I have been driving a Prius for too long…
I love the smart key in our Prius. I can have my hands full when walking to the car and only need to reach to the door handle to unlock the doors. No more putting things down while I search for my keys in my bag or my coat pocket…just the great sound of unlocking when I most need it. I also don’t have to remember to put my keys in my bag before I get out of the car because you don’t drive with the keys in the ignition. The car responds to the key if it is IN the car - so you can leave the keys in a bag, coat, or the back seat if you want.
Friday, I decided to take the Subaru to work because of an ice storm around school (hooray for a two hour delay!). WHILE driving home, I was in great need of my chapstick, which I cleverly keep on my key chain. Since I am used to my keys always being in bag, I began searching all through the bag. Suddenly, I became fearful that aI may have forgotten my keys at school because I couldn’t find them anywhere. I thought about all the places the keys could be…jacket pocket, top of the roof, I even glanced out the window to see if I left them dangling in the door. About this time, I realize I AM driving and something must be powering the car. In a regular car, keys are in the ignition when a car is moving…and there was my chapstick, dangling from the key ring.
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I didn’t know about the Prius’s smart key feature. That’s really cool. Kudos to them for innovating in so many areas on one car!
There’s a manual override, I hope, in case something goes wonky and it doesn’t respond to the smart key, right?
I also wonder if the smart key’s signal is a target for hackers. I mean, as soon as you can grab that signal (perhaps via a sensitive unidirectional antennae) and duplicate it at will, you’ve got a “free” car. I’d be interested to know more about how they prevented such things from happening. (Off to Google for the answers!)
A resounding huzzah for the Prius’ cool key from Montana. After our first Prius got whacked and we went shopping for a replacement car, we decided that keyless entry and ignition were requirements. It turns out, that doesn’t leave many options. Oh, well. We got another Prius! Hooray!
Kind of spoils you, doesn’t it? I, too, LOVE the smart key. I dare go so far as to say that I might not be able to live without it. When I have to drive the Taurus, I feel like I have reverted to the Dark Ages… *shudder*
As a side note, we have been very pleased with how the Prius drives in snow and ice. While test driving, we even found it preferable to a Subaru.
I have a smart key too…had it for nine years, although it wasn’t until just recently it really became a smart key. He scrapes the windshield, too. He may only be nine, but he’s awfully cute!