On Sunday we went to Fort Mason in San Francisco for a preview of the next-generation Toyota Prius. The event was a nice little shindig, where we had a light brunch and got to take a look at the redesigned 2010 model, which the Toyota folks tentatively said would be available this May.
We also got to take a test drive but were asked not to share any “driving impressions” until after March 25. Photos and video were otherwise allowed; I have a few photos up on Flickr, and I put together a video showing a demo of one of the new features, “Intelligent Parking Assist”:
I’m lukewarm over the new exterior, but it does look sportier and sleeker. The new features like parking guidance and the redesigned interior information displays make this model very tempting! We’re thinking we may get one eventually. (I say quietly so as not to make Thom’s current Prius nervous.)
It was a gorgeous day out, so afterward we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and parked at the vista point on the Marin side. We walked partway onto the bridge and took in the sights.
More photos from the Golden Gate Bridge here.
3 replies on “Prius preview”
hmmm???? I am puzzled. My Prius is several years old but it has the intelligent parking assist feature already. I hardly use it since it takes more time but it may be great to use that feature in SF for obvious reasons.
@Shigeki: Yeah, I should’ve mentioned that the Prius parking guidance has been in the Japan models since 2003. (You get all the cool stuff!) It’s just available in the U.S. this year.
That’s pretty cool, but it would be too slow for NY driving and parking. You need to be quick in these parts!
I love the other video! Very scenic!