FOR YEARS THE TOYOTA PRIUS has been the car of choice for the environmentally conscious among the über-residents of Hollywood. It’s become a ‘must have’ addition to the celebrity garage.
We haven’t checked, but that’s probably also true of Saint-Tropez.
Toyota’s Prius is a defining car of the age and sits at the sharp edge of a powerful shift in buyer consciousness. That’s why it is the first car that comes to mind when most people think ‘hybrid’. The release into a somewhat sceptical global market of that first model Prius more than a decade ago was a brave move by Toyota. Its only competitor then, and the only other manufacturer prepared to take a similar risk, was Honda with its first Insight.
With distinctive styling, fuel economy and celebrity endorsement, the outgoing second-gen Prius has been a roaring success for Toyota. This is why the 2010 Prius is such an important car for the Japanese manufacturer.
Now, with more hybrids (and all-electric) vehicles being wheeled out by other marques and increasingly stringent ‘green-motoring’ standards being imposed by governments, Toyota’s dominance of the hybrid market faces more competition than ever.
Fortunately for the Japanese manufacturer, the new 2010 Toyota Prius features more of what first made it a hit: more environmental cachet, even better fuel economy, and, though still a little quirky, more styling appeal (and, you might be surprised, more power).
Styling
The 2010 Toyota Prius is sharper and ‘swoopier’ than its predecessor. The distinctive wedge shape remains, and the high back is accompanied by a sloping roofline that joins both ends in that unique elliptical Prius way.
But the new model is better balanced and, well, less frumpy than the old.
It’s a more handsome car all round. At first glance, most of your attention will be drawn to the new ‘boomerang’ front lights and the neat vertical driving-lights framing the lower air dam.
The frontal treatment clearly differentiates the 2010 model, foregoing the rather bland rectangular headlights of the former model and adding a bit of edge to the front end.
In the top-spec Toyota Prius i-Tech model we tested, the low-beam lights were fitted with high-efficiency LEDs - a feature in keeping with the Prius’ environmental appeal. The tail-lights have also been revamped, freshening the lines at the rear.
Similarly, setting off the gleaming white of our test car, the dark solar-panel roof looks particularly smart.
There is perhaps a little less single-minded functionality about the styling of the new Prius, as though its designers could relax a little. Sure, its lines still set it apart from the common rung, but the new model looks less like a butter-box and a little more ‘interesting’ as a car.
The wheels fill the arches quite nicely and, with that swooping nose, scalloped bonnet and a defined rising crease running front to back (visually strengthening the lines), it looks modern, fresh and quite appealing.
It is also the right size. Toyota thankfully resisted the urge to inflate its dimensions and, instead, improved the ergonomics and use of space within.
Overall, the updated styling of the 2009 model is evolutionary – the basic format of the earlier model remains, but is now more stylish and balanced. And it needs to be: the Honda Insight heading this way next year is a very classy looking machine.
Interior
Inside the 2010 Toyota Prius i-Tech, there is a nice modern techno-minimalism to the look and style – like the older model, you immediately know you are in a special car that is a little out of the ordinary.
The clean lines of the dash and the way the surfaces integrate throughout the interior is particularly appealing. The steering wheel too, while also comfortable, has a modern individual style.
All of the major functions are integrated into a touch screen in the center console. This keeps things logically centralised functionally, as well as contributing to the clean and uncluttered interior lines.
In the range-topping i-Tech model we tested, leather came as standard, giving the Toyota a premium feel when nestled in behind the wheel. This feeling, however, is compromised by the interior surfaces, which, although Toyota claims are made of “ecological” plastic, “cheap-feeling” and “rock hard” might be closer to the mark.
This may not be an issue in the base Prius model, but at $50,000-plus for the i-Tech model, this means paying a premium price for a not-quite-premium feel.
That said, the Prius offers a lot of practical functionality. There’s ample storage in the form of door pockets, seat-back pockets and storage bins.
