Ever wonder what happens to the long term test cars after the editors are finished with them? This is your lucky chance to hear from the old 2004 Toyota Prius after leaving the fleet last Fall. That's because it was purchased by yours truly, Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor.
I bought the Prius two months ago and I've already put 2,000 miles on it. It successfully survived the torrential rains of last week's historic storms. For Christmas the Prius received a new set of factory beige floor mats which brighten the interior greatly. I'm also happy to report that I've only discovered one defect.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
There was a time when the Toyota Prius was THE alternative fuel car to have. But now with the Leaf, Volt and many hybrid alternatives to popular models, the Prius is no longer all that, well, special. So Toyota is making it bigger. Apparently the carmaker will unveil the supersized version at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show next month.
The above video is for something called The Prius Project, where Prius fans were invited to Malibu to put a big puzzle together showing the current Prius in front of the larger 2012 model.
I don't know about you but I'm thinking a Prius minivan is a natural fit.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Our 2004 Toyota Prius has outlasted every other car in our long term fleet. We bought this second-generation Prius six years ago and it has carried various editors over 85,000 miles. But it had gradually lost its luster both in appearance and in novelty. And the time had come to sell it.
When the Prius was first given to me to sell it looked like it had been put through the wringer. Then, Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing, put new tires on it which fixed the stability control problem. Still, the interior smelled funky and the arm rest was black with grime. And then one afternoon, I left work a bit late and ventured out into rush hour traffic.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
I was replacing the front brake pads on the 2004 Toyota Pruis when my son walked by and said, "I'm not good at mechanical things." That set me off. I told him to put on a pair of gloves and help me. Our arrangement was simple: I drank coffee and told him what to do; he did all the bending, lifting and tightening. It was a beautiful relationship.
The brake job was a piece of cake, especially after I read Dan Edmunds' excellent DIY piece about changing the pads on the 2009 Ford Flex. When we got the old pads out I took a picture to show that there was still some life in them. The guy at the Toyota dealership said he had seen some Prius owners doing brakes after 90k miles. The regenerative braking system saves wear on the braking system and this translates to cost savings for the owner.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius,DIY Maintenance
Scott Jacobs wrote a hilarious blog post about how the armrest in the 2004 Toyota Prius reminded him of a couch his college roommate had that they had nicknamed the "deal breaker." If a woman came to visit them, and had to sit on the couch, she would never come back. The armrest of the Prius was like that for me. It was the first thing I saw when I opened the door to get in. Looking at the evil, dark stains I imagined it was emitting the foul odors some editors had remarked on. After months of shrinking from contact with the armrest I snapped into action.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Our long-term(!!) 2004 Toyota Prius has a big digital speedo. Although it's better for elderly people who have trouble reading small fonts with a short focal length, the size and focal length of the speedo is good for everybody. (Yes, the lens of the display appears to have been cleaned with a shop rag or some steel wool.)
The digital speedo is also good for knowing your exact speed. Yeah, I know enthusiasts are supposed to like analog speedos and tachs, so you can see the relative position of the pointer.
But did you know that most modern sportbikes have digital speedos (usually combined with analog tachs)? It's definitely easier to quickly know your exact speed. I really like this setup on motorbikes.
It's not bad on the Prius either.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ 86,200 miles
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
At some point in our Prius's history, somebody had the foresight to load our office as "Home" in the now-aged navigation system. A couple interesting things happened when I zoomed in on the POI icon.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
The first Prius I ever drove was a 2004 model. It was just released for sale and was the hot new thing. I was allowed to take it for a weekend out of another long-term test lot and it drew a lot of attention. I'd get stopped in parking lots, barraged by questions like, "what's it like to drive?" and "what's the mileage like?" It was a bit of a novelty back then. Nowadays, it's as commonplace as a cell phones and flat -panel TVs. So now I'm wondering what will be the Prius' legacy?
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
A lot of people wonder what the deal is with the "B" position on the shifter of the 2004 Toyota Prius (and most other Toyota Hybrids). Some people figure that B increases the level of regenerative braking and plows more juice into the battery.
Not so fast. Turns out the opposite is true.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Nice one, Ace. Thanks for being so considerate when parking your shopping cart. Our 2004 Toyota Prius thanks you, too. It was tired of having a smooth door panel. The nice pair of dents you left behind represents a refreshing change. The paint chipped off by your errant cart was an extra added bonus.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
I've always dug the "last 30 minutes" efficiency bar graph display in our 2004 Toyota Prius. However, for the third generation (2010 --), Toyota switched to a smaller, less colorful dash-mounted display (after the jump).
The idea behind the new display, of course, is to keep your eyes pointed closer to the road ahead, rather than on the navigation screen, as you're playing the fuel economy/recharge-the-battery-pack game. I'm sure Toyota's legal team prefers the new display.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
How do you jumpstart a 2004 Toyota Prius? It's actually easier than one would think despite the intimidating hybrid technology under the hood.
Yes, last night our Prius was completely dead. Maybe someone left the interior light on all weekend. No one knows. In any case it needed a jumpstart.
By the way, FYI, when a Prius is completely dead, the gears don't work so you can't shift it into Neutral if you have to move it anywhere. Fortunately, our dead Prius was accessible.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
It's been awhile since I've driven our mega-mile Prius and it's everything I remembered. There's absolutely no steering feel. The ride is unrefined and the power is meager. In other words, it's about as far from a driver's car as modern vehicles get.
