2010 Prius Driving Impressions Thread

Class, today we are going to discuss the new 2010 Toyota Prius!!!
I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Los Angeles event, and I must say my wife and I had a marvelous time!!!
As far the car and my driving impressions, here goes!

1- The drivers seat has that better kushy hand like feel that really sets yer butt down into it. It's better than the current seat. While driving I felt more comfortable, and relaxed. This added to the enjoyment of the drive. I felt a little more set in place!

2 - The newly designed and placed information screen for monitoring systems, while it looks cool, and does more than the current MFD, is nice to look at while the car is standing still, HOWEVER, if you try to monitor it as we now monitor in a Gen 2, your gonna have a tough time. I specifically set it to the basic system info screen, to check MPG and pulse and glide, etc. I almost had a accident while watching it, and trying to concentrate on driving. I ended up just giving up on that task. I think it's just too small to be as effective as the Gen 2 MFD. It may be that it will just take time for users to monitor and drive at the same time, but I just prefer the old MFD display! It was easier to read! I wish that info could be read on the new MFD display screen.

3 - The increased HP while not much, does add considerable zip to the car. I kind of enjoyed that! It is a little quicker off the line.This would be an important asset, say, if your merging onto a FAST and crowded freeway. To play Speed Racer with it, is just gonna shoot yer MPG in the butt! You also don't get that screaming sound out of the ICE that you now get if your over 3k RPM. The handling on the road test seemed to be about the same as the Gen 2. The car I drove seemed a little tighter, I.E. Steering, Braking, but that could be just that it had very low miles on it! If however, they did tighten it up, and it stays that way for the life of the car, SWEET!

4 - I really enjoyed the new JBL system. The speaker placement and the fact the center speaker is gone makes for a much better aural experience!!

5 - If you are looking for a RADICAL driving improvement over a GEN 2, in my case a 2008, your going to be dissapointed. You will find, some power improvements, a change in the dash layout, and the center console that now extends up into the dash. It made me feel confined as I was driving, but not horribly. Some folk will absolutly love the feel, it was just too tight for me!! The test drive lasted about 10 minutes. I only drove it once, there were others who had multiple goes at it. They will undoubtedly have more comments than I do.

6 - The fact the MPG has gone up, while a good thing, may be negated by folk using that extra HP to zip around quicker and thus lose track of the MPG, and dropping the actual MPG!

7- The interior sound level, generated by road noise was tough to determine. While it seemed more quiet, the roads we were driving on were quite smooth and thus the drive was indeed quiet. Get her out on a freeway, and I am sure the noise levels will rise. That being said, I personally do not find the noise level of my Gen 2 to be objectionable. If the Gen 3 has even better noise damping, GREAT! I just could not tell from the test drive I took.

8 - The intelligent park assist, while it is VERY COOL, is just not not an option that I would be going out of my way to purchase. It still relys on your feet on the gas and brake to regulate the speed of the park operation, but the range finding and steering are controlled by the car. Don't get me wrong, the technology involved here is rather anmazing, and having ridden along on a parking demo, I was very impressed. If it were part of an options Pkg, and I had to purchase it, say to also have the Moon Roof Solar option I would go for it. Otherwise, I pass! After parking a 4Runner since '93, this little baby, is a cinch to place is a proper sized slot!

9 - The Moon Roof and Solar Panel pkg, is great. I loved the fact that I could slide the roof back, and see the sky! Thats one feature that I always enjoyed on my 4Runner. The thought of coming back to a car that is NOT boiling hot, I WANT THAT Solar Panel Fan OPTION!!!

10 - The air flow in the car is still BAD! I was, and still am, used to cracking the tailgate window down about a inch or so with the 4Runner and achieving a nice flo thru ventilation. I wish that they would have made the little window on the hatchback able to be opened, not a lot, but enough that as you drive with all the windows up, you could have a nice flow of air thru the vent system without cracking one of the rear door windows, and thus raising the interior noise level of the car! AC, while nice, is an option that I just do not use all that often! I turned off the AUTO system on my car, and just run vents, and some heat in the early AM.

