First Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius puts up BIG numbers
by Sebastian Blanco on Mar 25th 2009 at 11:57AM 
2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery
When you sit in the 2010 Toyota Prius, you notice all those little things that provide the "Prius experience" – the shift lever, information screen, center-mounted instrument panel – are all present, but they're slightly different and noticeably improved. The time it takes to adapt to the revised interior is emblematic of the new Prius experience. It's the same oddly shaped hybrid that almost two million buyers love, but it gets better mileage, looks sharper and is packing more technological whiz-bangery than any vehicle this simple to drive has the right to.
We recently tested the 2010 Prius at its North American launch through the vineyard-covered fields and hills surrounding Napa, California. Through it all, the hybrid, officially rated at 50 mpg, performed well and delivered better-than-expected fuel economy. In fact, when we pushed the car's eco prowess by using the EV mode as much as possible and employing a few other tricks, we blew that EPA estimate out of the water by almost 15 mpg. And we weren't alone.
Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius - First Drive
Photos Copyright ©2008 Brad Wood / Weblogs, Inc.
The Prius' chief engineer, Akihiko Otsuka, drove a 33-mile route in and around Napa and averaged 62.9 mpg. During the drive week, he levied a Beat-The-Chief challenge to anyone who wanted to take him on. AutoblogGreen was able to get the in-dash display to read in the mid- to low-70s for most of the route, but the last ten miles on a busy 55-mph road dropped that to 64.5 mpg. Not bad, but only good for a standing near the absolute bottom of the rankings among other journalists. Overall, the best score was 94.6 mpg, although that involved some less-than-real-world driving behaviors and conditions. The best "honest" score was 75.3 mpg. In all, about half of the journalists were able to get over 70 mpg, while the rest, save two, were able to get more than 66 mpg.
Increased fuel economy is one of many ways the 2010 Prius has evolved, but the driving experience is similar to the last generation. Despite a slightly longer wheelbase, wider track and new low-rolling resistance tires, you don't notice any serious changes from the driver's seat. The front MacPherson struts and improved body rigidity keep the ride smooth around town and on the highway. Overall, it's the same commuter-friendly conveyance you'd expect and, thankfully, rearward visibility is vastly improved over the outgoing model.
However, one small change we did notice was the absence of that infernal beeping when the car is shifted into Reverse that plagued the outgoing model. After asking Otsuka about the change, we were told that the pre-production models we were testing had the feature removed, but when the production model goes on sale, the beep will return. The good news? Otsuka said dealers can turn off the sound at the customer's request.
Speaking of current Prius owners, the automaker is convinced they'll trade up. In fact, Toyota's Bob Carter said the company expects 20-25 percent of third-generation Prius sales will be repeat buyers. So where will the other 75-80 percent come from? It's clear there's a hybrid sales fight brewing between Toyota and Honda, and Toyota needs to convince buyers that paying a few thousand dollars more for the Prius over the new Honda Insight is worth it.
The Insight, which starts at $20,470, is smaller and has fewer features than the Prius, but it's obviously a direct competitor. Based purely on aerodynamics, the Prius beats the Insight (0.25 versus 0.28 Cd). Honda was understandably proud of its "world-leading coefficient" number when the Insight was announced earlier this year, but Toyota has clearly bested its Japanese rival in this department. Does it matter? The Insight is a fun drive that won't attack your wallet at the pump or its point of purchase, while the Prius gets better mileage, is larger and comes with a cache of green cred that would fill the Grand Canyon.
Throw in the new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which is even larger and starts at $27,270, and 2009 is shaping up to be a good year for potential hybrid owners. With plug-in vehicles supposedly coming in 2010 (and pure electric vehicles not long after) and the poor economy, all bets are off on which hybrid will come out on top. Still, Toyota polled current Prius owners and 90% said their next car will be a Prius. The automaker wanted to offer these repeat buyers some upgraded technology, so it has included two new features on the 2010 Prius: Lane Keep Assist and Intelligent Parking Assist.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) is triggered by pressing a steering wheel-mounted button that turns on the Lane Departure Warning system. The system looks for yellow and white lines on the pavement and lets the driver know if he or she starts to leave the lane. Lane Keep Assist is used in conjunction with the Prius' Dynamic Cruise Control, but it won't drive for you. The system knows if you let go of the wheel and using a turn signal will disengage LKA entirely.
Another fancy feature is Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA), which makes quick work of parallel parking. When pulling up to an available parking spot, you push a button above the driver's right knee to activate a sensor that can see where parked cars are sitting. When the system finishes its calculations, the rear-view camera turns on and displays a grid that estimates the intended parking position. If the grid is correct, the driver presses "OK" and then the system takes over. From this point, all the driver does is control the speed of the car using the brake pedal. If the driver takes his or her foot off of the brake pedal, IPA will shut down when it reaches its speed threshold. As smart as the new Prius is, however, it's not smart enough to know if a person suddenly appears in the designated parking spot. We were able to test IPA, and it works as advertised. Both LKA and IPA are available as part of the 2010 Prius' Advanced Technology Package (pricing TBD).
| 2010 Toyota Prius | 2009 Toyota Prius |
|
|---|---|---|
| Length | 175.6 inches | 175 inches |
| Width | 68.7 inches | 67.9 inches |
| Height | 58.7 inches |
58.7 inches |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 inches |
106.3 inches |
| Gas Engine |
1.8L Atkinson 4cyl |
1.5L Atkinson 4cyl |
| Horsepower Torque |
98 @ 5,200 rpm 105 @ 4,000 rpm |
76 horsepower 82 lb-ft of torque |
| Elec. Motor Power |
80 horsepower 153 lb-ft of torque |
67 horsepower 295 lb-ft of torque |
| Hybrid Net HP |
134 |
110 |
| EPA Fuel Economy |
49 city/50 highway |
48 city/45 highway |
All new Prius owners will enjoy three new driving modes -- eco, power and EV -- along with a fourth when the other modes are off (you can read an in-depth description of each mode here). While Toyota cites an official EV mode (electric-only) top speed of 25 mph, we discovered that it's easy to get the gas engine, which now checks i at a larger 1.8 liters producing 94 hp, to kick in at a much lower speed if the battery has three or fewer bars. This information is available in the new multi-information display instead of the touch-screen on the current model. Volume and climate controls are redundant with a nifty new feature on the steering wheel called the Touch Tracer Display.
We noticed when cruising in EV mode, with plenty of juice in the battery, that when you go over 25 mph the EV mode does not re-engage when the car dips below the magic mark again. Otsuka didn't have an answer for why they designed the system like this, but it seems like Toyota intends EV mode to be used sparingly, likely to preserve the battery pack's longevity. Turn EV mode on when you're leaving your driveway and, when it clicks off, focus on Eco mode if you're into saving fuel. During the Beat-The-Chief drive, we engaged the EV button every chance we had, and while 65 mpg isn't bad, it does require constant attention to maintain.
In the end, Toyota knows most people drive a Prius because it makes saving fuel super simple. With the outgoing model, owners put up with abysmal rearward visibility because they got 45 mpg. They put up with the reverse beeping and the spaceship look because they can drive by gas stations without stopping more often. Now, with 50 mpg – or better – new Prius owners have even more reasons to quietly deal with any negatives the new car might have to offer. We have to wait until Toyota announces pricing to determine just how good a deal it is, but for the myriad of fuel-conscious consumers, the 2010 Prius could be their best option available.
Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius - First Drive
Photos Copyright ©2008 Brad Wood / Weblogs, Inc.
2010 TOYOTA PRIUS MEDIA "BEAT THE CHIEF" FUEL ECONOMY CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Adis 12:00PM (3/25/2009)
I think it looks nice... and the numbers are not bad.
Reply
Rob 12:08PM (3/25/2009)
To all the existing Prius owners thinking of getting this one: YOU ARE NOT GREEN. A new car produces a ton of emissions, and selling your current ride and getting something shiny and new is NOT sustainable. Drive your car into the ground, until it can't be repaired. That is the true "green" solution, posers. Yep. That 20 year old honda getting 35mpg is much better for the environment than your stupid yuppiemobile Prius.