You won’t have too much trouble squeezing people into the car either. The Prius’ practical size is one of its greatest advantages over smaller cars that offer similar fuel economy, such as the Mini Cooper D.
In the Prius, four adults can be accommodated comfortably. Rear headroom is a little lacking thanks to the roof-mounted solar panel, but leg and shoulder room is good.
Settling in is also an easy task, thanks to the adjustable steering and upright driving position. The seats in the i-Tech model are only manually adjustable for tilt (although the driver’s lumbar adjustment is electric), which again came as a bit of a surprise on the more expensive model.
The large boot is a plus, offering good luggage space – certainly enough for a small family on a holiday away – and excellent access. A total of 446 litres is available with the rear seats up, an increase of 31 litres over the last-gen model.
There’s also a commodious storage tray beneath the completely flat boot floor, and the rear seatbacks feature a 60/40 split fold.
Unfortunately, the Prius i-Tech doesn’t have a spare tyre under its boot (the base model gets a space saver), and gets instead an inflator kit and sealant. (I think I’d be fitting a set of ‘resealing’ Continental tyres that Volkswagen is fitting to the Passat CC).
Equipment and features
When it comes to features, it is clear where Toyota has invested its energy and high-end technologies. It also becomes clear why the i-Tech carries a price premium.
Aside from the leather trim and LED headlamps, the i-Tech model gets an intuitive satellite navigation system, radar cruise control and even a self-parking system that allows you to sit back while the Prius reverse-parks itself into tight spots for you.
There is also a climate control system and an automatically dimming rear-view mirror.
The i-Tech’s real party piece though is its ventilation system. The solar panel roof has been engineered to generate electricity to keep the inside of the car ventilated without drawing on the battery.
The point of this is so that when you come back to the Prius after leaving it in the sun all day, the interior will have been kept comfortably cool.
This means you won’t have to immediately crank the air-conditioning to its maximum levels the moment you get into the car (not only saving the battery but also saving fuel-use in recharging it). Neat.
And if that’s not enough to keep the cabin chilled, a button on the keyfob can remotely activate the air-conditioning system before you open the door.
The instrument cluster is a high-contrast electronic display mounted high in the centre of the dash, and features a number of aids to improve readability.
Chief among these is the heads-up display, which can project both speed and navigation instructions onto the windscreen directly ahead of the driver.
Another visibility aid is the ‘Touch Tracer’ display, which flashes up an image of the steering wheel buttons whenever the driver lightly touches one of them. The button being pressed is highlighted, thus allowing the driver to use the steering wheel-mounted controls without taking his eyes too far from the road.
To the left of the main readouts, the instrument cluster also features a number of information screens that can be cycled through via the steering wheel controls.
An economy meter shows how efficiently the car is being driven and a system status screen shows whether the petrol engine or electric motor are operating, and whether the battery is being charged or drained.
Economy-over-time screens also show how frugal the driver has been with the throttle.
An eight-speaker AM/FM stereo system with 3.5mm auxillary input and CD player is standard, but sound quality isn’t the best for a car of this price.
In terms of safety systems, the 2010 Prius i-Tech features almost every safety aid under the sun - ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, and seatbelt pre-tensioners.
Airbags also abound, with front and side airbags for both the driver and front passenger, and side curtain airbags for the front and rear.
Toyota’s pre-crash system is also part of the i-Tech package, and uses the cruise-control’s radar system to detect whether a collision is imminent. If it determines the Prius is about to hit something solid, it applies the brakes, tensions the seatbelts and sounds an alarm to alert the driver.
New for this year is an extended 8 year (or 160,000km) warranty on the i-Tech’s battery pack, as well as 3 years of roadside assistance for those who spring for the expensive i-Tech model.
The last generation Prius only offered a 5 year/100,000km warranty on the battery pack, so this is good news for consumers.
0 comments:
Post a Comment