I had a chance to ride in a “drive by wire” car today. Buzz finally took possession of the Prius that he ordered in the spring.
This car is truly a technological marvel. The key doesn’t need to be inserted in the switch to start the car. The vehicle senses the key is inside the car and enables the “Power” switch (top left of picture). Pressing the Power button brings all the internal electronic readouts to life, but doesn’t start the engine. The car initially moves using electrical power and makes no noise. This takes a little getting used to.
Some notable differences in the normal driving interface include a gear shift with only three positions: forward, neutral, reverse. There is a “Park” button similar to the Power button.
The navigation screen above the radio is so big it includes a warning displayed during start up. “Don’t read items on this screen while driving.” The touch screen includes mileage/engine information, turn-by-turn GPS information, reverse gear camera and sound system controls. We managed to get an impressive 54 miles to the gallon on our five minute trip to lunch.
The stereo includes a six-disk changer that plays MP3 and WMA audio files.
This may be the first car I have seen that requires some professional development before purchase. I like it.
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Ok…JUST saw this post tonight as apparently the post feed isn’t working right (or my protopage isn’t).
It sounds like the reverse gear camera is a fix for the sight line problems on previous Priuses (Priusi?!). We seriously considered ordering a Prius in 2003, and the technology was sweet even then, but the blind spots created by the weirdly configured back window were significant and a deal breaker. The interior was a bit small, also, considering our growing children (who were only 2 and 4 at the time). We weren’t sure car seats and kids with long legs would all fit in the backseat.
We went with the Acura instead and now can’t imagine owning a car without GPS.
I imagine one of our next two cars will be a Toyota hybrid. I have LOVED my last two Hondas, but Honda’s hybrid technology just can’t hold a candle to Toyota’s (and, of course, the domestic hybrids aren’t worth squat IMHO).
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Actually, a big part of the Prius is professional development. That seven inch screen is used most of the time to give you information about your gas mileage right now. It’s targeted to a market that’s very concerned about economy. So by telling the driver when he’s doing things to get good mileage, or driving in a way that results in poor mileage, the car actually trains the driver to drive more efficiently.