3Gen Prius cockpit looks very plastic/cheap inside

I dont know what your looking for here? I don't agree with you. And many more wont. But good luck to you on getting a car. At least you want something with good MPG.

 

I agree in the sense that there is now a bigger difference from the lower packages and the high-end packages. Toyota dropped quite a bit of content to keep the entry level price low. It was probably a good marketing move, but I miss the big MFD and a few other features.

Tom

 

I hear everyone talking about the "cheap plastic". When reading about the 2010 Prius, Toyota praises the new "eco-plastic".
My guess is that this new plastic they use may feel different from what everyone is used to.

 

I had an 05 and drove it for 115,000 miles. I now have a 2010 IV and I don't think it looks cheaper and its a lot better car than my 05 which was a very very good car. The 2010 gets better mileage, has more power, steers and rides better, is quieter, and all the controls are closer. I don't really seen much difference in the interior plastics.

 

I don't think the eco-plastics were used throughout the car, only in certain areas and not on the dash I don't think. Anyone who has ever used corn starch-derived kitchenware will know that the plastics formed from biological sugars tend to have an odd feel to them.

 

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This comment is so old. It's not a Lexus already. What 23K car have you been in that has a luxury interior, what do you expect? I've sat in dozens of cars while searching for something to buy and most of them IN THIS PRICE RANGE are plastic and fake plastic wood. Most of them are full of fake silver plastic which I think looks absolutely awful. Frankly, I like it becuase although it might scratch it looks like it will last a long time. My current car has a fancy, leather trimmed interior and wherever you rest your arm or anything else it gets worn.

 

Well, if your Prius just doesn't have the interior look you desire, you could always take it to a custom shop and have them do an interior make-over like: leather covering over the plastic, rosewood steering wheel, mini disco ball hanging from the rear view mirror, shag carpet, 8-track stereo....

Keith

 

SHAG CARPET, Yeeeaaaa Baabbbbyyy.

 

IMO, the cheesier look is mostly due to the new steering wheel design and the inartful use of silver paint on the steering wheel and elsewhere in the interior.

 

I agree because the 04/05 dash works for me but I very much dislkie the dash on the 06-09s. I guess I've just worked with too much ABS plastic sheeting in my life and that is what it reminds me of. lol

It's all about one's personal preference.

 

You wouldn't think that if you upgraded from a 1993 Toyota Pick-Up like I did.

 

The front dash is bigger than it needs to be - I mean to say, it sticks out more than necessary. It serves no purpose except to attract filth that one needs to clean away. The only good reason to have the dash stick out is if you're going to mount the speakers there. This makes a lot of sense; cars I've owned with such an arrangement reflect the sound off of the hard windshield and rearward producing an acoustical effect that can't be mimicked even if one invests hundreds in a system where the speakers are mounted such that they brush up agianst your pant leg and have all the high notes muffled by upholstery. Sometimes I think the only reason the speaker position was changed was to force people to spend $$$ to get the same level of sound quality they used to get as part of the basic package. But if you're not going to do something useful like that with the front dash then have a small one, providing for more room in front and less surface to clean.

 

You could just mount the speakers on the dash.

 

I agree with the OP. This is why I chose to buy a used 2009 Prius Touring (#5) over a new 2010.

 

Absolutely. They are cutting corners and trying to keep costs down like every other company out there. I could immediately sense the "cheapness" when I sat in the showroom car, as you probably did too. I imagined men in business suits figuring out ways to reduce costs. I don't resent them or dislike the car, but I won't be naive and give them what they want.

So I walked half a block over to the Toyota Certified PreOwned Lot, found a nice 2009 Magnetic Gray Touring and bought it for $24k. A real $24k car.