A picture of Tthe 2010 Toyota Prius is green--but not mean. The 2010 Toyota Prius is almost all-new in almost every department. It does just about everything the previous Prius did better. But you might not realize any of that when you drive it.
We rode around in a 2010 Prius with a guy who owns a current-generation version and asked him whether he’d trade in his Prius and buy this new one.
“Eenh, uh, I dunno,” he said.
That might not make a pull quote in upcoming Prius ads. But the Prius really is better. The new model is rated 50 mpg EPA combined, up from 46 on the old car. The old car was the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States, so this new one should carry on that tradition.
On one 33.8-mile loop of mostly flat farm road, with some highway driving and some real-world stoplights included, and with our Prius friend at the wheel, we got more than 70.3 mpg. That was in a near-hypermiler mode of driving, though. Colleagues filled with ill intent returned 26.8 mpg, while a couple of true hypermilers backed up traffic for blocks and returned 94.6 mpg. That was all according to the on-board readout.
The new car can go “up to” a half mile on electric power alone, provided the battery pack is charged and you don’t go faster than 25 mph. This new body also will accommodate the plug-in Prius coming to fleets later this year, which will go up to 12.5 miles on batteries alone.
The improvements to the 2010 Prius are real, and the new Prius really is better.
2010 Toyota Prius
On Sale: Late spring
Base Price: TBA
Drivetrain: 1.8-liter, 98-hp, 105-lb-ft I4; 80-hp (60 kW), 153-lb-ft (207 Nm) motor generator; 136-hp total system output; FWD, CVT
Curb Weight: 3,042 lb
0-60 mph: 9.8 seconds (mfr)
Fuel Economy (EPA): 50 mpg combined
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