I'd still take the VW diesel hybrid simply on looks and carbon output.

I don't like the snubbed front. Just not that stylish.

Can we PLEASE have a hybrid that doesn't look like a damn vibrator?

I like the concept more then I like the (current) market Prius. But that's just me. 94MPG on a 1.6L engine is not bad either. Probably more in stop and go city traffic.

84? I have yet to hear about a Prius that gets over 50 MPG

Snubbed fronts are good for collisions. Unless you want a high boxed look? Not sure that the newer VW lines are much different.

I like the suicide doors. Looks almost Back-to-th-future-2 / Total recall-esque

VOLT Killer!

I'll buy one when they release it if it's under $25K.

@liveinvt: If your not sure there different, then you haven't seen them.

Also, there are a hell of a lot of safe cars that don't look this fugly. It's not that they had to make a choice between looks and safety, it's just that they aren't concerned about styling because it's not their selling point.

@froggy: Whatever measurements they are using to come up with 94mpg, gives a rating of 84 mpg for the current Prius.

Everyone knows you get ~45mpg in mixed driving in the current one, so this means you can expect close to 55mpg in future version. It's a shame that some of its technological improvements are being used to make the car larger and faster, rather than even more frugal.

I'm sure it'll have much less than advertised fuel economy, will still look horrendously ugly, and will still prevail as a safety risk when trying to enter a freeway...

I will go TDI VW first.

But isn't this car the leading cause of smug?

@liveinvt: You don't hear about high MPG ratings because people don't drive for optimum MPG. In fact, I'd surmise that the people who own them drive worse (high revving which is terrible for efficiency) because they think a hybrid is a cure all for their bad driving.

This version looks infinitely better than the current model...am hoping more manufacturers continue this trend. More choices = lower prices.

@liveinvt:

Read the actual article and not Giz's summary and they take note of Japan's fuel-efficiency system. They leave out that it's important to see that they are still improving on fuel efficiency, but not pay attention to the actual numbers themselves.

Shoddy journalism I say!

@SwatLax:
right, if anything they should be reducing the weight ("adding lightness" as the Lotus folks say) as a first priority. it's already a huge car in my opinion, actually all cars are a bit large for my tastes. why can't they make a cheap electric MR2???

actually, maybe I'LL make an electric mr2... although it's kind of a sin to throw out the awesome 4AGE, since it already gets around 30mpg, and is one of the more fun engines to tax horses out of...

@SwatLax: Thing is, most folks don't have enough of a budget to have multiple cars for multiple uses, and a larger car means being able to accommodate families more easily. If you have two kids and you want to take a weekend camping trip, chances are you can't actually fit in a current Prius very easily. Single people who don't have kids often think that everything should be small and highly efficient and scorn those who drive big cars, but when you have a family and/or do anything more than drive to work, you need a bigger car. And a more fuel-efficient bigger car is going to ultimate appeal to more people and do more to reduce pollution than a fleet of EV1's.

I find it funny that you post the picture of the concept to the new prius, when your sister site (jalopnik) has some pretty good looking and older spyshots of the next gen prius on their site.

[jalopnik.com]

Although those shots look a lot different from what popular mechanics say of their spyshot.

[www.popularmechanics.com]

Still, I'm really hoping for a plug-in version.

@DaOtter:

Damnit. That was mine.

@liveinvt: My next door neighbor gets 51 MPG (based on his own calculations, not the in-car numbers). My wife gets about 45 MPG, but her driving is typically during rush hour in LA, so there's just too much stopping in traffic to get optimal mileage.

I want to know when someone will offer a hybrid station wagon!
[liquidsoapdispenser.com]

Another small incremental step on the way toward a fully electric future. ~50mpg (real-world estimate on the new Prius) does not compete with a fully electric vehicle. Admittedly, the electrics out there are still waiting on the holy grail of battery power. But, when it arrives any day now, boy are they going to be great.

Any day now.

Really. Any day.

@nutbastard: the price for adding lightness to a car is either money or blood: expensive materials or loss of safety.

Actually my biggest beef with hybrid makers is that they aren't selling for my market segment. I've got 4 kids, there's no hybrid that will fit 6 that I know about. I'd love to save money at the pump too. Of course I'd love to sell my Excursion and not take a bath on a trade-in too.

And before anyone throws a conniption fit, the only reason I have an Excursion is to pull a 34' camper.

Is it just me, or does the new Prius shown on the jalopnik site have bigger wheels? It looks less like a car riding on a skateboard than does the current model.

That said, I think Toyota should remodel the design based on the concept car. I'd buy it in a second.

Finally, just what does "The car is set to be unveiled in 2009" mean? Will it be a 2009 model or a 2010? When will you be able to actually buy one?

@liquidsoapdispenser: Actually, stopping in traffic will get you better mileage than driving 70 mph on an open highway. [Slower is better. Notice that the city mpg is higher than the highway mgp.]

Unless you've got the air conditioning blasting away, with the windows open, then all bets are off...

@ghmlco: "Unveiled in 2009" usually mean a 2010 model.

Ever notice how they do that..?

