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29 · Wednesday, December 2, 2009 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Tailor your 2010 Toyota Prius to your driving style Continued from page 28 last year's ecoENERGY award winner for Most Fuel-Efficient Mid-Size vehicle - the 2009 Prius. I drove the last generation Prius and found it sluggish. The 2010 is noticeably better, and with three additional modes, you can tailor the system to your driving style. In 'Power' mode, you get an increased throttle response for a sportier feel. This won't put the Prius on par with any sport sedans, but getting up to highway speed quickly is no problem, and passing is well, passable. Toyota measures 30 to 50 mph acceleration at 4.11 seconds in Power mode and 5.81 seconds in Normal mode. Eco Mode reduces throttle response and suppresses air conditioning performance to lower fuel consumption. A side benefit to the gentler acceleration is that you get less wheelspin in snowy and icy conditions. And for up to 2 km (on a full battery and up to 40 km/h) EV Mode will allow you to drive on battery only and will help keep the Prius in electric mode longer at low speeds. Sure, there are limitations to its practicality, but EV Mode - or stealth mode - is an ideal way to sneak in or out of your driveway late at night without waking anybody. Also helping the Prius's fuel economy is its even more slippery shape for 2010. Sure it doesn't look remarkably different from the '09, but aside from a few nicer styling cues, the coefficient of drag (Cd) has dropped to .25. This improvement is due not only to body shape, but also the underfloor, wheelhouse liner and shape of the wheels. I've heard a few complaints about the joystick that is used as a drive-by-wire gear selector. It's a departure from the typical shifter that locks into place when choosing a gear, and this one offers only one drive position, no manual shift mode, and there's no position for park - it's a separate button on the console. And the constant beep, beep beep when you shift into reverse... Oh well, these are minor gripes when considering the many pluses that the 2010 Prius has to offer. And after a decade of improvements and fine-tuning, Toyota has built a hybrid that not only delivers outstanding fuel economy and green driving, but packages these benefits in a vehicle that is a pleasure for both driver and passengers. Prius is also eligible for a PST rebate of up to $2,000 on hybrid electric vehicles. (Taxes based on net value after trade-in, if applicable). I'm not sure how this will work with the upcoming blended HST, so check with your dealer for more details. BUY LOCALLY SERVICE LOCALLY SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY Phone: (905) 825-8088 www.volvoofoakville.com SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN SATURDAYS THANK YOU OAKVILLE FOR SELECTING US AS PLATINUM WINNERS IN AUTO DETAILING! KROWN FORMULA - Canada's biggest breakthrough in rust protection now enables you to get ahead of rust... virtually eliminating it as a destructive force! NON-TOXIC, SOLVENT FREE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY KROWN FORMULA creeps through seams & crevices for complete protection. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE! · Can be applied in any weather · Environmentally friendly · Effective on new & used vehicles 1490 Speers Rd. Unit #5, Oakville · New vehicle warranty · Fully transferrable · Used vehicle 5 year warranty SPEERS RD. N s r r TM 905-827-7878 $10 OFF The regular price of any vehicle. Expires DEC. 19/09 Any car reg. price $ 10995 +taxes WALLACE RD. 3RD LINE