Yet Another Test Drive Report

I have been waiting since the 2010 Prius was announced to actually see, feel, and test drive one. I finally got the chance today.

I have a Prius V with ATP on order. Unfortunately, my local dealer only had a Prius II to test drive. I wanted to see how the basic car looks and feels, so that wasn't a problem.

My (and my wife's) overall impression is "I love this car!"

I was concerned about the talk about the main display being off to the right. This was no problem for me. I currently have a 2004 Prius and the speedometer is shifted to the right (perhaps not as much as the 2010). I had no problem glancing at the speedometer when I was driving. The rest of the display looks good to me. I miss the large multi-colored display, but I can't see it half of the time anyhow because of the glare from the sun. The display on the 2010 appears to be legible all the time. The only problem I have with the display is that is it hard to read when I am wearing my sunglasses. Of course, this is no different than in my 2004 Prius - there is just more to see in the 2010.

The 2010 seems a lot peppier than the 2004. I certainly felt the increased acceleration in PWR mode. However, even in standard or ECO modes it felt like it was accelerating better. I also didn't notice any problem with the steering or handling. I am not an expert on automotive handling - I just use a car as transportation, so I am probably a lot less critical then many others. I also wasn't bothered by road noise. To me, this car sounds the same, if not quieter, than my 2004 Prius.

My wife commented that the A/C was blowing up a storm. I didn't notice any diminished air flow when I put the car into ECO mode. It still kept the car cool, even though the outside temperature was 97 degrees.

I found the controls manageable, even though they are positioned differently than in my 2004 Prius. It will probably take me a day or two (once I get my car) to get used to the new positions.

The touch tracer worked as advertised. I did have to press lightly on the buttons to get the touch tracer to light up. Once I know where the control are, I will probably be able to operate them by feel (and dashboard display) without looking at them.

I am not very critical about the looks of a car, but my wife likes the new look of the front and back of the car. If she is happy, I am happy!

The car we test drove was a Prius II in Blizzard Pearl/Bisque. When my wife first saw the car she said it was sharp looking. We still want the car in Blue Ribbon Metalic, but this is the first time she ever commented that she liked the looks of a white car. Also, since it had the bisque interior, we were able to see what that will look like. I thought I read in this forum that the bisque was not two-toned. It is. Part of the interior is tan and parts are grey. We like the way it looks. (It is similar to the colors in our 2004 Prius.)

I wanted to see the Navigation system so I could get an idea of whether or not I would use it in place of my Garmin GPS, but they didn't have any cars in stock with the Navigation package. My sales woman said she sould call me when they get another car with the Nagivation system so I could see it.

I am now even more anxious about receiving my car. I know it will probably be some time, since Texas is one of the last states to receive new cars from Toyota, but they are finally starting to show up here. Hopefully, some day (soon?) I will be able to drive my own 2010 Prius.