Blast from the past, revisting 2010.

Back in late 2009, I got an invite to see the gen-3 debut in person in Detroit. 6 months later, I took delivery of a 2010. It was awesome upgrade over the gen-2 it replaced and my gen-1 from long before that. Since then, I replaced it with a 2012 PHV, then a 2017 Prime. Following that, I got a 2023 bZ4X and recently replaced that with a 2026 bZ. So, getting behind the wheel of a 2010 again was quite a blast from the past.

That red 2010 is now just 3 miles shy of 160,000. My father-in-law is handing it down to my sister. I followed my wife home (she was driving her red Prime) with delight revisiting 2010 technology. It was quite an eye-opening experience... especially the resulting 55.5 MPG average from almost entirely highway driving.

Now being behind the wheel of an AWD full electric SUV with 338 horsepower and a wealth of new technology, the drive home was an awesome reminder of what the ordinary consumer will likely be coming from. Those showroom shoppers are Toyota's bread & butter, their sustainable profit source. Hybrid sales are no-brainer decisions now. Choosing something with plug is not.

I'm quite curious what perspectives others have. Prius reliability has been outstanding, making the hand-me-down experience a great introduction to choices beyond traditional. But now that Camry & RAV4 are only available as hybrids and the expectation is the same for next-gen Corolla, focus is shifting to much more dependency on battery propulsion.

Your thoughts? Wisdom to share?