New Prius to be bigger, better

Toyota's 1/X concept may hint at some ideas for the new Prius.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The Truth About Cars blog posted commentary on the next generation Toyota Prius today. The car is supposed to debut at the 2009 Detroit auto show, but a few details have come out in Edmund's Auto Observer. The new Prius will be 3 inches to 4 inches longer than the current model and it will get a 50 horsepower boost. Along with all that, it will get better fuel economy than the current model. The last update was in 2004, so this new version is definitely due. There's also talk of another model in the Prius line, and a Lexus equivalent featuring an even larger engine. Toyota showed off its 1/X concept at the 2008 Tokyo auto show, a study in design materials for a car with a Prius-like body, which might hint at some features of the new model. We also expect the new Prius to be a showcase for new cabin electronics from Toyota.

(Source: The Truth About Cars)

[Frost7331]

Haha,wow.Prius,reminds me of many a night on comedy central,including a sexual reference.

I just had to lol.

[AppleSuxLeo]

A bigger , longer lasting Prius would have to be re-named the Priapism.

[pfletcher]

and it will still have a bigger impact on the planet than a turbo-diesel VW golf

[Brian]

The Prius looks like a death trap.

I would be afraid to be sitting in one of those - if involved in a collision, there is no way in heck anyone would survive.

One word - cheap !

[sleeka1]

Prius actually was awarded a 5 star safety rating (out of 5) by Australia's National Crash Testing Authority who test all cars sold here.
Hardly a "death trap"!

[MrsKitty283]

Definitely agree with sleeka 1, we have had our Prius for 2 1/2 years and it is the best investment we ever made for a car. Roomy, comfortable and loaded for a very very reasonable price. I chuckle everytime I fill up and I reset my trip odometer and it tells me I got 46 to 52 mpg. Once you go hybrid you will never go back Meow

[thedoge]

I'll confirm what MrsKitty283 and other have said. Anybody who thinks the Prius is "cheap" has clearly never set foot inside one. Our 2006 is a very quiet (well, except when I have something cranked up on the CD changer....) comfortable ride, handles well, and the 45 - 50 mpg makes for less pain at the pump.

Or at least, less frequent pain at the pump. >:-)

Pretty nice sound system, too, complete with a jack for an iPod or other portable music player.

[Steaphan]

I have owned a 2002 (model) Toyota Prius since 2001 with absolutely no mechanical problems. This auto could have retailed at over $30,000 U.S.D, but didn't because of government subsidy. I can agree with comic/commentator Bill Maher who thought the car was anything but cheap. He has since "traded up" (after three years ownership) for a hybrid Lexus for a little more posh.

Can anyone please tell me why the Prius is so hated and practically demonised?

[iconoclastt]

For the same reason anything, or anyone is demonized. The "small minded" among us hate anything, or anyone they don't know, or understand, or anything that's new. Yeah! small cars with light weight, batteries, electric motors, are nothing new, and could have been brought to the market almost a hundred years ago ( what do you think powers railroad engines?; diesel engines providing electricity to electric motors in the trucks), but at least Toyota is trying!!!

[artemuss]

Prius is reviled not because of the vehicle, rather the drivers.

Most folks have negative reactions to anyone who is self-righteous, self-absorbed and gives the impression of being superior to everyone else be he/she a religious fundamentalist, hard-core liberal or know-it-all football fan.

Prius drivers were (initially) imperious and stuck up. Not so much now that the car has become a fleet vehicle and offered by Avis which seems to have brought it (and its merely mortal owners) back to earth.