After 2 weeks of ownership of a 2023 Pro S AWD, I absolutely love this car, other than the lack of mirror memory, it just delivers in every aspect, especially in range that is far far beyond 255mi. But there's one big frustration: the key fob. It's objectively awful. People complain about the car lacking phone as key function, and we are missing auto-lock, but honestly, its the fob.
It's large, it's heavy, it lacks tactile buttons, it has very poor responsiveness, and by far the shortest range I've ever seen (about 20 feet). On top of that the lock button has to be pressed twice for the car to make a lock sounds (brief honk). In reality, I usually have to press the button 3-4 times to get the sound confirmation. And if the car is not locked because let's say one of the doors is not closed correctly, the car isn't really giving clear feedback.
In my 2012 Prius I've almost never taken out my key out of my backpack it just worked. And with my I3, I was able to open or lock from 200 Ft away, and I could tell what I was pressing based on the button shape.
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Some solutions:
1. Replacing the battery improves the responsiveness by and and range (by about 30% in my case), even if the car/fob is brand new
2. Adding an embossed sticker to the lock button makes it easy to lock while keeping the fob in your pocket. It also improves haptic feedback then the button pressed and makes it easier to press the button.
3. Turning off exit light (duration to 0sec) provides immediate feedback when locked but turning off the lights immediately.
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It's large, it's heavy, it lacks tactile buttons, it has very poor responsiveness, and by far the shortest range I've ever seen (about 20 feet). On top of that the lock button has to be pressed twice for the car to make a lock sounds (brief honk). In reality, I usually have to press the button 3-4 times to get the sound confirmation. And if the car is not locked because let's say one of the doors is not closed correctly, the car isn't really giving clear feedback.
In my 2012 Prius I've almost never taken out my key out of my backpack it just worked. And with my I3, I was able to open or lock from 200 Ft away, and I could tell what I was pressing based on the button shape.
-------
Some solutions:
1. Replacing the battery improves the responsiveness by and and range (by about 30% in my case), even if the car/fob is brand new
2. Adding an embossed sticker to the lock button makes it easy to lock while keeping the fob in your pocket. It also improves haptic feedback then the button pressed and makes it easier to press the button.
3. Turning off exit light (duration to 0sec) provides immediate feedback when locked but turning off the lights immediately.
