2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

[Zen Archer]

I have had my 2010 v3 for 2 weeks and I love it. My first extended trip with it took me to Maine from the Southcoast of Ma. Roundtrip 588 miles on 10 gals of gas, and that was mostly highway 70-75 mph with the ac on all the time...very impressed!

[MaggieMay]

Originally Posted by Zen Archer

I have had my 2010 v3 for 2 weeks and I love it. My first extended trip with it took me to Maine from the Southcoast of Ma. Roundtrip 588 miles on 10 gals of gas, and that was mostly highway 70-75 mph with the ac on all the time...very impressed!

Yippee! Another '10 in Mass!! Congratulations on your car and

[LRKingII]

First road trip in 2010 Prius III
The weekend of July 16, 17, 16, 19 we took a trip from Lewiston, ID to Castle Rock, WA and Bremerton, WA and then back home to Lewiston.
Some thoughts and observations.
Total miles driven = 957
Total fuel used = 19.9
MPG for trip = 48.09
Avg MPH 57
MID MPG = 51.1
AC on 80% of time on auto with temp set at 74 degrees

One low pass 2800 ft on way over. From starting elevation of 700ft
Freeway miles from Umatilla, OR at 65 MPH to Castle Rock, Wa last 45 miles at 70 MPH All Speeds 2 to 3 mph over speed limit.
Castle Rock to Bremerton at 70 MPH until Tacoma then mostly 65 mph
On Return from Bremerton to Lewiston freeway at 70mph to Vantage, WA then 65 most of way home.
One pass to cross on way home from sea level to 3000 ft over Snoqualmie pass.
Did a some town driving in both Castle Rock and Bremerton maybe 20 miles total’

Thoughts.
What a great car J
1 Plenty of power for my needs. (did pass a string of 5 cars on way home on a 2 lane highway and when I looked down speedo said 95 as I passed the last car.) I hate cars going 10mph under speed limit on a 2 lane road.

2 Very quiet on almost all roads accept a stretch on I 84 going to Portland, OR that was badly worn and was pretty loud. I moved over a lane for a few miles and it was much better. I wouldn’t blame it on the Prius because the Jeep Liberty we traded in was worse.

3 I always drive with driver side front window cracked open about 1 inch and was amazed at how little noise it created.

4 Cruise control held speed dead on at all settings even the 7 mile long 6 and 7% grade coming into Lewiston. The battery got full and the ICE kicked in and just held my cruise set point with no problem. Which was probably 4 miles.

5 Seats felt great the whole trip and even the wife said they felt great to her and she can get a sore/stiff back on trips.

6 XM it just plain sux in Columbia gorge and any place your line of sight to the south is impaired.

7 GPS. Coming from a Garmin 530 I was pleased with pretty much all of it’s functions and display. No problems reading the screen or understanding the spoken directions.
Was a nice surprise on Interstates that the next 4 exits popped up on a split screen and showed what was at them.
I like the split screen the way it shows detailed turning instructions.
More to add about GPS. With the Garmin if you turn a diff direction on purpose to take a diff way to distination the "b!tch in the box" keeps nagging to make a u turn for up to 5 miles. With the Prius Nav it justs accepts the new route and keeps right on going with no yapping at you.

All in all was a great trip.

[OlsonBW]

Originally Posted by nylion

... 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!

The problem though, is that both my wife and I feel the new Prius' are UGLY inside and out. I was planning on buying a 2010 Prius (trading in my '07 Tour) because of several of the new features but the looks totally killed that. And yes, we've seen them in person and driven one. We just can't get past the looks.

The question is, how much would it cost to have someone fix the inside and outside of the new Prius so that it wouldn't be ugly and the dash was an improvement, not a big step backwards, from the Gen II.

[cairo94507]

So my Gen II is in for a water pump (it was leaking) and I got a Gen III with 1800 miles on it as a rental, thanks to my service advisor who reserved it for me.

So far I have driven it 75 miles and am amazed at the difference between the two cars. I guess first I have to say I love the new dash/interior design. Very comfortable and easy to use everything when driving. The little heads up display for the steering wheel controls is very cool. I love that the car is significantly quieter on the freeway than my Gen II. I am looking forward to February or so when I will likely replace my terrific car.

What do I wish they would have done a little differently?

Audio controls have way to much adjustment when it comes to volume.

I wish they could have done a sportier looking three spoke steering wheel. But the overall diameter of the wheel is good.

At least a power driver's seat

folding/reverse-tilt sideview mirrors with turn signals standard on the IV and V. (yeah I know I can add them myself) But that is a lot of work for one to do especially when they already make the cars for other countries like that.