11- The fact that the power train is 25% lighter, and has less parts that are apt to go bad is a great plus! The technology here really is amazing! The HV battery is smaller, lighter in weight, a plus! Sadly no Plug In option, yet! I would really like to see a Toyota retrofit kit for the Gen 2's come out! I want to use some of the kWh's that I generate with my home Solar System to go into the car.

12 - The body styling is just slightly different than a Gen 2, a little more squared off, but still pleasing to the eye!

13 - Last Comment.... If I lost my Barcelona Red Baby today, I would have a tough choice. Do I want to spend that little? extra and get a 2010, or just grab a 2009 and move on! I think I would probably rent a 2010, and drive it for a couple of days at least, and see if I could enjoy it as much as I have my Gen 2! Either route you choose, if you buy a Prius, your still a WINNER!!!!!

All in all, I really enjoyed the experience. The car was responsive, smooth running and just a delight to drive. I think Toyota has come up with a real winner here, I just wish the pricing would be revealed. I gots to know!!!

I would like to thank Toyota for the invite to the event, the wife and I really enjoyed it. She really has her eye set on that Blue! She just loved the color. When her Solara poops out, almost a oxymoron in the Toyota world, I think she will go for the 2011 Blue! Time will tell
Prius Team, A Good Job Lads, AttaBoy and hearty Well Done are in order for all of you !!!

Thank You, Pat & Margie Sullivan

 

2010 Prius Preview: A Hypermiler's perspective.

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
0		Column 1 0 May 25th	2009
1	by Dan Bryant	ECO LLC.
2	Tucson Press Preview
3	Eco LLC Blog[/I]

[/table]Clamoring around the small fleet of pre-production Priora (Prius'es) were a gaggle of reporters all interested, in their own way, as to what Toyota had up their sleeve with the new 2010 Prius. Each had their own expectation, and each had their own set of questions as the day began. I, in many regards was likely the odd man out. The black sheep ringer pulled in from the Houston Hybrid Club to really see just what this car was capable of. I did not aim to disappoint.

1. Increase Fuel Economy
2. Answer demands for more aggressive styling and design.
3. Advanced tech to make the Prius the must have gadget of 2010.
4. Increased performance to make the Prius quicker, more agile, and more responsive.

As the Hypermiler Ringer in the crowd, my attention was zeroed in on objective #1. I remained both curious and sceptical as to how the rest of the goals would fall into place without sacrificing fuel economy though.

Pouring over the technical documents (not in short supply) and listening to the presentations, fuel economy did in fact seem better. There were dozens of refinements. Over 90% of the Prius is redesigned.

The first, and most obvious tweak to improve FE was the air-foil. The new design achieves an astonishing drag coefficient of 0.25 Cd, which is expected to be the on of the lowest drag coefficient of any mass produced car (the original Honda Insight ties it). To hit that number they've moved high point of the car (top of the hump) back about 4 inches. They added harder edging down the body and around the bumper to better channel air-flow. But the big surprise is under the car. At long last they have added under-body panels to reduce the chaotic air flow under the car. Other changes include a larger lower grill and smaller upper grill intake as well as a slightly longer spoiler similar to the 2009 Touring Prius.

Another major component to go on the Fuel diet was the Motor Generator 1 and 2. Both of the MGs were made smaller and more efficient. MG2 now operates at a much higher peak RPM of 13,500. The inverter/converter is now more tightly integrated into the cooling loop allowing the design to shrink in size and weight without suffering thermally. Efficiencies were added to the new gas engine as well. Coolant is now circulated through the exhaust system at start-up, reducing warm up by upwards of 3 minutes. This improvement allowed the coolant thermos to be discarded saving a marginal amount of weight. The new engine also has a confirmed EGR system designed to better equalized pressure across the engine further reducing losses.

