2010 Prius: Funky Doesn't Equal Fresh

So what we have here is the next generation Prius on top, the current gen, the first iteration, the Hybrid X concept and Honda's Insight concept.

I am underwhelmed by the restyling of the Prius. It appears that Toyota is playing a prevent defense and rearranging the deck furniture on its primary hybrid battleship. There are those who ask, "If it ain't broke, then why fix it?" but look at what progress was made when we went from the first Prius to today's shapely model? When I look at the Hybrid X, I only see a few queues that were "sort of" worked in the production model.

Of course, what really matters to most buyers is the technology. Given the fact that Toyota easily fessed up to this being the "real deal" means that they are banking on the tech to wow the crowds at the Detroit show. I threw in Honda's concept insight because when I originally saw it, I thought it was too derivative but if the production model stays true then I think I favor the Insight's styling over the next Prius.

Now when comparing the interiors of the new and old models, I'm less opinionated. I have to say that center console on the new model looks like it was inspired by Arches National Park. Hopefully the quality of the interior materials hasn't been compromised in an effort to compete with the cheaper Insight.