A few pics from the Chicago event

Tim

I think I see Jill and Stephanie in the pics.

yep the cars do look the same, but no blue one?

Blue one was there.



And I kept my promise, no Prius was harmed by my attendance.

Wayne

For anyone wondering what I look like, that's me in the first picture!

I love the drink on the floor, and scooted under the car!
We should have a group of us, the ones that were under the cars!

Click HERE to see several more photos of the Chicago event.

Thanks for providing the photos, esp. the ones taken under the rear of the grey car.

The Chicago crowd seems more dressed-up compared to the motley Detroit group...

Looks like the LED headlight model has a similar design as the current HID headlight model, where a sensor is attached to the rear beam axle to determine vehicle load so that headlight aim can be automatically adjusted.

It is good to see that each rear shock is no longer surrounded by the coil spring, so that it will be easier to replace the shocks.

The 2010 still has the protruding tower which is the floor jack lift point to raise the rear of the vehicle.

Also note the steel brace that provides reinforcement to the body, below the exhaust piping; I hope this is more substantial than the small brace found in 2G.

Was the special cut away engine there?

I would not have gone there but for you brave pioneers who had boldly "gone before"... I was just grateful the springs held up when a couple of people decided to climb in the back!

I love the look of the 17" rims ... thank you Toyota! I wish they didn't cause such a hit on mileage though ... would be nice to get them with the sunroof as well, but if I had to choose I'd do w/o the sunroof and get the 17s.

Is the headroom compromised at all by the sunroof? I know moonroofs compromise headroom, but wasn't sure about sunroofs since they open to the outside of the cabin.

Can anyone comment on headroom in general? I know the rear seat is supposed to have better headroom in the 3G.

Wheels can be easily swapped out, sunroofs are not quite as easy. Rear headroom definitely improved in all versions. I was in the back of the Gen III with SR, and didn't notice any headbutting like in my 2004. I wasn't consciously comparing to the non-SR cars though. Legroom seemed more than adequate front and rear (I'm 5'10") and I heard other people saying it had improved. I thought it was pretty good in Gen II also.

Thanks for the info ... I just don't think I care about having a sunroof/moonroof and I don't really think it'd do much for my efficiency where I live. It does get hot in the summer, but a simple roll down of the windows seems to get a lot of the hot air out.

Let me correct ... all things considered I'd LIKE a moonroof, but not having one has not bothered me a bit and in my past cars I've rarely used it. If I had to choose I'd pick the 17s and tech options (although I could do w/o those too) over the 15s and moonroof.

Thanks Tim and Greg. The photos and everyone's comments (see also other Prius Connection Chicago threads) are great.

Nice pictures, thank you.

Looks like this Gen 3 is shaping up to be a virtually perfect small-midsize car - good seating for 4 adults, decent cargo space, highly efficient, looks fantastic, better acceleration and higher fuel economy.

The roaming gnome is on it's way to Geneva, Switzerland.

Wayne

I wonder if it will come to Australia for the Aussie launch?