Even when gas prices have come down to saner levels, that doesn’t give us the license to pump it up without a thought of how much it will cost us. The 2010 Prius has made its debut in Detroit and offers a combined rating of 50 mpg – according to Toyota’s internal testing, of course. This is an improvement compared to its predecessor’s 46 mpg rating, courtesy of its larger and more powerful 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle, four-cylinder engine. If that comes across as counterintuitive, Toyota debunks that, claiming that higher torque equals to lower rpm on the highway, and highways are not the most optimal place for a hybrid to be on. The new Prius features Eco, EV-Drive and Power driving modes, where the Eco mode enables battery-only operation “at low speeds for about a mile, if conditions permit.” In addition, the 2010 Prius boasts the first air conditioner in the world that operates on battery power alone – neat!
Filed in ..