Traveling With A 2010 Toyota Prius V: The 8-Day Drive Report Page 3

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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2010 Toyota Prius

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Day 6

Today I am really liking the single-pass on the windshield wipers as the morning dawns misty and cold.  The seat heaters at the base of the waterfall central stack in an open storage bay come in handy, as does the 12-volt plug.  I like the central storage/armrest that slides backwards to display a second, removable cupholder, a small tiltable tray and 12-volt/auxiliary plugs below.  Amazingly, there’s no USB for iPod interface.

I adjust the heating, air conditioning and ventilation controls to handle the changing weather and it takes no time to defrost the large front and split-level rear windows.  It’s cozy inside for the 20-minute ride to the racetrack.  Being smart, I figure it’ll be nice by the time I’m ready to leave and revert to air conditioning so I am prepared for the return trip to the hotel.  Still no added back pain, but I’ve got a rolled-up and dirty pair of jeans to use for the ride home on Sunday night.

I’m appreciating the brightness of the navigation screen and the ease of working the audio and heating, air conditioning and ventilation controls, together with audio settings that surround it.  Still, I’m glad not to be in the back seat where there are two seatback pockets and a fold-down armrest with two cupholders, but no air flow at all.  And with the windows – including two rear portholes – I’m suspecting it could get plenty hot back there if the sun would ever come out.

2010 Toyota Prius

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Day 7

The race at the track is over and now it’s time for the banzai run back to the Los Angeles basin.  Where I had company on the way up, it’s only the XM radio and me for the ride back home.  And rather than taking the 101, which is delightfully enticing, I’m using the bland but fast I-5 to make pace. 

The Prius V eats up the road and the three satellite radio bands get quite the workout as I listen to the traffic in both the Bay Area and in LA.  Through that I discover that the 101 is a mess in Santa Barbara, thanks to an air show, and that there’s a SigAlert on the I-5, so I’m screwed either way.  By the time we make the location of the latter problem, it’s gone but residual slowing helps us regain the mileage lost as we climbed the Grapevine on PWR setting. 

At this point I’m grateful for the Star Safety system that includes stability and traction controls (the latter defeatable), antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist.  There are front, side and side curtain airbags (in the C pillar) and knee airbags for front seat occupants.  Toyota includes activate headrests for the front seats and rear tethers for kids. 

Toyota has used a start/stop button for the Prius for quite a while and it’s handy and easy to use.  In an emergency, holding the button for up to five seconds can stop the car, but proper use of the brakes usually handles any problem of that nature.  There is a tilt/telescope steering column to help find the sweet spot.  Toyota fits a remote for the fuel door but none, incredibly for the hatch.  Double-clicking the fob does the job.  The dual glovebox on the passenger side of the cabin is a nice touch – especially for holding items only useful in the general home area and useless over the road.  A full complement of manuals are included in our test car.

2010 Toyota Prius

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Day 8

Didn’t touch the Toyota Prius V.  I’d had enough driving over seven previous days to make me want to march all over town. 

But I still made some notes, as the comfort problem is one I solved with the roll of a pair of jeans on the return trip.  Taking a small pillow on long trips is a requirement for those of any body type, I believe.  Toyota might want to rethink the seat design in the future. 

I’m left with the feelings that this is a good, if complicated machine.  While the combined power of engine, motor and battery pack give the 2010 Toyota Prius V sufficient oomph to make it less of a rolling chicane than IndyCar’s Milka Duno, it’s no sports car – and shouldn’t be one.

The CVT transmission is capable and does not search overmuch for the right gear.  Since there is no tachometer I can’t tell you what speed the engine combo is turning at 80 mph (which is a necessary speed on the I-5 if one prefers not to get run over), but the noise level is low and the ability to speak over the tire noise is ample. 

If the navigation system, park assist with camera, and XM radio are available on a lesser model that contains a sunroof, I’d probably prefer that kind of setup.  I like the use of this navigation system – it got me everywhere I needed to go with better directions than Google – and the integrated waterfall dash is easy on the eyes and not at all frustrating to operate.

Would I have a Prius of my own?  Maybe, but I still worry about the complicated drive train and battery life over time.  Still, it’s a fine car and in this third generation an excellent road warrior.

© 2010 Anne Proffit