Is the 2010 NOT ready for prime time?

We first tried a 2009 Prius last summer. We rented it and drove it on a weeken trip. We loved it, but the wife is long-legged, and could not find a comfortable driving position.
Last week, we tried a 2010. FINALLY they made the drivers seat and steering wheel adjustable! We thought about waiting--for the price to go down, mainly--but decided what the h---. Whatever they do in the future, if this car lasts us ten years, we will be very very happy.

 

EXCELLENT topic for a new thread. I'm in your shoes too regarding the "shortcomings", desire the '10 now, but concerned about owning a dated Early 2010 product in less than a year - and yes paying full price +.

I have no insight or answers. But this would be a prime topic for Doug and his group to address!

 

Apple users have been through this same cycle so many times that we finally got a clue:

• If you can use the current model to meet your needs, buy it and be happy.
• If it does not meet your current needs, don't.

There will always be something better on the horizon because that is how marketing works. Technology improves and the latest 'hotness' bought today will be the junk of the future.

In our case, a happy set of accidents made buying our 2010 now a good deal:

• 2001 Echo was getting long in tooth
• Interest rates are pretty good (got 5.7% and in June it became 5.65%)
• Good deal on a Prius not loaded up with unnecessary stuff

But your situation may be entirely different and the core features:

• 1.8L, advanced engine
• improved exhaust system
• better body and safety features

These may not be enough for your family. In our case, we bought what Toyota makes best and ignored the the ancillary stuff.

Bob Wilson

 

What's the new steering design?

I'm actually kind of in the same boat as you. I have been without a car since mid-April, and I've waited for the Prius 2010 to come out. Also not sure about getting the first batch, but can't wait.

One reason I am getting the car now is that it seems the ipod integration and steering design are both just accessories. Accessories change over the years, and no matter what, there will be better ones. It's the newly designed engine that I'm going for. A plug-in would be nice if I had a house, but I live in an apartment, and I have to park my car out in the parking lot, so there's no point for a plug-in for me anyway. Besides, if you're a tree-hugger, plug-ins are just diverting the source of energy. But if you're a tree-hugger, you'd probably get some solar panels and hook it up to a DC to AC converter and plug your vehicle into that. :-P

 

It does seem to me they may have rushed the 2010 Prius to compete against Honda's Insight. I can't think of any good reasons why they would release the car with inferior electronics knowing they are planning on changing them in mere months. Same with the "mysterious" steering issue- we know 15" steering will be upgraded in the fall but have no idea what that means.

The packages will likely change to offer more midrange choices in the 2011+ model years. Right now, Toyota is exploiting the fact that this car will have novelty value and is pushing people who 'gotta have it' into the $30k range by their bundling. They are also betting on 50mpg being the standard bar for high efficiency vehicles in the USA for tax breaks, HOV stickers, etc., otherwise they would release the fully loaded 48 mpg model with heavy wheels and sunroof. I'll laugh when they put the line at 40mpg or go by CO2 emission.

In the end though, I don't think anyone's going to be stuck in a 2009.5 Prius situation. None of the changes are serious enough to impact resale. iPod connectivity, NAV and steering that are crappier than the standard crappy are hardly deal breakers in the used market. The only people getting screwed over are the early adopters paying MSRP for a compromised car. That would leave a pretty bad taste in my mouth as far as Toyota's brand is concerned.

It is still up in the air as Prius Team hasn't cleared up the confusion. What is known for sure is the cars with 17" wheels have a lower steering ratio, higher turn radius, and tighter Electronic Power Steering (EPS) tuning than the 15" models. Prius Team said that in the Fall, 15" versions of this car will receive the upgraded EPS. It is unclear whether this change will involve software, hardware or both. It is also unclear what the diferences in EPS tuning actually are, and if early adopters will be able to upgrade. See this thread.

In the end it probably doesn't make that much of a difference, the 15" steering is awfully floaty with no road feel by design so I wouldn't expect it to improve by much. Just be happy they fixed the seats!

 

I think the Insight is made for a different demographic. The steering and braking on the early 2010 is fine, so if it is improved, I will still have fine steering and braking. The main point is that I get another 6 month of enjoyment up front.

 

I don't think Toyota rushed the release. Things like the nav resolution, iPod integration, etc may be upgradeable options in the near future. And yes, it is all about your current needs. My crappy Chevy Trailblazer won't last much longer. Overall, it's leagues below the Prius. It's almost stone age compared to the Pri. Just that right there will be a HUGE deal to me and the current Prius fits everything I am looking for.

Efusco said it all, there. Technology moves soooo quickly these days that it can be a pain to keep up with, sometimes. My current PC is a monster in size and performance. I bought it a couple years ago and it's already a bit outdated compared to new computers...but like the Prius, it suits me just fine.

Good post, Marcusa!

 

There is your answer. I am sure Toyota did all they could to integrate the latest technology & solutions, but they have their limits like any company, there are 24 hrs/day & 7 days/week at Toyota too. I have to assume they did want to stay close to the Insight launch date to mitigate the new advantage from Honda.

You do not have to buy one now, later is always better, not unique to the Prius or any car or other tangible product for that matter. And you do not have to pay MSRP, that's determined by the market. Waiting would almost certainly result in a lower price, highly unlikely it would be higher, so odds are no $ downside to waiting at least for several months if not the rest of this year. Buying at launch before the pipeline is full and before the gotta-have-it-first crowd (for whatever legitimate reason) has been satisfied is asking to pay top dollar.

