2010 Model disappointing to me

Yep

 

I don't think folks complaining about the extra displacement/power have paid any attention to the above. This appears to be a "have your cake and eat it too" situation where those wanting milder and more fuel efficient performance should get 55-60 mpg.

And the bladder is gone! The bladder is gone! :whoo::high5:eace::clap2:

But since I've got an '08, I don't expect to be in the market for a new one for 5 years or so. At any rate, I like to give new models two years to mature when possible.

Also, I thought it was interesting that they've done away with the battery cooling and much of the monitoring hardware. This suggests that they over-engineered the battery to find failure modes and such but concluded it was cheaper to pay for the occasional battery failure rather than build the cooling and instrumentation to protect it from rare conditions.

 

I am overall very please with the 2010 Prius.

I like the exterior shape
Interior has much improved material
Interior has much improved ergonomics
Cursed fuel bladder is gone
Better fuel economy

I would prefer they had keep the power the same and improved the fuel economy more but I understand that I'm not the typical buyer

My only concern is the elimination of the Touring model. Either every Prius will have Touring like suspension or Toyota decided that people liked the floaty ride of the base model.

 

I wasn't expecting to like the 2010 as much as I do.
The driver's "cockpit" is much more comfy than I expected, and the button controls on the center console are very accessible, not at all distracting from driving, and the energy screen being moved to the upper dash area makes it very usable.

Headroom in the rear seat is a little better. It doesn't look like oil changes will be as easy. I'll need ramps. Darn it.

 

I can't wait to see one in person, but so far I'm glad I bought the 09. I prefer the looks inside and out of the 09. Though, I love that the bladder is gone and the improved seats sound great!

 

Are the seats better? Has anyone sat in one?

 

Yes. Yes. Front, driver, passenger, and backseat. I've also been in the hatch area.
more comfy, yes. more adjustable. seat goes back further, for all you long-legged drivers.

 

Rae,

Thanks for that. When I put out 30K for a car I expect better than rock-hard seats. Now tell me it can accelerate like a Camry and I will be at the dealers this May.

 

The only thing I don't like about the external appearance is the huge brightly colored Toyota symbol in front of the hood. It looks like a huge pimple on the end of its' nose.

Keith

 

haha. Unfortunately I have to agree. If the car was sitting in my driveway I would be perserverating how to get the logo off

 

I'm not sure why anyone expects the prius to have acceleration capabilities to match a Camry (I hope you don't mean the v6). It is a different car with different goals. The Prius is not unsafe with its current acceleration capabilities so anything more is a waste of resources or just being greedy IMO.

The 2010 has enough feature changes to warrant being classified as a new model and while I expected to be underwhelmed, I was pleasantly surprised and would upgrade my 2005 in a heartbeat if I could afford to do so.

I will state that Toyota IS indeed listening to consumers and their marketing decisions on the 2010 make sense to me when one considers the broad market they are trying to tap. Sure they could have made some things more efficient or more powerful but there would be have to be other comprimises made. Increasing engine size was not JUST pandering to the American market but it helped to actually make the overall package more efficient and listening to Bob and the Toyota head engineer talk last night, I believe this new system is as close to diesel efficiency as we've ever seen.

I think most of us that have played with the 2010 are in general agreement, it is a very nice car with great upgrades and worth purchasing. I would try and reserve final conclusions until you've had time to sit in one and go over al of the changes in depth.

 

I too was pleased overall with the ergonomics. I am 6'4", and I'll have considerably more comfort with the new model's greater legroom and driver's seat height and lumbar adjustments. And the seat itself is more comfortable.

I like the way the controls are laid out. Though the centered dash display will take a little getting used to, having the energy and consumption information there puts all key operational information more in the driver's line of sight with the road.

Only problem with the center dash display: my fiancee won't have to lean over to look at the speedometer -- her nonverbal cue to me that I'm driving too slow.

My tall teenagers will appreciate the greater headroom in the rear.

 

No such thing as over engineering, all the protection features are there to provide reliable performance of the battery. After 5 years of statistics of the failure rate and mode, it is determined they are no longer needed and also provides cost reduction of the battery pack, which is the most expensive component of the hybrid system.

