- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 20 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"An improved but expensive hybrid"
Pros: Looks a lot better than the older dated Prius. Very quiet, smooth ride. Roomy interior. At highway speeds the bigger engine is quieter. Can now maintain speeds on hills.
Cons: Still too expensive. Really slow in ECO mode, bearable in Power mode. Air conditioning is mediocre. Handling while better, is poor, steering feel is awful. The 15" wheels and tires, should be replaced with 16" or 17" wheels as standard.
Summary: The new Prius is an evolutionary upgrade to the earlier model. While there are a lot of improvements, it just does not seem far reaching enough.
The bigger 1.8 liter engine runs quieter at speed because it runs at lower RPMs compared to the previous 1.5 liter. I wish there was a better improvement in acceleration, as the 2010 is almost as slow as the earlier model. ECO mode is painfully slow, Power mode feels a lot crisper, like a normal Corolla. The 1.8 liter engine is very quiet at speed unless hard pressed, but even then, it is quieter than most other 4-cylinder cars. I live up in the hills which is about a four mile drive. I can average only 42MPG because of the long steep slope which forces me to use Power mode (my previous car, a 2003 Passat GLX with a 2.8 liter V6 averaged 27MPG if the a/c was off, 23MPG on).
The car suffers from a lot of lean (needs bigger stabilizer bars) when cornering and the stability control is very aggressive, preventing quick handling changes. The steering feel is non-existent. You have no sensation of where the car is going while turning the wheel. The slow turning of 4.4 turns from lock to lock is an exercise compared to the the Prius V's 3.3.
The interior is a bit nicer, but the center console takes too much room. The dash display is easily washed out when the sun is overhead. I wish the car had a dash that was in front of the driver iso in the center. The nav display is useless when you wear polarized sunglasses. The air conditioner is mediocre, takes awhile to cool down the car, even when in Power mode (ECO mode reduces the a/c's power). The new seats are a lot more comfortable than the earlier models but still not perfect. I wish Toyota would use handbrakes iso footbrakes on the car.
The headlights now use halogen projector beams which are quite bright. I don't know how much better the LED headlights would be. The new body design retains the familiar Prius shape but is different enough to be recognized. The body crease improves the looks a lot. The front end is a lot cleaner looking. The back end is much like the older style. I did notice that the rear plastic spoiler looks cheaply implemented as it is very flexible and looks like it will break off the car if slammed hard.
I would have preferred that the Prius give up some gas mileage if there was a bit more power for acceleration. 0-60 in 8.5 seconds would have been ideal iso 10 seconds.
My Prius IV was $30,000 out the door with the NAV package as the only option. That's very expensive for a small car. The Camry Hybrid was only $500 more, with a lot more room and better acceleration, but the large 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine was very rough running. I could also get a Camry SE for $28,000 fully loaded with a regular V6.
Right now, the 2010 Prius has a 90-120 day wait in Hawaii. If you want one with the solar sunroof, it would be a 180 day wait.
Overall, the Prius would be a no-brainer if I did not have to contend with the long hill home. But prospective buyers ought to drive it home to see if the lack of power is something you can live with.
Updated on Aug 31, 2009A Car that does what it's designed for...
The 2010 Prius (model IV) is not a driver's car... It is designed as a economical transportation vehicle. Once you get that into your head and accept it, you will love the car...
Pros...
The car has adequate power for normal driving situations, but one cannot expect it to be a sporty car with only 134hp, once you are moving, acceleration is not bad. The car is very roomy, entry and egress is very good compared to the Honda Insight. The JBL sound system is very clear with a well balanced sound. Excellent gas mileage, getting 47MPG, driving mostly in hilly highway areas. Smooth and quiet ride.
Cons...
Seats are uncomfortable on long drives, expect backaches. Test car on long drives to see if that is the case for you. Lumbar support on IV & V is of some help but not a cure all. Auto-dimming mirror is useless. You really need the NAV package to get decent view when reversing. NAV screen is useless when wearing sunglasses.
- 3 replies to this review
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"still too expensive"? the old one started at $20k and topped out at $25k, uh that isn't expensive. The new one, this one, starts at something like $24k and goes up to $36k. But even at $36k, what other car even near that price offers the features of the Prius? Like the lane departure warning system, the radar guided cruise, etc. You have to spend much more to get the same features, even without the hybrid drive train. As for hill power, I have taken my '04 from the San Fran bay area to Tahoe, no problem. Drove it to Seattle, no problem, in the hills between CA & OR along 5, I had no problems at 90MPH, with 3 people, a 90lb dog, and everyones stuff. It won't accelerate like a 911, but can hold any speed you want, legal and above, one any of the highways across the country.
As for the headlights, I beleive the new car uses HID's on trim level V, just like my '04, not Halogen projectors.
And the Prius is not classified as a small car, it is classified as a mid sized car, as Camry. -
I really don't understand why the CNET and this review keep whining about "power." 0-60 in 8 sec.?! It is not a sports car - you knew this when you bought it, right?
The power is totally adequate. I also live at the top of a long hill, and the curvy road gives me about 41 mpg. But I've never thought "Oh, I wish for more power." And my Prius replaced a "sportier" German sedan than your Passat.
For the technology, the car is not expensive. And I like the way the post-2004 Pius looks, certainly better than the dorky Passat.
You do make a valid point about the stability control, which I find almost dangerous at times, as it cuts power when you most need it.
Perhaps the one reason I would hesitate to get another Prius, is the idiotic way Toyota locks you out from using most of the screen controls. -
Thank you for an honest review Jon. Your words wer emuch preferred over the usual gushing praise that every other article seems to bestow on this expensive car. I have been saying that break even is far off and by paying $30,000 for a car that is not that large inside and that has mediocre AC and acceleration further convinces me that my thought is valid.
If I can get a test drive I will but if I encounter the attitude that " we only give test drives if you intend to buy one" I will just walk out. We encountered that from both Toyota and Honda dealers years back when they were arrogant; we got an American car and had no problems with it.
Where to buy
2010 Toyota Prius:
$27,270.00
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Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price From Edmunds.com
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$27,270.00 |
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