Toyota salesman claiming 2010 will get 1.8 L engine

That's right. I was at Toyota Sunnyvale this afternoon talking with a salesman. He said, for sure, guaranteed the 2010 Prius will get the 1.8 L engine based on the Corolla. He did not say how he knows that.

I'm like, hmmmmm, 1.8 L .. more weight, will cost more. I'll be ok with it if it pollutes less and gets better fuel economy.

Car & Driver also says it will get a bigger engine. Though they say 1.6L:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/50336-2010-prius-information-pictures-car-driver.html

That is true.

Edmunds Inside Line claimed the car will have the 1.8 L

Imagine the 2010 Toyota Prius - Inside Line

Those spy photos are just a current model covered up with something. Lot of speculation at this point.

there is going to be a model above the prius! so ik think the 1.8 will be in that car

I doubt the new engine will be significantly heavier. The problem with the current engine in the Prius is that it's based on an old design that used to be used in the Echo.

The new engine is based on the one currently used in the Corolla which means that it will be cheaper to produce since they won't have as many blocks to cast.

Sure, they might have been able to make it slightly lighter if they designed the block around a maximum of 1.5l instead of 1.8l, but in reality, 0.3l is not a lot.

I think the new engine will make better use of dynamic cam/valve adjustment so it should be more efficient as well.

As a whole, all the rumors seem to indicate that the new engine/updated hybrid system will net 10-15% better fuel economy - how much of that is the engine and how much is the updated hybrid components (and other changes) will be hard to say.

Atkinson cycle (higher compression) in G III ?

Yes, Atkinson cycle engines are a natural fit for hybrids unless you need/want the peak horsepower of an Otto cycle engine for some reason.

So its going to involve more than just dropping the 1.8 in there ...?

Well, yeah. Just like they didn't just drop the Echo 1.5l in to the current Prius, they won't drop the Corolla/Matrix/etc 1.8l in to the next gen Prius.

It will be interesting if it's not a 1.8l, though. What Toyotas currently use a 1.6l?

Let me update this - Yaris has 1.0, 1.3, 1.33 (soon) and 1.8 engines. Corolla 1.4 ZZ, 1.6 ZR, 1.8 ZR... New Avensis will probably get 1.8 ZR and 2.0 AR.

Toyota gives Prius improved batteries, slows pickup push | Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET - CNET Reviews

This article from Automotive news says it will be the 1.8L.

If they aren't going to Li ion batteries in 2010, the changes will be essentially cosmetic. The Gen II car is almost perfection--in its 4th or 5th year of production. I don't see how they can call the 2010 Gen III unless they change the battery system fundamentally.

As for 1.8L, I'm personally satisfied with the power of the present Prius. The Prius is not a car you feel you want to drive fast--it is so quiet and smooth, you just want to relax and enjoy the ride. You don't get that feeling in most cars.

Just because the "non-atkinson" displacement is increased does not mean that the engine is necessarily going to be heavier or even use the extra displacement for the intake stroke. It would allow for the power stroke to be effectively longer, so it could be even more efficient. It's easy to see how one engine parameter can be misunderstood. Just a thought.

if this new engine is the corollas 1.8 liter, it would be the ZR 4 cylinders that they are producing now, the major factor i believe would be dual VVT-i and the new "valvematic" system

this would mean the new prius would be a lot more powerful than the present one.

You are playing with catch words... who cares if it is lithium ion or nimh or whatever they use. We care about the results. If it is more efficient while being more powerful and having more space while it is about the same size, who cares what technology it has?

I could care less about lithium ion batteries if they are not ready.

To claim that such new technology cant be improved is just silly. Prius has been around for 10 years now which is baby steps compared to the petrol engines that have been around for century and yet there are always some new improvements.

mmm the 1.0 in the 2010 priuswith a turbo and supercharger of-course just in the case you need some more power that a normal 1.0 on a prius can not
and the rest of the time.... 1.0 mmmm LOW fuel use on the highway

you do understand that at highway speeds, that 1.0 turbo would be boosting all the way? . 1.0 Yaris spends more fuel at 90 mph than my Lexus GS350 AWD. It is highly efficient in the city and country roads, of course.

Thats the problem with turbo engines - they are fine when nothing is happening but spend more fuel otherwise.

Autobild (biggest german mag) had feature recently where they tested 20 different cars in the city, 3km driving. They had Rav4 Petrol (2.0 AZ engine, old, old) that got 12l/100km while 1.4 Twin Turbo Tiguan (which on paper has 30% better mpg got 14l/100km. Worst offender was 330 turbo that spent 20l/100km. They didnt drive the cars fast, just normal city driving.

Even a slightly larger engine will make a big difference on long hills, which is where I notice the current powerplant's shortcomings the most. A turbo would be wonderful to compensate for thinner air at higher altitudes, but it's probably too expensive and complicated for production.