 

It is just that I am now driving a 4 cylinder 2004 Camry with 157 horsepower as well as my 2005 Prius, and the extra power feels so good. I love fuel efficiency, but you have to like the car too. Anything more is not just a waste of resources if it greatly increases the pleasure of driving. "O reason not the need"

 

I have not sat in one nor seen one in person, but so far I am impressed with the 2010 from the pics/video that I have seen and the comments here from people that actually did sit in one.

I think Toyota did a good job on this and I would purchase one and give mine to my partner, if he would be willing to sell his Yaris.

Then I'd have to have FireEngineer install an EBH in the 2010 too. ;-)

 

I would never have bought the earlier models of the Prius. They are ugly, small and not complimentary to my lifestyle. I use my Prius like a truck quite often. I have carpool stickers on my car but I will definitely be willing to give them up for a 2010 if it is as good as it looks. I do not have a prime commute for a hybrid but I love my car for the comfort, versatility and fun.

 

Where the heck was I when "everyone" was expecting 60mpg out of the new Prius? I've seen this come up in a number of the threads, and I have absolutely no memory of it. I remember two distinct camps in most of the mileage discussions. Those that thought the 1.8L would eat up all the improvements and their would be no gain, and those that thought Toyota would probably hit their 10% improvement claim. 10% on an mpg basis would be 50.6mpg, and on a consumption basis would be 51.1mpg. I'd say they came pretty close to hitting their target. There was a thread where someone had found some leaked CO2 numbers (89-92 g/km) which translated to 52-54 US mpg, but thats the highest number I remember being discussed. I think we now know the Euro market will get a 1.5L in the 3G, so that may still be accurate.

I'm particularly excited about the driving modes. I think we'd all agree that the current Prius's setup represents a whole series of compromises between performance and efficiency. As a result it excels at neither (all though its good enough for most of us). Being able to select an econ mode, or performance mode should allow the designers to optimize the car much better for each case, and give more drivers what they are looking for. I think that was a very smart move. It seems very likely to me that members of this board and cleanmpg are going to be getting some very impressive numbers out of this new model.

I don't see the 2010 as a sell out at all. I think its a natural evolutionary continuation of the Prius line. The first Prius was revolutionary product, because it introduced the hybrid drivetrain. Once you've played that card, and improved engine efficiency with atkinson cycle, and optimized aerodynamics, I'm not sure where you all thought Toyota was magically going to pull another huge mileage improvement out of. Making a car appeal to the masses is not the same as selling out. If Toyota pulled out all the stops, and replaced the Prius with an ultra efficient small two seater that got 80mpg, they would probably sell a few thousand, like the original Insight. By making a 50mpg midsize with mainstream appeal, they will sell millions. That will have a far more significant impact on fuel consumption and emissions on a national and international level if it successfully lures people away from 25mpg cars and 18mpg SUVs. Lets face it, no one is trading in their Hummer for something the size of the original Insight. On the other hand, the versatility and performance of the current Prius was good enough to convince me to trade in both my WRX and Land Rover for Priuses. Hopefully the new Prius will convince even more people to do the same. On top of that, Toyota is expected to release a smaller hybrid with even better efficiency in the next year or so.

Rob

 

I don't like the green LCD displays for the aircon and radio/CD. The MFD display on the cluster is also not nearly as nice as the current one. I'm also not too keen on the new gearshifter.

But....

Overall none of the above would put me off buying a 2010 Prius when the time comes. I love the addition of the vent feature. It's been in BMWs since 1987.

 

It seems like it should be similar. The 0-60 numbers I found for an '04 Camry 4cyl. are 9.1s for manual, 9.9s for auto. The factory numbers for the Prius were mid to high 10.x as I recall, but some of the auto mags got it down to 9.5-9.6s. The new one claims to be about 1s faster, or high 9.xs factory. A practiced launch in the performance mode would probably have you around or under 9.0s. Not a rocket, but an appreciable improvement for those that want it.

Rob

 

Let's face it. Once a car gets 50 mpg, it is already highly efficient. It is time to make it more fun and comfortable.