Recent content by Patsparks

I think the idea is to select charge to maintain the battery charge when you anticipate hilly terrain rather than when you encounter it. The idea is to have a good charge in the battery before you hit the bottom of a hill to assist the engine to get the vehicle up the hill. I towed a 1200kg...

The battery should last the life of the car, however nothing lasts forever. I was assured by people with no knowledge at all that the battery in my Prius would die after a few years, 14 years old, 312,000km, still works perfectly. Your Mitsubishi dealer should be able to help with app log in...

I don't like that I have to admit I'm completely stupid and promise on my father's grave I wont try to set a destination on the GPS unless I'm stopped off the road with the car in park, handbrake firmly applied and the wheels chocked. Stupid thing is everything is locked when not in park...

I had mine serviced at UltraTune when I picked it up the air filter hadn't been changed because "it cost $75" They were only $50 cheaper than the dealer's capped price service. Next service will be done by the dealer. Note, I worked for UltraTune for 4 years about 27 years ago.

I expect you may.

towed my 1500kg boat from Victor Harbor to Mannum in South Australia The consumption reading was about 12L/100km on the way there but I had left the park brake partly engaged on the way there. (Yep, I'm not perfect) On the way home about 9L/100km. Mostly flat ground but some hills crossing the...

I have noticed this, getting out of my Prius into the Outlander is like sitting under a heat lamp. In Australia the light transmission of the front side glass can be as low as the rear side glass so I don't understand why Mitsubishi have used clear or almost clear glass on the front windows...

Hey there, hi there!

Hold the right paddle back for a second or 2 and it goes back to D. I prefer to drive using the paddles to slow and then go back to D0, especially when on the open road. Less E braking (or any form of braking) equals better economy. Applying the foot brake gently is going to use regen anyway.

Thanks for the correction, I'm new to this and assumed it was the same as the Prius iTech, oops.

To get the best economy avoid braking, avoid regeneration at almost all cost. Even with regenerative braking there are losses in charging and discharging, to get the best efficiency try to allow the car to slow down on its own using the friction of the tyres etc. Set the "engine braking" level...

Why not? It's only a matter of software. The drive computer surely directs power to front or rear axle for stability control and economical operation.

It is a good idea with any car that has a smart entry system to switch off that smart entry system before leaving the car for any length of time. Switch is a small round button under the middle of the dash, near the power outlet. The remote unlock will still work when you get back to the car...

It's seen as a prestige item I would guess.

I attended the release of the 2009 Prius in Detroit and that came with this light. The Prius experts told us it was to illuminate the gear lever. It wasn't on the earlier Prius because the gear shift was on the dashboard and had internal illumination.