2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

[Manksgloob]

Speaking of sunroofs...

YouTube - 2010 Toyota Prius Moon Roof

YouTube - 2010 Toyota Prius Moon Roof

[Tideland Prius]

So I'm not going to write about MPG. I'm not going to write about how much more efficient it is. Why? Well the media has that covered.

I'm a detailed kinda guy. I like small details and Toyota is very good at that. The tiny things make the car more pleasurable, unique and let's face it, we like good surprises that aren't mentioned in the brochure (like the hidden drawer... which, in the Canadian brochure, was actually written as having the reader discover the drawer on his/her own).

So, without further adieu, here are my notes from the PC L.A. including some driving impressions.

• Variable-speed power windows. This is taken directly from the LS460 luxury sedan and is the only Toyota vehicle in NA to offer this feature so Prius owners rejoice. What is this feature? It basically slows the window down when there's about an inch or two left to go before closing. This minimises the "thump" of the window hitting the top of the door frame. Necessary? no. A luxury? yes. It's called attention to detail.

• Hill-Start Assist. This feature is also found on the Highlander Hybrid but I haven't heard anyone talk about it. It is activated by pressing the brake pedal completely past a threshold. The car will beep and the “Slip Indicator” will blink. Release the pedal and the brakes will continue to hold for 1 second. Before H-SA releases the brake, it will beep twice and the slip indicator will stop blinking. I usually depress the brake pedal fully after I've come to a complete stop and no one could tell me why there was a beep and why the VSC Slip Indicator was blinking. Kudos to Miss Mei (I hope I got the name right) at the LA event who informed me of this feature

• Not much lean into the car and better tyre grip on the 15” model compared to the current model. Video of test drive will be up soon.

• PWR MODE is definitely power mode. Engine revs a lot easier and it feels more powerful. I would wager that it feels like a 2.4 litre Camry. If you've got a train to catch, this is your mode.

• ECO MODE really cuts back on the sensitivity and can make it feel “slow” to normal drivers. On the flipside, it’s very easy to modulate the pedal for hypermilers.

• Hybrid System Indicator is quite useful and can almost, almost replace the Energy Monitor. I would say this is the screen that most drivers that want to maximise FE will use. It's very easy to see on the small screen because the horizontal bar fills up the entire screen width-wise. In addition, there's an "ECO" bar that illuminates above the HSI to indicate that you are driving in an eco-friendly manner.

• Glide is harder to achieve even with ECO MODE engage

• Energy Monitor arrows hard to see (esp. the red arrow)

• ECO MODE will stay engaged after shut down. PWR MODE will not

• 17” alloys don’t feel any rougher in terms of ride quality

• Moonroof opening is smaller than normal Toyota moonroof even when fully opened in the 2nd position. There are two open positions (no, I'm not talking about tilt and slide but two slide positions). This is also found on the 2007+ Camrys with a power moonroof. If you let it open automatically, it will stop at the first position. This is done to minimise wind noise. If you want the moonroof fully opened, you press OPEN once more and it will slide to the second position.

• Leather-equipped vehicles seemed to have a better front seat design. Power lumbar support is greatly appreciated. Cloth seat cars seem to have the same seat design as the current one. I felt more comfortable in the leather-equipped Prius.

• IPA is easier to use. It's more intuitive and helps set up the parking to minimise stress (i.e. where do I stop in relation to the parallel parking spot so that the computer can see the spot?). The car will actually tell you when to stop with two soft beeps. This way, adjustments should be kept to a minimum. All you need to do is press OK.

• Lower storage compartment large enough to fit my travel sling bag so it is useable. It can probably fit a netbook.

• Centre seat position decently comfortable. It's nicely padded and I didn't feel uncomfortable after the drive.

• LED headlights nearly invisible in bright sunshine unless you look at it directly (they are directional after all). You can't even tell if the lights are on by standing next to the car. Turning on the foglights will help because if the fogs are on, your headlights are on.

• The turning circle for the 15" model is about 2 lanes. IOW, if the road is 4 lanes wide (2 lanes each way) and there are parked cars on the other side, you can still make a U-turn if you start in the curb lane.

So a Lexus for the price of a Prius? sure. There are plenty of Lexus features/options that aren't offered in any Toyota for any price in North America. Here's the summary:

• One-Touch Power Windows (now standard on Camry and Venza) with illuminated switches. (Previously, Toyota only illuminated the driver's switch or any switch with the word AUTO)
• Water-Repellent Front Door Glass
• Variable-Speed Power Windows
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (The Sienna and Avalon use laser cruise control)
• Intelligent Parking Assist (Granted, it was offered on the Prius first in 2004)
• Lane Keep Assist
• Pre-Collision System
• Charcoal Activated Filter (that weird symbol on the climate control)
• LED headlights with headlight washers
• XMNavTraffic on the Navigation System
• Bluetooth Streaming Audio

YouTube - 2010 Prius Test Drive

YouTube - 2010 Prius Test Drive

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

ECO MODE really cuts back on the sensitivity and can make it feel “slow” to normal drivers. On the flipside, it’s very easy to modulate the pedal for hypermilers.

