2010 Features and Impressions

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Tideland Prius, Jan 15, 2009.

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  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I thought I'd list the small little details that made it to the 2010 Prius that might not be obvious at first so I'll be leaving stuff out like the LED headlights and solar panels cause those are the big ticket items



    • Power window switches are illuminated at all positions
    • Express up/down function with jam-protection for all 4 windows
    • Auto-Open power moonroof with two stage opening
    • Ambient lighting (LED shone from above)
    • Felt pads at the base of all 4 door handles/grips
    • Bluetooth Audio available
    • Rear seat headrests flip forward (either for folding the rear seat or for increase rearward visibility)
    • No sound deadening material in rear wheel well
    • Front footwell lighting (amber/orange colour)
    • All 3 blanks on the driver's side solved - manual headlight adjustment (Europe only), solar panel A/C and headlight washer
    • Navigation is still DVD-based (HS250h and Euro versions get HDD)
    • Outside mirror still folds fairly flush with the body and still folds both ways
    • Rear SKS lock button is next to the rear hatch release button
    • Windshield washer nozzles hidden beneath hood
    • Lower glovebox no longer felt-lined and loses a shelf
    • Upper glovebox loses shelf
    • Taillight now LED
    • Underfloor and side underfloor bins still remain but are now fully connected
    • Shifter movement is shortened
    • Navigation system includes traffic
    • Plasmacluster ionizer filter standard
    • Europe still gets a button dimmer switch rather than rotary
    • Front door pockets only the size of a bottle
    • Misty Grey is the only two-tone interior option
    • No mention of Safety Connect even though the cars were equipped with an SOS button
    • Cupholders still not adjustable
    • VSC not VDIM
    • Rear windows completely drop into the door panel
    • Rear hatch has both left and right pull-down cavities
    • Spare tyre is still painted yellow
    • Tool kit now in the spare tyre compartment rather than in the underfloor bin/box
    • Hood still held up by prop rod, not struts
    • 15" rim has a wheel cover and it's a full cover not a ring
    • Wing mirrors appear to have greater surface area
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Jan 15, 2009
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Only the tail light is LED. The turn, license plate, and reverse lights are still incandescent.

    Safety Connect won't be available until Fall 2009.

    Some of mine (may be previously covered):

    • Doors auto-unlock when shifting into park, and presumably lock when in motion.
    • Removing the key from the car (out of SKS range) while on pops up a message on the upper MDF noting that the key is out of range.
    • Oil filter is now in a different location, possibly the right rear corner (based on cut-away view)
    • The front/rear emblem does not glow - it was just the lighting from above.
    • Hazard light switch is momentary vs. depressed/unpressed (cycled).
    • DRL's are similar to other current Toyota models now - amber and dedicated in the front facia.
    • Entering the options menu for the upper MFD involves a series of pressing and holding or quick pressing the wheel mounted DISP button.
    • Light touch on the wheel buttons light up in front of the MDF, but a full depress is still required to activate the function.
    • Same warning beep used to warn that the key is missing when the door is closed, but the car is in an "on" state.
    • For cars equipped w/ entry lighting, the front doors have the glowing PRIUS logo, but the rear doors do not.
    • Rear cargo area is slightly wider at the wheel wells thanks to the redesigned battery vent.
    • Although the engine is belt-less, the crankshaft pulley is retained.
    • Although the MAP DVD is up in the dash, the NAV ECU still lives under the driver's (left) seat. There is an open plug w/ a yet to be determined function.
    • Both the NAV ECU and amplifier seemed to have clipped down covers, no more easier access to the NAV ECU.
    • I couldn't find the rear seat floor heat vents.
    • Under the passenger seat, there's a pop-up panel to reveal the frame VIN number.
    • The dash texture has been revised, as spotted in several photos.
    • The same sweeping/articulating wiper design has been retained.
    • Both the MAP DVD and 4 disc changer are accessible under the NAV screen
    • The same finger dance is used to access the service menus on the NAV MFD, however some of the options have changed within the menu itself. Holding display will reset the MFD back to "normal". The radio is still silenced during the service menu display.
    • The clock is displayed within the MFD, though still apparently set by hand. A time zone and DST offset can be chosen, which may suggest that GPS may be used to set if avaialble. Was hard to say as I had to set the clock in the one car I was testing and we were indoors which blocked the GPS signal.
    • Power door lock mechanisms "sound" newer.
    • Parking brake pedal surface appears smaller than previous.
    • Despite the size, map lights are not activated by pressing the lens, rather separate switches.
    • Fuel filler requires screwing in again, but the clicking is single click vs. racheting. Fuel door release location is unchanged and cable operated.
    I'm sure others could note more fine details.
     
    #2 HTMLSpinnr, Jan 15, 2009
  3. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    The pretty logo in my avatar is the emblems on the radar-equipped model. It is paint, not light. Front and rear have the same blue "glow" paint. It is apparently something to do with the radar function.
     
    #3 Rae Vynn, Jan 16, 2009
  4. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    Cool! And it also serves as a subtle warning to the rest of the world that the driver can't drive or parallel park. :rolleyes:
     
    #4 Boo, Jan 16, 2009
  5. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I was told by the product development guy the blue logos were standard and that they were an "after thought" from the other two cars - a "last minute change".

    They appeared more like decals, not paint, as there was half-tone screening to get the fade effect.
     