It's ready for prime time now or people would be buying it. If anything, give Toyota credit for being above board about possible upgrades later, most manufacturers wouldn't disclose that kind of info. With all due respect, the OP wants to have his cake and eat it too...

 

It's like waiting for a new PC. If you buy one now in a few weeks or months it wioll be obsolete. But then again you can never win. as someone posted, there is always something better coming along. Sure they will improve it over time but Toyota hasn't made any real promises about that yet either, at least nothing concrete. Sure tighter steering would be nice, but for me, it's not a deal killer. I need a car yesterday.
If you can afford to wait and feel you should then I'd go with gut instinct. But if you need a car now, name a better one.

 

I would say they didn't rush it but I think with the first year model, it'll have some issues. I think people are in too much of a rush to get this car. And the dealer I went to told me the arriving 2110 are all sold. I can bet they didn't come down much if any on the price.
As far as the Insight. The one I looked at and drove was $21,000. If these 2010 Prius are $30,000, I don't think I'd pay that much, even though it is better. I think the Insight is a better deal if I can get that for 8 or 9 thousand dollars cheaper.

 

Don't know about your dealer, but they are definitely not all sold everywhere by any means. Look how many people here bought them without being on any waiting list (or not for very long)...it's all part of the game, we have to be smarter.

 

I'm sorry but this doesn't make any sense. If you are not in a hurry to buy a car now, why don't you wait until the anticipated new release comes out? If you are in a hurry, which I think you are, then what good would it have done you if Toyota delayed the initial realease?

 

Yes we do

 

People say USB/iPod port is coming in just a few months.
However, I doubt they will do anything much to improve the nav system over the entire 5 or 6 year run of this car.

Were any hardware improvements of significance done to the nav system on 2004-2009 models?

 

This is exactly what it is. It is like buying any electronic technology. The longer you wait, generally the better and cheaper it will become. I for one have waited for about 1 and 1/2 years for the 2010 and I am not going to wait any longer (and really want to get rid of my 2001 Chrysler).
What are the other decent options for hybrids? The Fusion and Insight and Civic. If the Civic rear seats folded, I probably would have bought one over a year ago, but I prefer the hatchback. Ford's Fusion rear seats don't close and I'm staying away from American cars for now after having a Chrysler and seeing how poorly they are made. My first car was a Toyota and it got 100K miles without a problem. The Insight is second to the 2010 Prius in my mind, but close enough in price to the Prius to compare, but you get less MPG and less space and a noisy underpowered engine compared to the Insight.
So, for me, since I really need to get a car this year, it is the Prius. If I could wait two or three more years - I'd wait - as the technology gets better and cheaper and there will be more options.

 

I don't think you can compare a 30K Prius to a 21K Insight. I would choose the Prius II at 22K over the Insight at 21K without hesitation. A 30K prius has a lot of options you can't get on an Insight or the dealer has a hugh mark up on the Prius - in which case you go to another dealer.
Yes, many of us are in more of a rush than we need to be or should be. However, for some of us we've been waiting for 1 1/2 years or more and are simply ready to buy (I've had to put plenty of money in my Chrysler over the past 1 1/2 years as well and I'm ready to be rid of it).
For the Prius model I'm looking at MSRP is $1,500.00 over Invoice. By waiting until say November, I might save $500.00 or $1,000.00 at best is my guess and get some minor upgrades that I don't care much about (and if gas prices keep going up, I won't save or if the dollar keeps crashing against the Yen there will be a price adjustment at some point and the price will go up to compensate).
If they were pricing it way above invoice, I'd consider waiting longer. But since the MSRP is fairly agressive (and not much above invoice) and pricing is much better than I anticipated, I feel comfortable buying now. I am glad I didn't buy the insight. I owe that to priuschat.
Anyway, that is my thought process.

 

I think it's true to say that the basic car will not change now for probably another 5 years or so. OK, plug in may come in 2 to 3 years but that wont need Toyota to fundamentally change the car - just the batteries and maybe a bit of software. As others have said whilst plug in may be great for some, it will be largely irrelevant for many others (and that includes me I have to say - I live in a flat / apartment too). And it wont be cheap - expect a huge price leap for any plug in model.

The steering and iPod you know will change in September anyway. So if you want these hang on a few months. Though if you want a V you'll get the steering now anyway and the ipod update will be retro fitable at dealers anyway.

What may change for you guys in the US is the choice of packages. Its interesting that in the UK 2 of the 3 models will have the 17" wheels. None will have leather - it will be an option on all 3. Metallic Paint will probably remain an option here (which helps explain why you see so many non metallic black Prius here). The top model will probably include most of the ATP options. We will get the HUD (on all 3 models) and HDD Navigation. But we wont get LKA. Thats obviously a matter for Toyota USA who chose how to configure the cars for their market.

 

This is the exact decision I just made. When you compare the Prius II to the Insight, the Prius II comes out ahead.

It was a very easy decision for me after test driving both of them. Before test driving the Insight seemed like a better deal. In my opinion it seems more like Honda rushed the Insight out to get sales before the new Prius.

One dealer even told me that the first shipment of Insights was to "get them out into the market" and that they wouldn't get more until this fall, but I'm guessing this was FUD to get me to buy right away.