Now, while many components of the engine were getting smaller, some were getting bigger. The coolant pump, previously belt driven, is now it's own electric pump. Although this may add a marginal amount of weight, there are big savings by reducing the vampire load that the pump previously had off of the drive-train. Another change that seems to initially conflict with the mission of fuel-efficiency was the added 300 cc's of displacement. The new Prius will be sporting a 1.8 liter engine compared to the smaller 1.5 liter in the current 2009 models. Although this bloat can add some weight, the logic in it becomes clear when the highway fuel efficiency numbers are examined. By adding a larger engine the 2008 EPA test cycle scores the 2010 Prius improved highway rating of 48 mpg. The technical documentation intend to spin the larger engine as purely targeting increased fuel efficiency, but I couldn't help but notice that the zero-to-sixty time seemed to drop below 10 seconds.

Now, beyond to obvious improvements in the body design and engine / generator design, there seemed to be an almost full rewrite in the control software. As much as I would have loved to get a peak of some of that code, but that was not something I was privy too. Reasons for re-authoring these software components are obvious, but for the hypermiling community there is a cost. Much of the 2004 design had been reverse-engineered to the point that properly programmed ScanGauge could pluck communication bouncing from one control system to the other. This was wonderful if you happened to be interested in some of the finer minutia of vehicle operation, as many hypermilers are. Although there are probably significant improvements in the new software, the downside is that veteran Prius pilots are now going to be stripped of all the extra prius-hacking data that they have grown to love. But, on the plus side, there is a whole new mystery of control logic to unwind for those new Prius hacking pioneers.

Well, with the groundwork laid, I was ready to take my little beauty for a test drive. This brings me back to the gaggle of reporters huddled around the Priora (Prius'es). While the master of ceremonies released us with "drivers start your (electric) engines", I was busily wiggling myself under the nearest Prius to marvel at those wonderful under-body panels. It wasn't until that particular Prius was claimed that I realized the Prius stable was rapidly emptying. After a quick conference with the organizers I ascertained that there were two base models. One was driving off, but a bit of running landed me in the second one before the guy behind me got to claim it. Although I was interested in the gadgetry in the fully loaded models, the base models, with their 15" tires, and lighter body were what was interesting me. As you move to the larger 17" rims and added options, fuel efficiency will (marginally) fall off.

In the pilots seat, the very first thing I noticed, was the presence of the ever familiar EV button. Previously only reserved for Prius Hackers on the 2009 model, the 2010 comes with an EV button stock. Beside the EV button are two other drive mode buttons, ECO mode and PWR mode. All in all, the new Prius allows 4 new drive modes:

1. Normal - This is the mode the EPA rates the Prius fuel efficiency under.
2. ECO Mode - This mode improves fuel efficiency by smoothing out throttle requests.
3. PWR Mode - This mode improves performance by boosting throttle requests.
4. EV Mode - This mode allows the vehicle to be driven on batteries only, if conditions permit

Behind the wheel, the first thing I had to become familiar with was the new instrument panel. One interesting redesign is that all of the driving info is up by the speedometer in the HUD display. The good side of this is that drivers aren't looking down onto the NAV unit's LCD to get feedback, the bad news is the information is compressed and a bit harder to digest, and if you ever get refused EV mode, the error message covers the display for about 2 seconds.

The primary system displays on the new 2010 model are presented on 4 toggleable screens, in the same way the 2009 toggles between "Energy Display" and "Consumption":

1. Energy Display - This is exactly like the 2009 display and should be familiar.
2. Past Record - This shows your MPG on all your previous trip rests (tanks).
3. Consumption Display - Similar to the 2009 Consumption screen, but can show consumption in either 1 minute or 5 minute increments.
4. Hybrid System Indicator - Totally new screen that shows how much battery or engine power is being utilized.

