Test Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius

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By Kevin Harrison

I believe in climate change. There really is no reason to not believe it in my opinion. Is it a cash grab by certain companies and corporations? Maybe. Businesses are certainly shifting towards a more environmental angle and are starting to make products that they claim will help save the environment. We usually need to pay more than we’re used to. But really, when are businesses not jumping onto the latest trend? They’re here to make money and if they’re making it at the expense of saving our earth, then I’m okay with that. And if climate change turns out to be a hoax, then at the very least it means that we saved money on energy, fuel etc and we end up with a less disgusting, cleaner earth. So, in my mind there’s really no downside to trying to save our environment.

How we go about doing it is fairly controversial. In the car world, there are many interesting solutions. You have diesel, which has been around since 1892 and thus proven to be the most reliable way to save gas. Then there’s relying on pure electricity – burning no gas and emitting no emissions is pretty sweet… assuming you don’t run out of electricity in the middle of nowhere. But really the same risk of running out of gas exists in the cars we drive today.

Then there are hybrids, likely the most popular way to save fuel and emissions right now. Toyota has the most hybrids out of any manufacturer. The most popular is likely the Prius. In fact, the Prius is so popular that you simply need to say its name and everyone not only knows it’s a Toyota, but knows that it is the car of choice for environmentalists, celebrities and people who order chai lattes at Starbucks – you know, the trendy ones.

There’s no doubt that the Prius is the most frugal car when it comes to gas consumption, but there really is more to cars and driving than how much gas it uses. Is it actually a good car?

dsc03926First things first, we’ll get the foolishness out of the way. At no point during my time with the Prius did the brakes not work or did the gas pedal stick. You likely already know about the hoopla surrounding all the recalls. All I have to say is I hope you learned you lesson Toyota. But braking problems were specifically linked to the Prius and I’m happy to report that the brakes work extremely well. Too well in fact. They felt quite touchy at first. Coming to a smooth stop at a red light was something that was difficult at first, but you got used to the pedal feel quite quickly.

When the red light turns green, there is a momentary sense of panic as you put your foot on the gas anddsc03928 seemingly nothing happens. At this point the electric motor is the only thing propelling you and it is eerily quiet. So quiet that you don’t even notice that you’re actually moving. And when I say moving, I mean moving at the same speed the planet revolves around the sun. It is painfully slow. You then compensate by mashing the throttle down a bit harder. This causes the gas engine to spring into action to give you your get-up-and-go, which is useless since you are now burning a lot of gas to get the 3000 pound Prius out of everyone’s way. The main purpose of a hybrid is to obviously save gas. Almost every single time I found myself in this situation. This was not my first time in a hybrid, by the way. The other hybrids I’ve driven don’t seem to have the same electric motor lag.

dsc03929Once you are able to get the Prius going though, there is lots of power. The Prius is no BMW, but there is definitely no lacking in power. 0-100 (not that it matters since Prius owners won’t be racing) takes a respectable 9.8 seconds. There’s definitely enough passing power for highway driving and even enough power for some fun spirited driving at times. Again, your fuel consumption will suffer if you do this though.

Power comes from a 1.8 unit which develops 134 horsepower combined with the electric motor. This is a more powerful, yet more efficient engine than the previous generation which made do with a 1.5 litre engine and 110 horses. The 2010 Prius, despite the added power, gets better efficiency too as it is rated at an incredible 3.7 L/100 kms city and 4.0 highway. The Prius is a “full hybrid” meaning the electric motor is a method of propulsion, not an assist. The Prius, as mentioned, can run fully on the electric motor by itself in the most ideal conditions.

How does the Prius do so well with efficiency? Well on top of the hybrid set up, there’s lots of weightdsc03932 savings to be found such as an aluminum hood and rear hatch, front axle, rear suspension and centre pillar. The Prius uses ultra low rolling resistance tires on standard 15 inch wheels which look pretty ridiculous on the car. They’re too small. Optional 17’s are much better and are the ones to go for.

As a result of said tiny tires with low rolling resistance, handling is not this car’s forte. It felt fairly unstable in corners and the lack of feedback to the driver was huge. This likely won’t be an issue for most Prius drivers however. The Prius has one of the best turning radius’ around.

dsc03925The interior is all new for 2010 and it is unique and tastefully laid out. Also new for 2010 is a larger digital display that tells you what all the inner workings of the Prius are doing so you can train yourself to drive in an efficient manner. The steering wheel is probably the smallest I’ve ever encountered in a car short of a go-kart. When in reverse, the Prius makes an immensely irritating beeping sound like a large truck does when it’s reversing. Why? It’s stupid. I know I’m reversing, I’m the one that told it to reverse by selecting ‘R’. Not to mention that I’m not daft and I can and will notice that I’m going backwards, not forwards. The noise luckily isn’t audible from outside.

There is lots of great space and cubby holes everywhere. Thanks to the hatch, the Prius is quite versatile and would serve quite well as a family hauler. In fact, I wondered it it was the ultimate family hauler. Honestly, it can do anything an SUV can do (except do well off-road) but it does it way more efficiently and safely. If I had kids, I would easily take the Prius over most of its competition.

Except I wouldn’t. While I appreciate all the emissions and gas saving technology crammed into this car, it just isn’t inspiring at all. It’s a bit like having a supermodel as your wife, yet remaining celibate. Even though I care about gas savings and the environment, I also care quite a bit for performance. In fact performance is my number one factor in looking for a car. The diesel options from BMW and Volkswagen are superb. In fact the latter offers a wagon version of their diesel and a six-speed manual to boot! It even costs less. Therefore that would be the one that gets my money if efficiency was my top priority.

But that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the Prius. Far from it. I think it is a remarkable achievement. Whether hybrids are a solution to our environmental predicaments remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it isn’t a bad start.

Price: $27,800

Pros:

  • You won’t find a car that does better on gas
  • Versatility
  • Luxurious feel, lots standard
  • Less dorky looking than previous model
  • Decent and unexpected power
  • Good safety

Cons:

  • Electric motor lag
  • Can get pricey with options
  • Stupid irritating noise when in reverse
  • No handling abilities whatsoever

Overall: 7.5/10

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