Toyota's Prius hybrid is, in its own way, the Cadillac Escalade of hybrids. It's an incredibly trendy (although among an entirely different crowd) "segment buster" with the most Green Bling you can find that everyone else is trying to copy. Dealers are having no trouble at all selling every Prius they get at full MSRP sticker price - the current recall debacle notwithstanding.

And of course, that's the big downside: Being green will cost you green - possibly enough to seriously dent the economic returns you might expect to reap by driving this car - though maybe feeling (and looking) green is more important then actually saving green. Let's look at it.

WHAT IT IS

The Prius is the Duke of New York (and "A Number One") of hybrid passenger cars. It was the first mass-production hybrid car, it has been in production longer than any other hybrid (ten years now) and it has sold - by far - in greater numbers than any other hybrid.

Prices begin at $22,000 for the base "II" trim level and run up to $27,270 for the top-of-the-line "V" trimmed version. Its primary competition is the look-alike (or look similar, anyhow) Honda Insight and (to a lesser extent - because they cost much more and don't get nearly as much gas mileage ) the hybrid versions of Nissan's Altima and the Ford Fusion - as well as high-mileage diesel-powered cars such as the VW Jetta TDI.

WHAT'S NEW

Almost everything. The gas-electric drivetrain has been heavily updated to be even more efficient (as well as more powerful), the interior's completely redone and the exterior has been reshaped - though it's still familiar-looking.

WHAT'S GOOD

It's no longer slower than an old lady in an '86 Buick. It can get 50-plus miles per gallon. Improved interior layout. No longer un-fun to drive. You can carry two eight-foot 4x4 posts home from Lowes in one (I did it).

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD

The Prius is getting pricey - $22k to start, which is two grand more than the similar Honda Insight. Plus, dealers are gouging people because the Prius is so popular. A well- equipped Prius can easily cost close to $30k and that is a lot of money for an "economy" car. A diesel Jetta costs less and gets comparable mileage - and no worries down the road about replacing expensive batteries.

The Prius also has a super annoying buzzer that goes off - and stays on - every time you put the thing in reverse. (More on this below.)

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

The Prius is a hybrid so it has two sources of motive power - a 1.8 liter gas engine and a pair of electric motors/battery pack. Total output is 134 hp - sufficient to get the fairly heavy (3,042 lbs.) Prius to 60 mph in just over 10 seconds.

Gas mileage is now rated by the EPA at 51 city and 48 highway. Note that these numbers are the reverse of the usual, in the sense that city mileage is higher than highway mileage. This is because unlike regular cars, which are most efficient at steady-state cruise on the highway, a hybrid gets its best mileage in stop-and-go city traffic - chiefly because when it's stopped, the gas engine automatically shuts off, burning no gas whatsoever.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

The first thing you notice about the new Prius - if you've had an opportunity to drive the previous Prius - is that the 2010 model is much peppier. The gas part of its hybrid drivetrain now consists of a larger 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine vs. the previous 1.5 liter engine. Total (combined) power output of the gas engine and the hybrid electric motors/battery pack is now 134 hp vs. 110 previously. The power boost gives the new Prius much better driveability outside of the low-speed (45 mph and under) "city" conditions for which it was originally optimized.

The fact is most people have to drive on the highways at least some of the time - and on secondary roads where the flow of traffic is faster than 45 mph. The old Prius may have returned excellent fuel economy, but it struggled to keep up with 70 mph highway traffic and didn't have sufficient power to pull confidently into traffic or pass other cars. The 2010 version has no such difficulties and is noticeably better at speeds higher than 60 mph. I found I had no trouble maintaining 70 mph without the engine screaming for mercy and making me feel like it might spit its pistons through the oil pan at any moment.

Surprisingly, the newfound muscles don't come with a fuel economy penalty. In fact, the 2010 Prius does better at the pump than the previous version: 51 city and 48 highway vs. 48 city and 45 highway for the 2009. (The 2010 Prius' mileage also beats the 2010 Insight's 40 city/43 highway by a very solid margin.)

Part of the reason for this is the counterintuitive (at first, until you think about it some) fact that a larger/more powerful engine can get better economy than a smaller one - if it doesn't have to work as hard. In the old Prius, you often had to keep the gas pedal mashed to the floor just to keep the thing moving. In the 2010 version, you have to floor it all the way much less often - and that means the engine works less hard. Which means it burns less fuel.

The efficiency of the Regenerative Braking system (which uses the vehicle's momentum to recharge the batteries) has also been improved and once you get used to moving the little toggle shifter on the console to "B" when going downhill, you'll enjoy saving your brake pads as you improve your gas mileage.

There's also an "EV" (electric vehicle) button you can depress to operate the car entirely on electricity at speeds up to about 30 mph. This, too, is fun to play with - but not when other cars are around. You have to be very gentle with the accelerator pedal or the gas engine will automatically restart. Still, in stop-and-go driving, you can run the Prius for extended periods without burning any gas at all.

In addition to the EV mode, you can also select "Eco" mode for maximum economy (with the gas engine) at a cost of some performance - or choose "Power" to get maximum scoot.

Another big improvement you'll discover if you drive the 2010 Prius is that it rides like a luxury car. Excellent seats help a lot, but the car itself feels very planted and sure-footed and quiet, too - with impressive high-speed manners. The latter is a quality no hybrid I have tested up to now displayed. You can run 75, 80, 90 mph and it doesn't feel iffy in any way. So now you're at just as much risk of getting nailed for "speeding" as the rest of us!

STYLING & UTILITY

The 2010's exterior (and interior) have both been restyled but the interior re-do is the most noticeable change. It looks higher-rent, for openers, with nicer materials (including a leather-like material for the dash that is not unlike what you'd find in a current Lexus) and a more functional layout for the controls. The toggle-style shifter is still there, but it's now mounted on the upper portion of the center console (more like a regular car) than jutting out of the dash by the steering column, as before. The center console itself is much more attractive - as well as functional. It flows gracefully from the dash, with the central LCD display flush mounted instead of projecting out like an electronic breadbox. The main gauge pod is higher up in the driver's line-of-sight and the cluster itself is larger and more readable. In sum, you feel much less like you're driving a high-tech econo-box.

The tall "box" shape of the Prius and hatchback layout give this car more versatility than you might expect. I was able to carry home a couple of eight-foot 4x4s for a project without difficulty (other than the aggravating buzzer that won't shut up; more on this in a moment).

The Prius also has more roomy/comfortable back seats than its main rival, the new Honda Insight. Total cargo capacity with the back seats down is 40 cubic feet vs. 32 cubic feet in the Insight.

QUALITY & SAFETY

As mentioned earlier, the 2010 Prius comes off more like an entry-luxury car than a car intended to be economical first and foremost. In addition to the upgraded materials and just nicer-looking interior layout, the car comes standard with most power options (including AC and cruise control) as well as keyless ignition and a perfectly decent stereo CD player with MP3 hook-up. You can option out a Prius with all kinds of high-end stuff, including full leather interior, high-end stereo with Bluetooth wireless, auto-leveling headlights, seat heaters, solar roof panels, self-parking system, touch screen navigation system; even 17-inch alloy rims and fog lights - though this will push the sticker price to (or over $30,000) and that level you have to ask yourself whether you're buying this car more to wear green on your sleeve than keep green in your wallet.

The Prius is designed to appeal to people who want the latest in safety gear as well as gas-saving gear - so in addition to standard stuff such as full-row curtain and side-impact air bags, traction and stability control, etc. the 2010 Prius can also be ordered with Adaptive Cruise Control, a Lane Departure Warning System and a Pre-Collision Alert System.

I have no issue with any of the above but I really hated the over-the-top (and impossible to shut off) buzzers that come on when you put the car in Reverse (as if it were a ten-ton garbage truck) or don't close the rear lift gate completely (as when I was hauling home those 4x4s). There should be an "off" button for both. The seatbelt buzzer - which gets more belligerent if you don't immediately "buckle up" for safety - can also make you want to break out a ball peen hammer and start smashing things.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Prius is an impressive - indeed, downright amazing - feat of engineering. It performs seamlessly and makes you feel as though you are driving into the future. It's an open question, though, whether it makes sense in purely economic terms.

Yes, the Prius saves gas - but does it save you money? What if you bought a Honda Insight instead - and put the $2,000 or so you'd save up front toward the cost of fuel down the road? Or bought a diesel car like the VW Jetta TDI - which gets 40-something miles per gallon (less than the Prius) but is cheaper to buy (like the Insight) and also (being a diesel) should be able to run for 300,000 miles or more (which no hybrid can be expected to do)?

Or how about just buying a three or four year-old 35 mpg-capable economy car for $7,000 or so? The $15,000 price difference "up front" will keep you in "free gas" for the next 10-12 years before you'd even reach the break even point relative to the cost of a new Prius.

So, the Prius is as much about image as it is about economy. In the end, what matters most to you will determine whether it makes sense to buy one.

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www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for comments.