2010 - no plug-in = big disappointment

Aren't you people pi...d off at Toyota?
It suppose to be best Prius ever and I can't see anything better than existing 2008. Oh yes, there are some solar cells on the roof. I wonder how much that is going to cost? No plug-in, MFD reduced and more ... of less ... and expected.

I'd say you are right, whoever is holding off and not buying now doesn't have any more reasons for that! Buy '09 sounds like good advice. The fact is Toyota failed to dramatically improve the '10. Changes are minor, cosmetic, and minor in every respect. Not even close to be called Gen III. It looks like other people will do that part (Golf Hybrid, GMC Volt, Ford ...).

Golf Hybrid? .

How about that Chinese phev? did you check it out? sounds very cool...

as to the prius, they said at least a year ago that phev will be released years after 2010 Prius... so it would be pretty hard for anyone that follows prius to expect phev.

Germans ain't joking ... Volkswagen Golf 'Twin Drive' plug-in hybrid - MotorAuthority - Car news, reviews, spy shots

Perhaps folks screaming for a plug-in ought to put their money where their mouth is by doing a Hymotion conversion to a 09-

Thought I overheard the Hymotion warranty is only 3 years, hope I'm not wrong.

If the above 3 year figure is true, and let's say Toyota put out a 2010 HEV and PHEV Prius in 4 months, where the PHEV would have a 3 year Li-Ion warranty, and would cost, oh, I dunno, $36k sticker price ...

would you, Zack, buy the PHEV?

... and a replacement battery costs $5k+

Do you have any idea how many "planned" hybrids have come and gone over the past 9 years?

Toyota actually delivers something in large volume at a reasonable price, then continues to improve it.

The plug option is coming. Li-Ion still has a few quirks that need to be dealt with (like cold weather operation). In the meantime, the platform which will use it is being rolled out.
.

Oh no, it only has

improved styling,
gained 24 HP,
improved Cd,
much improved driver's seat,
10% improved overall fuel economy,
improved handling,
quieter interior,
roomier inside,
improved rear seat headroom and legroom,
fixed/removed bladder from fuel tank,
improved Hybrid Synergy Drive / new exhaust recirc system
beltless gas engine
etc...

2010 ... Best. Prius. Ever. :cheer2:

Sounds really good, can't wait to drive it

P'd off? No. I'm disappointed in the car, and don't see enough advantage in it to trade in my 2004. But I'm not angry at Toyota. I believe they are doing what they can with the technology presently available. I want an EV. A PHEV-60 would satisfy me. But I recognize that with present lithium technology and the corrupt and criminal Cobasys patent limiting use of NiMH, 60 miles of EV range is more expensive than the general car-buying public would pay right now, making it uneconomical for Toyota to build the car I want.

Note that nobody else is doing so either. How can you get mad at Toyota when no big-volume car company is building an EV or PHEV? Tesla, Zap, Zenn, HyMotion, are all small-volume companies catering to niche markets.

Another concept car that does not exist with no certain date for when or if it will ever exist. How does that translate to "not joking"? All it says is that they're serious about jumping on the vaporware bandwagon.

The HyMotion PHEV conversion is (to borrow a term from John) a mild PHEV: While it does plug in, and does use a significant amount of grid energy, and is a very real step in the right direction, it does not ever drive without gasoline, other than extremely low speed or under extremely-low power conditions (the same conditions when a normal Prius would shut off its engine). It can extend such times longer than a non-modified Prius, but just like a regular Prius, it must run the ICE any time you give it throttle.

What this means is that, unlike a full PHEV, the HyMotion Prius burns gasoline on every trip.

What I want is a car that will burn no gasoline at all on my daily trips around town (like my Xebra, which is a full EV) and only burns gas on longer trips, when my EV would have to stay at home anyway.

Since my Xebra will go 40 miles on a charge, and is therefore safe to take on a 35-mile planned trip, the car I need before I'll trade in my Xebra and my 2004 Prius is a PHEV-40 that drives 40 miles with zero gasoline before the ICE comes on. The HyMotion conversion, nice as it is, does not meet that requirement. Until then I'll stick with my trusty old 2004 Pius, and my EV.

Toyota's messages are very clear to me.
The 2010 Prius is the best in the gas-electric hybrid vehicle market.

A plug-in Prius is for a different market.
"Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers."
Toyota's messages

Ken@Japan

I agree with John. Until you can actually order/buy one, I don't really consider plans that can be scrapped a car. Toyota is, with the release of this 2010 model, about 1 1/2 to 5 years ahead of other car companies. IMHO.

Call me when I can walk into a VW dealer and test drive one.

The prius needed a power increase since the last generation, the fun factor wasnt there from the NHW20 prius, oddly enough the first generation prius in my opinion is more "fun" to drive.

Fun is a want. Need is a minimum requirement, not a desire.

Both are quite relevant with respect to purchase, but the difference shouldn't be mixed up.
.

The Prius was never marketed as a "fun" car. It was marketed as a clean, fuel-efficient car. For many of us here on PC, it was (is) "fun" to drive the technology in the Prius. But we are a small part of the market. The average Prius buyer just wanted a car that burned less gas, and in some cases a car that pollutes less. A few wanted the HOV privileges in CA, which are a function of its low pollution. People who list "fun" as their criterion for picking a car don't generally buy a Prius.

Depends on what one means by "fun". If by that one means kiddie stuff like burning rubber and squealing around corners, then the Prius is definitely not "fun".

But if one defines as "fun" all the techie stuff one could do with the Prius, then definitely very few cars in its price range can compete (if any at all).