    #5 HTMLSpinnr, Jan 16, 2009
  6. talonts

    talonts VFAQman

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    I was told by a Toyota guy (I wouldn't say who, even if I remembered) that the blue logos were a "Japanese styling thing". I came up to him and asked if he wanted input on the various logo treatments on the car, and he said sure. I said please do NOT use the logo on the blue car - a full 1" deep 3D logo will be a complete nightmare to clean and wax. Then I noted that the grey car had a nice smooth logo, but the blue would not cut it. His response? "THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT!" We then got into a discussion on US vs Japanese styling, and he said the Japanese designers really, really like the blue, and he agrees with me that the US folks are most likely going to hate it on some colors (it's going to look HORRID on a Barcelona Red car). He noted they've had discussions on it, but the Japanese designers aren't "getting" the US viewpoint. I told him if they want that fade effect, use white or silver, it would go with any paint color.

    Now for the fun part - he noted that there would most likely be a JDM part without the blue (similar to the black chrome logos you can get now for the 2G), and he promised that if the final product comes with blue logos, that the second he had the JDM part #, he'd make sure that we'd find out that part #.

    He noted that after I said if it came with blue, I'd probably have to remove the logos, sand the back of them until the blue disappeared, and repaint them before reinstalling them ;-)
     
    #6 talonts, Jan 16, 2009
  7. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Here are mine:

    • Hood's prop rod can stand on two positions for different height.
    • The wipers are frame-less aerodynamic blades.
    • The brake LEDs now use 88% less energy than the Iconic model's LEDs.
    • Low beam LED headlamps use 20% less energy than the Halogen (My calculation: 44W Vs. 55W).
    • Backup camera video quality looks better.
    • Reverse beep is still there.
    • The radio antenna screws on the 'sharkfin' shape base.
     
    #7 usbseawolf2000, Jan 17, 2009
  8. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Retract from my previous, digging through pictures (the Picasa album has been updated), I did find the rear floor heater vents below the nav ecu and amp. Not sure being under is that great for fear of overheating those components in some situations...
     
    #8 HTMLSpinnr, Jan 17, 2009
  9. carz89

    carz89 I study nuclear science...

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    A couple questions for anyone who attended the show:

    1. How does the LCD brightness compare with the Gen 2 Prius MFD? What about glare from light entering the windows? Depending on your heading and the sun angle, it can be a definite nuisance in the Gen 2.

    2. How is the rear window visibility? I've gotten used to it in my Gen 2, but the crossbar in the rear hatch has always bothered me to some degree.
     
    #9 carz89, Jan 17, 2009
  10. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    The lower glovebox no longer has the deep pocket at the back that held mapbooks and manuals so nicely.

    I tried folding the seats flat, but couldn't do it. I thought I had moved the front seat all the way forward, and I removed the headrest - temporarily. Maybe the front seats are taller?
     
    #10 hyo silver, Jan 17, 2009
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I hope the reverse beep is defeatable!

    Interesting comment on the quailty of the image. I thought the MFD screen buttons didn't look any better than the current hi-res monitor. Do you think the camera has been improved or the MFD screen (or both)?
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Jan 17, 2009
  12. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    looked closely at the driver's side profile picture of 2010 ...

    Words that come to mind -

    Bolder, sexier, sleeker to name a few.

    The more vertical front end gives a stronger look.

    Crest in the roof obviously moved back, increased rear headroom. Maybe even increased roofline view for driver.

    Rearend profile much improved. Gone is the rounded-in shape up to the spoiler which gives a bit of wanky-butt look to the 2nd Gen.

    Steeper rake / downward slope of top of doorlines - looks sportier there

    Good job Toyota! Don't worry, you'll sell tons of these :)
     
    #12 cycledrum, Jan 17, 2009
  13. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    Great lists of the new features, guys! I'm glad you guys were all working your fingers off while I was sampling the bar offerings. ;)
     
    #13 darelldd, Jan 17, 2009
  14. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I was chatting up the models. Those women were very tall (at least when you are my height).

    Tom
     
    #14 qbee42, Jan 17, 2009
  15. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    As to Japanese stylist's love for the blue background for the Circle-T badges,
    blue appears to be the "eco" color in both Europe and Japan.

    As a way to discourge its use on NA cars, perhaps someone with the right
    connections should tell Toyota that the blue has a wholly different association
    here. To my eye, it looks a whole lot like what back in the day was called
    "Chevrolet Racing Blue." Further, it looks suspiciously like the shade of blue
    used in the two broad racing stripes on the Ford GT-40 and some Shelby
    Mustangs. :eek:

    The Prius is supposed to be leading edge, not derivative, especially in the
    corporate logo. :eek:
     
    #15 Rokeby, Jan 17, 2009
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    At least it's not red like the JDM Honda Type-R emblems.
     
    #16 Tideland Prius, Jan 17, 2009
  17. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hmm, I've noticed that there are two types of overhead console - one for those with Safety Connect (you get the nice shiny black disc) and one without (you get a standard plastic switch for the dome light only)
     
    #17 Tideland Prius, Jan 20, 2009
  18. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    My concern with the logo was not so much the color (though I'd probably prefer the "without" than the "with"), but the size of the logo. Didn't it appear to be much larger?
     
    #18 a priori, Jan 20, 2009
  19. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    The logo is a moot point. It generally comes off with the first blind pedestrian...

    Tom
     
    #19 qbee42, Jan 20, 2009
  20. gak27

    gak27 Prius, Take Two

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    >Doors auto-unlock when shifting into park, and presumably lock when in motion.

    Jeez, I hope not. I personally despise autolock doors (almost as much as using child locks on doors for school age children...)

    On a more hopeful note, I read in one of the reviews that the front seats will have more legroom/longer travel; wouldn't it be great if the rails were compatible with the 2G models?

    greg
     
    #20 gak27, Jan 20, 2009
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