2010 Prius preview at the Canadian AutoShow

Rosalynn and I were lucky enough to attend a preview event for the new 2010 Prius on Saturday.

Toyota Canada invited about 100 of their nearest and dearest along to the Canadian AutoShow at 8am for breakfast and a good look around the new model. There was a display model that we could climb all over and a second Prius that we could turn on to see some of the new instruments.

I’ll stop blabbing and get straight to the photos. Scroll to the bottom if you’re interested in our thoughts about the car.

Things we loved about the new 2010 Prius:

1. 7% more fuel efficient  than the previous Prius
2. 22% more powerful (the engine is substantially bigger)
3. Styling is still quirky and obviously focused on aerodynamics - the Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.25 (very low apparently)
4. Solar roof to heat and cool the car
5. Most of the plastic in the interior is manafactured from plant matter in an attempt to cut down on CO2 emissions during manufacturing
6. The Prius has 3 modes: Power, Eco and Electric (not the actual names). Electric mode lets you drive short distances, a few kilometers, without using the gas engine

Things we didn’t love about the Prius:

1. The price. Although not announced yet I suspect the Prius will be very close to $30,000 in Canada – a little out of reach for most people.

Overall Ros and I were pretty excited about the new 2010 Prius. Toyota seem to have made a huge number of improvements while still staying true to the original purpose of the car. It still looks quirky and it is still an outrageously fuel efficient ride. Well done Toyota!

While at the AutoShow we also checked out the Prius’ main competition, the Honda Insight. Stay tuned for a post about that car soon.