@weatherman

There is a simple solution to the big family problem. Don't have so many kids. A family of four should have no problems in a small sedan. And there is no need to ever have more than two kids.

@weatherman: I'll agree with you that not everyone can live with an Insight - that's why the 4-door Prius wiped the road with Honda's first to market hybrid - it was basically a mid-size car so it didn't require sacrifice. Something to remember - the current Prius is only slightly smaller than a Camry, so if someone needs a 'bigger' car, that seems more up their alley. Also, given how many people with kids practically live out of their Corolla, I'm pretty sure that the Prius offers more than enough room for most 2 parent, 2 kid households.

passenger volume/cargo volume (cu.ft.)
09 Corolla: 92/12.3
08 Prius: 96.2/14.4
09 Camry: 101.4/14.5

And though I'm sure the new engine is wonderfully efficient for its size, a 50hp jump isn't necessary - I drive a car with a 127hp engine, and I've never had a problem merging on the highway (the common 'safety' excuse for more hp).

84mpg for prius = about 60 real life
94 mpg for prius = mabe 75

my estimates :?

@Glamdering: A vibrator that's four inches bigger than the older pocket-rocket model, LOL!

I suspect the "84mpg" is actually more like 84 kilometers, not miles. 84km = 52 miles, which is about right for a Prius, mpg-wise.

@takemetoyourtoaster: Go read the article Giz references. You're off by ~15-20.

DaOtter made me laugh loudest. They don't call 'em Toyota "Pius" owners for nothing.

@ackthbbft: I bet you're right. they don't use miles in japan. can Brian Lim confirm this?

@Glamdering:

Can we PLEASE have a hybrid that doesn't look like a damn vibrator?

You mean like the Civic hybrid? Camry hybrid? Ford Escape Hybrid? GMC Yukon hybrid?

Of course, the shape of the Prius is designed, in part, for aerodynamics, which makes it more efficient...and by that metric, perhaps it's a better hybrid.

@SwatLax: I agree, such a leap isn't really needed. In fact, the need for "power" is why most American-based hybrids fail to do significantly better mileage-wise than their non-hydrid counterparts.

Hopefully there will be an option like there is on the New Bettle for Normal/Sport that controls transmission shift points and the like. Then under most conditions you can just leave it in the more efficient mode.

Plug-in hybrids won't be here until 2010 at the earliest. The LI batteries (or other) are not yet road ready. This one looks like a 9% improvement so if you are getting 45mpg you'll likely get ~49mpg. Speed limits on Japanese highways are more like 50-60mph which accounts for part of their higher measure to US actuals.

I think these hybrid cars are terrific, but as a 6'8" guy, I assure you, they will never accommodate my size like my current vehicle, which eats so much gas, I'm ashamed to say what is. I don't know why these cars can't just extend the seat track 2 inches. If they did, I could fit in almost anything. Even the new Hybrid Ford Explorers and Toyota Hybrid SUVs are too small. My leg gets wedged between the steering wheel and the center consul.

This new Prius looks better than the old one, but I don't think it's going to make much of a difference for a person like myself.

finally we get a car that looks like those concept sketches that are "from the future".... now is the flux-capacitor an option on this thing.

@ideaman2020: There is an ideal area between 70mph and constant stop-n-go traffic that would give the best gas mileage. The regenerative breaking system is far from 100% efficient. Also, it's been shown that trips under 5 miles yield lower gas mileage, and my wife drives 5 miles of stop-n-go traffic to work each day (it takes her 30 minutes, when it would take under 10 during off hours).

@donlphi: A current model mini cooper would be able to accommodate you easily. I used to have one (I am 6'5"), and Dirk Nowitski (7'+ basketball player) does as well.

i still have yet to figure out why they can't make a hybrid that looks like a car and not the ugliest thing ever made.

i mean, the design is just downright disqusting - haven't they figured out more poeple would buy hybrids if they looked like cars and not a car made for a dumbass....

or maybe thats the exact reason they do that, to prevent people from wanting to buy

I really like those reverse inverted pickle-gripped re-enorphed punk knuckle rebeltwat doors on this thing!

what did the Honda Insight real-world mileage turn out to be?

Why doesn't Toy make an ultra-efficient (2 seater?) version?

I just bought the new Touring Prius. I just went from Jacksonville to Orlando. I set the cruise control about 70 miles. I got about 62 miles an hour. I am very happy with my prius. Toyota is really rock!!!

@arbeck: Your final statement is irrelevant, and I don't think you can make a meaningful argument in terms of "need" and family size.

There is undeniably *SOME* need to have children, and in some cases more than two could be of critical importance (for instance, your 3rd child invents clean, unlimited, renewable energy).

For some people it is a moral/religious imperative. Others might find great satisfaction in parenthood, and thus want a larger family. In these cases, you cannot tell someone how many children they "need".

You can say: A smaller family uses less resources than a larger one, or Once life expectancy stabilizes, if each adult couple only had two children, the world's population would stabilize, but none of this is related to 'need' in any quantifiable sense.

I've had enough of this. I'm buying a bike.