As I drove off on the first route, the new design did feel a bit larger. The weight reduction in some systems is offset by the larger engine and body, and the final product is about 110 lbs heavier. Since I had a passenger, the net impression was somewhere between a 2009 Prius and a 2009 Camry Hybrid. Trying to Hypermile the 2010 exactly like the 2009 doesn't work either. These are essentially deferment beasts. The premise is the same, but the feel is definitely different. I began to try to feel out the differences.

First among these differences was optimal acceleration. The 1.8L engine coupled with the Eco-Mode setting put (what felt like) optimal acceleration at a much heavier throttle than I was accustomed to. The next major difference was the EV button. The 2010 Prius seems much more finicky about when and where you can toggle the EV button. An ev-button-hacked 2009 Prius, fully warmed up (160 °F), with sufficient charge (5 bars) will enter EV so long as your driving below 30 mph. For the 2010 Prius, this seemed to be a bit more elusive. At lower speeds (below 20 mph) toggling EV was permitted, but at the higher speeds (25 - 30 mph) all attempts to toggle EV seemed to be refused.

When I finished my first run with the new Prius, I felt a little disappointed. My first run on the River Route yielded moderate results:

	Column 1	Column 2
0	2010 Prius on River Route
1	Distance:	21.5 mi
2	Average Speed:	24 mph
3	Fuel Efficiency:	82.5 mpg

​

For second spin around Tucson, I yielded my seat as we went through the Mountain Route. After going through a hypermiling preview with me, he was ready to see what kind of power the new Prius could deliver. Switching to Power Mode, we were off and running.

The new Power Mode does deliver what it advertises. In power mode, the throttle is adjusted to provide more power when RPMs are optimal. On the steep mountain grades this provided ample acceleration to meet most anyones expectations of a 4 cylinder engine. Off the line acceleration in Power Mode is also surprising. Initial acceleration with pack assist has always been good, but there is an extra kick that the larger engine provides to fill in the gaps. The net result is a constant and consistent acceleration from low to high speed for those who require it.

After we got back, I hooked up my gauges, ate lunch and prepared for our final run. I was ready to lay it on the line for the MPG competition to see what I could get out of the new contender in fuel efficient autos. The route the competition was on was 38 miles, with dozens of lights, traffic, four miles of highway, and significant hills to navigate. Certainly not an optimal hypermiler course.

Impressed with some of the readings I saw on the Mountain Route, I switched my display to Hybrid System Indicator. This display was basically a throttle indicator broken into 4 main segments. On the far left a "CHG" area indicating that throttle is light enough that regen is engaged and the batteries are charging. On the far right is a PWR area indicating that you are out near peak power (red-line). As you apply throttle the Indicator will fill from left to right. When your throttle reaches the middle of the display, the engine will turn on. This simple interface provides as simple way for you to maintain throttle and predict when your about to light the engine. Everything a hypermiler needs.

With a ScanGauge and the Hybrid System Indicator up, I started on the route working on a Pulse and Glide regiment. The basic idea is to accelerate at peak throttle ("pulse") till you reach around 30-40 mph, then let off the throttle just enough to let the engine cut off, to "glide" down to a lower speed of 20-30 mph. Once I went into my first pulse, I realized why my previous drive yielded such low numbers. I was pulsing with far too little throttle. After about two or three attempts, I found the 1600-1700 RPM range I was seeking. Once I found the sweet spot in the throttle it was easy to repeat by watching the Hybrid System Indicator. Filling the "fat" bar up about 3/4 of the way seemed to be perfect and consistent.

Once I had the "pulse" down, the next step was to figure out the best way to "glide". In the 2009 and previous Prius, I would have to come almost completely off the throttle to coax the engine of. Much to my surprise, the 2010 Prius is far less particular. Once warmed up, the engine will consistently cut of (reverting to electric propulsion) whenever the Hybrid System Indicator is on the left of the middle divider. Unlike previous models, you don't have to come off the throttle, simply ease up on it a bit, and the engine will cut out just as you would expect.

