(Canadian Driver) First Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Tideland Prius, Mar 27, 2009.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    San Francisco, California - The name Prius means “to go before†in Latin, and that seems appropriate for a car that has become the poster car for all gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, and indeed a symbol of environmentally-friendly automotive technology in general.

    Whether the third generation 2010 Prius, which goes on sale in June, 2009, can maintain this leadership position as a new wave of hybrid vehicles enters the marketplace in the next few years, remains to be seen. Toyota is certainly trying hard to keep the Prius ahead of the pack: the new 2010 Prius has been completely redesigned and offers better fuel economy, more power, improved stability and handling, better brakes, more interior and cargo space, a quieter cabin, and more features such as a solar-powered ventilation system and Pre-Collision crash avoidance.

    CanadianDriver First Drives First Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Mar 27, 2009
  2. Tickwood

    Tickwood Active Member

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    #2 Tickwood, Mar 28, 2009
  3. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    Not very likely. The Prius wheelbase - distance between front and rear axles - is 100mm longer than the xB. A platform is a shared set of designs for core components - it's hardly a common component if the axles are 100mm further apart!

    The closest possibility is the Scion tC/Toyota Avensis (European C/D-size car).

    Edit: Scrub that. Toyota platform codes have Avensis = T platform; Scion tC seems to use a different second letter from the second letter of the engine code, which indicates an XT platform (so Scion doesn't use the Avensis platform either).

    The Prius seems to be a platform all of its own: XW. See my other post here. The 2010 car is the third major version, XW30.
     
    #3 Mike Dimmick, Mar 28, 2009
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    We've been hearing all sorts of answers for what chassis it's based on. I'd go straight to Otsuka-san for the answer.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Mar 28, 2009
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