Driving Smart

By Sheryll Alexander

For years, Toyota’s Prius was one of my top eco car picks for fuel-efficient sedan with rather good performance, super cool technology and loads of luxury-minded standard features. But does a road trip in a 2010 Toyota Prius change the mind of this professional road test reviewer?

Unfortunately, on a 1,000-mile-long road trip, we discovered the good, bad, ugly and the just plain uncomfortable in a royal blue 2010 Toyota Prius. In a nutshell, here’s what we found:

Pros

• Super fuel efficient
  
• Good on short trips as a commuter car
  
• Loads of standard “luxury” features

Cons

• Wacky exterior and interior design (see more Toyota Prius photos)
  
• Seats aren’t super comfortable
  
• Infotainment technology is out of date

2010 Toyota Prius Overview

For more than a decade, Toyota’s gas-electric Prius has garnered awards from auto journalists and acclaim from its thousands of owners around the world. Meaning “to go before” in Latin, the Prius has definitely been a standard bearer when it comes to planet-friendly hybrid vehicles.

However, it seems all the advancements on the 2010 Toyota Prius have been eclipsed as other car makers are not only catching up, but overshadowing the original eco car with excellent fuel-efficient hybrid power train performance, safety, quality and, especially, connectivity technology (think Ford SYNC).

2010 Toyota Prius Exterior

Prius used to stand out as a way modern ride although I have always seen this mid-sized sedan’s wacky exterior as more “geek chic” than a sophisticated ride. For 2010, the Toyota Prius was given a mini face lift to the overall front profile and the back side with sporty rear spoiler.

We drove our bright blue 2010 Toyota Prius to Sacramento’s historic, yet very hip The Citizen Hotel. Certainly, we felt right at home driving up to the valet in our brand new Prius at this downtown hotel, which has now been fashioned as a modern boutique hotel with super high-tech features like Joie Connect.

View more Toyota Prius exterior photos.

2010 Toyota Prius Interior

Inside, the 2010 Toyota Prius continues its geek chic appeal with a “floating” central console, which centers around a touch screen navigation system. How does this rather innovative interior really work?

The driver’s cockpit is comfortable enough although I’d rather the digital instrument gauges were placed directly in front of the driver rather than positioned atop the dash and to the right.

The passenger seat is, very unfortunately, rather uncomfortable. So much so, in fact, that we ended up sitting in the more comfortable second row seats rather than the front passenger seat. Speaking of the back seats, there’s more than enough leg room even for tall adults. The 60/40 split-fold seats really do fold flat and cargo space is rather good, even for long road trips.

Speaking of long road trips, we departed from The Citizen Hotel in our 2010 Prius and headed for San Francisco via California’s pastoral Highway 12. Then, we hit the outskirts of Napa, Sonoma counties on Highway 37, went south on scenic Highway 101 and eventually landed at SF’s Taj Campton Place Hotel via The Golden Gate Bridge.

Along this out-of-the-way trip, we tested the Prius’ navigation system. The first problem is that, unlike Ford’s voice recognition SYNC system, the car must be completely stopped and in park mode to find a destination, which is not exactly functional for long trips on roads you don’t know or even recognize.

Ironically, we drove from San Francisco to the city of Santa Clara and the very modern Hotel Avatar in California’s famed Silicon Valley. And while we were happy to be driving with a voice recognition navigation system, Toyota definitely needs to partner up with one of Silicon Valley’s finest tech companies like Yahoo or Apple to create a system to rival Ford’s SYNC connectivity.

View more Toyota Prius interior photos.

2010 Toyota Prius Performance

The 2010 Toyota Prius is definitely a car best used for commuters and those who just need to drive around the town. The 1.8-liter, four-cylinder gas-electric engine is fortunately much less noisy than previous generations.

We were happy for the “performance” and “eco” engine modes. In the “performance” mode, we noticed lots more engine power on mountain roads and fast highways. On city streets and long straightaways, we switched the engine to “eco” mode to save fuel. (There’s also an all-electric mode that we did not try because you must drive less than 25 mph to use electric mode.)

Even in “power” mode, however, we were not super impressed with engine power. When accelerating quickly, there is an annoying whining sound as the gas motor kicks in and tries to deliver power, but falls short of a truly thrilling drive.

Fortunately, all other driving dynamics such as steering, handling, braking and suspension are excellent and add some fun to the overall driving experience.

For more details, visit our Toyota Prius specifications page.

2010 Toyota Prius Safety

The 2010 Toyota Prius is equipped with advanced air bags, electronic stability control (ESC), traction control, anti-lock brakes and brake assist. A dynamic radar cruise control system is an option and features lane depature warning and a pre-collision system. A back up monitor is equipped with the optional voice-activated navigation system. Safety Connect, Toyota’s first safety and security wireless connectivity system (much like OnStar) is now available as an option.

2010 Toyota Prius Trim Levels, Packages & Options

The 2010 Toyota Prius comes in five trim levels: I, II, III, IV and V. The Prius I is available with standard 1.8 liter, four-cylinder electric drive engine, traction control, advanced air bags, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, air conditioning, automatic climate control, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with built-in controls, cruise control, split-fold rear seat, power windows and doors, heated power mirrors, rear defogger, intermittent rear wiper, automatic head lamps, rear spoiler, alloy wheels, theft deterrent system and auxiliary audio interface.

