Why did they uglify the 2010 Prius?

I didn't bloody ask you smart arse.

 

Yes I am Ron, after all I am a 1961 model so it is to be expected.

 

No, you didn't come on too strong but I thought as it was so obvious to you that it was easy to make a super sexy looking car that had a 0.25CD that you would be able to name just one manufacturer who had managed it. You named some high price cars there but no CD figures to back it up. I'll let you know now, no other manufacturer has built a 4 door sedan or hatch production car before this car with an 0.25CD. The wind drag is the reason Prius uses more fuel at highway speed than in town, it's important.

 

Isn't that another toyota? Sorry i should have picked my words better, one OTHER manufacturer.

 

I know you're careful about keeping your fluids topped up, but have you tried a wash and wax lately? You'll feel much better. Getting rid of some of that junk in the trunk will improve your mileage, too.

 

I am an older guy at 54 and do not consider myself old school even though my teenage son would disagree with that. My reference is just from the photos I have seen and I prefer the look of the Gen2. That said, if I had a choice between the Gen2 and Gen3 and the price was the same, I would choose the upgrades in comfort and technology that the Gen3 offers.

 

The side sillouette of the Gen3 is much sharper than the more "bubbled" Gen2. I think moving the roof peak back a bit and the cut in the rear give the Gen3 a more "aggressive" look.

The 17" rims make the Gen3 look much more solid. I always found the 15s to be the least appealing aesthetic feature of the Gen2.

The front of the Gen3 is a slight improvement over the GenII, though the head-on view is still the least appealing angle of this car. The headlights are an improvement. The huge Toyota badge looks silly.

The blue badge is ridiculous. I'd probably spend some money to swap for chrome after market.

Overall, I think the Gen3 is a major aesthetic improvement .

 

I like what they did with the roof line. The way the highest part is moved back. It seems to have more of a sleek look to it. It's amazing how a few minor changes can make a big diff.

 

I think I could study aerodynamics for four years and never fully understand how the Lexus LS 430 has the same 0.25Cd as the Gen II Prius.

 

What's under there? Panels like the 2010 Prius?

 

A drag 0.25 is not unprecedented, it is actually behind the times if you think about it. Way back in 1935 the automotive manufacture Tatra built a 4-door sedan with a drag co-efficient of 0.212. That was back before wind tunnels and computer aided design.



More recently Audi produced the A2 TDI back in 2001 with a drag co-efficient of 0.25.




It is not a 4-door vehicle but the 2001-2006 Honda Insight had a drag co-efficient of 0.25.


Automakers have known for decades how to make an aerodynamic automobile, the principles of fluid dynamics haven't changed. The problem is the difference between what the buying public accepts as an attractive automobile and what the shape the laws of physics require for a low Cd.

 

They do get to cheat though- I don't see any side mirrors on that thing.

 

How was this measured then?
Looks much worse than that, lots of bumps and edges.
I also suspect it's very big which means even with a low cd it has higher drag.
However, you met the challenge although they really aren't a current manufacturer.
You have to admit, it isn't so easy to make a marketable car with a 0.25cd. Even the Insight 1 only sold 17,000 over 5 or 6 years on the market. How many Tatra production cars were sold?

 

The Cd was measured in the Zeppelin wind tunnel in Germany. I knew the wind tunnel was invented before 1935 but I didn't think automobile companies used them at the time. Notice the back of the vehicle is very streamlined.



It is a very large car and seated 6.
Length: 5000 mm to 5400 mm
Height: 1420 mm to 1600 mm
Width: 1650 mm to 1660 mm

The made a total of 249 cars before the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and halted production.

Tatra replaced the T77 with the T87 which was similar but shorter. It only achieved a Cd of 0.251 and sold 3023



An even smaller car the T97 was made just before the war and was copied to make the KdF-Wagen which after the war became the VW Beetle. (Tatra filed suit after the war and VW finally settled in 1961)

Tatra made their first car in 1897 and is still in business. They stopped making passenger cars in 1996 and now only make trucks. Tatra is the 3rd oldest automaker in the world after Mercedes and Peugeot.

 

And if you want to see a truely amazing truck have a look at their web site.
Offroad Trucks Australia|Tatra Importer|Tatra Truck Sales|4x4|6x6|8x8|10x10
and Hiab Truck|Dump Truck|4x4 Truck|Offroad Trucks Australia|Tatra Truck Sales

Thanks for correcting me JSH, it's a piece of piss achieving a 0.25cd after all, and it looks so much prettier than a Prius, yeah right.

 

Hummers suck. THIS is a truck.