Although there was only a short amount of highway driving on the route, its presence proved useful in checking for good highway modes of driving. In the current (2009 and previous) Toyota hybrids, there is a definite efficient mode that can be coaxed on the highway. At very light throttle, Motor Generator 1 seems to back off of charging the pack and direct all available power from the engine to the drive train. In Hypermiler circles, this is called Super Highway Mode. Once I got up to speed on the highway, I backed off the throttle till the RPMs dropped below 1300 RPMs and the Hybrid System Indicator was just past center. Sure enough a few seconds later I could feel MG1 release and see MPG jump to the 70-80 range. Just what I had hoped.

Since the start and end of the MPG route were at the highest elevation, most of the run was over 100 MPG, reading 99.9 for CONS on the display. Unfortunately the last 3 miles of the course required the steep climb back to the finish line, and physics set in. The final numbers yielded:

	Column 1	Column 2
0	2010 Prius on MPG Route
1	Distance:	38.7 mi
2	Average Speed:	22 mph
3	Fuel Efficiency:	90.6 mpg

​

These were results I could live with, but I was still a bit curious. Could I have done better in my 2007 Prius? The answer was staring me in the face... literally. As I turned in the keys to the Master of Ceremonies and received my Prize of Undisclosed Value (for winning the MPG run), I saw that some of the organizers were working around a 2009 Prius they had out on rental. With very little coaxing I was offered up the 2009 Prius to run through the same course for some head-to-head numbers. Since the event was winding down I took the 2009 Prius out for a solo run. This meant it was lighter without a navigator. I was also able to hook up both of my ScanGauges to get the full detailed system information that was not available in the 2010. And finally with over 30,000 miles of experience hypermiling the older model, I was expecting this to be a close race.

Since my second run was later in the afternoon, the 2009 Prius had a bit more traffic to contend with. The temps were about the same on both runs, and I ensured that the starting charge was the same, at approximately 5 bars on the battery display. The numbers from turn to turn, and segment to segment were almost identical. The two didn't really separate until the last three miles on the assent back to the finish line. The final numbers for the 2009 Prius were:

	Column 1	Column 2
0	2009 Prius on MPG Route
1	Distance:	38.8 mi
2	Average Speed:	21 mph
3	Fuel Efficiency:	89.6 mpg

​

This was something that did surprise me. The new 2010 redesigned Prius proved better on the MPG run than the 2009 model that I am familiar with. The new 2010 also provided a larger engine and an increase in net system horsepower of over 20%. The new model has noticeably more aggressive styling (less frumpy, more sporty). And finally, the new model comes with a laundry list of new features (to name a few):

• Heated Seats.
• Lumbar Support.
• Solar Cell supplemented AC controls.
• LED head-lights and tail-lights.
• iPhone bluetooth MP3 steaming.
• Four selectable driving modes.
• EV button.
• More trip computers (Trip A mpg and Trip B mpg).
• Sunroof.
• Pre-collision system.
• Lane Keep Assist.
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
• Intelligent Parking Assist.
• Knee Airbags.

The new design of the Prius will still give Hypermilers the big numbers they strive for, but the real improvement will likely be seen by the every day driver. With "ECO-Mode" enabled, most "normal" driving will likely meet or beat EPA ratings on the vehicle. The new warm up cycle with coolant getting heated by exhaust will also be a hit for those with short commutes frustrated at poor mileage performance. In all, it looks like Toyota did deliver on it's objectives. Better fuel economy, more performance, better styling, and enough gadgetry to make the most discerning technophile grin.

 

Driving impressions, eh?
Disclaimer:
I didn’t get a chance to look at my mileage or anything like that. I don’t think I would have been a good candidate for that anyway – my 2006’s mileage is currently less than 40 mpg (I blame winter gas). Additionally, my views are those from a gadget enthusiast and not so much from a mileage or environmental enthusiast. Basically, to me the Prius is a cool car with lots of toys – the mileage and (relative) environmental-friendliness are side perks. Finally, this posted review is just of the driving portion, and not of the whole car, which I think is great.

Background:
The model I drove was the one with the solar/moon roof. Having never owned a vehicle with a moon roof, I must say it’s pretty neat but certainly not something to choose over the Advanced Technology package. I didn’t get to see the solar-powered fan system in action (I hear it only works automatically at a certain temperature difference between the inside and outside, and only when the vehicle is off.)

Impressions:
Upon driving, the first thing I noticed was that all of the controls were a lot tighter and stiffer, in a good way. The steering wheel felt more solid and sturdy, the gear selector didn’t snap back with a loud click, the gas and brake pedals didn’t feel like passive spring-loaded levers and had more resistance/feedback when pressed, and the parking brake travel was shorter resulting in more resistance sooner.
The seats were comfortable and leather (not a big fan of leather, but these were okay). Telescopic steering was a nice feature, which let me sit further back and still have the steering within reach. This addressed my concern for my knees hitting the dashboard in my 2006 if I were ever to get into an accident. The point is moot though, as the new model has a drive-side knee airbag for that very purpose. Didn’t need to try the lumbar support or height adjustment – they were just fine (maybe I should thank the driver before me) but for the record, I don’t have issues with the seats on my 2006.
The controls are well laid out, all within reach of the driver, although the modes buttons are a little awkward being on the other side of the gear selector. I like how the navigation screen no longer bulges above the dashboard, although the plethora of control buttons isn’t as appealing. I kind of liked it better when we had screen controls with the buttons being screen selectors. Also, touch tracer is pretty cool, but I dislike having to hold down buttons to navigate menus for settings. It’s not really that bad though – it just takes time to get used to new things.

On the road, I found that the rear-view mirror blocked my view of cross-traffic to my right, just like it does in the current model. Not having the time to flip it upside-down (I don’t think Tony, the Toyota guy in my car, would have liked it anyway) I left it alone. Rear visibility is about the same – no problems – with the center bar across the middle. For the record, I’m 5’10â€.
As for regular acceleration, it felt about the same as the current model, but a bit quieter (less engine noise, no noticeable whine of the electric motor). Additionally, it might have just been my imagination, but Toyota must have tweaked the aerodynamics of the sides of the car, too, because with all four windows down and the roof open, cabin noise was still decently low (at least for the front seats) at 35 mph. On my 2006, 35 mph with the windows down means raising voices in order to have a conversation. Putting the car into Power mode was something else. Taking off from a stop sign, I heard and felt the engine come on sooner. I could tell we were going faster, sooner, too. Although not a problem in my current car, merging onto the freeway will definitely be easier in this mode for the new model. (I had the gas pedal down about 2/3 of the way on that satisfactory straight-away. I might have had to floor it in my 2006 for the same effect.)
I wish I could have taken it out for a spin on the freeway to get an impression of high speed driving, but that was out of the scope of the event.
Great event. I must say it's pretty cool to be allowed to test drive a car that's not out yet. Good for Toyota, too, I've been telling everyone I know about it.:cheer2:
Thanks Danny, Toyota, and everyone else for making it happen.

 

Thank you very much!
What I gots to know is what colors are going to be available (interior and exterior)!!!!
What did you see besides the Blue?

 

1st can you tell me from which movie the line "I gots to know" came from?

As far as colors I saw a Barcelona Red, Black, Magnetic Gray, Silver, Spectra Blue Mica, and I believe there are 2 new colors replacing 2 colors they are discontinuing.

Fellow P.C.er's help me out here!!!!

I love the Red, my wife is HOT on the Blue!!! We'll see!

 

WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!! So many great things and a different view point on each. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! If only pricing was out so I could decide sunroof or no sunroof then I would have gone in to order mine TODAY! lol
:cheer2: I am so excited and now can't wait till mid-April.