Excellent review Tideland, Thanks. One question for ya' though... In your opinion would you say that ECO mode makes the car seem similar in power to the current Gen2? If yes, is it safe to assume then that in normal mode the car does feel a bit more aspirated and in PWR it feels really aspirated? Thanks

[ronlprius2]

I have a 2006 Prius with package 7 (everything except leather) and I test drove the 2010 Prius at an event in San Francisco. I really like the retractable moonroof and the solar cells to power a fan to keep the car cool when you leave it parked in the sun. However, there are a number of decisions which I really wonder about:

- There is a new center console that intrudes into the passenger cabin and completely separates the driver and passenger seats, something like the console in a commercial jet.
- The front cupholders have been moved from the front of the armrest to inside the armrest and the aux power and audio input are moved from the front wall of the compartment to the bottom so that a spill will go into the armrest compartment and into the power and audio jacks instead of onto the front mats. OUCH!
- The back cupholders have been moved from the back of the front armrest to a new armrest built into the back seat. A spill will go onto the seats instead of onto the rear mats. OUCH AGAIN!
- I hate leather seats with a vengeance. I won't even allow leather furniture into my house. In the 2010 Prius the cool electronics package is combined with leather. No leather, no cool electronics (Smart Key System, Auto-Dimming Mirror with Homelink, Voice-Activated Navigation System and Backup Monitor, Tilt/Slide Moonroof, Solar Powered Ventilation System, and Remote Air Conditioning System).
- Still no side marker lights nor turn signals in the mirrors. I imported mine from Japan and had my dealer install them.

Ron

[usbseawolf2000]

Thanks for all the info. There are so many to read today. Information overload!! Cool juicy information, that is.

[HTMLSpinnr]

Here's my driving thoughts as I laid them out the day after the drive. Like Tideland, I didn't look for MPG results, but more feature impressions and general drivability.

ECO Gas pedal is less sensitive than a 2002 Prius and will make great mpg much easier to attain. I'll prob leave my car in ECO most of the time.
Normal - about same response as current gen
Pwr - more sports car response. Can be quite fun, but easy to kill MPG this way!

30-45mph acceleration is improved, even w/ 1/2 tank and 3 adults. It was enough to elicit a "whee" from my wife in the back seat. When I tromped the pedal in ECO mode, you still had full acceleration. This was a weak area in Gen2, especially when merging, and I'm glad the power band has been smoothed for this purpose. Caught this on video and will post later.

Tried EV, but didn't force the car to exit. Creeping along at parking lot speeds, the car was eager to stay here. According to one of the "chaperons", you need at least 4 bars of battery before you can enter EV mode.

Forward and rear view is improved w/ height adjustment to seats, but still restricted due to hatch design. I really appreciated being able to crank the seat higher. I'm short, but average height in the torso and still preferred the higher seating position.

The hybrid indication between charge and base EV (ECO range) *is* a glide indication. Economy is found in the first portion of the overall bar. Poor economy is shown in the PWR range.

Didn't note the regen to friction transition, but didn't really feel much different than the 2nd gen. I felt "at home" driving the new car as far as controls. The regen whine is higher pitched though due to higher MG2 RPM. Inverter sing is still present.

I didn't find myself looking at the MPG gauge near the speedo, and only the hybrid info gauge on the 2nd round to confirm glide. Glide is easier in ECO mode, but still takes a steady foot.

The red portion of the energy flow was difficult to see at times in direct light.

"1A" prototypes (glossy interior) weren't as road tuned as the 17" versions so handling impressions won't be as accurate. Production tuning should be the same on all models though, with only the steering ratios differing between the 15" and 17" wheel versions.

Hybrid MID screen display refreshes from left to right, and it's flicker is noticeable when viewed through the camera. The main speedo screen is also somewhat dimmed w/ polarized lenses at "odd" angles.

Ride in the rear is a bit firmer in the 17" version vs. the 15" version according to my wife. I rode in the rear of the 17" while my father drove and noted the ride seemed firmer.

Urban handling seemed just fine, but I didn't toss the car too hard given the limited "course".

Sunroof noise isn't too bad with the deflector. A fair amount of airflow was available with windows cracked as well. My chaperon still preferred the A/C on.

Sunroof does have a sliding cover to completely block light. The Sunroof is fairly tinted and if the cover was left open, wouldn't contribute to too much solar gain (IMHO). I didn't test whether the cover would be pulled back as the roof was opened.

Self parking sonars are only used to locate a space large enough and to notify when one has pulled forward far enough, not for front or rear distance spacing when parking.

Backup cam shows bumper and allows you to get within inches of an object (i.e. another car).

Sun still washes out the MFD in direct sunlight. Fingerprints exhaserbate the problem.

