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Up Close: 2010 Toyota Prius

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Certainly the most anticipated car at the Detroit auto show was the redesigned Prius; at today’s unveiling, more rabid journalists surrounded it than any other car at any show I can remember. Even at a show rife with extended-range electric cars and lithium-ion batteries, a 50-mpg gas-electric hybrid with old-school nickel-metal hydride batteries is nothing to sneeze at. Especially because the new Prius suggests that Toyota, a company responsible for recent disappointments like the Corolla and Land Cruiser, could be back on track.

The front end looks busier but more enticing than before, with Scion-like shapes in the headlights and grille. From the side and rear, the car looks much like its predecessor, which, given that car’s iconic stature, is probably a good thing. Toyota doesn’t have any specs yet on exact volume, but the cargo area looks comparable to the Honda Insight’s, and, like before, there’s a large storage bin underneath the load floor, above the spare tire. The Insight has only an oddly contorted cubby around the spare tire.

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Interior quality is very good. Though the dash and doors have mostly hard plastics — normal for smallish cars, though soft-touch plastics are starting to appear in some — there’s a textured finish that looks very high-rent, even up close. Both rows of seats generally offer plenty of room, with legroom and headroom in the backseat being especially decent. The floor hump in back is minimal.

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The dashboard’s wraparound styling places instruments top and center; it looks similar to the outgoing car’s interior, and so does the steering wheel, but a couple changes should make things more user-friendly. Toyota added climate controls to the center dash, where they reside in most cars, rather than relegating them to a dedicated screen on the center display as the old Prius did. As before, there’s a rocker switch on the steering wheel for the driver to adjust the temperature. Also like before, a double glove compartment and long, narrow center console should provide plenty of storage space. One quibble: Buttons for the heated seats sit inconveniently at knee level and lack high/low settings.

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The litany of high-tech options — from the solar-cell moonroof to lane-change warning and prevention systems, and even the Lexus LS’ self-parking feature — will put most Prius cars upmarket of the Insight, I suspect. It also means the competition has a new target, and my early impressions put this one well beyond the second generation in terms of quality, technology and styling. Driving issues could prove otherwise, but after a string of less-than-stellar redesigns, I’m finally tempted to say it: Welcome back, Toyota.

Assistant Managing Editor-News
Kelsey Mays

Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Kelsey Mays likes quality, reliability, safety and practicality. But he also likes a fair price.

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