The Prius II adds remote keyless entry, keyless access and starting, AM/FM/CD/MP3 player. The Prius III adds Bluetooth connectivity and an upgraded JBL audio system with six-CD changer and MP3 player.

The Prius IV upgrades to leather upholstery, heated front seats, driver seat lumbar adjustment, keyless access, air filter and universal garage door opener. The Prius V adds LED head lamps with automatic washers, fog lights and upgraded tires.

The “navigation package,” which is available on all but the Prius I and II, includes a voice-activated touch screen system with real-time traffic, back-up camera, four-disc CD changer and Bluetooth music streaming.

The “solar roof package” can be added to the “navigation package” and includes a solar-powered sun roof, which cools the car when parked. The “advanced technology Package” can also be added to the “navigation package” and features adaptive cruise control, pre-collision alert system, a lane departure warning system and automated self parking.

Should you consider buying a 2010 Toyota Prius? The iconic Prius is a good choice for eco-friendly ride, but maybe it is time to look beyond Prius.

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande
Toyota provided a vehicle for this road test review.

Ford says its 2011 Ford Explorer will completely redefine the SUV vehicle category. How can this be true?

At the unveiling of Ford’s 2011 Explorer today in Venice Beach, this auto journalist took her first look at the newly-redesigned 2011 Ford Explorer. With gorgeous sandcastles touting the virtues of the outdoor lifestyle, Venice Beach was the perfect back drop for Ford to take the black cover off a shiny red 2011 Ford Explorer.

My first reaction was this: “Looks like an SUV to me!”

Yes, at first glance, the 2011 Ford Explorer does look like a sporty and rather luxurious seven-seat sport utility vehicle. I definitely LOVE the new chrome grille and super beefy fender flares. Also, the sculpted side lines give the 2011 Ford Explorer “very good bone structure,” as Ford execs describe it.

Even though crowds were gathered all around, I was able to slip inside the back seat and the driver’s seat. What did I find? The interior on the 2011 Ford Explorer is handsome and still a bit masculine for this female road test reviewer. However, I just loved the quality materials, cozy-looking leather seats with saddle stitching, burnished chromes and faux burl woods.

But this is not just any SUV, as Ford execs explained. What you don’t see from the outside is Ford’s “relentless” focus on quality and best-in-class awards for fuel economy, materials, safety, performance and technology.

2011 Ford Explorer Advanced Technology

For example, the 2011 Ford Explorer features advanced safety technologies such as electronic stability control, curve control and a four-wheel-drive “terrain management” technology that was designed by Land Rover engineers. And, if you need to go off road (or tow), the 2011 Ford Explorer can take on sand, snow and mud with its easy-to-use, twist-of-a-dial “terrain management” system.

There are a lot of “firsts” on the 2011 Ford Explorer. One of the most interesting is Ford equipped this SUV with the world’s first inflatable rear seat systems.

This is how it works. In an accident, much like with air bags, a plastic bag pops out of the rear seat belts and inflates in milliseconds. Ford says the system was created mostly for the elderly and children, who tend to sit in the back of the car and have different needs than most drivers and front seat passengers.

MyFord Touch

Another first is the 2011 Explorer’s MyFord Touch technology. I was able to briefly sit in the driver’s seat in the revealed 2011 Ford Explorer and I was pleasantly surprised at the super minimalist design on this system, which is located in the central console below the touch screen.

MyFord Touch retains the traditional car interior layout that has existed for decades – instrument cluster in front of the driver, center stack dividing the dashboard – and adds even more voice control plus full-color LCD screens for much of the visual information presentation.

The information presented is customizable by the driver using a combination of voice controls, touch-screen technology and five-way cell phone-style buttons mounted on the steering wheel.

MyFord Touch displays information using two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking an analog speedometer and an 8-inch touch-screen LCD at the top of the center stack. A five-way switch on each side of the steering wheel crossbar – similar to the one found on most mobile phones and MP3 players – controls the information displayed on the corresponding instrument panel screens.

2011 Ford Explorer Performance

Launched in 1995, the original Ford Explorer was a people-carrying family vehicle with off-road and towing capabilities. To date, Ford has sold more than 400,000 Explorers, which rivals some of Ford’s best-selling car models. But by 2009, Ford had sold around 50,000 Explorers.

The 2011 Ford Explorer will be available in both V-6 and Ford’s EcoBoost four-cylinder engines (fuel economy estimates are as yet unavailable). The 2011 Ford Explorer will also have a pretty good towing capacity, although not for super heavy pulls. Production of the 2011 Ford Explorer will start in late 2010 at a Ford plant near Chicago.

Although Ford is not yet releasing fuel economy statistics, the company does claim the 2011 Ford Explorer with four-cylinder EcoBoost engine will get the same miles per gallon as a 2010 Toyota Camry V-6 (around 23 combined mpg).

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande