Your thoughts on Quality of materials used?

There is sound insulation, maybe not luxury car level, but fine by me. A couple of things though:

1. The driver's floor mat (add-on mat, standard in Canada, not sure about the 'States) has no rubber inlay, just plain carpetting. Ours was blown-out in about 6 months. Currently there's a hole right through, maybe 3" diameter. And apparently the only replacement option Toyota is to buy a complete new set.

2. The oil change flap and it's brittle hinge, what can I say.

 

Reason I bought mine was when my Honda was putting a hole in my pocket in addition to drinking gas, I asked a co-worker about his Prius and I was convinced when he told me his actual mpg. Went to the dealership the following month and test drove one (actual one I ended up purchasing).

My initial impression after my first test drive was that it Toyota did NOT spend ANY money on the interior! No other thought but that it was very, very cheap inside. Then I realized that I was there to buy a car with incredible mpg since I drive a lot for work, so I bit my lip and bought it.

No regrets so far, but it is a very annoying, buzzy, semi-comfortable for short trips kind of car with excellent mpg. While I understand that these are subjective attributes, I am making a comparison to my 12 year old Honda and our new Hyundai for comparison. I thought the Honda was loud, but the Prius beats it hands down. And now, since I drive the Prius all week long, when I get to drive my wife's Hyundai, it feels serenely quiet!

But, then again, low quality interiors are nothing new for the Toyotas I've previously owned. I've had two Camrys, a 1999 and a 2005, and the '99's interior came apart after it hit about 8 years in age (I bought it used at age 4) and in the '05, little plastics began to break, such as air vent pieces, visor, some control knobs, etc. Overall, very reliable power train, very average interior quality. When we all think of Toyota and their famous reliability, I think many people assume that it is both the power train AND the interior however, it is definitely not the interior, only the power train from my experiences with my '99, '05, and '10 vehicles. One thing's for sure though, Toyota's been consistently crappy on the inside and great with the power train.

To respond to your last comment, I don't believe Toyota is cost cutting, it's just always been their formula from day one, when they were cheap little cars. Now their reputation affords them the luxury of charging a lot more for, essentially, the exact same products.

 

I bought 2 of these for my front seats and they work great. Lifetime guarantee. Maybe not for everyone but I like em.
AutoSport Diamond Plate Floor Mats - AutoSport Catalog

 

I bought my Prius for three reasons;
Great MPG
Great Reliability
Less Impact On Environment
I love this car!

 

On my 3rd Prius and the best car ever made!

One item which all auto makers have an issue with is soy/peanut by product wire coverings. My friend had all the wires of a Prius C under the hood shreded by a punk gang of squirrels. 3K to replace all the wires at the dealer.

 

I have never understood peoples objections to the plastic in the car. To me it is all plastic. On a BMW or Mercedes you get wood colored plastic instead. Woopdedoo. And my objection to the seats is not the cheapness of the materials but rather that they don't fit me (or seemingly many other people). But that is a design problem not a manufacture problem.

I WANT all those weight savings. I would MUCH rather have 50 MPG than a glove box that is drastically overbuilt. I often wonder what more they would have done to make it lighter if people weren't so hung up on the quality of the plastic. We are polluting our only planet, and burning through hoarded energy at the rate of a million years accumulation per year, and people are worried about the glove box door being hollow?

 

I agree. We all bought the Prius for mpg and for some, a statement. If so many of us are willing to sacrifice mpg for wheels, mods, etc, perhaps Toyota could make a dime by offering a more "luxury quiet" package. If we are willing to spend $4k on the Plus which drops mpg, then why not $1k for a soundproof cabin?

They could definitely make cash on a bigger wheel and tire selection. Call it a "personalization package", kind of like they did with Scion.

While I agree also that the car is all about mpg, even a few mods later, the car is still an mpg ruler.

 

I commute 600 miles a week in my Prius and I don't find it to be any noisier then my 2004 Passat.

 

The car is just wonderful as it is. However in the ever wanting, ever bigger, better drive of the Americian consumer, if I were Toyota, I'd offer specialized packackages, like:
1. A noise package
2. A tech package
3. Performance package
4. A custom appearance package
5. A ultra green package
Anyone can increase the list. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

cheap as they come, period.

 

lol, the prius is garbage on the inside with a great power train. We're not asking for luxury, just average quality or slightly better interior overall lol

 

Dude you should watch a movie called "The Big Lebowski" . Then you would be able to abide better and not be so bummed out. lol

 

I'm not bummed out, why would I be? I use this interior junker / great mpg machine for work and only got it for the great mpg full well knowing, right after the test drive, that it was a pos inside. Very happy with it, just don't like the interior. Sounds like you're actually the one bummed out after your fact finding mission turned up some consistency regarding the cheap interior of your ride, as well as mine.

 

If only there could be a collaboration where Cadillac made the body/interiors and Toyota made the drivetrain - now that would be a great car.

 

Regarding highway noise I find the engine and wind noise to be pretty low. I believe road noise is a bit loud due to limited insulation and the low rolling resistance tires. Tires make a huge difference in road noise.

 

Dude try to chill out. Have a white russian. The dude must abide. I have no complaints with my car. I researched it and did 2 test drives. I like my car. Have you been been taking a bath with a marmot? I assume you are a good bowler and a good man.

 

I had both: the 2006 Prius, and the 2010 Prius. Since 2011 I own a Lexus CT200h.
The good mpg is nice to have. But since I've owned the 2006 Prius, I know toyota can do good interior quality AND good mpg. So noone can tell me that you have to live with the 2010 light weight materials that squeak and rattle all the time! It's toyota that fools everyone by selling cheap quality for maximum cash.

 

My previous car was a Citroën C5 estate with Hydractive III suspension, big, comfy leather sofa chairs, athermic glass and automatic everything. Comfy as. Every car (short of a very expensive luxury car) is noisy and bumpy by comparison.
Many of the plastic components are made from plant-derived bioplastics made from the cellulose in wood or grass instead of petroleum. The two principal crops are kenaf (a member of the hibiscus family and related to cotton and okra) and ramie, commonly known as China grass and one of the strongest natural fibres, similar to flax in absorbency and density. [wikipedia Toyota Prius (XW30) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

Leather is no longer available in Australia, only a leatheresque material in the "i-Tech" model, which is very good.
There's plenty of creaks, but I've never had bits crack or fall off. I've pulled panels off and they go back on easily enough in the same place. Much is made of scratchy plastics in cars, but I tend not to notice.
Selective soundproofing would be nice.

 

yes the SEATSSSSSSSSSS OH MY WHO ARE THEY MODELING THEM FOR THE UMMPA LUMPA MEN