2010 Prius: More than Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac or Acura? Yep!!

Bingo.

Although I don't doubt there will be a certain percentage of people moving from these three, I think the large majority of new Prius drivers will be people that are used to spending $30K on a Toyota, Honda, Nissan (think Camry, Accord, Altima, etc, etc) plus former SUV drivers (I say that loosely. I would like to think that there are thousands of people that want to trade in their SUVs for a car, but my viewpoint might not be unbiased).

That is the feature of the Prius that "sealed the deal" for me. I used to have a truck and I used to be able to throw my bike in the back hassle-free and I always had it with me. With my Corolla, it takes several minutes to get it in, and after removing the front wheel. I have my eyes locked on the 2010 Prius.

Do you speak of experience? Have you actually done this comparison? If so, please share more detail. Thank you. Personally, I have driven a 3-series and my Corolla but not a Prius. As far as the actual handling of the vehicle, although the 3-series is better, it is by no means ahead by a long shot. I'd say it's maybe 10% better, but certainly not by a long shot. I'm sure the M3 is MUCH better, but we aren't talking about the M3 here. Unless the Prius handles significantly worse than my Corolla, I respectfully disagree with you. (qualification: I have been to numerous GM Drive Events and autocrossed (orange cones, sliding through corners, full throttle, threshold braking) the full line-ups of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, GM, Ford, and all other major competitors as well as the BMW 3-series and 5-series (base engines). Yes, the BMWs handle better, but CERTAINLY not by more than 10%. Believe it or not, today in 2008/2009, most new cars are very similar in handling if they are in the same class of car size. Although looks may vary widely, the technology and engineering is VERY uniform these days.
The best vehicle I drove there was the Z06, and that was one hell of a car!!!! Yes, the Z06 handles MUCH, MUCH better than the Prius, but that wouldn't be a fair comparison. Plus, this thread is about 4-door sedans)
Unfortunately, they did not have a Prius.

Back on topic: this thread is about rear-seat volume and cargo volume.

 

The 3 series or C class is worlds upon worlds a better driving experience than a Prius. (the 318 doesn't count, thats not the 3 series we're talking about). It just plain is, in the same way my Lexus is a better driving experience. I've driven all the cars mentioned.

Not to slight the Prius, thats not what its geared for. I however would never choose to drive our Prius...its purely a "have-to". Its uncomfortable, noisy, etc. Maybe the 2010 will be different.

 

You know what, it was a "fair" comparison when you stuck with the interior dimensions but when you then concluded that just because the dimensions where close to the BMW 3 and MB C, that the Prius was just as good dynamically, that's where you lost all validity in your post. You just come off as a blind Prius loyalist. Nothing wrong with that, but it becomes laughable when you say a Prius drives as well as a front engine, rear wheel drive sports sedan.

 

Didn't see you there when I got my Gen III test drive a few days ago. Guess you snuck in after dark? No? Then maybe you'll re-think it after you finally do. In the mean time, those of us who already test drove the Gen III are biting our lips after signing the agreement not to talk about our driving experience beyond saying that "I enjoyed my trip up at the Nokia Center"

 

Driving experience dramatically changes simply by swapping to wider rubber with larger rim diameter. 2010 Prius will have an option for 17" wheels with 215 mm wide tires. That should eliminate that "floating" feeling and give that "on the rail" feeling. Those that have driven in the LA event can not talk until March 25th so you'll have to wait until then...

2010 Prius will have state of the art technologies (Laser CC, LED headlamp, Solar+Remote Ventilation, HUD, Touch Tracer, EV drive, etc...) that you will not find in the 3 series or the C class. The question should be reversed if the 3 series and C class should be considered the "econobox". Do they even come with the Smart Key System with push start button as standard yet? 2010 Prius will!

The notion that the handling of the car should define either it is sporty or econobox is silly because a lot of that has to do with the rubber on the road. Ignoring the interior space, Luxury/Safety technologies and focusing purely on the cornering ability is more silly.

The question becomes what defines an "econobox".

- Low cost maintenance. The car engineered to go fast will be more expensive to maintain, either you drive fast or not. If a car cost less to maintain, does it automatically become an econobox? No, clever engineering can save money. Not buying into something you don't need also saves money. Toyota owners look for ownership experience but BMW and Mercedes owners may look for driving experience with much higher price.

- Suspension. If a car has a rear torsion beam, does it make it an econobox? To me, a piece of metal that cost a couple of hundred dollar does not define the class of the car. Cool new 21st century features like Touch Tracer is more important to me.