OK, I love the Gen II and am looking forward to a Gen III in the future.

[Randall Rash]

Model IV with solar, 1 week old. Yokahama tires aired up to 40 front/38 back. Went from Dallas to Houston and back today. 520 miles and 53.0 MPG. I am duly impressed. A/C was on all the way and it was raining a lot of the way down there (VERY hard at times). Averager around 65 down and 70 on the way back. It is smoother than my Gen ii (2006) and fun to drive. Good JBL sound and I like the NAV improvements.

[seadub]

I'm also driving the '10 Prius IV Solar Roof, Nav, remote AC model. Had it for a week now and I'm still trying to get use to this car.

My only other hybrid experience is with my old Lexus RX400h. The best mileage I was able to get with that car was around 23 MPG. So I'm relieved to see the current mileage for my Prius to be hovering around the mid-40s. I know I have a long way to go to become a "hypermiler," but I'm starting to learn the in's and out's of the Prius.

Initially the Prius seemed very much like a compact car to me. I have been used to having a lot of car around me. I do like the driving position and the access to the controls. Toyota did a fantastic job with the interior design. The gear knob is very easy to use, shifting to B and back to D. The only complaint I would have is too many buttons surrounding the NAV system (and I would rather have the map buttons on the driver side vs. the passenger side... I know this is contrary to the driver/navigator, but whatever).

As far as driving goes... the car feels tight. Steering is responsive and the PWR mode really delivers some unexpected pep. I'm a work-in-progress when it comes to maxing out my MPGs. But I finally discovered (by accident) how to keep my fuel consumption on the dash display. (Hit the TRIP to "A" or "B" and toggle through DISP until the energy bar screen displays and notice the bottom line where "cons" is displayed). The more I look at my consumption numbers the more I work on the techniques to max my consumption. UGH... such an addiction.

Everyday brings a new discovery with the controls or features of the car. If you're like me, you're probably not reading the owners manual and sticking with just figuring out the controls. The sunroof is probably my favorite part of the car. It's always open when driving and makes the car feel less and less like the compact car that it really is. Great job, Toyota.

[miketee]

Got my Prius III, Blizzard Pearl w/Bisque trim on Friday (was going to get a II but this was the last Prius available at this particular dealer and I didn't want to wait). The color combination wasn't my first choice but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I love everything about this car except the rear visibility but my trade was an SUV so I've just got to get used to it. I did 2 test drives before buying so I was comfortable with the performance and handling which I think are outstanding. Yesterday, I was out with my wife and at one point, she told me to slow down so I know that driving this car is going to be fun! I've spent some time actually reading the manual as well as just sitting in the car and learning the controls. This is my first hybrid and first Toyota. I'm very impressed and looking forward to many high MPG years with this car!

[brianbernanke]

Originally Posted by lauren80ryan

WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!! So many great things and a different view point on each. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! If only pricing was out so I could decide sunroof or no sunroof then I would have gone in to order mine TODAY! lol
I am so excited and now can't wait till mid-April.

I have a new 2010 Prius II with no sunroof and a 2003 Jetta TDI with sunroof. To me, a sunroof is mostly a mechanical problem waiting to happen. The seem to all let in too little air (if you want a "top down" experience, a sunroof won't get you there) and too much sun when open, so I almost never use the sunroof. That experience led me to avoid the sunroof option in the Prius since for me it was an option to which I assign zero value.

Surely this is a personal choice and personal preference matter -- if you haven't ridden/driven a car with a sunroof, do it before you order or buy one.

The best part about the sunroof in my Jetta is cracking it in summer to let hot air out. But I have found cracking rear windows is virtually just as effective.

[pricillaQOTM]

I just took delivery of my IV with Nav and on the first 214 miles (190 on I-95) I got 53.3 MPG. This is astounding. Next trip about 30 miles in stop n go DC city - 38mpg!!!

Driving wise, I find the handling fairly neutral to light understeer. Excellent turning circle. Ride is firm, but well controlled. A tiny bit fiddly on lane stability, not sure but that may have to do with my driving position.

Comfort wise, driver and rear seat ingress and egress better than average. Front Passenger egress/ingress average. Head room good, seat comfort good, driving position needs more work by me- full heel toe extended seems to be best or my leg rests on door panel (I'm 6' 1" with a long torso). A/C much better than expected. JBL sound system very good. Nav system complex- need more study.

I had driven two Gen II cars as rentals and can see the improvements. I really blew the doors off an Audi A6 merging onto the beltway (unintentionally) when I hit the power mode- the A6 driver looked as stunned as me.

I would have loved the Adv Tech Pkg but had to make a deal before the cash to clunkers ran out...no regrets however at all!