 

Speaking of sunroofs...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq_JbG6B_-0"]YouTube - 2010 Toyota Prius Moon Roof[/ame]

 

I have a 2006 Prius with package 7 (everything except leather) and I test drove the 2010 Prius at an event in San Francisco. I really like the retractable moonroof and the solar cells to power a fan to keep the car cool when you leave it parked in the sun. However, there are a number of decisions which I really wonder about:

- There is a new center console that intrudes into the passenger cabin and completely separates the driver and passenger seats, something like the console in a commercial jet.
- The front cupholders have been moved from the front of the armrest to inside the armrest and the aux power and audio input are moved from the front wall of the compartment to the bottom so that a spill will go into the armrest compartment and into the power and audio jacks instead of onto the front mats. OUCH!
- The back cupholders have been moved from the back of the front armrest to a new armrest built into the back seat. A spill will go onto the seats instead of onto the rear mats. OUCH AGAIN!
- I hate leather seats with a vengeance. I won't even allow leather furniture into my house. In the 2010 Prius the cool electronics package is combined with leather. No leather, no cool electronics (Smart Key System, Auto-Dimming Mirror with Homelink, Voice-Activated Navigation System and Backup Monitor, Tilt/Slide Moonroof, Solar Powered Ventilation System, and Remote Air Conditioning System).
- Still no side marker lights nor turn signals in the mirrors. I imported mine from Japan and had my dealer install them.

Ron

 

Thanks for all the info. There are so many to read today. Information overload!! Cool juicy information, that is.

 

Hey guys, can we all please keep the comments, questions and so on in the discussion thread as requested by efusco? It'll keep this one MUCH cleaner.

That said, here are my brief impressions from my drive at the SF event. I only got to drive it 2x as the line and wait were pretty long. I returned from my 2nd drive took place well after the event was officially over. I didn't have a chance to monitor the mileage or play w/the new non-touchscreen MFD equivalent after my drives.

The two that I drove didn't have the nav system and color LCD, so also no IPA. I also unfortunately missed the IPA demos due to time.

The venue was at Fort Mason in SF (nice location) but it's too far from any highway or any street where you could drive legally drive very fast. So, there was no way to see get anything resembling highway impressions.

I haven't read anyone else's impressions yet but have skimmed some press reviews. I wrote most of the text below the day I returned from the event.

- ICE (not surprisingly) sounds very different compared to my 06
- Shift lever seems to have less tension and feels flimsier
- Power vs. eco mode made a big difference in terms of throttle response. Actually, the eco mode already makes a big difference compared to "normal" mode.
- Power mode was very nice and made a big difference. :thumb:
- I liked the EV mode button but unfortunately the HV battery was pretty low when I got the car. Throttle response is pretty sluggish in EV mode and it's fairly easy to kick it out of EV mode by being too hard on the accelerator. (I have no experience w/the EV button on the 2nd gen so I can't compare.) You'll get a message that EV mode was cancelled when you get kicked out.
- I liked the horizontal power display that shows output as well as regen amount. It reminds me of the analog gauge on my mom's Altima hybrid. Hopefully it's gives you accurate indication of when you are or are close to hitting the max charge rate on the HV battery.
- Some of the energy monitor screens (stuff that used to be on the color MFD) might be a tad too small but I didn't really have a chance to play around w/them much. I had to focus on driving.
- I liked the touch tracer controls a lot while driving.
- Car felt very solid and more so than the current gen.
- Liked telescoping wheel.
- Speedo seems a bit further to the right than current gen but it's still in an ok position.
- Liked the instantaneous mpg graph to the right of speedo.
- Electrical whines from MG1 and MG2 sound very similar to that of the 2nd gen (had windows down to hear)
- Reverse beep sounds different compared to 2nd gen.

A big thanks to Toyota for the privilege of letting us drive the car well before the general public!

 

To me, 25 Mar is kinda like pent-up orgasm..

I only hope I don't tired of 2010 after all these readings and reviews.