- Wheels. If the car has 15" rims does it make it an econobox? No, it accelerates better, more MPG is just a side benefit. It is also easier to park, no worry about the rim stretching the curb. Larger rims just make the car feel more responsive when changing lanes. It lowers the car acceleration not only because of the rim weight but also the low profile tires that must go with it. Most people would relate a large wheels to high performance and thinks they look better. I agree to certain extend but I know better and choose 15" most of the time.

I don't pretend to be a race car driver when wanting a new car. I look forward for the new innovative technologies because handling is good enough already. I choose to look at new technologies rather than the old ones because if I make decision based on the past techs, I am just living in the past.

 

I like to see a comparison to a car with long wheel base - Lexus LS 460L especially for the rear leg room.

 

Re: 2010 Prius: Bigger than a bread box!

There is a free "reader" floating around somewhere. Or, just go to Sun Microsystems and download OpenOffice 3. It's free!

 

I'd be willing to give that a try. Any single PriusChat members want to take me up on the offer?

:tape2:

Mmmph! MMMMPPHHHH! URRRGGHHHHH!

 

I test drove a Lexus LX570 a few months ago. Very nice navigation system, with a rear seat almost as tight as my FJ. The coolest feature was the WideView camera system integrated into the passenger mirror and front grille

With the WideView camera system, $87,500 Cdn. With the Mark Levinson sound system, $98,050 Cdn. Um ... thanks but no thanks, I'll keep the money in the bank

I did sit in a Lexus LS460L which was in the showroom. This one is fully equipped right out of the gate, at $97,100. There are individual bucket rear seats, fully adjustible, with tons of legroom: yes, equipped with built-in massage and ottoman

The winter tire and wheel package for that car *starts* at $3 G's!

Don't get me wrong, the LS460L is a great luxury car, especially if you had a driver and could just snooze in the rear. I'll stick with a Prius

 

Overall, the best thing about the Prius is the hatchback design. The only other cars that offer close to the same versatility are wagons, like certain BMW's, and the Mercedes R series.

The BMW's and Mercedes "R" are priced well above the Prius

 

What defines an Econobox?
The Morris Mini was an Econobox of the first order. Tiny, boxy, pure function, minimalistic, minimal performance and minimal fuel consumption.
It was also surprisingly roomy for its external dimensions compared to cars of the day.
What else would you expect from an econobox? Most definitely not great performance!
40 years since Mini wins bathurst

Prius is not an econobox, for a start who ever heard of an econobox which costs one and a half times to one and three quarters the cost of a Corolla? In fact the iTech here cost more than double to price of Corolla!! The entire domestic 6 cylinder car fleet have models which sell for less than a base model Prius in Australia. What is an econobox then? Maybe it's a 6 cylinder Commodore of Falcon? They are the econobox of the short sighted and insecure.

 

More space beyond a certain point doesn't necessarily equal more comfort. I don't find the Prius seats (front or back) to be very comfortable.

That being said, I do love the versatility of the hatchback -- very nice to have the ability to throw our bikes into the back, or to sleep flat in the car when car-camping gets too cold.

 

nice topic good info.

 

I was simply responding to your statement that since you had a 318, the lowest end vehicle BMW has ever sold in the US and a totally different platform and drivetrain than the 3 series sedan which was the in your comparison, you somehow have some handle on how the Prius drives and handles vs, say, a 335i sedan.

I've actually driven all the vehicles you mention, I own a Prius and I am a member here at PriusChat so as long as I am a member I will participate in discussions, post my opinions, and respond to the statements of others so long as it is within the TOS of the forum. If you don't want to read those opinions, I believe this forum has an ignore feature and I suggest you use it instead of telling me what I can and can not say.

Look, I've said here many times the Prius is a good vehicle, I own one and we're happy with it. But it is not the only car on the road or the best car on the road for everyone, and people like me who realize that aren't "heretics" as some of you would like to think. The current car has some serious problems and its not just me saying that, driving position, seat controls, rattling, etc. Like I said, I hope that the 2010 addresses those issues. I'd like the car a lot if I could adjust the seat and drive it without having to continually press on the dash to stop the rattles.

As for the LS460L, the rear legroom is huge. You can sit back there and cross your legs and never even brush the seatback in front of you. I've been looking at the LS460, thinking of buying one in a year or so and I wouldn't get the L model, the SWB car has plenty of rear legroom.