2010 Toyota Prius consumer reviews

I owned the Honda Insight 2-seater IMA hybrid 1.0 Liter from 03-08 and the Honda Civic 4-door sedan IMA hybrid 1.3 Liter from 08-11. I put 80K miles on the first and 50K miles on the second. My fuel economy was 52mpg lifetime on the Insight and 40 on the Civic. Now I have the Toyota Prius Generation 3 2010 hybrid and this car is much bigger, has split fold-down rear seats and a large hatchback storage plus trunk, and it gets better MPG with a better ride. The main difference is that the accelerator pedal is completely a fly-by-wire so you are pushing on the computer, not a throttle plate butterfly. The best MPG so far is 57.0 for 510 miles and the worst is 54.5 for 505 miles. The computed mileage was slightly lower than actual on the first two tanks and has now gone to slightly above actual after 5-7 tanks. Since I'm a 3-time hybrid owner I expect I do drive it to slight advantage over a newbie, but I am not a hyper-miler by any stretch. This car is so much quieter and smoother than the two others mentioned, and it has better AC -- functions even when the engine is off. Hondas must run their IMA engines all the time when they are rolling... no other options. The Prius can drive around parking lots and coast silently with the engine off. The IMA technology was great 10 or 12 years ago but cannot keep up with the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive advances. Buy one now! NOTE: DO NOT BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM THE DEALER. CHECK ON-LINE AT PRIUS OWNER CHAT AND GET THE TOYOTA PLATINUM PLAN WITH ZERO DEDUCTIBLE FOR HALF.

I bought a 2010 Prius after my 2003 SAAB convertible was totaled. Come spring I will miss having the top down but will be happy to be using less than half as much gas--and regular instead of high-test. The power to weight ratio of the Prius is not much different from the SAAB and the electric motor gives a torque boost similar to the SAAB's turbochargered. Ok, the interior of the Prius II is spartan compared to the SAAB but it cost less than half as much. My only complaints are that the 3000-pound, high-sided Prius blows about a bit more in strong gusty winds and that the defroster, while adequate, is anemic compared to the SAAB's. All in all, I am very pleased with the Prius--especially the 40+ mpg in the dead of an upstate NY winter.

I only drive 5 miles to work so the car just gets warm when I get there. My ford fussion got 21 mpg in winter & 25 mpg summer. My prius is getting 40 to 43 mpg winter and I jusy can't wait for summer. the prius is better than the ford in every catagory except trunk space. the ford pulled to the right under hard acceleration the prius goes straight After driving fords & cheveys for the last 38 years I now know they have a way to go to come up to toyota's level

The Prius is a fun, responsive vehicle with great fuel economy. The only negative aspect is the somewhat restricted rear window vision, which, though somewhat annoying, is not dangerous. Both front and rear seats are very comfortable. It handles well and accelerates rapidly when necessary.

18,000 miles into it. 54mpg, no new tires, no new brakes, 1 service, $84 from, Toyota. Enjoy, BMW, Audi, MB. The other car is a Benz, She laughed at first, now.....a little tear.

Love the car for everything I have done so far. Works great in the snow, the winter is hitting the gas mileage. It might be because I have a very short commute. When I drive it further I get great gas mileage. (mid 40's vs high 40's low 50's) Holds a ton of cargo, carried 9 rolls of insulation in the car without compromising safety. The plastic on the door handle is hard so my knee hurts when I have it resting on it during a larger trip. I like everything else, just wish Toyota would have made all weather mats instead of forcing you to buy the carpet mats. (first thing I did was replace the carpet mats with after-market all weather)

2010 Prius III with Navigation, upgraded sound. Good gas mileage with a winter average of 44 MPG. Best of 56 MPG without really trying. I drive in power mode due to the crazy drivers and highways in stinking Maryland. There are some real nutz on the road around here. The ability for the Prius to merge is acceptable and reaches cruising speed fairly quickly. There is plenty of room for me, as I am 6'4" and 230 pounds. The seats are comfortable and about 4-5" of headroom to spare with the seat leaned back some. Plenty of cargo space. Great sound system and Satellite radio. Heater will run you out of the vehicle it gets so warm. Have not tried the AC. Cool technology with regard to fuel consuption and assorted read-outs. Handy keyless entry and exit locking feature. The negative would be a noisy creaking cheap plastic interior. Noisy back-up alarm but good viewing screen. The beep can be lessend to one beep by your dealer. The ride feels every little bump and is a bit annoying. The road noise isn't too bad compared to other vehicles I have driven. That is about it so far. Overall it's is a great commuter car and actually fun to drive. I like the green aspect of the Prius. I sold my 5 month old Chevrolet Camaro to buy this and it is quite a change. From 312 horses to 98, now that is a change. Hope this helps.

any other car is using 100 year old technology, wasting energy when slowing down or breaking, thereby wasting gas and more important, increasing air pollution, and causing asthma in children

Hard to keep on the road. Requires complete attention. Steering too sensitive. Enjoying the car. It is very quiet. Like the keyles entry.

Nice car but: 1) It's a rattletrap. In the winter, this car has more rattles than a can of pennies. Multiple places in the dash and in the center console. Hard to notice the good MPG's when you're pushing on interior panels to hear yourself think. Toyota--is it really worth the $3 you saved on proper interior panel fit? 2) Ergonomics of the Nav System, Sound System, etc. is pitiful. Especially the fact that there's no way on the 2010 to have your passenger enter a destination on the Nav System without stopping the car. Another $3 savings to not tie into the passenger seat occupancy switch. How stupid is it to save $6 and ruin an otherwise decent car? Wake up Toyota.