2010 Prius information & pictures from Car & Driver

[cycledrum]

Assuming the info is legit, 2010 model sounds good to me. 'They had better' add in -

>>>> telescopic steering wheel

>>>> the cheap and easy mechanical handle to adjust the darn driver's seat height / tilt (Come on Toyota ... height adjuster is standard on a $12,425 Yaris yet not available on a fully loaded $29k 2009 Prius ... ) (edit, just saw a weird Prius with heated leather seat and sunroof ... asking price $40,000 at Fremont Toyota, oh brother).

... and the 08 brochure says, above interior view ...

"We thought of everything. For everything..."

No you didn't. You really ought to have these 2 features by now, especially given the cost of this car. I guess you get used to the ergonomics after a while, but a day of rental, they feel somewhat awkward, especially with 6ft 2 in height.

[3ddan]

Originally Posted by McDonald

Hmm, sounds good! (Except I still want my plug-in!)

Hi I have a Prius 2008 and drive from 53 to 60 mile per day, and I get around 50 to 52 mpg.
I ride a mountain bike and have a Yakima bike rack in the back. I do around 43 to 42 mpg with mi bike in the back. I see you have a roof rack in a gray prius, How is your mpg decline? or how many mpg approx you get with your bike on top?
any has any ideas on how to fix the wind resistance? of my bycicle rack?

[cycledrum]

Originally Posted by 3ddan

Hi I have a Prius 2008 and drive from 53 to 60 mile per day, and I get around 50 to 52 mpg.
I ride a mountain bike and have a Yakima bike rack in the back. I do around 43 to 42 mpg with mi bike in the back. I see you have a roof rack in a gray prius, How is your mpg decline? or how many mpg approx you get with your bike on top?
any has any ideas on how to fix the wind resistance? of my bycicle rack?

Place a blanket to take up the dirt when you toss the mountain bike in the hatch area? Lose the rack?

[doubleg2005]

Originally Posted by cycledrum

Assuming the info is legit, 2010 model sounds good to me. 'They had better' add in -

>>>> telescopic steering wheel

I guess you get used to the ergonomics after a while, but a day of rental, they feel somewhat awkward, especially with 6ft 2 in height.

I'm 6' 2" as well and I can tell you, the lack of a telescoping wheel nearly kills me on longer trips... it seems like the steering wheel is at a full arm's extension! maybe i shouldn't have disproportionately short arms...

the lack of seat adjustment I don't really mind, but I would love to be able to bring the steering wheel closer.

also, i have a 26" bike that fits neatly in the hatch with the seats down, with room for a couple of bags. no need for a rack at this point in the game!

[bac]

Originally Posted by cycledrum

Place a blanket to take up the dirt when you toss the mountain bike in the hatch area? Lose the rack?

You may be underestimating the amount of dirt/mud/grime that a mtb can accumulate on a good ride. The stink alone will not afford me the option of putting my mtb INSIDE my Prius. My road bike? That's a different story.

... Brad

[cycledrum]

Originally Posted by doubleg2005

I'm 6' 2" as well and I can tell you, the lack of a telescoping wheel nearly kills me on longer trips... it seems like the steering wheel is at a full arm's extension! maybe i shouldn't have disproportionately short arms...

the lack of seat adjustment I don't really mind, but I would love to be able to bring the steering wheel closer.

also, i have a 26" bike that fits neatly in the hatch with the seats down, with room for a couple of bags. no need for a rack at this point in the game!

While getting an oil filter for my pickup, went to a Toyota sales manager type and put in my request for the telescoping and seat adjuster on the 2010 ... anything to help. He said they email suggestions out.

Brad, you're right, I'm clueless on MBing, but can get my XXL Specialized Roubaix roadbike in a Prius hatch, front wheel, seatpost removed ...

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Originally Posted by cycledrum

I think Toyota is questioning how many folks want to and can plug-in. ...... all-electric will be good for people who can do it and are willing to plan trips carefully.

Originally Posted by exbauer

people in urban environments would not be able to take advantage of the plug in. i park in a parking garage and there are no outlets for me to plug anything in. also many people park on the street also. so, unless you have a house with a garage then the plug in would work for you.

I can see where Darell often gets a sense of Deja Vu every time someone "discovers" that electric vehicles are not gas vehicles. This is quickly followed by the opinion that there is a very limited demand for EVs, or even PHEVs.

Folks, as soon as a car that can do ONE-HALF of what the EV1 was doing, then the EV manufacturers will be unable to keep the waiting lists from being over a year. The question is when will we be able to buy at least yesterday's technology.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by mrg

"Limited supplies of the nickel-metal hydride batteries have held back Prius production, but a new factory in Japan due to go on line in 2010 should break the logjam and create capacity for more hybrid models. Indeed, Toyota also plans to unveil another hybrid besides the Prius at the Detroit show in January.

The price will float above the current $22,160 base price but only modestly. Expect a loaded Prius to top out $1000 or so above the $29,692 for a fully loaded 2008 Prius. Hitting the road in 2010 will be Toyota’s first plug-in Prius. Customers want more drive time in pure electric mode, but the current Prius can’t deliver for various reasons, including battery longevity. The plug-in Prius will address that through the use of more-powerful lithium-ion batteries, but plans are to limit volume strictly, at least at first, to hundreds of units rather than thousands.

Like the lines for gas in the 1970s, the waiting list for the plug-in Prius is expected to be long."


I copied the above from the article. If they are only going to introduce hundreds at first, then they will probably not be available to very many areas. I wonder how much above list price those will be going for? There must be a dozen companies claiming they will have a plug in model in 2010.

that's for the Li-Ion PHEV. The regular NiMH version shouldn't be limited in volume.

Besides, those that'll buy PHEVs would be folks here on PC, GreenHybrid, CleanMpg and 100mpg.

Originally Posted by orenf

I like the new look.

One feature I'm desperately looking for is all under the hood - the ability to P&G at speeds higher than 64 km/h. Even going up to 70 km/h will make a huge difference, enabling me to P&G on roads where the posted speed is 70 (many such roads in BC). I'm assuming it is nothing more than a software fix.

Most roads? lol. I just P&G from 65-55km/h on Lougheed. However, that's because at during that time (Jan-Apr 08), I got off work around 4pm so the road is pretty empty until from Gaglardi Way to Willingdon so I'm impeding nobody!

[MattBaker]

I'm convinced that Toyota won't upgrade the seats, or add a telescoping wheel. That's because they need to give people clear reasons to spend additional money on a Camry Hybrid.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by MattBaker

I'm convinced that Toyota won't upgrade the seats, or add a telescoping wheel. That's because they need to give people clear reasons to spend additional money on a Camry Hybrid.

Then why did they put an 8-power driver's seat with power lumbar support on the Canadian Corolla LE? (US models don't have this option) when a base Camry LE has 6-way manual adjustment?