Disappointing G3 exterior

I'm sorry to say that I agree completely with you. I have my '07 still as it has not sold yet, and I'm driving both and am always comparing the two. I will miss the '07! it has a much more refined look to it especially the items mentioned above.

The interior color of Misty grey is a problem especially on the floorboard area. On my '07 the foot rest for the left foot is BLACK & completely hides scuffs and dirt. On the '10, they are light tan and already look bad after a month of occasional driving. The mats are black as somebody realized the tan color would be bad, but the side areas and door threshold are showing marks due to the light color. My 07 had a dark gray plastic and carpet that I will miss!

Driving wise and MPG are great in the Gen3, I hope someone aftermarket or Toyota comes up with a solution for the wheel wells or I'm gonna try a can of flat black spray paint!

Lee

 

Uh Oh? Battle Lines being drawn! Where is the Harmony between Man, Nature and Generational Prius Owners!

I try to give every thread and post the benefit of the doubt. Yardman sounds sincere and detailed in his observations. It's easy for me as right now I don't own either. But in anycase, for me I try and gauge sincerity of the post. I've looked at both 2009 and 2010 Prius with intention to buy, I can say I didn't notice the flaws as pointed out by Yardman, but it's possible I wasn't looking that hard. Everybody likes to feel good about what they own, or what they are buying. I'll probably end up with a 2010 but I'd say before hand, I like the front end of the 2009 better, I also like the color matched spoiler as opposed to the one for all color black spoiler on the 2010's.

Anyway, there's sincere constructive criticism and then there is bashing for bashings sake. Another thing is Yardman didn't really present anything that if it bothered you enough as an owner of the 2010, you couldn't really fix or change.

It was time for Toyota to update The Prius. I think they did a good job in evolving the automobile while keeping in touch with it's roots. But as with any change, there is going to be dissatisfaction. I can admit that I like things about the 2009 that I don't like in the 2010 and vice versa, but that's the nature of change and evolution.

Now lets all put on our felt Houseplant costumes and sway as The 2010 Prius drives past! No need for disharmony! It's all one big hybrid party..2009 and earlier OR 2010 and forward...

 

And that my friend is my whole point.

 

I for one am glad that PRUISchat is a reasonably safe place to vent our spleens
over the many little inconsistencies, incongruities, irregularities, quirks and brain-
farts that we discover in our Prii. I thoroughly enjoy my Gen II, but hey, it's more than
a little weird, and far from perfect.

I went back and reviewed my earliest posts. At first I was star struck... Golly, gee-
whiz, wow. But slowly as my new owner self-justifying tunnel vision wore off, much
to my horror I came to understand that in reality the car is less than I had hoped for.

Such as:
* the traction controll is not what I expected... it tkes some getting used to
* the wholly unnecessary for AT-PZEV rating gas tank bladder
* the cost or effort needed to replace the headlights
* the very limited selection of tires/tyres/tahrs for my Touring model
* dealership's general tendency to rip you off at periodic routine maintenance visits
* et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I learned of these thing through threads here. "It's part of the package, get over it,
move on," was the background message. I learned through the threads here that
these "totally unacceptable" problems/issues can each be handled and overcome
with mature, rational planning; discipline- and long hours using the Search Tool to
find answers to the questions that were nagging me near to death

IMHO, first time Prius, new Gen-III buyers, need to lighten up. Life is not perfect and
neither is/will be your car. And styling/finish details are the easiest of a hundred
piddling criticisms to be voiced. If you can't handle a little jostling and joshing from
your Brothers and Sisters of the HSD, just wait until you get your baby out into the
real world-in-denial; at your work place, church, lodge, golf club, etc... You my friend
are in for a rude awakening. Good luck.

Maybe we need a new forum: Fred's House of Wuss, where the only three threads
are the new Prius commercials being streamed continuously.

Sure, the Gen III is a little farther down the developmental road towards a truly user
friendly 24/7 highway capable EV. But hopefully sooner than later -- that means in
2012 or so -- many of the Gen-IIers will be leapfrogging over you to be at the new
leading edge, where I must point out, most of the damage from contact with the real
world is taken. I expect that at that time we will be taking the hits, biting our tongues,
and soldiering-on regardless of our questions, uncertainties, and flat out grave
doubts about the wisdom of what we have just done.

C'est la vie.

 

Great post my feathered friend.

 

Bruno, you nailed the real issue of this thread

 

Hey, Yardman 49, I really appreciated reading your critique of the G3 exterior and interior early this morning. I have been in the market for the past month for a Prius IV or V, and I like to look at all of the possible downsides of a major purchase decision before pulling the trigger.

At 10 am I got a call from one of the dealers I had been visiting, and he said he had a previously "sold" Blizzard Pearl V with NAV come back onto the market---a customer who had put a deposit a month ago on the car decided yesterday he wanted to wait until he could get a V with the Advanced Technology package. So, a few hours later I was doing a test drive and a thorough examination of the car, with your inspection critique fresh in mind.

I now own that 2010 Prius. I'm glad I had a chance to scrutinize the wheel well design flaws that you report. They didn't bother me...though I do see the imperfections you spotted. For various reasons, I love the interior of the 2010; and I find the lumbar support/ergonomic adjustments in the 2010 to be a solid improvement over the previous seat and driving position. Of course, the V package deals with the cheap foglight blank issue by adding (surpise!) foglights.

I know that the 2010 is not the final stage of Prius technology and of design execution. For instance, the Japanese domestic market gets two additional, fantastic exterior color choices that I saw in Tokyo a few weeks ago; and the Japanese market gets sideview-mirror turnsignal lights that I sincerely wish we were getting here in the USA. I hope the 4th Generation Prius blows away the 3rd Generation Prius. But until that happens: the 2010 seems to me to be a solid advance over the (great) G2 Prius.

 

With all due respect, I think the only thing Bruno "nailed" was his thumb.

 

Not true TP. The 15" are in fact slightly bigger than the 17".

Don't get fooled by the rim size, there's also a tire there ya know

 

He didn't nail anything. You guys are retaliating for the simple reason Bruno stated and because you are offended for some odd reason. I'll paraphrase Bruno, "I would be looking for flaws in the 2010 to justify his purchase or an earlier model". To me that sounds like a pretty lame exercise, especially when trying to contribute to a message forum such as Prius Chat. As the OP and others have stated, the GenII section of Prius Chat is still Prius Chat, not a separate site and in the end we are all kin if you will. Should you choose to continue with the intent to segregate GenII from GenIII owners please let me know now so I know who to ignore. I do not want to participate in such behavior.

 

You have brilliantly shown why you are a moderator here.
Very well said, thank you.

 

I don't want to look to close at the other exterior details you mention but the gray fog light blanks are a disappointment I have noticed myself. I showed off my Barcelona Red Metallic to a friend and damnit if he didn't go right to the stupid gray colored blanks.

So, I wonder if I couldn't do something about them? Do they pop in and out easily enough so I could get them painted to a durable Barcelona Red Metallic somewhere? I think we should give Toyota hell for such a simple oversight.:violin:

Speaking of appearances, do you all get mud guards front and rear? I didn't on this Prius. It seemed like they provided a way for snow, mud, and ice to build up. Also my salesperson, who I'd like to put a lot of trust in, said that they do affect the airflow/drag but I forget or he didn't say to what degree.

 

On the new Chevy Camaro which can accommodate 17 to 21 inch wheels, they have the technology to accommodate all the sizes from 17 to 21 and show the same spacing from 17 to 21 in the wheel wells. Toyota decided not to incorporate this technology because of cost? I think this is a poor decision on Toyota's part. This is why you see the larger wheel well openings on the 15 inch wheels. If you look closely you can see that Toyota cut corners in other places, such as no tint on the top of the front windshield. That windshield is huge and the sun blinds you because of no tint.

 

What? Did you say something? I stopped listening when I found out you drive a 2010.

Tom

 

The Prii are like children. You shouldn't choose one over the other. Gen I, Gen II, and Gen III all deserve unconditional love. Please love them all like they are your own children.

Peace to all of you!

 

I suppose different people notice different things and that is OK by me. I can barely tell the difference between the Gen II and III when I see them on the road. I guess the small differences in looks are just not very important to me.

 

Look at religions. The closer they are, the harder they fight.

Tom