chconline 12:23PM (3/25/2009)
In a recent Honda Insight fuel economy challenge by press members, many were able to get very close to 70mpg too... (real world conditions) Jeff at Temple of VTEC had 71.3mpg, no one got below 60... average is 65.9, and the thing is the difference between even 65.9mpg and the highest real world average on the Insight at 71.9 in real life fuel consumption is 3.57L/100km and 3.27L/100km, respectively, which means that you're using an additional 0.3L of gas per ONE HUNDRED kilometers. That's quite a bit isn't it... :P
MajorGeek 12:31PM (3/25/2009)
@Rob
http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/gas-prices/mother-nature-would-like-to-have-a-word/
While not a large sample, it is still a pretty interesting one. 52% don't care. Problem is people like yourself, while well intentioned, really just come off as rude. While you have a point, I would love to see a study on your 10 year old pollution spewing vehicle compared to scrapping it and driving a partial zero emission vehicle. Of course, I still won't care.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:06PM (3/25/2009)
Rob, the first Prius is 10 years old now. It is not unreasonable to get a new car 7 times in your lifespan.
PJ 1:32PM (3/25/2009)
Rob, any studies to back up that tirade of yours? Because there are plenty that disagree. The studies I’ve seen peg manufacturing at 15-20% of a vehicle’s total lifetime emissions (assuming a conservative “lifetime” of 100,000-150,000 miles), including suppliers and materials processing. Moreover, most of those studies assume 2000-2005 levels of exhaust cleanliness when calculating vehicles’ total in-use emissions; replace those with ‘80s-era exhaust emissions, and they’d further overshadow the emissions from manufacturing.
Driving your car “into the ground, until it can't be repaired” introduces further variables, as failing converters, leaking seals, and faulty injectors conspire to make your car a “gross polluter.” Consider that the highest 10% of CO emitters on the road account for over 50% of total vehicle CO emissions; the highest 20% account for over 80% of total emissions.
The bigger point, though, is that the average vehicle registered in the U.S. is only 10 years old... in the real world, the buying decisions taking place aren't between a new car or a 200K-mile '85 Civic, but between a more- or less-clean new car.
http://www.ae-plus.com/Key%20topics/kt-emissions-news4.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=NZm6qWiHwYoC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=vehicle+lifetime+emissions+production+%25&source=bl&ots=0Y-C9gyB06&sig=gUv0asknF9U8i0UqshOaibF6dMc&hl=en&ei=XGHKSbuOCKCSsQPWgsmACA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA93,M1
http://stason.org/TULARC/vehicles/gasoline-faq/5-14-What-are-gross-polluters.html
Rob 1:38PM (3/25/2009)
Sure, plenty of research to backup what I just said, available here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooN9INJxxy4
xcrunk 1:42PM (3/25/2009)
Although Rob is getting pummeled like an eco-liberal at a Republican convention, he is, technically, right.
Sorry.
Azael 1:48PM (3/25/2009)
Please, if you drive the Prius in a place like San Jose, CA where 16 year old kids in gigantic trucks get 6 feet away from your bumper to rush you on the freeway you will soon find that you may only get 35 or so MPG.
And if you had to get somewhere as quick as you could in a Prius, even a BMW M3 4.0 liter V8 gets better mileage...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSaNOrBITfk&feature=related
PeterG 2:27PM (3/25/2009)
Robs assertion is utterly brain dead.
Used cars don't come cleanly from the car fairy, they were once new cars.
Whether I buy a new car after 2 year or 10 (currently driving a 1999 I bought new BTW) Cars will spend the same average time on the road whether they are in the first users hands or the fifth. And pushing cars lifespan too far turns them into gross pollution producers, the actual stuff that harms human health today, not melts the ice caps in 50 years.
No matter what anyones personal pattern is we essentially will have the same proportion of new and used cars on the road. If someone buys a new car every 2 years he is just providing a nice supply of new clean used vehicles further down the chain.
Claiming used car drivers are saints and new car buyers are sinners is moronic nonsense. We can do we less nitwits virtuously leaving a cloud of smoke in their wake.
Rob 3:08PM (3/25/2009)
Peter G: If a car is poorly maintained, it will smoke a lot. But if a car is properly maintained, it won't. What do you think uses more energy? Rebuilding the engine in my 1989 Accord and driving it for another 400,000 miles? Or building a new Honda Civic, with a new engine, new transmission, chassis, interior, brakes etc.
The point is, to keep an old car on the road it requires a very small investment of resources.... most cars go to the scrapper because of relatively small problems, such as a bad transmission, rust, or poor brakes or something. However, many times the majority of the car is in decent shape, it just needed a little TLC to keep it on the road and let it be used for another 5-10 years.
