2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

[Tideland Prius]

Here's my initial impressions. I accidentally posted it in the "Discussion" thread instead of this one.

Exterior:

• Love the paint. Metallic flakes are visible (Blue Ribbon)
• Not sure if I like the door panels. They vibrate when I close (front door)
• Backup camera works well so far. Still getting used to the car (After driving the smart for a year)
• Haven't scraped anything yet (knock on wood)
• The moonroof is actually quite streamline when opened. It's barely visible in photos at certain angles (although you can definitely see the wind deflector cause that points up quite sharply)
• Visibility is good and I think the mirrors are larger than before
• Not sure why some parts of the wheel wells aren't sprayed with the anti-chip coating (the black stuff)
• I finally understood what people were talking about with the exposed screws. It isn't noticeable on a dark coloured car
• Rear bumper protector is useful. It wraps around the bumper
• Washer spray pattern seems awfully low. The driver's side sprays the wiper at its resting position. The rear barely sprays out (kinda like the old Prius... but worse).
• I like that it takes less energy to close the rear hatch. The struts have been adjusted
• Back to small details. Toyota is the only one that I can think of that actually deflects their LED tail/brake lights. Most others, you can see each individual bulb. With Toyota's design, you see a red blob light instead of a red dot. The advantage (I believe) is that the light is viewable at a wider angle if it's reflected off a surface (You can adjust the beam pattern) vs. just having the diode face the rear of the car

Interior:

• Variable-speed power rear windows is nice (for those that missed the original posts)
• ALL the lighting that Toyota added adds up to a pleasant interior, might I say a bit upscale - power window switches, power door lock switch, ambient lighting, footwell lighting, illuminated door sills, illuminated steering wheel buttons etc etc. Most are standard on other cars (e.g. Lexus) but these are new to Toyota
• Interior is lot quieter. Wind noise is kept to a minimum. Road noise is good but not excellent. I believe the windshield is of the acoustic type. I cannot hear the wiper when the car is in motion and I can barely hear it when stopped (with the radio off). The rear wiper on the other hand is just as noisy as the old one
• Legroom is just as impressive as the old one. I might wager the rear has more even though the specs say otherwise. There seems more space in the "sitting-behind-myself" test.
• Steering position is a bit odd. The steering wheel is offset to the left a tad
• The wheel is an ok diameter. The leather feels soft but the smart's leather-wrapped steering wheel is better
• Leather is of decent quality. Again, can't beat the Germans. My smart's leather feels more expensive than the Prius'
• The front seats is actually quite firm for a Toyota.
• Nice touches such as felt-lined pillars and rubber-based interior door closing grip (or handle).
• I still don't like the reduced storage space
• I don't like the cupholder placement in the centre console box (eats up into the already limited space) but it is quite deep
• nav is hard to see with the moonroof sunshade retracted
• gloveboxes are no longer lined with felt and both of them lose a shelf
• Why is the console tray hinged?
• Would be nice if the interior backlit lights for the radio/climate control were amber instead of green
• The interior door panel moves in and out when the window is opened/closed
• The solar panels work!! No sunshade and 30°C highs. It's decently cool when I get into the car in the evening after work. (haven't used the Remote A/C yet).
• The all-season mats now have a warning printed on them thanks to the idiots who caused the floor mat recall
• The seat height mechanism is quite nice. It doesn't tilt the seat too far forward when you raise the seat (unlike some other Toyotas where you raise the seat and it only raises the rear portion of the seat bottom)
• Now that the rear hump is nearly gone, whoever sits in the middle will definitely want to step in that area. For those that want a rubber mat for it, I've found a solution and it's at Canadian Tire. I'll post a pic if I get any request for it.
• Why aren't the dome and personal lights independent of each other?? The OFF position for the personal lights turn both the personal and the dome off. You can't have one or the other turn on with the opening of the doors. It's either both on or both off
• The all-season mats are lighter than before. The old ones have a nice heft to them
• The cargo floor no longer has a stand to hold it up. Guess you just fold it back flat against the floor?

Driving:

