Had my first ride in a Prius on Friday - a Milan taxi which took me from the city centre to Linate airport.
Was absolutely mesmerised by the Energy Monitor on the central screen with its wonderfully busy schematic, and animated orange and green arrows. Thought it was fabulous, but then got to thinking how something so busy and fluid could be distracting for drivers.
For the uninitiated, here it is. Imagine this constantly moving, changing and updating just out of your line of vision:
bit.ly/wC2Lft
Anyone driven one of these and found it near impossible to keep their eyes off it when driving? Or does the novelty wear off quickly?
Last edited by: DP on Sat 28 Jan 12 at 19:43
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I believe you can turn the energy monitor display off - and have a display showing speedometer, etc.
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Could always look where one is going.
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>>
>> Was absolutely mesmerised by the Energy Monitor on the central screen with its wonderfully busy
>> schematic, and animated orange and green arrows. Thought it was fabulous, but then got to
>> thinking how something so busy and fluid could be distracting for drivers.
>>
They're also common as taxis in Stockholm, I had exactly the same thought, really distracting.
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Temperature in Fahrenheit?
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Given the low mpg figure presumably based on a US gallon, it's from an American website
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>>Given the low mpg figure presumably based on a US gallon, it's from an American website
I was going to say I get 58mpg from my oil burning BMW 3 series
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Are you mad? I don't buy a car unless it has pretty graphics showing me what's going on. I'm shallow like that.
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>> I get 58mpg from my oil burning BMW 3 series
And that has a full colour screen, with all manner of interactive graphics, in much the same position as a Prius. So do most Jags and Land Rovers now.
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>And that has a full colour screen, with all manner of interactive graphics, in much the same position as a Prius. So do most Jags and Land Rovers now.
Nope it doesn't. Poverty spec model I am sorry to say. No sat nav. Basic radio, CD thing.
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Not distracting once used to it, can set it to centigrade, can turn it off or choose another screen including the satnav, and 51.3mpg not unheard of in winter although that one is pretty low.
That "current" figure is since the last reset/fill, so if he'd just filled and roared up a hill it would be low.
Even if not, don't forget it's medium size petrol (cvt) auto with a tenner a year tax, and there aren't many others of those that will give at absolute minimum that kind of figure. Be pleased to hear of any actually.
As I've posted elsewhere it's pretty easy to get low sixties, high sixties to low seventies if you try hard, and crazy 80s and 90s on a given journey if everything is with you and you really really try.
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>> Given the low mpg figure presumably based on a US gallon, it's from an American
>> website
>>a Milan taxi
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>> Given the low mpg figure presumably based on a US gallon, it's from an American
>> website
>>
The figure shown on that screen is the instant mpg readout, the average would be accessed by touching the "Consumption" button on the screen.
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Haven't driven the Prius, but have driven the Auris hybrid, and a few hondas - including the totally fun-but-pointless CR-Z.
Here's wot i wrote about the Insight: The last paragraph sums up exactly what DP is worried about.
But the dashboard, which has far too many dials for my liking, spends its whole time giving updates about what is happening in the system, and being a bit of an electronic finger-wagger if you get out of the perceived zone for greenism.
For example, the cowl on the digital speedometer features a halo which glows as you drive – blue if you are being a bit brisk, green if you are saving the planet.
Then there’s a swinging meter which shows you what the technology is doing – charging the battery, or leeching from it. Then the centre display has a range of options – all geared towards telling you what is happening in the powertrain and whether it is electricity, petrol or both at work, or charging, or leeching, or static.
TOO MUCH INFORMATION, for goodness sake!
And by far the worst, at the end of each journey you make, the display gives you a scoreboard, of some laurel-branch type thing, with leaves awarded or confiscated according to how well you did – in a green sense – on that trip.
Great technology. But you want to shout “stop being so ***** condescending, let me drive!”
Because in essence, we all want to be as good as we can be on the road, yet the possibility exists that your attention will become so diverted by trying to get a hi-score on the car that you’ll be driving like a complete muppet, and endangering yourself, and other road users. My friend summed it up perfectly – and automotive tamagotchi, demanding constant attention.
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The safety hazard on the display is the front nearside wheel which looks to be well out of alignment.
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Serendipity?
Picked up a hybrid Lexus yesterday, and it is much less distracting then most hybrids.
Simple swinging dial - moves through 180 degrees like a tachometer, with 60 deg each for charge, eco and power bands.
there is also an option to have all the other stuff pop up - flow metres etc - but you can leave that part of the dash blank if needed.
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That's largely because the display picture posted here is from a generation2 Prius, and the tech was all shiny and exciting. By gen 3 (on which the Lexus is based), Toyota clearly decided that the novelty had worn off, so all that flashery disappeared, and as you say, it's all much more muted in the gen3 Prius as well as the Lexus.
The gen3 lets you put the info on the HUD if you want, so your eyes need not scan the dash for it as it's projected on the windscreen. (Feeble feature I didn't like but there we are).
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"Simple swinging dial - moves through 180 degrees like a tachometer, with 60 deg each for charge, eco and power bands."
Sounds like a copy of the Auris Hybrid instrumentation.
Last edited by: lancara on Tue 31 Jan 12 at 09:54
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>> "Simple swinging dial - moves through 180 degrees like a tachometer, with 60 deg each
>> for charge, eco and power bands."
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>> Sounds like a copy of the Auris Hybrid instrumentation.
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The Lexus CT200h is an Auris chassis and drive train suitably tarted up.
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>> The Lexus CT200h is an Auris chassis and drive train suitably tarted up.
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Yip.
twonk it into 'Sport' and the dial changes to a tacho.
However, that 'sport' part comes with a pinch of salt.
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Toyota Prius II - Energy display on screen - safety hazard?? - Auristocrat
