PriusChat is on its way to Detroit!

I don't know about you, but I was planning to be well dressed. Or at least clothed.

 

Sounds like another great photo opportunity! Hee!

 

For some early, 'unofficial' comment, Bob Wilson has made a few posts here:

Detroit Auto Show - January 2009 - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars

 

Questions for you lucky folks who are there:

1. Telescoping steering wheel, yes or no?
2. It that a USB port I see in one of those pics?
3. The Nav-equipped system, where do you load CDs? I see there's an Open button.
4. The non-Nav version, there's a button called Type, what's that? And what exactly does the Text button do?
5. The 12V plug's cap says 12V/120W. What does that mean?
6. When you slide back the console cover, you don't have to flip it up to put your cup in, right?
7. Looks like the Aux in and 12V in the console are still there, correct?
8. Does the display show info such as Engine Temp or RPM?
9. How many adjustments for driver seat? Manual or electrical?

 

My notes from tonight:

The product brochure, pricing, and New Car Features Manual will not be available until the car is released in May.

The steering wheel telescopes and tilts.

The driver's seat can adjust up and down, forward and backward, and the seatback tilt angle. Some models have lumbar support adjustable via pushbutton.

The inverter is much smaller than on 2G. The traction battery also appears smaller but has the same capacity, 201.6V nominal, 28 modules. The 12V battery is the same as 2G.

The inverter converts 201.6V to 650V, so this should be more efficient than the current design. The motor generators are also smaller and presumably more efficient.

The point of the increased displacement of the 1.8L engine is to allow the ICE to rev slower at freeway speeds which results in the improved mpg. City mpg should also be improved. Contrary to earlier info, 1.8L is the worldwide Prius engine.

Recommended oil viscosity is 0W-20 and 5W-20.

The 2G North America coolant heat recovery system is now gone. It is replaced by the EGR heat recovery system. The fuel tank bladder is gone.

The rear brakes are disc, not drum.

On display were three Prius models. One was base, one had the sunroof and solar panel, and the other had the LED headlights and headlight washers, and the intelligent parking assist.

The main relay/fuse box still resides next to the inverter and the dedicated positive jump start terminal still lives there.

The engine ECU lives next to the main relay/fuse box.

The cabin air filter seems much more substantial than Classic and 2G. A couple of ECUs are located in the vicinity, one is probably the hybrid vehicle ECU; not sure what the other is.

The battery ECU still is located in the battery case but the interlock is now on the RH (passenger) side of the battery case. I suppose the battery cables probably run on the RH side of the car now, vs. LH side for Classic and 2G.

The throttle plate still exists.

There are two cupholders in the front and two in the rear. The front cupholders are inline, where one has a cover that flips up while the other is revealed when you slide the center console cover backwards. No need to flip that center console cover, it just slides.

The rear cupholders are side by side, located in the rear seatback which flips down to occupy the space where a middle passenger might otherwise sit.

I think the 2010 Prius is a winner. The sales target is 180K units; in a normal year I think it will do better than that. Given a weak economy, we'll see.

16" and 17" wheels were on the display models. Bridgestone and Michelin tires were installed. NO Goodyear Integrity tires.

An outstanding reception hosted tonight by TMS USA and Prius Team.

 

Some supplemental observations:

1. There will not be a Touring Edition, nor an option for a beefed up or tuned suspension.

2. Looking under the hood, it doesn't look like there's room for a strut tower brace.

3. The optional 17" wheels are nice looking. No covers or trim rings of any sort. I think the tires on them were 215/45/17. I think I saw two different tires on them - one made by Michelin and another by Bridgestone. Word is that the final tire hasn't been determined yet.

4. The standard 15" wheels are ugly. They have full covers. When the covers were removed, the wheels were even uglier. I think the tires on them were 195 width. Don't remember the aspect ratio. I think the brand tire I saw on them were Bridgestone.

