Drove 2010 Prius This Morning. Impressions.

With the still healthy resale value of the Gen II. We got serious about looking at Gen III. Luckily I had an oil change due a few weeks back and I had an opportunity to talk to a salesman about the new generation. Nothing earth-shaking in our conversation, but it whetted my appetite. I did some research on the Toyota website and was disappointed in the price points and color selections (very uninspired).

Because my husband works for a large corporation we are eligible for a very good discount on the '09. That added to the nation-wide incentives that Toyota is currently offering [AND no sales tax here in Washington until the end of July] we thought we might look at an '09 or wait a few years. We agreed that we needed to test drive the '10 to see if it was worth considering.

We drove a IV with solar roof. We didn't really play with the toys, but the extra power is what stood out to us. I have been driving an '05 for four and half years and the increased power in the 2010, particularly at lower speeds, was very evident. Putting it in Power Mode just gave it that much more kick. I don't know if they tweaked later Gen II models to give them more power off the line, but compared to my 2005 it was "night and day." That power and the 2010 model II coming with many handling and safety features that were options back when we got ours convinced us to upgrade to the 2010. All that coming at just $2000 above the base price for the 2005.

I may not be an auto-phile so I don't need all the bling - don't get me wrong I like the toys. I think that the solar cooling would be great in the southwest. But I think it all is overpriced.

Yes, there are many issues that I would do differently if I were making this car, but I can't complain about being able to upgrade for about $10K. And don't forget that with that power also comes more efficiency.

That's my impressions anyway.

 

No doubt it was NOT a Prius V. It could have been a III or a IV. If he believes it was "top of the line" but no Solar, that suggests a IV (because the V isn't offered with Solar). Also, at $28,350, that is a IV with Nav (no Solar).

I don't agree that fit and finish are sub-par. In fact, I think it is nicely put together. One problem, though, with the upper-end Prius is that it has the exact same interior as the base-model Prius (save the leather). Many manufacturers will offer better interiors for the pricier versions, but you don't see it here.

This statement by the OP is confusing to me:

It had decent get up and go, but it wasn't night and day over the old model. I was disappointed, I thought it would be more obvious. If you have no complaints over the previous model, you won't be unhappy with the power. DON'T try a steep onramp in economy mode! I switched to power mode immediately for that one.
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I can understand it only if the OP was comparing regular mode to the prior Prius. I think the 2010 is only marginally better in acceleration when comparing its regular mode to the 2009. The Power mode is the night-and-day world. It is nice to have in your back pocket -- I used it today to merge into traffic in a construction zone at an on-ramp. If I had used normal mode, I would have "disappointed" the people I'd be merging with. If I had used "Eco" mode, I would have been a hood ornament.

Overall, I find it interesting that people new to the Prius are disappointed in its driving characteristics. I don't think the Prius ever had developed a reputation as a sports sedan. Perhaps the new look (or some marketing effort) has people expecting the response of a European touring car. I believe those things could be part of the Prius, but it would come at the expense of a $22,000 starting price or its 50 MPG fuel economy. Perhaps some day we'll have it all.

Given the OP's disappointment, the overall review is pretty fair to the car (except, in my opinion, the items I noted above). I hope priusblogg will continue looking at, driving and evaluating the Prius AND letting us know how his views change or firm.

 

Anybody know if leather aftermarket seats are available for the the '10 prius, yet? We are getting the II and want to go with leather. We test drove the IV and were not impressed with the quality of the leather seats.

 

I agree, the leather felt thin. We were concerned about it holding up to the claws of our dog - on the rare chance he is in there without a pad under him.

I'm not sure about the new fabric. The 2005 had microfiber fabric and has held up well. The 2010's fabric is quite a bit different.

 

If you think the Fusion has better finish, performance, and pleasant to drive, you should have checked out the Jetta TDI, maybe you did. You can get one well equipped for a lot less than high 20K. You comments are making me wonder if I should revisit the possibility of getting a Jetta instead of Prius... I don't know... right now I'm trying to negotiate a price with the Toyota dealer, so it makes sense financially, but if it does not work out quite like I want, I will be more than glad to change my mind back to the TDI. I also think the Prius is overpriced considering the competition. I chose the Prius over the TDI mainly due to the questionable reputation of the VWs in this country... even though I'm not sure if I’m really ready for trading the pleasure of driving to just a great transportation device, if you know what I mean...

 

I found the OP's review confusing, full of backhanded compliments. He says a good thing, throws in some bad stuff, pops a couple positives in there, then trashes it again, etc etc. Sounded more like a subliminal endorsement of the Fusion.

Read Edmunds.com's review for more thorough and meaningful comparisons.

 

I actually thought the OP had very good points. What scores big in the new Prius is its great technology to maximize fuel efficiency combined with unparalleled Toyota reliability and resale value. That's what I'm buying. The new Prius may have indeed substantial improvements compared to previus generations but it lacks overall appeal in performance and interior quality. I'm trying to get the basic model 3 since I really need at least a reasonably good sound system plus hands free calling, but otherwise would just get the simplest trim, because I just don't see the point of getting a car like that all loaded. Too much waste of money in my view. Besides, it's not only the leather option that has questionable quality, other options like the navigator has also reported to be unimpressive.

 

I find opinion posts like these rather useless. Soo many people base their decisions on such opinions instead of just going with what feels right for them... I swear our country is fill with sheep.

 

You try and overthink this so much it makes MY head hurt. Just buy a damn car already man. lol

 

What material are the non leather seats? My 04 has that very resilient durable micro fiber fabric (I think it was an Italian manufacturer but I forget the name). I have noticed that leather in Japanese and American cars is subpar compared to the leather found in German cars.

 

Hey, if you can buy a new 328i for $28K, buy it. Better yet, tell me where you can get one at that price. For several weeks, I shopped 2-3 year old CPOs, and the only ones in that price range were pushing 40K miles with no options other than Steptronic transmission. Sure you can get a non-CPO for 2K or so less, but good luck with the maintenance when the factory warranty runs out.

 

It's hard to find a BMW 128i for $28k. To compare the Prius to non-hybrid cars in the same price range is foolish. The Prius is a $22k car if you want it to be. If some buyers want to add options then you are not getting the most value out of the Prius. I personally would rather pay extra for options that make my commute more comfortable. For the same price, I would take a loaded Prius then a bare bones BMW any day of the week.

 

It's just crazy to compare a Prius to a BMW - although I've been doing it myself! I think it comes down to what you need. But I want the space and a 3 series BMW is just too small in the back. Plus they are SO common here in London.

If you compare on interior room the Prius is quite compatetive. Clearly its a Toyota and not a Lexus, so the perceived "quality" is a notch down. But you know what - the Toyota will still be going when the BMW is sick in the dealers and costing you lots of money and you have to think - what sort of quality really matters?

 

Ditto. The hatch was a big factor for us. We go garagesailing/fleamarketing.
Our prime requirements were:
1) Reliability
2) Gas mileage
3) Interior room/comfort (consistant with 2)
4) Purchase price
The 2010 met or exceeded all our criteria nicely, and compares favorably with anything else in the price range. Of course, we will wait to see how reliabilty holds up...