Reverse beep was present on the versions w/o self park and is higher pitched, but on self park equipped cars, we didn't hear the beep more than once. I caught some of this on video and will post later on.

Car seemed somewhat quieter, but during hard acceleration, engine noise is still present. Still has the same Toyota sound, and the new engine really doesn't have a "different" sound than the previous car at first observation. Larger size didn't translate to larger noise.

I didn't change steering wheel position, but it didn't feel "off" as it was. I did raise the seat both times.

Steering controls are different, but still usable. Phone buttons were put on the opposite side, and I didn't find a way to turn off the A/C from the steering wheel. People who have both versions will require some time to adjust to switching between the two. With Touch Tracer, you lose some of the tactile feel on the main buttons that I used to know which button was which.

When I sat down and started to drive, the car felt right at home. I didn't feel like there was a huge adjustment to driving this car vs. the previous Gen 2.

I'll work to get video edited and up soon.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by Paradox

Excellent review Tideland, Thanks. One question for ya' though... In your opinion would you say that ECO mode makes the car seem similar in power to the current Gen2? If yes, is it safe to assume then that in normal mode the car does feel a bit more aspirated and in PWR it feels really aspirated? Thanks

Hmm, I'm going to say no. I really felt that ECO was holding me back (maybe it's because I haven't driven my Prius in a while). It's almost like accelerating in EV Drive Mode in a Gen 2 but punching the accelerator close to the threshold where it'll switch off EV Drive Mode and start the engine. That's the closest that I can relate to right now.

Normal mode feels... normal . I would say it's a really good balance and that someone who isn't a hypermiler nor Schumacher would really enjoy this mode. Good acceleration and I'm sure if you wanted to save a bit more fuel, accelerate slowly. ECO mode just allows you to fine tune the acceleration rate because each 1° of pedal angle will net you a lower throttle body opening. I hope that made sense.

PWR Mode really lets the engine rev up freely (VTEC anyone? lol). It feels more sprightly and power delivery is a lot faster (probably best to use PWR Mode when overtaking on the highway methinks so it's not completely the taboo mode for Prius drivers).

In the end, I think the 3 selectable modes transform the car and it really does make the drive home a little less boring (heh heh heh.. which mode shall I choose today? )

[cwerdna]

Hey guys, can we all please keep the comments, questions and so on in the discussion thread as requested by efusco? It'll keep this one MUCH cleaner.

That said, here are my brief impressions from my drive at the SF event. I only got to drive it 2x as the line and wait were pretty long. I returned from my 2nd drive took place well after the event was officially over. I didn't have a chance to monitor the mileage or play w/the new non-touchscreen MFD equivalent after my drives.

The two that I drove didn't have the nav system and color LCD, so also no IPA. I also unfortunately missed the IPA demos due to time.

The venue was at Fort Mason in SF (nice location) but it's too far from any highway or any street where you could drive legally drive very fast. So, there was no way to see get anything resembling highway impressions.

I haven't read anyone else's impressions yet but have skimmed some press reviews. I wrote most of the text below the day I returned from the event.

- ICE (not surprisingly) sounds very different compared to my 06
- Shift lever seems to have less tension and feels flimsier
- Power vs. eco mode made a big difference in terms of throttle response. Actually, the eco mode already makes a big difference compared to "normal" mode.
- Power mode was very nice and made a big difference.
- I liked the EV mode button but unfortunately the HV battery was pretty low when I got the car. Throttle response is pretty sluggish in EV mode and it's fairly easy to kick it out of EV mode by being too hard on the accelerator. (I have no experience w/the EV button on the 2nd gen so I can't compare.) You'll get a message that EV mode was cancelled when you get kicked out.
- I liked the horizontal power display that shows output as well as regen amount. It reminds me of the analog gauge on my mom's Altima hybrid. Hopefully it's gives you accurate indication of when you are or are close to hitting the max charge rate on the HV battery.
- Some of the energy monitor screens (stuff that used to be on the color MFD) might be a tad too small but I didn't really have a chance to play around w/them much. I had to focus on driving.
- I liked the touch tracer controls a lot while driving.
- Car felt very solid and more so than the current gen.
- Liked telescoping wheel.
- Speedo seems a bit further to the right than current gen but it's still in an ok position.
- Liked the instantaneous mpg graph to the right of speedo.
- Electrical whines from MG1 and MG2 sound very similar to that of the 2nd gen (had windows down to hear)
- Reverse beep sounds different compared to 2nd gen.

A big thanks to Toyota for the privilege of letting us drive the car well before the general public!

[ManualOnly]

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

Thanks for all the info. There are so many to read today. Information overload!! Cool juicy information, that is.

To me, 25 Mar is kinda like pent-up orgasm..

I only hope I don't tired of 2010 after all these readings and reviews.

[Tideland Prius]

Narodnik, nameless dude, orenf. Your questions have been moved to the discussion thread

http://priuschat.com/forums/2010-toy...on-thread.html