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When it comes to alternative energy vehicles, there is only one icon.  This is a car that stands out amongst the rest and has continued to set a benchmark in the industry.For most automotive enthusiasts, this category is disposable. 

For the most part, vehicles that are in this segment tend to be blasé, poorly styled and have interior accoutrements likened to a dollar store toy.  The latter mainly done to cut down excessive weight – thereby improving fuel economy.

Although there has been a recent revolution.  It seems as though auto manufacturers have heard the people’s cries and are starting to upscale alt. energy cars.  How so?  Lexus is not the only auto builder making alternative vehicles anymore.  BMW mules have been spotted with “active hybrid” badging, Mercedes-Benz is bringing the S-class hybrid to the U.S. and Audi is importing diesels over, one model at a time.

At the end of the day though there is one auto to thank for all of this.  Not only did it get Hollywood stars behind the wheel, it also had the capability to get John and Jane Doe to believe in its purpose; thus, gaining mass appeal. 

Like the BMW 3-series is a yardstick to sport saloons, the Toyota Prius is the standard when it comes to hybrid vehicles.  And with good reason.  After plenty of sales and technological advancements, the Prius is immediately associated with the green movement and being environmentally-friendly.  Own one and you are saving the planet while impressing the Joneses.

You cannot buy marketing that profound.

But there was still something about the second generation Prius that just seemed, for a lack of better words, geeky.  Its thick body and small tires made it seem proportionally challenged.  The lack of strong lines gave it a bland side profile with no flair in the overall design.  Ludwig Mies van der Rohe would have said the interior represented “less is more,” but in reality it made a Yugo 311’s décor seem like the Sistine Chapel.

Thankfully, the designers at Toyota gave the third generation some personality.  No longer is it a bore.  Its new design has sparked some life into the Prius and provides some panache. 

We see a clean side profile with smaller windows and an inclining beltline.  A revised front clip features a larger air intake and displays edgy headlights.  Raising the roof in the rear area of the greenhouse creates a shape that appears to be more wedge-inspired.

Sure the taillights are far too large and look out of place, but I can let that slide.  Kind of.

More importantly, getting comfortable behind the wheel of the third generation Prius is a breeze.  The first element that you will notice is the relatively airy environment.  There is cathedral-like headroom, legroom remains plentiful front and back, and there is enough shoulder room to get cozy without feeling claustrophobic. 

The second aspect of the interior that takes center stage – quite literally – is the new “floating” center stack.  I like this because it keeps the controls well within reach.  Although this has been tried before in Lexus’ HS250h, it was not executed well.  In the Prius it is pulled off in an attractive design that is not overtly invasive.  A problem will surface for taller drivers like myself, however.  The storage space located under the center stack will be nearly impossible to reach unless you can pretzel yourself in order to reach the appropriate area.

With weight saving being the primary concern for hybrids, usually the interior trim pieces are flimsy and are not up to snuff.  They can be hollow and like Styrofoam.  However, the new Prius’ interior remains to set itself apart from the crowd.  The trim pieces have a nice touch and are fitted with precision. 

When you get into a new Honda Insight, the doors are light and the interior seems sort of economy, where as the Prius seems as though it is upscaled.  To take it a step further, the Prius has a better interior design than its sibling, the HS250h.  It is more futuristic looking and it accomplishes a purpose.

Interior ergonomics are predictable with barely any learning curve to use any of the gadgetry.   This is good because it seems as cars get loaded up with new technology, the systems to operate them get more complex.  Soon enough, you will need a degree just to operate the navigation and media interfaces in many tech-laden vehicles.  But, Toyota keeps it practical and easy to use.  More bonus points.

The most important part of a hybrid’s interior is the display that keeps the driver up to date with the hybrid system.  If a driver has absolutely no clue how it is working or what kind of MPG to expect, what is the point of a hybrid? Call it OCD but the purpose of a hybrid system is to maximize the user’s MPG and keep the user informed on exactly how to do so. 

The new generation Prius answers this call and has the benchmark display in the industry.  The bar display lets the driver know exactly where they stand and how to achieve the best MPG possible.  With a high and central location, it is not a distraction and becomes easier to glance at as one becomes better acquainted with the Prius.

Getting down to basics, the 2010 Prius is equipped with an Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder motor that is good for 134-horsepower – net.  One would think that this is awful but it is not as slow as one would think.  It has some pep to get you around town, although merging can be difficult in dense traffic.  Toyota claims 0-60 comes in 9.8 seconds. 

Although one would assume that it is a dog, it can get up to speed relatively quick and it is stable at triple digits.  It feels nearly as confident as an autobahn cruiser at high speeds, which shocked me initially because previous experiences resulted in a shuttering vehicle, and a vibrating steering wheel.  The kind of thing where you sign the cross and push the accelerator further to see just how far you can go before the screws come loose.

The Prius is different though because its suspension remains on the tighter side, so bumps and dips on the highway are dealt with abruptly, rather than reverberated through the cabin by way of an exaggerated float.  This explains why it can cruise at high speed while not losing its composure.  Have you ever been passed by a Prius doing 100 and left wondering “how?”  It is possible.

What does take some getting used to is when at a complete stop and the motor is off, it takes a moment for the Prius to change from EV mode and turn the fuel-based motor on.  This can be dangerous if not taken into account whilst turning into traffic.

Coupled with the engine is an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, also known as an ECVT.  Like the HS, it too has a “B” mode for an increase of regenerative braking.  When activated, it recharges the battery at a much more significant rate than without “B” mode.  It becomes fun to play the cat and mouse game with depleting and recharging the battery. 

The hybrid battery pack is composed of nickel-metal batteries, which is surprising since it seems that there has been an industry-wide paradigm shift towards lithium-ion.  When and if Toyota will change to Li-ion has yet to be seen. 

An interesting aspect of the Prius is that it puts a lot of the control into the driver’s hands by providing them with options.  For instance, there are several different driving modes: economy, EV and power.  To utilize the most out of the system, economy is the ideal pick because power mode only provides a marginal difference. 

Putting the car through its paces, it was a stunner.  My expectations were squelched because I assumed that the Prius would be ruined with body lean, screeching tires and the worst steering known to man.  But, it surpassed the odds and kept all of the above in check.  Although there is some lean, it cannot be avoided due to the vehicle’s high center of gravity, it is kept under control – it is not SUV-like. 

The small, oval-shaped steering wheel has weight that is not overly light and continues to provide direct feedback.  Considering it is a vehicle that was not designed with performance in mind, it is a pretty tidy handler.  Sure it is not a car I would want to be given for a track day, but for around town duties or a daily commute it is more than adequate.

And that really speaks to the Prius.  It’s mission is to provide the best MPG figure, not take an S-curve at 60 MPH while lifting a rear wheel because its suspension is so stiff; a la Porsche GT3.    

With that in mind, and after testing numerous hybrid and diesel vehicles, I can conclude that if a high MPG is your ideal goal, the Prius is the car you should buy.  No other car has topped my achieved miles per gallon of 44.  This includes highway speeds, bumper-to-bumper New York City traffic and around town errands. 

Even when I tried to lower the MPG through long and hard acceleration, I could not get lower than 40 MPG.  It is that good. 

It’s funny, because after spending a little time with the Prius and knowing the MPG figures you are obtaining, you almost sort of feel sorry for everyone else.  As if they have been suckered and have sold themselves short, or bought into a lie. 

Do not get me wrong, I will always love my large displacement motors and unnecessarily powerful cars, but there is a place in my heart for the Prius and its purpose. 



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