America currently overproduces cars at an alarming rate, which is what this video illustrates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooN9INJxxy4
It is just NOW starting to catch up with everyone, because the truth is WE DO OVERPRODUCE AND OVERCONSUME. Is there anything wrong with proper maintenance and the dedication to preserve automotive history by keeping things in decent working order? No. Yet America is considering passing laws that give people an incentive to scrap older cars, purely so they buy new crap. Oh, and most new crap can't be worked on by anybody in their backyard. That's lame also.
PJ 3:22PM (3/25/2009)
Rob, the "research" you posted is a Flash video by a student in a writing class... which, at one point, asserts that hybrid cars have "twice as many parts" as ICE-only cars because they have two power sources.
...
And as PeterG mentioned, where do you think used cars come from? You wouldn't have a surplus of 20-year-old Civics to choose from today if those "stupid hippie posers" concerned about mileage back in 1989 hadn't created demand for them new.
If you want an example of what the vehicular landscape looks like when *everybody* buys used, look at Cuba.
cdwrx 3:33PM (3/25/2009)
@ Rob,
You do realize that when a car is sold it doesn't disappear or go straight to a land fill, right? You do realize that the older hybrid is being driven by its new owner, right? You do realize that the used hybrid owner got rid of their less efficient car to buy the used hybrid, right?
PJ 3:58PM (3/25/2009)
Additionally, you may want to consider that the new seals, springs, bushings, belts, tires, fluids, engine/transaxle rebuild components, and trim manufactured to keep an '89 Accord on the road aren't willed into existence by the God of Auto Parts, either. Less energy-intensive than building a brand-new vehicle, certainly, but it's not all vs. nothing.
PeterG 3:59PM (3/25/2009)
Rob estimates are that manufacturing is only about 10% of a cars life cycle CO2. 90% is from emissions.
If the new car has half the emissions you recoup manufacturing emissions in a couple of years and pull ahead from their.
Cars from 20 years ago have MUCH higher toxic emissions even when they are new. I highly doubt most people driving these old beaters replaced the expensive catalytic converters when they ceased doing their jobs long ago. So in term of immediately harmful pollutants (Nox, particulates ect) even a perfectly in tune 20 year old beater probably emits 10 times as much harmful pollution as a new car.
Not to mention a 20 year old car with 400000 miles will be worn out rattly rat trap.
You may rationalize away being a rampant cheapskate, but you are not doing the environment any favors.
Chris 8:18PM (3/25/2009)
@ Rob:
You're right. However, people buy new cars all the time, and if that habit isn't going to change, better they buy this than something else...from an eco-perspective.
Rob 1:29AM (3/26/2009)
PeterG: Wrong. My accord has 273,000 miles. I've replaced the struts, springs, control arms, bushings, balljoints, exhaust, carb, and other minor things. Why is this a lower impact than a new car? Because the INTERIOR is still good. It doesn't rattle. Because the CHASSIS is still good. It isn't very rusty, nor is it damaged. It does not squeak or flex. The transmission is still fine. The engine is still good. The tires are good. The wheels are good. The headlights, lenses, and electrical system is good.
So WHY, when it can still get 30mpg, would it be a good idea to throw it away and get something newer? You stupid people who love new things all the time just think that because something is newer, it is better. It isn't. Sometimes new things are overproduced, and we don't NEED them, we want them.
Noz 1:54AM (3/26/2009)
ROB:
Some people...LIKE ME...actually remove their car from the road when they buy a new one. I don't sell my old cars...I decommission them and have them sent off to be recycled.
You need to do some more math...running an OLD car into the ground will..on the long run, create much more pollution.
Matt 3:29AM (3/26/2009)
I think Rob's initial comment was aimed at the people who think they are superior to everyone else because they already drive a Prius, and will most likely upgrade just because it gets 2% better fuel economy even though there is nothing wrong with their current, say 3 yrs old, Prius
@Azael: "And if you had to get somewhere as quick as you could in a Prius, even a BMW M3 4.0 liter V8 gets better mileage..." yeh but you don't get the feeling of self-righteousness lol
Frylock350 2:30PM (3/27/2009)
When the cats on my old cars went, i just removed them and went with a straight pipe. I tend to drive my vehicles until they fall apart myself.