Drove 2010 Prius This Morning. Impressions.

I drove cars all today. I got to be honest, the fit and finish is not up to my 2008!! When these cars are pushing 30k plus, one has to look what the the BMW is all about for a few grand more. On top of that, the IDIOTS at Keyes Toyota in the Valley, took a level 2 added 4k in awful grey leather and tried to sell it fro $28,000!!!. A dozen people looked at it, shook their heads and walled away. I'm very disapointed at the cheap inerior and although, i have mine on order, I'm thinking of cancelling!

 

I agree with you about the interior quality, but some people are a little bit oversensitive when I point out the Prius mistakes here... I'm glad that now there are many more people reporting that the interior quality is poor, the leather is a joke, the navigation system is hopeless, Bluetooth syncing with Iphone is problematic, pricing difference between trims and for options is ridiculous... what esle?

I can feel the outrage of some people trying to type fast to respond to thhis one... but, it's just the truth, no matter what you say... go complain to Toyota, not me...

 

I think you are not comparing like for like, in a Prius a lot more of your money is being spent on the clever gizmos under the hood. The Prius has two forms of power to drive the wheels, it has a lot of complicated electrical/electronics to handle that power. Toyota wanted to make the car as light as possible as this also helps with the fuel economy but in making that choice the doors won't have quite the same solid slam sound. As Toyota have to be able to sell the car, once a lot of the money has been spent on the expensive technology that reliably drives the Prius, there is a little less to spend on the luxury finish of the interior. Toyota also claim that they have worked hard at being enviromentally friendly with the plastics they have used.

For me the technology under the hood and the way the Prius drives (on my Gen II) still makes me grin each time I drive it and I was prepared to accept that Toyota are not so good with the materials of the interior.

 

Yea dude, it's all a poor joke and very hopeless, not to mention ridiculous, insipid and sophomoric. :rockon:

 

OK. This is all a mess.

I think there are a couple of cross-conversations going on here, and I hope to clear up at least one of them.

It is quite possible to be driving at 35mph, "punch" the accelerator and have the ECO light go off. This has nothing to do with the ECO Mode button or driving in ECO Mode. There is a place on the MID where "ECO" lights up if you are driving within a range of demand on the ICE and/or battery. Any "punch" and that light (if already on) will go off.

At the same time, there is an ECO Mode that can be selected (as Tideland described).

Now, back to Rae's question: When you "punch" the accelerator, regardless of the mode, do you get "moved" into PWR or Power Mode? From my brief (1,300 miles) driving experience: No. Clearly, the Mode designation doesn't change. I've put the pedal nearly to the floor in ECO Mode, and it doesn't respond at all like it does when I just lightly touch the accelerator while in PWR Mode.

I was under the impression, while at Detroit, that a dramatic "punch" would produce the same Power result, regardless of the chosen mode. I don't know that it happens in such a fashion. I think the car stays within Mode (excepting EV) unless and until you choose to change Modes. The only other exception is that if you have chosen PWR or EV at the time the car is powered down, it will power up in Normal Mode.

This could require a bit more interesting research, though . . .

 

Compared to gas engines, it costs 50% more to develop a diesel and 3-4 times more to develop a hybrid electric... The way Toyota decided to take that investment back? Simple: poor interior quality and overcharging for upgrades... Weren't for the technology behind it, of would worth say 15k at best...

 

You really are insufferable.

For what it is worth: I like the leather, but it isn't as supple or heavy as what is offered in many other cars. I don't understand the complaints about fit and finish; it is better than my '07 Prius, but I haven't ever owned a $30K+ car, so I suppose I just have cheap taste. The Nav system is a big improvement over the one in my '07, but apparently it isn't as good as some demand (good thing it isn't required), but for my cheap-o taste, it is very good (hasn't missed a beat yet, and it calls out street names and directs me around traffic jams). The bluetooth sync with my iPhone not only was easy, but it was quick. It literally pulled in all 1,000+ contacts within a minute, and I only pushed one button and then entered the code. There is no bluetooth streaming audio with the iPhone yet, because Apple has not yet released ver 3.0 software for the iPhone.

Pricing differences? Well, that's an easy one for people to decide for themselves. There is no such thing as false information when you can see what is included for the price. If it is too much money, then go buy something else.

Please.

(And, until you really do buy a 2010 Prius, please take the info out of your profile.)

 

Indyking:
What car have you decided to buy? You obviously have ruled out the joke that is the 2010 Prius, no?

 

Oh, of course the Prius is perfect for you, right? We talked about this before... Now here's news for you. I'm about to order it this week. Can't decide between 2 or 3. To me 2 would be a no brainer bc this anything beyond that is a really a waste of money based in what you get and the quality. The only reason I'm actually considering 3 is bc imaddicted to satellite radio otherwise the 2 would be a no brainer bacause it's exactly the same car without the overpriced poor quality options. My toyota dealer, not me, said today to me that most people seeing the 4 is very disappointed with it's quality. So again, only a problem for those, like you described cheap tasted, but I like to call no taste!

 

I see you are one to make friends easily.

Is the Prius perfect for me? Hmm. I have purchased two of them. I've joined PriusChat and posted lots of comments about the Prius and what I like about it. And, I haven't purchased another car instead. Oh, And I really, really like the car. Yea. It's OK by me.

OK. How about once again I ask you to refrain from personal attacks and name-calling?

 

I've owned a few and we work on quite a few much more expensive cars at our shop and you really are not missing much. Hell look at the Corvette. My car was $50k new (I bought it used thank god) and it had terrible interior and the sound system was 10x worse. All I got was decent performance and mileage. Having been in the vast majority of regular productions cars I cannot really nitpick the Prius. It is not designed to be a luxury car and even compared to luxury cars I don't find it lacking so much that I would compare it to a $15k car. I just htink some people are really making the issue bigger than it really is and let's face it, there are no other cars comparable to the Prius in terms of efficiency, emissions, cargo room AND as fun to drive technically.

 

I have not noticed cheap or poor quality leather in the new Prius. The stitching looks solid. It has a different feel to it but not cheap to me. I like the interior plastics.

I think they made a big improvement in ergonomics. Now that I've moved my seat back 2" (due to my mod), it's a reach to the touchscreen (I could practice up on the steering wheel controls though )

The 2010's climate controls are much more accessible.

We were stuck in horrible traffic today - repaving miles of road. So nice to be in a hybrid. No gas burned while stuck, no hot engine running. I don't think I would buy a conventional car again if can help it.

 

So, who started the personal attacks again? Not me... I'll be glad to get back on track with more productive once you stopping "attacking" me...

 

Sure, no problem, but read the post above... I'm not the one who brought the personal issues back... chill out men.. I like to chat with you...

 

We are all going to chip in and buy you a nose plug, so you can have both hands free for the proper "10 and 2" driving position in your new $15K feeling Prius 2.

 

You might be putting your life in danger and voiding the warranty on the side airbags if you replace the seat covers.

 

Dude, you are arguing with a Lawyer. Do you really think that you will win this? :huh:

Give up while you can.

 

The last three car I own was Acura TL, BMW 530, and (currently) Infiniti M35X...I started to look at a new BMW or even a Jaguar XF as my Infiniti was coming off lease. Than I thought to myself why am I looking at the same kind of cars that I have been driving for the last ten years? And also remembering averaging a speeding ticket or two for the last six years or so plus the fact that I really hate getting around 15 to 17 miles per gallon of gas.
Than I remember driving a 2008 Pruis last year on a rental and how I really enjoyed that car. This cause to me to really reseached the new 2010 Pruis and I finally test drove one about two weeks ago ( 3 or 4 with leather) and my overall impression was very high, I did not have the expectation that the leather or interior would be on par with a Jaguar, but I was looking for a fun car to drive that gets 50 Plus MPG and the reliablility of a Toyota or a Honda.

The 2010 Pruis fits that bill for me and no way does it feel like a 15K car as some on this treat stated.

So now I am justing waiting for my 2010 V with ATP to come in !!!

Just my two cents on the topic!

 

That's very cool, did not know a priori is a lawyer! He definitively ,m seems very firm and confident, so that explains it!

Well, I'm a vet, so not so good with people's emotions! :croc: