Why did they uglify the 2010 Prius?

Not sure what the Prius designers were thinking, but why did they downgrade the good looks of the Prius for 2010?!

What is it with the bug eye lights, the little skin flap nose with the logo, and the added boxiness of the front end... the car used to have such nice clean distinctive looks... nice to have larger wheels, but what were they thinking...

Only seen pictures of course, so maybe it looks better in person, but I'm not optimistic...

I think the 2010 will generally be regarded as stronger and bolder looking than the Gen2 car with its rounded rear-end looks.

IMO, the 2010 Prius is neither uglier nor prettier than the Gen II Prius. Just different.

Regarding the boxy front, as Tideland mentioned, it's part of the new aerodynamics. It reflects the latest in aerodynamic testing and design. Here's an excellent article from the New York Times about the new aerodynamic designs:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/automobiles/21AERO.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=prius aero&st=cse

No it doesn't. I'm not buying the aerodynamic story 100%. I believe brand recognition was just as important. Toyota needs the Prius to look different than an Insight. If one smooths over the new badging on the nose and removes the side badges does drag increase? I suspect it is so insignificant that it doesn't change. At least (so far) they didn't add the Mark numbers to appeal to the buyers' egos.

Hi All,

I have no opinion whether the 2010 looks better or not. Many people have commented that it looks more car-ish and thus better to their eyes. Pruiscurius has the other opinion.

I like the aero improvements of the front end. The radiused lower grill inlet is obvious an aero improvement. The bug-eyed lights apparently carry the rased fenders forward, to avoid air spill over the edges, and preventing tumbling along the side of the vehicle. The hood between the fenders is smoother, giving a more planar uniformity there.

JimN also has a point. The stated Cd only improves .01, from .26 to .25. A rather car like Mercedes was just released with a .24 Cd and the LS has a .25. If they were going for good aero, seems they should have been able to learn from the Apterra and the Aerocivic, and in a production car been able to do a .20.

But, they also went with the bigger engine, which probably mandates the bigger wheels - for load rating purposes. And that means bigger wheel houses, and more aero-drag. It also means more power which means a bigger grill inlet for cooling. They could have made the lower grill smaller with the radiusing and gotten better aero if they stuck with the lower power rating.

Its disappointing to me that they played power specsmenship, rather than push the point that the accelleration specs are quite good even with the 1.5 liter. And that resulted in not as good an aero as possible. It seems to me they could have played the Scion card on this. And if they wanted Millenials to buy the Prius, provided an upgrade path. Stick with the 1.5, or even smaller, but provide a turbo, bigger inlets and radiator and exhaust and drive-train programs. All captured aftermarket pieces (as it needs to integrate with the HSD), etc.

I love the new styling. Round shapes combined with sharp edges. It makes the car more aggressive. This started with 2000 Celica.

My favorite angle is this one.

Just saw a Red 2010 Prius 3 hours ago in San Francisco while I was waiting for light. Wish they remove the Hybrid Logo on the side. Everybody knows it's a hybrid.

It's looks like an American car. No offense. No Japanese Flair. Honda Insight 2nd Gen looks good as a iteration of Prius 2nd Gen.

Do you realize the consequence of that request?

Think about it. This market is obsessed with having some type of label attached to their vehicle. "Hybrid" is by far the most benign choice.

Do you really want to see the equivalent of "3.0 L" or "V6" or "Turbo" appear on hybrids instead?
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So far Honda is not a fellow sheep of Hybrid Advertising. They'll prove their worth of even with one Hybrid Logo.

Ironic how the shape of Insight so closely resembles the Iconic Prius, eh?

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John, you said it yourself. It's not ironic, but "iconic." Started with the CRX, if you want to go into Nostalgia. I'm happy with how Honda made their new Insight.

Then trade in your Prius for one and enjoy fewer mpg's, less space, and less power.....

Sure looks neat though!

Just what we all need, more ... aggression.
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Listen to yourselves for just a moment.
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_H*

I think it looks almost the same as today's Prii.

I've only seen pix, but if I didn't know any better, I'd think the 2010 to be just a slight cosmetic change from the previous year.

... Brad

Actually, the 2nd Gen Insight accelerate at the same speed as the 2nd Gen Prius.
Secondly, Good competition should always be congratulated. (Means better cars and lower prices for the masses.)

And last, you forgot to mention that the new Insight will be $3k less than a base 2010 Prius. The new Insight is already getting 50+mpg on Pre-release test drives even though EPA rating is 45mpg.

Who needs the new Prius to look "aggressive"? What's the point of that? "Aggressive" sells to guys under 30 who need the looks of their car to prove something. Aggressive doesn't improve the appearance of a vehicle except for a small percentage of car buyers. Too aggressive, and you risk disaffecting a large percentage of potential buyers. The Prius is Toyota's mainstream hybrid with the primary goal of top mileage. If there's a sector of the population who wants "aggressive", then let's resurrect the Celica or MR2 and fit them with HSD.

My G2 Prius, with its rounded edges and fewer lines, is very satisfying to the eyes. I probably will upgrade to the G3 someday, but certainly not because it looks more aggressive.