5. The front seats were noticeably more comfortable with more lumbar support than the Gen II. And more importantly, in addition to the fuller range of adjustments (height, lumbar, tilt), the front seats slide around 3 or 4 inches further back than the Gen II, i.e., they slide as far back as a "normal" car. I always thought it weird that the rearmost range of the Gen II seats seemed about 3 or 4 inches shorter than any car of any size I can remember. With this longer rearmost track, plus the seat adjustments, plus the telescoping steering wheel, I think the driver's seat and driving position will be much more comfortable for many more people.

 

You do what you gotta do, and I'll do what I've gotta do.

And you were a knock-out. I was out there beating the babes away.

Questions for you lucky folks who are there:

1. Telescoping steering wheel, yes or no?
tilt and telescope, yes.

2. It that a USB port I see in one of those pics?
No clue. I must have missed it.

3. The Nav-equipped system, where do you load CDs? I see there's an Open button.
The whole face tilts away, and the disk is loaded behind the display.

4. The non-Nav version, there's a button called Type, what's that? And what exactly does the Text button do?
No clue.

5. The 12V plug's cap says 12V/120W. What does that mean?
That you shouldn't use it to power a device that draws more than 120W.

6. When you slide back the console cover, you don't have to flip it up to put your cup in, right?
No, and that is a REALLY slick feature. It means you can use the inside cup holder and still use the lid as an arm rest. You can then tilt it up to get inside at any point.

7. Looks like the Aux in and 12V in the console are still there, correct?
From what I could tell. Had trouble getting my flashlight out of my pocket when I needed it.

8. Does the display show info such as Engine Temp or RPM?
Not that I saw. Tons of info taked out of the MFD and put up on the dash. But nothing like that - that would scare the poor drivers to have that info!

9. How many adjustments for driver seat? Manual or electrical?
Manual (like a jack) up and down. Electric lumbar.

 

PATRICK - cheers brother. if the new engine requires the 0-20 or the 5-20, can't we use that on the G2's??

 

Thanks for the details, guys. Much appreciated.

Did anyone notice whether the rear hatch can be opened from the outside if there's no power? i.e. dead battery. If not, does it still require user to perform Copperfield contortions to open from the inside???

 

Well, I did notice that there is TWO hand holes for pulling down the hatch... one on each side! Now Lefties have equal rights!

 

You guys are having too much fun out there!

I'll save my pennies & check out the Philadelphia auto Show in 2 weeks.
(or

Meantime

 

oops, accidental post-button-hit !

Meant to link to this curious news item:
The title is about a new Honda Insight -- but the photo is all Prius

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/business/13hybrid.html?_r=1

 

Did anyone get a chance to crank up the stereo?

If the Nav disk is now behind the screen, does that mean the space underneath the driver's seat is freed up for things like a subwoofer?

And directly below the Power start button, isn't that a USB port?

BTW, I really don't like the lack of reverse camera and BT on non-Nav G3s. To me that's a significant step backward; those are my two most used features day in day out, whereas I use my GPS only maybe 20% of the time.

Not that any of this matters to me since I'm waiting for a hybrid minivan anyhow.

 

Did you see the Ford Fusion Hybrid ? Was it only up on a turn-table, or was it on the ground for you to sit in? Any news on the Fusion Hybrid?

Thank you.

I hope you are going to have an entire thread or Flickr album dedicated to "an overview of the entire Detroit Auto Show." Perhaps a list of all new hybrids, EVs, and other green vehicles.

 

Gee Dave, that's a bit insulting! I thought Pat's effort was top notch! Good symmetry has to be a bit hard to do on that scale. Add to that the poor man is 12 hours off schedule and just off a REALLY long flight.

5 stars to Pat and his artistic effort. And unlike regular graffiti 'artists', Pat's work is not permanent, no harm done.

 

I had a hard time sleeping with Pat out there stomping around under my window.

Tom

 

Doc Willy put the nav/JBL through it paces, check his thread in the Audio section. Below the Power button is either a blank or the IPA button(if equipped). The base model car had the JBL system with BT and no NAV system.