Black:

Barcelona Red Metallic:

Sandy Beach Metallic:

Blue Ribbon Metallic:

Winter Gray Metallic:

Classic Silver Metallic:

Blizzard Pearl:

Those of you who either own last year’s 2009 Generation II Prius (Gen 2) or have seen one you liked might be surprised to learn that some color options are no longer available. These include Spectra Mica Blue, Seaside Pearl, Silver Pine Mica, Driftwood Pearl, Magnetic Gray Metallic, and Super White. Guess we’ll have to wait to see if some of these colors return in the 2011 Prius as quite a few popular choices were dropped or replaced.

Here is a chart of the colors you can get on the 2010 version:

Interior fabric color options include:

Dark Gray
Bisque
Misty Gray

Bisque cloth, leather	Dark Gray cloth, leather
Misty Gray cloth, leather

I’ve spent some time on the official Toyota Prius website and although they have some photos and images in a few of these color options, they don’t seem to have them all. I will try to reach someone from Toyota to see if they will point me to them, or send them to me. Then I will add them here. I’d also like to provide you with more information about which exterior colors can be ordered/combined with which interior fabric colors.

7/29/09 update: Bill Kwong (Product Communication Specialist at Toyota) directed me to the information I was looking for, so the images have now been added. Thanks again Bill!

* color chart and swatches (above) are courtesy of Edmunds.com where you can get even more details.

1. EV (sometimes referred to as Stealth Mode): Choosing this mode helps to keep the vehicle in all electric mode longer than the others. Under perfect conditions, EV will allow you to reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour for 1/2 to 1 mile.

2. ECO Mode (Economy Mode): This mode maximizes fuel savings across all driving conditions. It smooths out (modifies) the electronic throttle control program, thus reducing throttle response. It also changes air conditioning operation in an effort to reduce fuel consumption. Just how much will ECOmode save you in gas? Some report 10-20% improvements by driving in Eco all the time.

3. PWR Mode (Power Mode): Want to accelerate a little faster? Power mode provides an immediate response when you step on the gas. This is probably the least efficient mode, but it helps when you need to keep up with traffic and/or merge onto a busy interstate. (Note – I use this mode most often, and currently average about 51 MPG.)

4. Normal Mode: We asked Bill Kwong, Toyota Product Communications Specialist, to clear up the confusion about this 4th driving mode – since unlike the others, it can’t be selected by pushing one of the handy buttons. According to Mr. Kwong, “Iif you do not select a drive mode, then you are in normal hybrid mode”. Since there aren’t any special circumstances here, it is probably easiest to define this mode based on how it differs from the other three.

So, is there a default driving mode? Yes and no. If you have the Prius in Normal or Eco mode when you turn it off, this is the mode you are in the next time you start the vehicle. At the same time, if your were in Power or EV mode when you last drove, you will start in Normal mode next time.

Bottom line is, the mode you select will likely depend on your driving conditions and what kind of driver you are. With the exception of EV mode, I like to think of it this way. If you want to get a quick start from a dead stop, it’s easiest to do with Power mode. You don’t need to slam the pedal to the floor, as pushing it down just a little does the trick. If you are trying to eeck a few more miles out of each gallon, ECO mode helps you do so without even thinking. You actually have to press the pedal down much further to accelerate. Normal mode is somewhere in between.

Purely from a “save at the pump” perspective, closely monitoring your driving mode in an effort to improve from 50 mpg to 55 mpg may not be worth the effort. In my quick analysis, if you drive 15,000 miles per year and gas averages $2.50/gal – you might save $70 a year. I prefer to keep up with traffic, which seems safer for several reasons.

For example, the luggage space in the 2008 Prius did not appear to be wide enough to fit even two sets of golf clubs (inside golf bags). I tried to research how large this space is for Gen II and found a couple of numbers. While a few sites claim it is 16.6 cubic feet, most of the trusted sites (Edmunds, Cars.com) show 14.4 cu. ft. Let me tell you, 14 cubic feet is not extremely large!

According to the official Toyota Prius website, the luggage capacity for the ‘10 Prius is 21.6 cubic feet. In my opinion, it is as big or bigger than the trunk space of any sedan I’ve owned. In fact, compared to the 2010 Camry hybrid, it is down right huge. This is mainly a result of the Camry losing cargo space to the hybrid battery…bringing it all the way down to 10.6 cubic feet. Even so, the non-hybrid Camry only has 14.5 cubic feet, in case that helps you to understand how roomy the suitcases have it in the all new Prius.

On a recent trip, I was able to easily fit 3 full-size golf bags in the 2010 Prius hatchback area, along with golf shoes, balls, jackets, and much more. Now, in terms of rear visibility…that is an issue all it’s own, and one I will address in another post.

You can click on the  image to get a closer look (in some cases, clicking again on the larger image will enlarge it even further). Depending on how far you are able to zoom in (I tried to make this a high resolution image) you should be able to see that mine is a Prius III model. I’ll explain the main differences between all of the models in another article/post. The only options this vehicle had were carpet floor mats and a cargo mat which came to $200. With the $750 delivery processing and handling fee, the total cost of my ‘10 Prius was $23,950.

If there is any part of this window sticker that you can’t read, just leave me a note in the comments section below and I’ll be happy to clarify it.