Toyota finally premiered the 2010 3rd gen Prius. Overall it looks somewhat different, especially the interior. An improvement from 46 mpg to 50 mpg is a key mental jump but certainly not anything near the 100 mpg that had been rumored a while ago. The exterior is definitely Prius although there is a slight improvement in the lines. It's not so odd looking. The car appears smaller even though they tout more rear legroom than before. The optional solar panel roof is nice but is it really that useful? It is simple to ventilate the cabin on those hot days while parked. I also have a feeling that they are doing away with the display monitor as standard. All that info has moved to the instrument panel above. Although there will be the option for gps of course.
I am really not as excited about the new Prius as I thought I would be. The overall improvement just isn't there yet. I think I like the new Honda Insight a lot more now. It now has a back seat though it trails the Prius in mpg ratings at about 41. I also like the fact that the motor does not turn off while you drive. And the price is more to my liking. Under 20k for this make it very appealing to more people. This might be a great choice for my next daily driver. My current one has seen better days.
Check out the videos from cnettv.com of the Insight and the Prius. The insight is said to be availible as soon as April of this year while the Prius is coming sometime ing the Spring.
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2 comments:
I had a neighbor who had one of the early models and it was froth with problems.
I watch Green TV and Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and his show Stuff Happens. He takes apart myths of what is green and what's not. The batteries for the Prius was one of the segments he did. Their batteries are not green at all and in fact quite bad for the environment in the long run.
It's an ugly vehicle as well. I am glad some car companies are trying new ways to extend or change our fuel consumption ways but most are just not the answer but only "Spin" by the car companies.
He laid waste to the Ethanol is good for the USA myth also. It would require our farmers to use 40% of their crop space for it and it require almost as much oil in production. Yes it pollutes less but then all our food prices will skyrocket and so on.
No easy solutions for sure but at least there is exploration of ideas.
The toxic battery issue is a huge problem. Just yesterday, a person I know who has a 2002 Prius just had his hybrid battery die in -17 degree weather. Fortunately it is under an 8 year warranty but it would have been a $4k hit. ouch! But they still have to dispose of that monster somehow.
I have also seen ferrous batteries being used in electric cars from China. Supposedly they are not as toxic since it is made of iron.
Agreed, there is no easy solution but in the meantime, we wait. Bill Nye is cool. he is very informative.
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