2010 Toyota Prius leaked, confirmed
The 2010 Toyota Prius is scheduled to be revealed at the 2008 LA Auto Show, but there's just one small problem. We've already seen it!
Images of the new Prius leaked all over the Web earlier this week and, on Thursday, Toyota confirmed that the leaked images were--in fact--authentic.
Taking a look at the next-gen Prius, we can see that the nose gets a fairly aggressive update. I'm not a fan of the boomerang headlamps trend, but apparently we'll be seeing a lot more of it in the coming years. The new Prius' lower grill and front bumper are more in line with the aesthetic established with the new Matrix and Corolla, while the upper grille and Toyota badge look like exaggerations of the current Yaris.
Moving past the A-pillar, it seems that not much else has changed, at least not that can been seen in the photos. Overall, the new design is evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. A few body creases have been moved and the green house may have been reshaped a bit, but the new model still retains its four-pane side glass and that Prius silhouette that the hybrids from GM and Honda have been trying so hard to ape.
More images can be found over at PriusChat.com.
It's also trickle charge the battery, maintaining battery health and giving you nice powerful starts.
It'll also prevent the battery from dying in a car that sits unused for a few weeks. Cell decay is a 1%/day in a healthy, brand new lead acid battery. Most older/used batteries can't start a car after it sits for as little as 15 days because Cell decay and a number of systems running in the car (alarm systems, radio clock, PCM, etc) drain the battery.
A small solar panel fixes a lot in a typical car, but not in a prius where battery power is so ample that i doubt you'll ever have starting issues because you left your lights on (which should be LED if this were to be a green car)
Not per hour... just 60watts. (watt=Joule/s).
But I agree... In fact, there are thin film (polymer I believe) solar cells out there that aren't very efficient (~6% compared to 12% of traditional cells), but are cheap... These things should be pasted on everything (roofs, city buses, etc.)
Does anyone LIKE the way this looks except the moron designers at Toyota? My God you've had years to improve upon the "futuristic-looking" POS you first came out with but somehow it's getting worse! FIRE YOUR PRIUS DESIGNER TOYOTA THIS IS SO UGLY IT HURTS!!
In areas where designers have some flexibility - headlights, grille, etc. - I think Toyota has dropped the ball. Too many different shapes. There is a real disconnect between the squared-off openings and the curvy swept-back headlamps. The Toyota badge is about 2x larger than it should be, or the grille opening needs to be larger. We shouldn't need a huge badge to tell us it's a Toyota, design alone should convey the brand.
Dodge - love 'em or hate 'em - has this concept nailed with their trademark cross-hair grille design. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that if you had a Dodge without any branding on it, it would still be identifiable as a Dodge. Take the big "T" logo off this car, and it's hard to place the brand. Honda? Toyota? Pontiac?
One more thing, the "fat lip" above the lower opening on the nose needs to be diminished. Other companies are guilty of this as well (Jeep).
Have Toyota/Honda figured out what torque is? :) Kidding aside, the Jetta TDI I used to own would get 50mpg, and it was still fun to throw around a corner. Why does Toyota think you have to give up the driving dynamics for fuel economy. Hopefully they will prove me wrong, but the Jetta w/ the dual clutch DSG is a bonafide sports sedan through the twistys in comparison to any Priuis. I really wish toyota would put their focus back on interior quality as well. They were always so great, but the latest Tundra/Camry/Corolla have been cheaper inside than a Hyundai. Again, the jettta has impeccable fit and finish. Porsche-VW-Audi groupe knows how to make a quality car.
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by priusreflection
February 3, 2009 10:33 AM PST
- READ BEFORE BUYING A PRIUS
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(23 Comments)2010 is a lot sleeker looking than my new 2009. A weekend old, I have a horrible problem and would like advice. When the sun is at 30 degrees to my right or left, around noon, there is a reflection of the dashboard in my windshield. It's clearly a driving hazard. The left vent reflects in my side mirror as well. I called the toll free customer service rep who said he'd never heard of it, rendering him not very credible. Several blogs mention it when I put the word "reflection" in with "Prius." No one seems to know what to do about it. The rep said, "In any case, there's nothing we're going to do about it." Some customer service, huh? I'm averaging 28 mpg and the car is new. The dealer said it had 13 miles on it. The navigation system had an address programmed in which is 20 miles away one-way and the car had 3/4 tank of gas, when the sticker said it would have a full tank. If the odometer has been tampered with, as was the case with my old Toyota Celica, then perhaps it's getting better mileage. Problems of deception, too, about price when we bought it. Also shuts down at traffic lights. Also can't figure out gps. Have had many navigation systems in past....Magellan's the best, also had TomTom and Garmin. This system is very hard to understand or program. ALSO the manual says when fueling the gas tank, TOUCH METAL BEFORE GASSING UP to discharge static electricity or there's a danger of exploding. How do I say that to the guy who puts gas in my car who speaks a foreign language? I think we made a big mistake. Advice welcome.