VIDEO: Forgone conclusion? 2010 Prius quicker than 2009
Click above to watch the video after the break
By now, you've probably read a number of reviews and first drives of the 2010 Toyota Prius, hopefully including our own. If that's the case, you've undoubtedly read that the updated model has a larger engine with more horsepower than the car it replaces. So, the obvious question would have to be... is it faster?
The answer, as you can see in the video pasted after the break, is yes. You'll have to watch the video to see how much quicker the 2010 model is over the second-generation Prius, but there's no doubt that Toyota never intended its hybrid hatchback to be a road burner – so you shouldn't expect any rocket launches when planting your right foot to the floor.
Plus, the best part of the equation is that the added power comes along with improved fuel efficiency, making this one of those rare cases when you can have your cake and eat it too. There might even be some room left over for some frosting.
[Source: TFLcar via TTAC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wincros 9:29AM (9/14/2009)
Wonderful. Ever since being suckered into a SAAB back when the company still owned itself because virtually every car mag said it was a great sport sedan I have been suspicious of car evaluations. My eyes were opened the first time it was in the shop for two days waiting to be repaired and they loaned me a cheap a-- VW Rabbit that was a better sport sedan in every way. I had the impression with the many articles on the new Prius that it was significantly quicker. Now I wonder about the highly touted improved handling. Nice to see a good debunk done with good humor.
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gorr 9:55AM (9/14/2009)
I knew that a bigger engine but tuned to lug ( not enouph rpm ) consume less gasoline but don't add-up more performance because the power don't reach the wheels because it's tuned not to spin fast and they make economy when driven slow at a steady state and if you push the gas nothing really happen because it's tuned to lug and the printed horsepower is just an illusion and you cannot use it, this explain the prius and the saab that are slow, unresponsive and heavy.
It's the lightness that make a car livelly, the one wanting to have a cheap fast car might look for a used mazda or honda of the nineties and maintain it the best they can because since that time mainly all the cars, even the small ones are tuned by the manufacturer to lug painfully with theorical power numbers that don't add up in reality.
Most sporty drivers prefer a small 4 cylinder light car, it goes faster then a v6 or v8 and cost less. Unfortunatelly it need better driving techniques and most american drivers choose a big fat automatic v6 or v8 easy handling weighty underperformant safe over-sized car or minivan or crossover or s.u.v. That's why toyota, ford, gm, chrsler, mazda, honda, nissan, volkwagen, bmw, acura, lexus, infiniti, peugeot, fiat, daihaschu, etc don't offer the small cars that they sell everywhere on earth except in the u.s.a and canada.
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LaughingMan 10:28AM (9/14/2009)
I wonder if the 3rd generation Prius was in PWR mode. When I test drove the new one, the PWR mode definitely made it accelerate a bit faster.
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FitFan 11:25AM (9/14/2009)
"faster" and "quicker" should not be used interchangeably.
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ziv 11:39AM (9/14/2009)
"Prius" and "Quick" should not be used interchangeably, either.
What did the 2010 beat the 2009 by, 1 mph and 0.2 seconds?
50 mpg does have a nice ring to it though.
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Dave R 1:58PM (9/14/2009)
I noticed that the 2010 was the one with the heavy 17" wheels (Prius IV). I wonder if they had tested either the Prius II or III if the 2010 would have come out farther ahead.
Prius owners will also attest to the fact that acceleration can vary a bit depending on the charge of the HV battery - if the battery happens to be low, it will be a bit more sluggish under full throttle.
@LaughingMan
Power mode in the 2010 only affects throttle sensitivity making the car feel more responsive, but when floored, all 3 modes (Power, ECO and normal) all produce the same amount of power.
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Chris M 6:29PM (9/14/2009)
The irony is that by todays standards, the Prius is average in acceleration, but it is still better acceleration than many "muscle cars" of the '60s and '70s. Average acceleration for new cars had increased quite a bit in the '90s.
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