Knowing that, I'm not surprised that some Prius owners found their cars speeding beyond their control. They probably never really had control to begin with, they were just riding along.
Still, when I think back to the poor sap who said his Prius was "speeding down the freeway and he couldn't stop it" I just have to laugh. The Prius is so gutless it's hard to fathom the idea of it ever "getting out of control." The brakes are not great, but they are infinitely more powerful that the gas engine, the electric motor or any combination of the two. The idea that pushing on the brakes could not possibly overcome their propulsive force is just laughable.
Thankfully, the hysteria has died down and the incidents have seemingly vanished. Trust me, though, I wasn't the least bit worried from behind the wheel.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line @ 84,988 miles
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
In the previous Open Thread post for our 2004 Toyota Prius, commenter liquoredonlife asked what was the worst MPG it has ever gotten. We've just posted last month's fuel economy of our long-term test cars so you saw that the worst for the Prius was, gasp!, 18.5. But I was curious about how many times during its six years with us we've gotten its mpg below 20.
Turns out that 18.5 was a miscalculation that arose from a previous "short-fill" situation. Once we threw that one out, the correct value for lowest mpg ever is 26.7.
Head for the jump to see a breakdown of our Prius' fuel economy history ever since it first arrived in our fleet.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Opening the center console of our 2004 Toyota Prius was like opening up a time capsule. Check it out, valet instructions. Apparently back in the day, the Prius' unconventional gearshifter was too weird to comprehend? In any case, these nifty cards, which come in a stack and have a hole in the top corner so you can attach it to your keys when you leave them with the valet, outline how to start, shift and park the car.
Searching Prius forums, it sounds like the cards were discontinued around 2005-2006. So here it is for those of you who bought a Prius that didn't come with them. Print them out and leave them for the valet or car wash attendants you're not sure of.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
OK, we've had our 2004 Toyota Prius for the longest that we've had any long-term vehicle. It's almost at 85K! So at this point, as I browse past blog posts (some so old they don't even have pictures anymore) I can't help but wonder just what hasn't already been blogged about on this car.
I figure I'd ask you guys. I think I already know the answer to this but is there anything you'd like to know about it? Anything? Anything at all? Ask away.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
I try not to double-up on same-car posts in one day, but I had to share this picture of the outside temperature gauge in our 2004 Toyota Prius.
It ain't kidding. Rght now, here in Yorba Linda, California, 16 miles inland from the Pacific, it is 106 degrees F outside. The weather service is predicting a high of 108 degrees.
At least the electrically-driven AC compressor starts off strong and begins pumping cold air almost immediately after I press the "Power" button to start the car.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing
Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Our 2004 Toyota Prius is wearing a brand new set of tires. The last set was badly worn, and the wear had grown uneven, over time. One had been driven on flat (or very low) long enough to score the inner and outer sidewalls. It was time.
The original Goodyear Integrity OE tires never got much love from our cadre of test pilots, so we wanted to try something different. Our choices were many because a lot of companies, Goodyear included, have brought out new "green" second-generation low rolling resistance tires for the Prius, each claiming more grip, shorter wet stopping distances, the same or better ride, the same or better noise and perhaps even a little less rolling resistance than the original rubber.
I was leaning toward the Bridgestone Ecopia, one of those new "green" tires. The final decision became simple because my local Bridgestone dealer, the one next to the Autozone where I dispose of my waste oil, was open this past Saturday, had them in stock and could do it in an hour, right then and there.
Done and done. The Prius had new shoes before I had lunch.
Furthermore, as I'd speculated, the new tires cured the Prius' steering wheel misalignment and ESC problems, single handedly and immediately.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
The weather in Yorba Linda was smoking hot this weekend. If I was going to change the oil and filter on our 2004 Toyota Prius, it was in my best interest to get it done quickly, before the sun got too high in the sky.
That was OK by me. I've never actually timed myself. I'm usually too busy taking pictures or video along the way to be truly fast. How long does it take me to do a basic oil and filter change when I'm not trying to film it?
Here are the rules: 1) I'd follow the same steps outlined in my last Prius oil change video, but I'd reset the "Maint Reqd" light after time stopped so I could go inside and wash my hands thoroughly before touching too much of the interior. 2) Before time started, I could lay out all the needed tools in one spot about 5 or 6 feet from the car, but I could not pre-stage them in the exact spot they'd be needed. 3) I couldn't open the hood or jack the car until after time started. 4) I couldn't stop the clock until after the hood was closed and the car was back on the ground. 5) Tool clean-up, also off the clock, would wait until I had a tall glass of water and changed the oil in my wife's minivan, as well.
These are the rules. Place your bets.
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
Over the last couple of days our 2004 Toyota Prius has sent out numerous Electronic Skid Control false alarms. Light flash, brakes sometimes grab to "correct" a non-existent slide and, most of all, a piercing piezo beep fills the cabin.
The first time it happened I has sweeping through an on-ramp. Was I going that fast? Not really. Did I hit a bump, or something? Probably. I didn't think much of it.
Next morning, my wife grabbed the keys to take the kids to school, 10 miles distant. She called back in 5 minutes.
"Get the van ready," she said. "I'm bringing this thing back. The skid control is going nuts."
One of the places she said it happened was the road above, not 200 yards from our home. There is nothing in the way of G forces here, just a gentle bend to the right as you coast slightly downhill to the stop sign ahead. It happens every time, exactly where this picture was taken, so long as the speed is 33 mph or higher. The posted limit is 35 mph.
And then I remembered some things that might add up to a theory...
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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius
