love or hate the new body style ???

I personally love it ... didn't quite perceive how much until I saw the pic of all 3 gens together.

 

I don't like the big logo with the blue background either, but I think the Gen3 is the best looking Prius so far. That said, the Prius is a very utilitarian looking car in the spectrum of automobile visual design. I'm buying one for the mileage, low emissions, reliability, hatchback cargo/flexibility and technology - the looks are what they are.

If you want a good looking hybrid, you might like the Lexus 250h or supposedly Honda has a 2-seater in their pipeline.

 

Not feeling it, but might grow on me

 

IMO the front end is a 10, the sides an 8, and the rear a 5. If only Toyota managed to blend a bit more roundness, softer angle on the tailights, and a body color wing (all like the gen 2). Personally I like side creases a lot - adds a feeling of solidity, sport, and if I may say masculinity compared to the Gen 2..

3 out of 4...not bad compared with some other auto restyles.

 

I owned my 2004 Prius for 5.5 years. During that time, I took hundreds upon hundreds of photos... heavily documented my experiences... participated in online discussions & debates... created educational materials... and of course, drove over 118,000 miles with it. Needless to say, that's likely more than double what most people do with their vehicle... perhaps more.

From my perspective, the look of this new model kicks butt. I love the rigid lines on it in contrast to the rounded edges of previous. You can't please everyone though... however, flirting with 60 MPG is enough to presuade a closer look.
.

 

There you go oncdoc, side creases make it a man's car. Color doesn't matter...

PS- If my reply has anyone scratching their head, here's the original thread:
http://priuschat.com/forums/2010-toyota-prius/62515-blizzard-pearl-chic-color.html

 

Gen 1 and Gen 2 looked liked grandma's car. We rented a Gen2 for a weekend and enjoyed the car. Toyota used a lot pastel colors to appeal to their retired audience. Seniors love their Toyota's. When they moved that roofline a few inches back to make more headroom in the back seat, the car took on a sports car appearance. I thought it was stunning. It took me a fair bit of time to like the front of the car. I still think it is only okay. For a hatchback the rear end looks ... well.. like a Prius should.

One dealer gave one of their 2010's to one of the television shows to tweak and it was driven back onto the showroom floor to a defining round of applause. They put a body kit on front that made it look really hot. The silver Prius was painted in a two-tone black and silver. The top was black and they brought that black down to the hood. They threw the wheels and tires away and put on some larger wheels that were just stunning. It looked REALLY NICE! I gave it a 12 on a scale of one to ten. It was to die for.

There is a sporty-ness to the new Prius that I really like and it could be made more sporty if anyone wants to spend the money.

Dan

 

To me its no contest. The 2010 is a car that I would actually enjoy owning from a styling perspective whereas our 2004 is certainly not. I think they did a great job.

 

It's growing on me, but I don't think I'll ever like the new headlights. Good thing I don't really care what cars look like - I don't think I've ever seen a car that I would call "beautiful". The closest to Beauty that I've seen in a car has always been in Porsche models...

Dave

 

I like the new design, some colors look better than others. The interior is great too, with the new console and not as much black plastic to collect static dust.

 

The new body style is one of the primary reasons why I decided to buy a new '10 rather than an '09.

 

I love the new body and lines, but I dislike the new front end. It just doesn't look right. It doesn't seem as Prius-like as I would prefer, and it actually looks a bit cheap.

 

I have to say, the 2010 Prius won me over with its new looks. I never would have considered buying a Gen. 2 even if it got 100mpg's. The changes that were made to this car both inside and out has changed the cars look enough to where I am actually excited on owning one. I have said it here in other threads, I have always been a muscle and sports car type and there are certainly many other cars to choose from in the low $30k range (Prius V w/AT) that I could go buy instead, but this is the one I have chosen. The technology, the new look, the space and layout inside and of course the mpg's help as well have made up my mind. Now if it will hurry up and get to the dealer so I can go pick it up!!

 

I find myself taking the trash out more just so I can see my Gen III in the garage. The wife loves that.

 

LOL. Don't picture granny driving this ...



But the pastel colors, maybe.

I really like the 2010 body style. I was an NHRA fan, went to local drag races as a teen, liked the late 70's 'funny cars'. The Prius bears a little resemblance to those cars - they were aerodynamic and had high back ends with a spoiler. Toyota did sponsor a fuel funny car recently and maybe still do.

 

As predicted 6 months ago. Good job Toyota!

 

The photos don't do the Gen III Pri justice... when I saw it in person, I fell in love with it...

...except for the foglight plugs. Those are the only thing that make me go "Wth?" The rest of the car is gorgeous. I can even live with the weird blue stuff on the logos.