Toyota were way ahead of their competitors when they released their best gas mileage car, the hybrid Prius, back in 2004. Back 95 percent of people had no idea how a hybrid car worked and other car makers were equally stunned by the incredible fuel saving technology of the Prius. Toyota made the first great hybrid car and it would be a couple of years before it would have proper competition. Toyota are still leading the way in best gas mileage cars with the 2010 Prius, which is the most efficient Prius yet and has lots of new hi-tech features.
For the last five years the Toyota Prius has been equipped with a 1.5 litre gas engine but many users were unhappy with the acceleration of the vehicle. The 2010Prius has a bigger 1.8 litre engine creating 73kW. The electric motor coupled to it is almost as powerful as the gas engine, generating 60kW. An electric motor as powerful as this is unusual for a hybrid. The Prius is still not quick from stand still when only powered electrically, but when the petrol engine comes to life acceleration is similar to other standard family cars.
Not only is the new 1.8 litre engine more poweful but its also more economical on fuel than the old smaller engine. How did they do this? It must certainly be in part because the new engine doesn't need to rev as hard as the old one. It also has a continuously variable automatic transmission which keeps the engine in a narrow rev band suited for maximum fuel efficiency. The Prius is quite simply the best gas mileage family car you can buy. It has superb fuel mileage ratings - achieving 51 mpg in the city and 48 on the highway. Tiny cars with tiny engines can beat it... but they're tiny! And they don't beat it by anything substantial. Not only do these mileage figures sound impressive but they're achievable in day to day driving conditions too. The car's emissions are also class leading at only 89 grams of CO2 per km.
The ride of the Prius is very smooth, which is great... however they've overdone the suspension. Its too soft and as a result there's noticeable body roll in corners. Steering feels good but tire grip won't be as good as some other cars because of very skinny tires (which increase fuel economy!). The car has a small turning circle making it practical for city streets. The brakes on the car are fairly sensitive. Overall the 2010 Toyota Prius isn't a bad car to drive but its not outstanding either. Don't expect it to excite you.
The 2010 Prius has a range of hi tech features, none better than those included in the optional Advanced Technology Package. Radar cruise control will alter the speed of this best gas mileage car depending on what the traffic ahead is doing. You don't need to brake or accelerate as the speed of the car in front changes. The Prius detects its getting closer to the vehicle in front, brakes, and then speeds up again once there is enough room. Another neat feature of the Advanced Technology Package is automatic lane keeping. This prevents the Prius from wandering from its lane by steering the car for you. The reverse parking assist function performs a parallel park for you after you've lined the car up next to a space thats big enough. All you need to do is apply the brakes. An illuminated head up display allows you to keep your eyes on the road while you look at the vehicles instrument readings.
Another new feature of the latest Prius is the optional solar roof panel which powers an internal fan when the car is parked to keep it cool. You also get remote air conditioning with this option, which is cools the car for a few minutes before you get in it. Other options on the 2010 Prius include an ionizing air cleaner, LED headlights, voice activated GPS system, rear reverse camera and leather seats complete with seat heaters. The base model is fairly cheap but has few features while the more expensive Prius models are very well equipped but this is reflected in a very large price increase. The logic for the big price variation is that Toyota wanted to create a well priced base model in order to make their hybrid appealing to a wider audience.
Considering how green Toyota like us to think the Prius is, I'm a bit shocked that they've included the remote air conditioner that runs when there's nobody even in the car and the seat heaters. Both of these use a lot of electricity it seems like an unnecessary waste of energy.
Inside the car five people can fit surprisingly comfortably. The interior is a very pleasant place to be. All is laid out well for the driver. A large screen shows the power transfer map between the gas engine and electric motor and also displays climate information, reverse camera and navigation maps. There are lots of buttons on the steering wheel which looks confusing at first but they are really easy to use and allow you to control functions hands free. Visibility out of the front is very good due to the large windows but rear visibility is not so good because of the sloping car shape.
This best gas mileage car is also very safe too. It got 5 stars in crash testing, has 7 airbags and antilock brakes. You pay extra for stability control. If you also opt for the Advanced Technology Package then you'll have a very safe car.
The 2010 hybrid Toyota Prius still leads the way in hybrid technology. Its the best gas mileage car of its class, is practical and full of useful features. The latest incarnation of the Prius is the best yet.