2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

I'm 6' 2" and brought the seat in a little closer than I probably would have otherwise. I don't find it unusual after about a couple of hours driving. I also had to recline the passenger seat a little more than usual in order to get a little head room on that side.

 

if anyone is interested, I just posted my first 2 month's impressions driving my new Prius:
2 Months with the Prius – first impressions Prius 3 experiences from Europe

 

Prius is almost ancient now. Got it on Wednesday.

Wednesday evening we drove to my sisters which is about 80km away in the country and in a very hilly area.

Biggest impression from that trip. That cruise control on the Prius is the best thing since sliced bread. Combination of the radar and the flexibility in setting it quickly to the speed you are targetting is fantastic. Now if only the cruise control "box" did not obscure most of the TRIP A line it would be perfect as with cruise control active you only see the kms part. Do not miss the MFI economy display in this mode as I have the basic economy display showing in the HUD.

David

 

I have mainly owned german cars in recent years and find my wife's new Prius to be pretty much what I've heard regarding the driving dynamics. Zero steering feel, mushy brakes, jarring ride over bumps due to the tires no doubt and the thing does not stay in a straight line on the highway very well. I imagine in a cross wind it will be a handfull. My 16 year old Mercedes and our 2003 VW Passat wagon are both far better in all these areas and handle much better as well. I guess most of these traits are the tradeoffs for the high mileage design, but it seems they could have done better.

 

Not going to pick a fight with you but I disagree on most of the points you make about the 2010, even my 07 Prius is not as bad as you say the 2010 is. Oh I have had several German cars to including 2 Porsche's

Also the 2010 is way better in the handling and joy of driving department then my 07.

I would have to ask how many miles you have driven your wife's car to garner this conclusion.

 

I've only driven my wife's car about 200 miles, but it doesn't take even that much to notice the dead steering, harsh ride or lack of directional stability. I rotate among 3 cars and it's easy to discern the differences among them. I realize the 2010 is somewhat better than the gen 2, but that's not saying much. When I look at the mileage reading on the Prius, I realize it's a remarkable engineering achievement from that standpoint, but it feels like a inexpensive economy car in many respects. And the quality of materials is no better than a Corolla. Most of the materials are very thin and you can tell when you close the doors or press on the fenders with your hand.

 

It's been a couple weeks with Prius, and now I'm ready to share a few thoughts... having switched to the Toyota as my daily driver from a Honda S2000.

My first tank of gas was driven mostly in ECO mode, learning the ins and outs of the car, and trying to maximize my mpgs. That experience can be expressed in one word - slow! Patience is the Prius driving experience in ECO mode.

Working on the second tank now... in Normal and Power modes. This being my first CVT, Prius in Normal mode drives like any other small car. Power mode is where the fun begins! You can rev it up, and go! A baby wolf in a earth-conscious sheep's clothing. I blew away a Scion xB yesterday getting on the freeway - woo hoo!

Overall, the Prius is a quiet car with average handling traits. At normal speeds, steering seems very neutral. Freeway driving seems a little loose, which could be attributed to the 15" wheels and bouncy tires.

The Prius is a car, drive it!

 

Good thoughts.. I agree.. its a car.. drive it!
I try to be energy concious as long as it doesn't cramp my style.
Just driving normal still gets me 53+ mph.... there is always a curve of diminishing returns.

If we put 100% effort to get 3% payback.. its not worth it.

Just enjoy driving the car and over time you will get better and better and become a more efficient driver.

The car has brainwashed me into being a much more conservative driver.... I actually find some people passing me now....

I don't think its so much because I'm trying to save .50 cents worth of gas, but I've gotten out of the habit of being high strung on the highway... I just enjoy the ride and my tunes and cruise!

Humm..... maybe I'm getting old. .....................