• Steering feel is definitely better than the old Prius. Still can be improved
• Better mpg. 58mpg (55mpg if I include the 5km from the dealer)
• Suspension seems well tuned. I hear the bumps more than I feel them.
• Tyre pressures weren't set right at the dealer. Currently set at 39/37.
• Wind noise is fairly low at 60km/h with the moonroof open at its first stop. It is quite noisy above 30km/h or 40km/h at its second stop
• Radar cruise is awesome!! It actually brakes quite hard if it needs to (cruising at 100km/h and it braked to 60km/h within a short distance)
• IPA works well in most cases. The Pre-Support sets it up perfectly if conditions are right. On a few occasions, it was a little far to one side.
• So far, I've only had one nav mispronunciation.
• Headlight beam pattern is quite nice (these are halogens) and decently bright
• Wipers have a nice large sweep
• Someone pointed out that the intermittent settings have been reversed. Yes they have. I'm not sure why
• The engine does seem to warm up faster but then again it's 30°C outside . Put it this way, it shuts down faster when starting cold
• I've noticed that the computer will let the battery charge vary more often. I've gotten down to 3 bars on many occasions. On the '05, I can control that and keep down to 5 bars max and only have it drain to 3 bars if I'm heavily using the A/C or crawling in traffic
• The HSI CHG zone seems different than the one I drove in L.A. The L.A. one would stay full til we came to a stop. This one would start to reduce as the speed decreases, giving a better indication of regen vs. friction
• Engine start/stop is barely perceptible and very smooth
• Boy, is that inverter loud!!!
• ECO mode keeps the climate control in recirc forever
• Pressing AUTO does not bring back the A/C (if the light was off) like the old Prius did.
• The A/C is bloody cold! It's 30°C/86°F outside and the climate control is set at 25°C/75°F. Highest I've set in the old Prius was 23°C/73°F and it was much cooler outside
• The A/C also seems more efficient. I sat idle with the A/C on and the battery was slower to drain. Didn't time it though but I know I can't last 8 mins with the A/C off in the old Prius before the engine came on to recharge it

[lee4hmz]

So far, here's what I've noticed:

• The brakes are really, really tight. It's taken some adjustment on my part, after a year of driving a clunker with mushy brakes.
• The steering feels fine to me, but then my old truck had Ye Olde Saginaw Steering Box, so I'm used to not having that much road feel.
• Pickup with the electric motor is good but not great. Once the ICE kicks in, though, it's easy to find yourself going 60 without much trouble. And yeah, you can definitely hear the inverter, but I find it comforting after driving something that made no transmission noises at all.
• I actually fit in the front seat pretty well. This was a concern because I'm a big guy, and even the Blazer was becoming a tight fit. The Prius has no trouble, though.
• I do kind of wish that bar in the middle of the rear window wasn't there, but hey, it's better than having the spare tire blocking half your view.
• FM reception on the stock radio is...bad. The Delco ETR in my old truck was a lot better, but then I get the feeling the antenna in the Prius isn't the greatest.

I get to drive it to the office for the first time tomorrow (I usually take the bus in and drive only as far as the commuter lot, but today is rent day); we'll see how it does on I-95.

[TalkingMuffin]

okay, here's my review.

I am an auto enthusiast since childhood. I'm the kid who hung posters of Ferrari's and Lamborghini's in his room.

I am 32 now. Over the past 10 years, I have driven the following cars (in order):

2000 Honda Prelude SH
2002 Lexus IS300 (sport-manual)
2005 Subaru Legacy GT
2007 BMW 328 (sport pkg)

I have also raced on Road Atlanta and attended a couple high-speed driving schools.

And now, as of tonight, I've had my 2010 Toyota Prius V (w/ AT) for a week. You might be asking why someone like me chose a Prius. And that would be a good question. First, a couple thoughts...

1 - the BMW 328 that I have most recently been driving is, bar none, the best car I have ever driven. BMW owns a calculus of design that is so extraordinary, nobody else comes close. Everything about the 3-series is perfection. It is the ultimate driving machine, that is not a marketing cliche.

2 - right behind that, the Honda Prelude SH was a visceral sports car that provided my 22-year old self with years of enjoyment.

3 - the Lexus was an immaculately constructed vehicle that offered a premium ride with some fun, sporty edges. I couldn't find a fault with it if I was paid to.


So how did I end up in a Prius? here are the reasons:

1 - what is the point of owning a BMW? Or any capable sports car? I live in Northern Virginia (Earth), and there are two situations that I find myself in... The first being (obviously) traffic. Traffic is a constant and it will only get worse. Driving a BMW in this congested area is like running Pong on a Playstation 3. It's a waste. In the 5% of time that there is no traffic, I am overcome with paranoia about speedtraps and police, as they are ALL OVER the place here! And in a BMW, if you want to have real fun, you aren't going 10mph over the speed limit, you are going 30 over. Because I am a good driver and the car is capable of that. Unfortunately, I would be in jail if I was caught. So what is the point in having cars like the ones I have owned? There is none.

2 - in the past 3 years that i have leased my beautiful silver BMW 328 with sport package, my car has been dented by:

- shopping carts (including a particularly nasty one of the Costco variety the first week I had it)
- other cars. despite consistent efforts to park away from people, the sides of my car look like a close up of a golf ball.
- a huge tree branch fell on my car while parked at home.
- last month, two months before I have to turn it back to BMW, a deer ran into the side of it while I was traveling 40mph. huge dent in door.

all told, I did a pre-lease inspection to learn that I will have to pay over $2k in damages just to give the car back to BMW. I have come to accept that whatever car I get, it will get F'ed up. Might as well be something not quite as beautiful as a BMW.

3 - I'm tired of the stigma. I am not a superficial, materialistic person. I didn't get a BMW because I am vein or a prick. I got it because I love driving and got a great deal on it. Still, the reaction I get from people when they learn I drive a BMW (or Lexus) has started to really annoy me. The current recession makes it even worse. I don't want to come off like that anymore. Because that's not me. Prius is me.

4 - I want to do something. The economics of Prius works at $4 gas but harder to justify at $2. Still... getting off foreign oil and emitting close to no emissions is something. And I am an activist... I must do something.

5 - I am in the economics and policy realm here in DC. I expect an oil crisis in the next year or two. And I don't want to be caught with my pants down.


DRIVING IMPRESSIONS (sorry, I almost forgot the reason for the thread! /rant):

So knowing my background of driving amazing drivers cars, I have just one word to describe my Prius:

FABULOUS!

It is SO fun to drive!!! I did not expect this. Especially because I only got to test-drive a Prius III (w/ 15" wheels). I thought the acceleration was better than I expected but I was NOT impressed with the handling. I thought it was tippy.

So I bought the V with no test-drive because I read on here and in a Car and Driver review that the V is basically a "Prius Sport" and radically changes the experience. I am here to tell you that that is absolutely the truth. The 17" wheels and quicker turn ratio makes a huge difference.

When I feel sporty, I put on the power mode and have all the acceleration that local traffic and law enforcement allow me to ever need. I am very impressed with the lack of body roll on the V.

But I am totally loving the "Prius experience"... driving more responsibly and getting great gas mileage.

The technology in the car is amazing. It is a very very comfortable car and driving experience.

I'll write more later. I wanna go drive more...

[Tideland Prius]

Love your list of cars.

[schnabeljs]

In response to TalkingMuffin, other than the 17" wheels (and other non-driving stuff), is there any difference between a III with 17" wheels/tires, and V? I thought that the car was basically the same, except for add ons, between II, III, IV and V. Wouldn't the turning radius for all models be the same, and accelleration, cornering too? That is, if I put 17" wheels on a III, shouldn't it drive and react the same as a V, except for the AT package stuff, which I don't think any of that does anything other than keep you from hitting other people?

Thanks for the long post, good to hear about other cars too!

[ggood]

Leather, LED headlights and better EPS steering assembly, resulting in tighter steering ratio (but larger turning radius).

Originally Posted by schnabeljs

In response to TalkingMuffin, other than the 17" wheels (and other non-driving stuff), is there any difference between a III with 17" wheels/tires, and V? I thought that the car was basically the same, except for add ons, between II, III, IV and V. Wouldn't the turning radius for all models be the same, and accelleration, cornering too? That is, if I put 17" wheels on a III, shouldn't it drive and react the same as a V, except for the AT package stuff, which I don't think any of that does anything other than keep you from hitting other people?

Thanks for the long post, good to hear about other cars too!

[windstrings]

While the turning radius is tighter and possibly better, I've never seen any mention of the suspension itself being any different... .this is what puzzles me about the statement that said it was no longer "tippy" which seemed to imply it hugged the ground better while cornering etc.

Can anyone confirm that the only difference is the steering per se?
That shouldn't affect the ride while going in a straight line down the road, and while even cornering the feel difference would only be in the steering wheel I would think.

In other words... can the "passenger" feel a difference or is it all about the experience of the driver?

[royrose]

Originally Posted by TalkingMuffin

3 - I'm tired of the stigma. I am not a superficial, materialistic person. I didn't get a BMW because I am vein or a prick. I got it because I love driving and got a great deal on it. Still, the reaction I get from people when they learn I drive a BMW (or Lexus) has started to really annoy me. The current recession makes it even worse. I don't want to come off like that anymore. Because that's not me. Prius is me.

You will still be seen as a snob by some people, just a different kind. You just can't let it bother you.

Enjoy your Prius.

[windstrings]

Originally Posted by royrose

You will still be seen as a snob by some people, just a different kind. You just can't let it bother you.

Enjoy your Prius.

I'm just glad the recirc works well because when I get behind a smoky Diesel or old junker it works great!... Also works good for skunks!

Maybe I'm a little snobby...... after running so clean and efficient, its harder to tolerate rigs with old plugged up injectors that are all loud and boisterous with no place to go.... or rather, they can't go anyplace even though they make the noise like they should be!

It always cracks me up when a good ole boy trucks with big mudders and jacked up floors it and you can hear it from 1/4 mile away and they seem to sit still as they run through the gears!

While the prius zooms past them all barely making a noise, with no shifting and perfect emissions...... Humm... yea I must be getting snobby!

[cycledrum]

I had another sit in a 2010 Prius today, and I seriously think Toyota skimped a bit much on the amount of steering wheel telescope.

This was mentioned months ago in a video review while some woman was giving driving impressions of the car.

I don't understand why Toyota cannot seem to nail these things and get them right the first time.

I can tell by where the steering wheel ends up in relation to my knees if the reach is going to be really good or a bit much. Now, the 2010 seat goes quite far back for us with long legs, but they have left a little much reach to the steering, even when fully telescoped.

It's likely not a knockout factor to me, but it brings the car down a little and it might be somewhat annoying over time.