2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

[wvgasguy]

Originally Posted by MaggieMay

I’m going through the owner’s manuals a little at a time. I really want to better understand the various hybrid displays to understand what they all mean.

Well at 10 pages a day it will take you two months. Add another month if you do the NAV booklet

[nylion]

I took delivery of my V / AT package yesterday. I have been driving a 2006 Gen II package 8 (leather, nav, etc). My first impressions accurately reflect comparison with the Gen II car since my last drive in it was only an hour before my first drive in the new car. It's important to note that the model V with its 17 inch wheels/ low profile tires does not drive the same as the other models. The V has a tighter suspension and sharper steering (less turns of the steering wheel lock-to-lock). This makes a big difference.

The first thing I noticed was the increased power. This is in normal mode. When I pressed the "power" button (what a great name for a control!), I forgot I was driving a hybrid. Yes, 9.8 seconds 0-60 is still in the "family sedan" range, but it is way better than the much slower pickup in my Gen II. As you might have guessed, I am not a hypermiler. I like to drive!

In general, moving the car through traffic at 50 or 60 is a joy. Much more fun than the Gen II. I really enjoyed that car, but more because I am a techie and loved the cool electronics and great mileage. No one could accuse that car of being a great handling car. Why? well, for one thing the overly aggressive stability control made sure that things stayed in the "nice family car" range. It even cut in when I entered a freeway.

The Gen III V is a totally different story. I put the car in "power" mode and at the freeway entrance, floored it. The combination of the new, more powerful engine and the bigger motor actually pushed me back in my seat! Big fun. Steering is quick and very responsive. While I wouldn't say it's a sports car, the Gen III V is, well, sporty. It's fun to drive. If you forget that this is a hybrid and just think of it as a regular small sedan, you will find it compares very favorably to a V6 Camry.

Having established that this is a very drivable car, next let's play with the new features. Pressing the cruise control button on its stem, changes the information display. A green symbol shows cruise is on and a large box replaces the hybrid data with the message "Radar Ready". How cool is that? There is a button on the wheel to adjust the follow distance for the adaptive cruise control. You can vary following distance from about 100 feet to 160 feet in three steps. I got up to (the legal) 60 MPH and engaged the cruise. The box on the display filled showing two big bars indicating I was set for the middle following distance. I was rapidly approaching a car in front of me. As it got closer, a car appeared on the top of my radar display. As the distance closed (quickly), I started worrying, but kept my foot off the brake. Sure enough, the car slowed and followed at the set distance. At an exit, the car in front of me showed his brake lights and slowed much more. So did I! All this without touching a thing. Unlike the standard cruise control, the adaptive control uses the brakes for slowing. If the car ahead slows below 25mph or a car cuts you off, a beep sounds to tell you that you are on your own. In practice this works really well.

Another cool feature is that lane keep assist (LKA). Turn this on and a beep will sound (and the wheel will move a bit) to warn you that you are departing your lane. Much more interesting is that if you are using the cruise control, LKA will actually steer for you and keep you in the center of the lane, even through reasonable turns. For safety purposes, you can't just take your hands off the wheel. LKA expects a certain sight resistance from you holding the wheel before it will act as an autopilot. Otherwise, it will beep to warn you that you are wandering. It was an eerie feeling when the car actually took turns in the road without my help.

I didn't try the parking assist yet. That requires time and space the first few times to learn how to manage the targeting, etc. I will get to that today.


Some things have improved dramatically from my Gen II

• Handling is much better, even sporty
• Much more power
• Better seat position and adjustments
• Telescoping steering wheel (really nice if you have long legs like I do)
• All 4 windows have auto down AND up.
• Improved Navigation. The screen is easier to read, the voice now pronounces the street names (amusingly at times), and the menus are much more intuitive.

Some things are not as good:

• The center compartment also covers a cup holder. To get inside the compartment, you have to first slide the cover back, then open it. It's very hard to see inside since the opening is nearly behind you. Also the compartment is smaller.
• The radio is about the same as on my Gen II. I had hoped that JBL could have stepped things up in the new car.
• Many of the configuration changes we could make ourselves (seat belt beeps, etc.) now can only be done by the dealer.

The Gen II was more of a statement than an automobile. I loved mine, but I had to trade handling and speed for great mileage and cool features. The new Gen III model V gives back the fun of driving while adding a very large number of available improvements.

If you have been driving a Gen I or Gen II Prius, you will instantly feel the improvements in the hybrid technology. The electric motor is used far more often, the gas engine is unobtrusive to the point that I can hardly tell if it is running or not. Everything is smoother. This model (V with AT package) cost about $4,000 USD more than my Gen II. It was worth it!

[MaggieMay]

Originally Posted by wvgasguy

Well at 10 pages a day it will take you two months. Add another month if you do the NAV booklet

No kidding!! I find myself skipping around though - jumping to areas that I don't really know about. Unfortunately there's a lot of those! Hoping to go out tonight and upload phone contacts. Not sure yet if it will take them all at once or the painful one-at-a-time. This weekend will be the great wash and polish. I'm hoping the weather cooperates with this process!

[Indyking]

Originally Posted by nylion

• The radio is about the same as on my Gen II. I had hoped that Bose could have stepped things up in the new car.

Bose? The premium sound in gen 3 is by JBL. Was it Bose in gen 2?

[nylion]

Originally Posted by Indyking

Bose? The premium sound in gen 3 is by JBL. Was it Bose in gen 2?

You are right. Typo...it is JBL. I WISH it were Bose.

[Indyking]

Originally Posted by nylion

You are right. Typo...it is JBL. I WISH it were Bose.

I wish it was Bose too, but I found the JBL in gen 3 too be good, it's not the premium sound you find in luxury cars but not bad for the Prius class. Of course, if there was no improvement from gen 2 like you claim, then I would be very disappointed too... Gen 3 is my first Prius so I can't compare its sound with gen 2.

[nylion]

Originally Posted by Indyking

I wish it was Bose too, but I found the JBL in gen 3 too be good, it's not the premium sound you find in luxury cars but not bad for the Prius class. Of course, if there was no improvement from gen 2 like you claim, then I would be very disappointed too... Gen 3 is my first Prius so I can't compare its sound with gen 2.

What particularly got to me was that we bought a Tacoma at the same time. It has JBL sound and it is amazing! I realize that (maybe) there isn't as much speaker room in the Prius, but really this difference is too much!

[pdxrose]

Picked up Blue III this weekend. Really happy with the way the car drives and handles and sound system and XM radio with 3 month trial. Already have on my other car so need to see if adding a second car is reasonable. So far, happy with everything except 1) plastic steering wheel since I am used to leather wrapped; 2) Power plug in front storage areas - so tight that after a few times, the GPS connector is now stuck so guess the local dealer will get to remove it Monday; 3) Reverse beep needs to go; 4) It was 102 in eastern WA on the way back to Vancouver and the AC was not cold enough until drove in to temps below 95 in western WA; and 5) Still not sure about cloth seats vs leather, especially the door armrests which are material and so going to be a dirt magnet.

[2010_Prius_Owner]

How is this for a great driving impression.
60.3 MPG driven over 90 miles at an average speed of 56 MPH.
Proof it can be done. That is 4 times the gas mileage of my last car.
Just say no to Gas Addiction. lol

[Tideland Prius]

That's fantastic! That's a few mpg better than the Gen 2. If I were to reset the MFD and cruise at 90km/h, I'll net about 4.2L/100km or 56mpg.