Archive for April, 2009

Toyota’s Prius can rightly be considered the king of the hybrids.  Though it debuted a year after Honda’s Insight, which was the first hybrid to hit the U.S. market, the Prius outlived that erstwhile competitor, and changed with the market to become an honestly useful car.  As the poster-car for the “green car” movement, the Prius is the polar opposite of the Hummer H2, and to drive one is to make an unmistakable political statement as well as taking you from Point A to Point B.

The third-generation Prius will be on sale shortly as an early 2010 model, and Toyota has kept the car on a familiar course.  Improved performance and advanced equipment are two of the important changes to the ’10 model.  Ninety percent of the drivetrain is new, and the fuel economy is up.  The unmistakable silhouette hasn’t changed much, but this all-new vehicle addresses many of the current Prius’ shortcomings while improving yet again on its stellar fuel economy and efficient operation. This update comes not a moment too soon; Honda is readying a new Insight that’s likely to cut into Prius sales, to say nothing of the upcoming plug-in hybrids from General Motors.

The general silhouette is the same, but details like a split grille and crystalline headlamps help to update the Prius’ look.  A stiff, rising hard-edged line up the flank makes the car look less blobby, and serves a functional purpose as well–it improves the car’s aerodynamics.  Most of the changes to the Prius are in the name of making it slippery, in fact.  The smaller main grille improves aerodynamics.  Out of sight, underbody belly pans with air splitters smooth the airflow and improve front-to-rear stability.  Because blue has become industry parlance for “efficiency,” blue highlights distinguish the Toyota badges.

A cool new interior greets Prius passengers.  It still has a “bold and different” feeling thanks to the interior treatment, but it feels less cheap.  The body is only fractionally bigger on the outside, but the new Prius has more interior space.  The seats have been improved, in response to customer requests, and they’re finally height-adjustable.  A tall, reshaped console and a more conventional shifter location make the Prius friendlier for the uninitiated.  The multi-information display, a common feature of Prius from the beginning, has moved to the top of the dash.  Its centralized location places it directly above the navigation system, with the climate control below.  The Touch-Tracer display superimposes the signal from the steering wheel buttons on the information display.  This makes it easier for the driver to use the various functions without taking his eyes off of the road.   The new information display has a handy “eco” flag when the car is being driven efficiently, and keeps a record of the vehicle’s efficiency in one- or five-minute increments, to help the growing cadre of “hypermilers” whose hobby is maximizing the efficiency of their cars.

Because more buyers are viewing the Prius as a vehicle to step up to, rather than out of, the options list has gotten longer and contains many more luxury-car items.  Intelligent Park Assist self-parking is borrowed from Lexus, while Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and a solar cooling sunroof are also available.  The solar roof is a trick that’s been done before, but never on a car in this class.  The Prius’ new sunroof features a solar array that provides enough power to run the fans and keep the interior temperature close to ambient temperatures.  The Prius is also available with a remote air conditioning that will run for up to three minutes to pre-cool the interior on hot days.  Toyota’s Pre-Collision system that pre-charges the brakes and tightens the belts if a crash is imminent, is also available.

A new 1.8 liter all aluminum, sixteen-valve Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine replaces last year’s 1.5 liter unit.  The larger engine improves fuel economy, contrary to conventional wisdom, by running at lower rpm on the freeway.  A smaller, more efficient number-one motor-generator controls the Prius’ start-stop functions.  Toyota’s engineers also made tweaks to the battery, which now runs cooler and produces 27 watts, up from 25.  The overall power rating of 134 hasn’t changed, but the system is more efficient.  The inverter is also new, smaller and lighter.  The engine shutoff is extremely smooth; it’s almost impossible to tell if the engine is running or not without consulting the status gauge on the information center.

The Prius’ new drivetrain features three selectable driving modes.  The powertrain’s three modes are EV, ECO and Power.  The EV mode is available for the first time in North America, and allows the Prius to lock into full-electric propulsion at speeds up to 25 mph, for up to a mile.  In ECO mode, the Prius controls the throttle opening to smooth acceleration and reduce consumption.  The Power mode does the opposite, for passing and merging.  The Prius’ acceleration is conservative, to put it nicely, and in ECO mode it’s downright glacial.  Power mode brings the Prius’ speed up to par with the rest of traffic, at the cost of efficiency.  On the road, the ECO mode is slow, slow, slow.  Though it does enforce a degree of driving efficiency.  Without too much effort, we managed to get the Prius up to 59.9 mpg on a twenty-mile urban driving route.

Four wheel disc brakes are new, though the suspension hasn’t changed much. The Prius drives like an economy car, with an acceptable ride and a moderate amount of tire noise on the freeway.  The available Lane Keep Assist combines the Lane Departure Warning system with the ability to add a bit of power to the electronic power steering to straighten the car.  The Prius can make fine adjustments to the steering when the DRCC is on, to help keep the car in its lane, though it does require well-marked lanes to work.

For 2010, the Prius is a little bit bigger, a lot more luxurious and a lot more efficient.  Which leads naturally to the question that’s on many hybrid enthusiasts’ minds:  What about the 2010 Honda Insight?  Honda’s decision to make the Insight a five-door hatchback with lines similar to the Prius’ has naturally sparked comparisons.  Honda has even thrown down the challenge that the 2010 Insight will undercut the cost of the Prius.  Toyota counters that the Prius has a much higher level of standard equipment, and it’s considerably larger on the inside, putting it in a different class of car.  Toyota’s said to be readying a Yaris-based hybrid to compete with the Insight.  We’ll see how it plays out in the market.

Production begins in April, in Japan.  The Prius is even built in an earth-friendly factory.  Pricing for the 2010 Prius hasn’t been set yet.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2010 Toyota Prius
Length:175.6 in.
Width:     68.7 in.
Height:     58.7 in.
Wheelbase: 106.3 in.
Curb weight: 3042 lb.
Cargo space: 21.6 cu.ft.
Engine:  1.8 liter DOHC inline four-cylinder with 60kW permanent magnet synchronous motor
Drivetrain:  continuously variable transmission, front-wheel drive
Horsepower:    134 net
Fuel capacity:    11.9 gal.
Est. mileage:  51/48