BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Confirmed real!

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

I agree with you!!

 

The minimalist Jetson's interior with the robo ergonomics we are saddled with on the 2nd gen is pretty dated already. As far as I'm concerned, it was dated when I bought mine in 05. After 3 years, it still feels like I'm pulling up a chair to a desk and grabbing the steerng wheel when I get into this car. Dont' get me wrong, I love the car for what it does and how it looks externally. For me, well executed slick aero shapes are pretty nice to look at. Toyota's Xb, sits on the other end of the good looking list, although it's a fine utility box.

If these are legit 3rd gen pictures, I can't see why there's so much whining going on here on Priuschat. Hopefully Toyota has improved the cd #'s, increased MPG figures and refined some of the Prius handling dynamics. If the interior pictures are close to production, bring it on!

Yes, I would prefer a display ahead of the steering wheel. I have never quite figured why any car maker would opt for that center of the dash offset position gage cluster thing. I tried out an Ion and later a Yaris. Don't like looking down to the right to see the gages. I'd rather keep most of my attention on the activities taking place on the road ahead of the car.

The overall look of the new cockpit is great. I really like the console sweeping out of the central dash. I don't live on planet quirky, so a properly mounted drive selector (switch) is A-Ok with me. Just give me at least a 25 mile EV range, and I'll sign up for a 3rd gen!!!!

 

wow, putting an SOS button that close to a light switch seems rather brain-dead. I'm reminded of a Far Side cartoon where one guy is pointing to two unmarked buttons on blank wall and is saying to the other guy "Ok, so let me get this straight.. this one turns on the air conditioning, and THIS one destroys the world?"

 

IMHO I think the answer is obvious:
1. There is quite a bit of real estate to play with in the center console
2. Putting the display dead center in front of the driver's view may end up in a few lawsuits over drivers who were distracted watching the display more than the road.

I know this sounds oblique, but I've seen lawsuits over much more trivial, ridiculous things.

 

It appears there are round knobs in-line with and just to either side of the top of the large screen.

Seriously, what possesses designers to put controls in the worst possible places? Every time you use the knob to control anything you sacrifice screen visibility.

And I don't see in the interior picture any indication that the serious flaw with how you control the AC has been corrected. Many people want a knob that's always accessible because it's faster than clicking through screens and it offers more control than using an AC AUTO feature that thinks it's too smart.

~ dan ~

And seriously, the out-jutting control part of the console, where the shifter is located, is ridiculous -- it's like some sort of quasi-partition, preventing driver and passenger from feeling like they're really together in the same vehicle.

They really should have let me have a hand in nitpicking about the car. I'm a boring white American living near Berkeley (where half of worldwide sales of these cars will occur )

 

The instruments are often centered because the US isn't the whole world. There are -right hand drive- versions of most cars, including the Prius. While left hand drive units -may- outnumber right hand drive ones, it wouldn't be by enough. Those cars in the past that were "sided", such as my 1993 RX-7, had completely different dashes for each type (as well as a lot of other stuff). Not good for the bottom line.

I wouldn't get too uptight about the SOS button. I doubt it is a GM style nonsense thing using cell. I hear so many complaints of On-Star triggering false warnings. Like when Motorweek was testing a Yukon in the slalom (cones) - and getting a concerned call from the nice lady at On-Star worried that they had just rolled the vehicle.

 

This is my opinion as well. The center console is a non-issue. However I am part of the 'hooked' crowd. How does one go back to some 20th Century vehicle that only achieves 3.0 gpc or less?


The key points of for me are :

• increasing the penetration of the Prius, and thus other hybrids, in the general population
• maintaining the 5 door hatch design
• improved fuel economy
• a somewhat quieter ride.

More adjustments in the seating and the steering wheel will be nice
The dash looks cleaner.
I expect the interior room to be equal to the current model, which is good
Additional power is meh...neither here nor there.

 

I too agree with Evan's point. Toyota is certainly not targeting me with this new design. They need to expand the Prius' appeal, and apparently have chosen to do so by giving the next gen more room and more power, which are two often cited criticism by mainstream car buyers. If they can do both while enhancing MPG without a price increase then why not?

As far as the look is concerned, it's all subjective. Many people who own Prius today didn't buy it for its look either. So that probably won't change.

What I'm most interested to find out is whether Toyota has given thoughts to substantive criticisms coming from Prius owners like us about the Gen 2. Things like adjustable seat-height etc.

BTW,

Toyota plans bigger, better Prius in 2010 | The Japan Times Online

 

those are volume up/tune knobs... are you going to touch them all the time? Are you going to rest your hands on them? .

Both accessible from the steering wheel too...

 

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

Me either...I LOVE the room in the front now in my 2009!

 

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

Agree ! It's SOOO not Prius! I told my husband to go on diet now so by the time the new prius comes out he would be able to fit in the driver seat more comfortably. 30 lbs in two years ? I think he can do it and he MUST for the new prius !

 

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

If that is true, it is one more MAJOR loss of GREAT ERGONOMIC FUNCTIONALITY from Gen 2. I'm hating a LOT more the more I see. Good thing I won't need to replace my '04 until 2012 to 2014. Gives Toyota a chance to get their brains back.

 

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

actually, new prius should be wider and hence more comfy than old... Toyota updated the width of their new models to the western standards in past few years, which means more space!

 

Re: BREAKING NEWS! 2010 Prius Photos posted on PriusChat First! Real or no?

Then why isn't there a manual choke and a handle in the front you crank to start the car? ALL cars USED to have those. They never should have changed it to make it more ergonomic and easier to use. And why isn't the shifter on the steering column. That is where they were in many automatics for a long time.

By removing most of the practical and ergonomic innovations they put in the Gen II? I don't think that will help to retain the current customers.

 

Um, the head light switch is on the left side. And I've never accidentally hit the shift stick messing with the wipers. They should put it back where it is now and make it even shorter. It doesn't need to stick out 4 or so inches.

I'm with you all the way on BOTH of those!

 

Maybe I should refine my comment about the 'display' in front of the steering wheel... I meant the speedo and other 'normal' indicators that are found in other dash binnacles like fuel gage, tachometer (just wishing) and the like. The info/function screen should stay in the other location. Perhaps we will get an HUD instead.

Perceptions of the 2nd gen Prius, even today, are strange. I hear comments like... the car is (1) small, (2) underpowered, and (3) expensive. I usually step in and try a shot at all this.

(1) The 2nd gen Prius seats 5 people. There is plenty of storage and luggage space aboard, and with the rear seat down, it does nearly as good a job at hawling stuff around as a wagon body.

(2) Power available is very adequate for town driving and any highway travel, although it's not particularly good as a quarter mile dragster... duh! Most daily drivers don't really need the power required to accelerate to 2 to 3 hundred miles per hour before the next red light stops you anyway.

(3) As far as expensive, it's fairly close to other well equipped cars in its size group, unless you compare it to the 19,000 to 25,000 dollar deals (steals) you can find on the slightly sluggish selling land yacht SUV fleets at the dealerships these days.

 

Very cool, now how do we hack it?