Maybe it should not surprise me that Americans - with their newfound energy consciousness - have found room in their hearts (and their big garages) for hybrid vehicles despite these tough economic times.
Perhaps the saying, "the best way to get someone's attention is to hit them in their pocketbook," applies to hybrids for all the right reasons. With the all-new Toyota Prius, American pocketbooks have little to fear and gas stations should start to sell more lottery tickets.
The Prius, along with the Honda Insight, was responsible for mainstreaming hybrid technology to the American consumer. This third-generation Prius is an amazing improvement over the previous versions, as well as the Insight. According to Toyota, more than 90 percent of Prius owners said they would buy another one. That's a pretty happy customer.
The Prius, along with the Honda Insight, was responsible for mainstreaming hybrid technology to the American consumer. This third-generation Prius is an amazing improvement over the previous versions, as well as the Insight. According to Toyota, more than 90 percent of Prius owners said they would buy another one. That's a pretty happy customer.
While Prius owners seem to fall in love forever with these fuel-sipping hybrids, they do find flaws and one of the top requests they had with previous generations was the need for more speed. If you have ever driven a hybrid, this is pretty evident on the first time you merge onto a highway or the first time you flip on the air-conditioning system.
The 2010 Prius resolves what few complaints previous owners had by offering up a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine outputting 98 horsepower coupled with an 80-horsepower electric motor. The combined power available is 134 horsepower, which is a 24-horsepower improvement over the last model.
The real stunning news is still the Prius' fuel economy. The 2010 Prius is rated at 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway (50 mpg combined). Compare that to the Honda Insight at 40 mpg city and 43 mpg highway (41 mpg combined). The old Prius combined for a pretty impressive average of 46 mpg, which pales in comparison to the new efficiencies.
Toyota said that one of the biggest factors in getting the 50 mpg Environmental Protection Agency rating was adding a larger engine. To the average Joe looking at a Prius, that might seem to fly in the face of common sense. Think of it this way: When a small engine labors to move a bigger car, and the five-passenger Prius is a lot bigger, it can eat up potential mpg gains.
With a hybrid system, you are not just dealing with gasoline-power systems but also the integration of the additional electric motor components. The larger engine, because it doesn't have to work as hard, is a better match for the electric components. Therein lies the larger-engine-equals-better-fuel-economy solution. According to Toyota, the new Hybrid Synergy Drive, which pairs the gas engine with the energy captured when the Prius decelerates, is almost 90 percent new technology.
What I really liked about my Prius tester was, unlike previous hybrid models, having immediate acceleration. You don't buy a Prius to beat other drivers off the line, but it is nice to be able to merge in ahead of the ice cream man's truck when you want to.
While you have to admire their commitment, you would be hard-pressed to find a Prius owner who bought the hybrid for its stylish looks. The new Prius still looks like a hybrid, but it is more pleasing to the eye than previous models. The midline crease, small porthole windows fore and aft and the sporty roofline give the 2010 Prius a hint of techy attitude while the horizontal rear lift-gate glass panel lightens up the bulky rear shape. |