with assist disabled, so at least drive-ability is less affected.

[reagle]

I think what's missing most is overall performance feedback. The engine is either lazing along, or if you really mash it down, running at full out. Without any gears to give you that kick back, it's hard to judge acceleration. Honestly, putting the tires up to at least placard makes the world of difference in how the car handles a corner. And if you're lucky enough to find a touring, I believe it has different springs (and maybe a rear sway bar?).

I test drove a model 4 with a solar roof. Next to it sat a model 2 with a Performance Plus package on sale. It had 17" wheels, lowered suspension and ground effects , so I presume the sway bar would be there too. The dark wheels on a blizzard pearl car though were a bit contrasty to me

[reagle]

Well, for the last week I've been driving my shiny new 2012 Prius 3 with solar roof and enjoying it rather a lot. The powertrain seems significantly more refined compared to HCHII, with the system trying to charge battery whenever it gets a chance. It also spends a lot of time in EV only mode. Average mpg is 53 or soon hilly roads. One thing that made a huge difference in the behavior of a car is the PWR mode button. When engaged, the car is a lot closer to HCHII (in its good days) in terms of responsiveness and quickness. Handling is still not as good as that of a Civic, but at least I am driving with the speed of traffic while keeping good mpg. The wife is now driving HCHII, and it works better for her commute on flat roads and no highways- still gets 45mpg even with daily recals. On a different though, the interior/ergonomics of Honda still are way better. Toyota likes small buttons and not very intuitive controls. Oh well, a tradeoff

[Mendel Leisk]

Originally Posted by reagle

...On a different though, the interior/ergonomics of Honda still are way better. Toyota likes small buttons and not very intuitive controls. Oh well, a tradeoff

I find their buttons middling, for the most part. Except maybe the door lock/unlock button: try finding that at night...

But I don't like the pale green/blue display, and position: off in the center of the dash. It seems like Toyota persists with the central positioning in the hopes that it will gain acceptance. For me it's a persistance irritant, don't like having to look away from the road to see basic info. And the dash just isn't bright enough: near unreadable when there's road glare.