 

Traded my 2005 Prius for a 2010 series 4 with Nav

The 2010 Prius :
1. Is smoother riding
2. Handles better--less lean in a turn--more stable tracking
3. Is quieter
4. Is quick in town when using the power mode
5. Leather seat with height adjustment and lumbar support is more comfortable.
6. I'm already averaging 50mpg in town-7 mpg increase over my 2005 Prius
7. Lost some storage space with the new center console
8. Increased trunk room

Without question I'm impressed with the 2010 model

 

Overall it's a great car and the inside is so cool it's a bit like driving a small spaceship. After 5000 miles, including a 2000 mile road trip, I still enjoy the experience of a very comfortable ride and the awesome gas mileage which is almost always well above 50 mpg. Many settings on the car are customizable either from the Nav console or by the dealer. Two I changed were having all doors unlock when I open the driver's door, and disabling the 'beep-beep-beep' noise when in reverse (it only sounds inside the car - not outside!) Overall, the car is surprisingly roomy and easily transports 4 passengers in comfort. The trunk space is pretty good for such a small car - two medium size bags plus the corners make it more suitable for a two-person road trip than a family.

The dashboard layout and electronics take some getting used to - patience and frequent referral to the manual is needed in the beginning. I really liked the sound system and AM-FM-SAT-DVD capability and the ease with which you can swap between them. Lots of 'pooka' space, a HUGE double glove box and the space under the gearshift is great for the wife's purse or a box of Kleenex, etc. The 5000 mile checkup that included oil change (all synthetic), tire rotation, inspection and some computer setting changes was $89 - about right.

But the navigation system was a downer. It does okay locally but I would never use it to plot a long trip - it did very poorly when I tried it between North Carolina and Connecticut. The cost of the annual map update DVD blew me away as well; $199 to $250, depending on who you ask. Toyota deserves some heat for such a poor design and especially the rip-off price for the map update. It does not even BEGIN to compare with the Garmin I bought 2 years ago and the update DVD is 1/2 the cost of Toyota's. Considering the overall high quality of everything else about the car, this was very disappointing. I would not have purchased the nav system had I known this. I hope Toyota does something about this for their current and future owners.

For perspective on how well this car ‘trains’ you how to drive efficiently: After a few weeks in the ECO mode I was very comfy driving the Prius and had fine tuned my habits to its unique style of handling. After about two months of this I hopped into my wife’s Highlander and had one helluva time adjusting my brain back to a big machine – I was sitting way too high, the steering was sluggish and I almost got whiplash from the dramatically different acceleration rates. Dammit – I missed my tight little Prius!

So, all in all, I really like the car. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.

P.S. My old vehicle was a Jeep Liberty - I do NOT miss it one bit!

 

It came from the movie "Dirty Harry" starring Clint Eastwood (if my memory serves...)!

 

I test drove a 2010 Prius last week and was totally blown away by how good of a car it is! I am only 19 years-old but have started saving up for a Prius. A very good car!

 

How funny. I have a Prius 2010 IV and my wife has a 2008 Highlander. She loves hers and I love mine and I too feel like I'm driving a tank when I drive hers.

 

A III with 17" wheels and tires will handle much better than one with 15" wheels. There is a The V has a brushless motor so it takes less turns of the wheel to steer, the V also gives less assist which should be able to be set in the software. These two things make a V have a quicker response and better steering feel than a III with 17" wheels.

Most of us that upgraded wheels got lighter wheels than toyota puts on the V (this includes upgrading the V). We also are likely to put higher performance tires on the car giving it the ability to stick to the road better (better turning, faster braking) at the expense of a bumpier ride and slightly worse fuel economy than the 15" low rolling resistance stock tires.

The leather in the V makes it heavier which should hurt acceleration a little and stress the suspension a little more. I doubt that or the LED lights and fog lights change any of the handling, except the seat is more comfortable.

 

I was talking to the service manager at a local toyota dealer. He said that it costs $150 to change the headlight bulb in the 2010 prius because "you have to drop the entire front bumper assembly to change it".

Is this true?

 

Same here - I was always in the left lane passing with my other cars. My Prius has put me on Valium, I dive the speed limit and always try to get the best mpg. I think all 16 year olds should only be able to drive a Prius.