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30 Days of the 2010 Toyota Prius: Day 1, First Impressions and 70 MPG

 
11,956 views Mar 25, 2009
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2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius

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The 2010 Toyota Prius has gradually been emerging into public view since January, when it was launched at the Detroit Auto Show.

Based on media previews and invitation-only Prius Connection events in Detroit, New York, and other venues, quite a lot of info is now available. One set of impressions comes from our colleague Marty Padgett (himself the owner of a 2004 Toyota Prius), who attended a press event last month in swanky Napa Valley, California.

Among Marty's first impressions: The 2010 Toyota Prius is capable of 70 miles per gallon if driven carefully. Its fuel economy is ranked at a combined 50 mpg (51 city / 48 highway), but in a competition among journalists, Marty and his codriver easily knocked out 69.5 mpg.

Other impressions: The 2010 Prius is significantly improved over the prior car in dozens of small ways. Along with exceptional fuel economy, it benefits from a taller, more airy cabin and improved driving feel. It's also a more upscale effort in general.

Not everything was wine and roses, though. Marty dinged the new car for a few features that cut down on utility, including the center stack between driver and front passenger that actually reduces knee room compared to the previous model.

He also notes that pricing for the 2010 Prius haven't been released yet. We suspect Toyota's marketing wizards are poring over their spreadsheets and grimly calculating how close they can get to the $20,400 price of the new 2010 Honda Insight.

In the end, Marty's Bottom Line on the 2010 Toyota Prius: It ups the ante in the hybrid world with 51-mpg city fuel economy and a finer style.

2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius

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Comments (3)

  1. By stenman Posted: 10/9/2009 10:27am PDT

    What Toyota hopefully provided for the 2010 model, and needs to provide for its earlier models, is a more intelligent power management scheme for shutting the car off and preventing the draining of the little battery that powers the car's electronics. I have taken to carrying around a booster battery pack along with the spare tire. Too often someone leaves the car turned on and 12 hours later a booster battery is needed to start the car. The programming for the car needs to be changed so that when it senses that the car has not moved or had any controls activated for 5 minutes it shuts off all power instead of requiring the last person in the car, which may be a hotel valet parking it, to know to hit the power button even though the car, once parked appears to be off with no lights showing. At a bare minimum the car should have a light that is on whenever the car is powered on and serves as a reminder. When a car is completely silent and there are no lights lit, one tends to assume it is off, though this is not the case with the Prius. For such a sophisticated car this is one area where the Toyota engineers were asleep at the switch so to speak.
     
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  2. By bob gordon Posted: 12/1/2009 5:23pm PST

    Re 2010 PRIUS 3...Car is fine except I seem to have a problem getting the gas mileage everyone claims they get. I average 44mpg..39-41 city, 45-48
    on hwy..obviously for me highway much better..I noticed Consumers Reports got same mileage as me..any comments?????
     
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  3. By Greg Posted: 9/23/2010 4:48pm PDT

    I have a 2006, my friend a 2007 Prius. I get just under 47 mpg overall after 79,000 miles. My friend gets about 5-7 mpg less and wonders why? Riding with him I note that he drives just as he did in his Intrepid: first to the stoplight,fastest away, lane changing a half dozen times on the expressway to gain sixty feet in heavy, slow traffic, riding the bumper in front with one foot on the brake. I pointed out that Prius mpg is better than the Intrepid, but needs a change in driving habits for maximizing. He no longer remarks on his mpg--his driving habits have not changed.
     
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