We plan to really USE our new Prius & want to protect our new leather seats from our dogs, so we'll order seat covers. Are the rear seats the same width/height? Also, because we'll use our new Prius on our weekly beach cleanups, we'll get a cargo liner. We have read that the 2010 rear cargo space with all seats in place has 21.4 cubic feet (versus 2009's 14.4 cubic feet), that's a LOT of difference. It's brilliant engineering to get the huge increase in interior cargo space from only an increase of 1.4" in the total length, width, & height dimensions. Chief Engineer Akihiko Otsuka and the whole 2010 Toyota Prius team gets a VERY BIG THANKS from us. Allowing us to carry more trash is just another way the Prius is good for the earth!
When I read your post I thought your numbers must have included some typos, but then I checked the numbers, and wow. The one huge grumble I have about our 2005 is that, at least for a mid-sized hatchback, the cargo space is disappointing. This would be fine, except for the fact that we have an infant and a huge amount of baby gear to carry around. Do people who have owned both a Gen2 and a Gen3 notice a major difference, in practice?
Yes! We picked our 2010 up a couple of weeks ago. We drove the 05 134 miles to the dealership loaded to leave on a 750 mile road trip. The pick up of the 2010 was a surprise to my wife. Thefloorspace of the cargo area was loaded with luggage and one was in the back seat. After transferring to the 2010, there was enough space left for the bag from the back seat.
This is excellent news and I'm surprised it has not gotten more news coverage. If the measurements signify real (usable) space with the rear seats up, then this means ~40% more cargo area than the Gen II (and, for that matter, the 2010 Insight...).
It depends on how it's measured. The 04/05 was rated at 16 cu ft. It magically dropped to 14.4 in 2006. Why? What did they change. It sure as heck doesn't look like a 16 cu ft storage area. (Our Camry was 16 cu ft and it was huge... of course there are the 20 cu ft of the full size luxury cars). I'm still sceptical and I think the 21 cu ft is basically the entire cargo area from floor to rear window. In Canada, it's rated at 15.x cu ft. So if you want to compare apples-to-apples, the cargo space has increased by 0.5-1 cu ft. That's still pretty good.
