Improved Prius packs features, contradictions

Dan Carney • E-mail

The angels sang, the clouds parted, and the latest version of the Toyota Prius descended from the heavens to save mankind from its self-destruction. Really, that’s just how it happened. At least that seems to be the view of some fanatics who have mistakenly concluded that Toyota is not bound by the same laws of physics or business as every other car-making entity on the planet.

Alas, the company is bound by those same laws. Fortunately, Toyota’s canny engineers have developed good expertise in bending the laws of physics to their own will, even if the laws of business are currently taking a toll on Toyota’s ledger, just as they are for other automakers.

One engineering trick was to make the enlarged, more powerful 1.8-liter gas engine more efficient than the old 1.5-liter engine while improving the car’s passing power. No, Toyota hasn’t made the Prius a drag racer, though the bigger motor does slash acceleration times from glacial to average, answering a top owner complaint.

The bigger motor actually makes the Prius more fuel-efficient, because it doesn’t have to strain at full throttle so often to move the 3,000-pound car and its occupants.

If a company with lesser green credentials made the argument that a larger, more powerful engine was selected because it saves gas, it would be seen as a transparent ploy for the perpetuation of the “petrocracy.” But Toyota makes the explanation stick with EPA mileage ratings of 51 mpg city and 48 mpg on the highway, compared to 48 and 45 mpg for the old car. (In test loops — urban, highway, and mixed driving conditions — the 2010 Prius I tested returned 55, 50, and 53 mpg respectively).

Like every new Toyota, the Prius is an extremely carefully considered and professionally executed transportation device, very effectively balancing fuel efficiency, safety, practicality and comfort. The 2010 version is the best Prius yet. It also represents a strong endorsement of the enduring appeal of the flexibility of the five-door hatchback design, a configuration long disdained in the U.S. market.

The out-of-the-mainstream body style suits the Prius, not only because of the aerodynamic advantages of the shape, but also because Toyota wants the Prius to stand apart from other hybrids (its own and those from competitors).

Toyota’s plan was to position the Prius as the company’s technical flagship, a “halo” car for the brand, the way the Corvette has done for Chevrolet. But instead of having a muscle-bound V8 sports car as the brand’s one-model icon, Toyota chose its frugal family hatchback.

David Dewhurst / Toyota The car that was voted ‘most likely to haunt the parking lots outside vegan markets’ has an option for leather seats.

This was, and is, a good plan, except that since the Prius was revealed Honda has released its Insight, a similar hybrid hatch with a combined EPA rating of 41 mpg that was built specifically with low cost in mind, permitting Honda to sell its fuel-miser five-door for $19,800. And the price of gas has collapsed, down to around $2 a gallon from above $4 last summer, relieving American consumers’ manic need for more fuel-efficient cars.

This has caused Toyota to change direction, and rather than positioning the Prius as a premium product above the Insight, the company has decided to hold the line on the car’s base price at $22,000. It further promises to slash the Prius’ plenitude of apparatus to create a still cheaper entry-level $21,000 version that will arrive later this year to more directly rebuff Honda’s challenge to Toyota’s hybrid hegemony.

The slash-and-burning bean counters have a profusion of price-cutting possibilities at their disposal. Likely casualties include current base equipment like a push-button start smart key, a multi-informational display and six-speaker stereo likely casualties. Other potential casualties are thermostatic climate control and heated outside mirrors.

But it is the uplevel versions that are the technology leaders, with available satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity, ionizing cabin air cleaner, LED headlights and $1,800 voice-activated touch-screen GPS navigation with XM real-time traffic and integrated backup camera. 

Two more option packages set the Prius apart from more common economy cars and aim to establish its wired reputation. First is the $3,600 solar roof package, which includes a solar panel that powers a cabin ventilation fan to keep the interior cooler when the car is parked. It also includes a remotely activated electric air conditioner the driver can use to pre-chill the interior for as much as three minutes before entering the car.

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