2010 Gen 3 Prius versus the Gen 2 Prius - what the pictures tell us

Side by side comparison I posted in the other thread.

 

I must be having one of those 'special' moments.
Are Prius lovers suppose to be excited with the 2010 Prius or a 2010 plug-in version? I am well-read yet can also be confused (possibly from the presidential debates). Is the 2010 Prius consumer going to get a Prius that gets 60 mpg's with better acceleration on electric mode sustaining (up to what MPH?) OR are we really better off waiting for the plug-in?
My biggest frustration with my 2008 Prius is nursing electric power during acceleration period before ICE kicks in. Does anyone know exactly how the 'driver' will experience the difference between generation 2 and generation 3 Prius acceleration-wise and MPG-wise?
Kudos to Prius Chat on the recent 2010 photos.

 

What did we all expect? A Prius that looks like a Ferrari?

Of course not...after all, the Gen2 Prius is butt ugly, IMHO, but hey...we bought it for the MPG's and the environmental impact.

After it became popular with the Hollywood types, then everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon and own one.

I couldn't care less how it looks...I'm looking for a plug in Prius that get's SENSATIONAL mileage, more than the exceptional mileage I get now with my 2005 Prius.

My wife and daughter laughed at me when I bought mine...how could I buy such an ugly car? When gas spiked over $4 per gallon, they all bemoaned to me that their next car would be a Prius.

How minds have changed.

 

Do we know any of the fact's and figures? Like what's the mpg's for the 2010?

 

In other words, accelerate normally for best fuel economy. It's the braking where you need to be extra gentle.

(Attempting to use only electric power while accelerating is using battery power that comes from the generator that comes from the engine or from the brakes that cames from previous acceleration from the engine...not as efficient as using the engine directly).

Okay, back to the thread....

As mentioned in the previous post about the new pictures, it appears the raked-back headlights have been replaced with something a bit tamer in the final (lower-res) pictures, so this point may not be entirely correct.

 

From what Toyota leaked to Edmunds and others last spring I think that we can expect about a 10-15% increase in fuel economy along with a jump in power as well, maybe to 150 hp combined.

In my case at ~ 2.1 gpc ( 48 mpg ) lifetime I'd expect to use ~1.8 gpc ( 53-56 mpg ) on average. Those that now regularly use 1.8 gpc could realistically expect to use ~ 1.6 gpc on average.

 

So the new design looks slightly raked forward.
Are we expecting the increased fuel efficiency as a result of it always going downhill?

 

Hmm...I wonder if it will grow on me.

 

The front end looks a bit longer and sleeker, a small styling improvement. The dashboard is not as good to me as the present model. I prefer the camera higher on the dash so you can see it without taking your eyes off the road. I also prefer the gear shifter out of harms way on the dash--it's hardly used anyways. The present dash, in terms of visibility of indicators and all the right push buttons on the steering wheel, is hard to beat.

The real differences are yet to be seen--probably in the battery system which may still be under development. There will have to be a significant improvement there, since the cosmetics aren't very different.

 

Do not like the grill with the great whacking Circle-T badge hanging luridly out
front like a codpiece or bad boob job. What is is with Toyota, the badge has
been growing steadily over the years. It is now grossly oversized. The
necessary ridge in the hood looks too contrived -- sort of 50's-ish.

Do like the mirrors a la Mini. But I suspect that rules out a folding option. And
why not put side marker/turn sigs out there. For heavens sake, even the lowly
Bug has them, as does the Scion.

The HybridSD badge probably has the fake-o alignment holes again/still.

And why no shot from the back? I wonder what's going on back there.

 

Nice to see all the difference pointed out in detail. I woudln't have noticed some of them. It's nice, though I agree with others that I don't like the center console on the interior. Of course, we don't have our 2009 Prius yet, so the 2010 is irrelevant to our life! We'll be driving our 09 for many years to come.

 

I disagree. I think this is a big improvement in styling. What's wrong with showing off the Toyota badge a bit, so people can actually see it at highway distances? Of course, I was never really a fan of the current style, so any change is likely to be an improvement, as long as it doesn't affect the aerodynamics. I would hate to lose the folding mirror though, much easier and cheaper to straighten one back out than it is to buy a new one.

 

There are a few things i've noticed which others have not said.

the small bumps under the front headlights are power washers. Every lexus model (or i assume) has them.

there are two low beams... that tells me they are LED projectors (they do look similar to the 600hl lights) while there is still a high beam towards the center, possibly blinkers by the lower fogs and possibly above the LED projectors?

 

I love my 05, I like the style changes on the 10, but, at 6'4", I worry about lost head room. I'm anxious to see the specs.

 

The tweeter by the small triangle window is gone. In fact, I don't see any speaker in the interior shots.

 

If you go for the Circle-T badge prominently displayed out front in a big way,
Toyota already is working on the car for you, the iQ:

http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11838&stc=1&d=1224285175

Now there's a face only its mother could love.

Nice sporty headlights too.

Maybe Toyota is saving a variant of this for the PHEV.