Up Close: 2010 Toyota Prius
Certainly the most anticipated car at the Detroit auto show was the redesigned Prius; at today’s unveiling, more rabid journalists surrounded it than any other car at any show I can remember. Even at a show rife with extended-range electric cars and lithium-ion batteries, a 50-mpg gas-electric hybrid with old-school nickel-metal hydride batteries is nothing to sneeze at. Especially because the new Prius suggests that Toyota, a company responsible for recent disappointments like the Corolla and Land Cruiser, could be back on track.
The front end looks busier but more enticing than before, with Scion-like shapes in the headlights and grille. From the side and rear, the car looks much like its predecessor, which, given that car’s iconic stature, is probably a good thing. Toyota doesn’t have any specs yet on exact volume, but the cargo area looks comparable to the Honda Insight’s, and, like before, there’s a large storage bin underneath the load floor, above the spare tire. The Insight has only an oddly contorted cubby around the spare tire.
Interior quality is very good. Though the dash and doors have mostly hard plastics — normal for smallish cars, though soft-touch plastics are starting to appear in some — there’s a textured finish that looks very high-rent, even up close. Both rows of seats generally offer plenty of room, with legroom and headroom in the backseat being especially decent. The floor hump in back is minimal.
The dashboard’s wraparound styling places instruments top and center; it looks similar to the outgoing car’s interior, and so does the steering wheel, but a couple changes should make things more user-friendly. Toyota added climate controls to the center dash, where they reside in most cars, rather than relegating them to a dedicated screen on the center display as the old Prius did. As before, there’s a rocker switch on the steering wheel for the driver to adjust the temperature. Also like before, a double glove compartment and long, narrow center console should provide plenty of storage space. One quibble: Buttons for the heated seats sit inconveniently at knee level and lack high/low settings.
The litany of high-tech options — from the solar-cell moonroof to lane-change warning and prevention systems, and even the Lexus LS’ self-parking feature — will put most Prius cars upmarket of the Insight, I suspect. It also means the competition has a new target, and my early impressions put this one well beyond the second generation in terms of quality, technology and styling. Driving issues could prove otherwise, but after a string of less-than-stellar redesigns, I’m finally tempted to say it: Welcome back, Toyota.
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I was expecting the new Prius to be a turd... but ooh la la, J'aime!
excuse my French...
What? No wide-ranging disappointments? Just one quibble?
the dash looks like the fabric on the fake walls between cubicles.
not a good thing.
all the gaps in between panels is great too. some are big enough that you can see them from the pictures.
With a 1.8 litre gasoline engine, larger battery pack and 80 hp electric motor -13 hp more than the previous generation, this Prius is going to kick some tail in the stoplight wars(the current model can smoke an A4 1.8 or BMW 525 from the stoplight). The midsize Prius gets 25 percent better mileage than the slightly larger than the Fit Insight - which is considered a subcompact to compact sized car. Hopefully this will end the talk from all the geniuses who say people only drive Priuses to show they're green. They buy Priuses because it's all the car that 95 percent of the population needs and it delivers the best mileage of all. Any VW diesel fans having second thoughts? Great job AGAIN, Toyota!
No second thoughts here buddy.
The interior looks crappy. Gear shift is in a better place though. Not to impressed with Toyota's exterior design theme going on either, it looks good on the Venza but it should have stopped there.
the interior looks worse than previous gen. !! last generation had a screen standard !!
An interior cannot get any more rental car looking than that one. A great redesign? Really? The technology is impressive but other than that there is nothing about this car that exceeds expectations. The interior is bland as ever, the plastics are still rock hard and the shape is basically the same. On top of that its likely to get more expensive. I do not understand what Toyota delivered here that was not expected. We have known it would have more hp and slightly better mileage for a while. Thats exactly what they delivered. I dont understand why the car has to have such a wierd interior just because its a hybrid.
hybrit,
Who told you the Prius was faster than a 328i? 0-6o in 11 seconds makes the current car one of the slowest on the road today.
I will never buy a car with a center mounted speedometer. Stupid stupid stupid.
six,
When the Ion had this setup it was ridiculed. I believe the Yaris has this same silly set up. It makes it cheaper to produce a car with steering wheels on either side. Since its the PRius everyone acts like its OK I suppose. The current car has some of the wierdest ergonomics of any car I have ever driven.
Seth,
How can you compare the Ion with the Prius? While the setup was similar, it was executed differently and it certainly didn't go with the rest of the Ion's concept. This type of setup is not ridiculed in the Prius because, it fits with the rest of the design.
I think the upcoming Prius lacks driver/car interaction. Everything seems to be designed to isolate each other. I prefer the Insight as it appears that it will give more of an actual driving experieince.