The last-generation Prius deserved a lot of accolades. It has been our Top Pick for Green Car for six years running. Of course, a big reason for that honor is that the Prius has the best fuel economy of any car currently tested. But that’s not all; it’s also roomy and reliable. Plus, according to our owner satisfaction data, owners love them.

All of this doesn’t mean the car was perfect. There was room for improvement inside, with some odd controls, lackluster interior materials, and a somewhat compromised driving position. The driving experience itself was affected by numb steering and body roll.

We looked forward to getting the redesigned 2010 Prius to see if it improved the overall package. The new car is slightly bigger, and Toyota claims it is both faster and gets better fuel economy, a combination of claims that can be mutually exclusive. To find out how Toyota did, we grabbed the first Prius we could get. Loaded up with heated leather seats and a JBL stereo, our Prius IV stickered at $26,750. (The base price starts at $22,750, all the better to rival the $22,010 Honda Insight EX.)

Did Toyota deliver on its promise of an improved Prius? Let’s see our engineers’ initial comments in the car’s logbook as the car gets its real-world break-in miles:

“Don’t like the energy display – looks like my old Atari 2600.”

“48.1 mpg over 370 miles, which included a trip to NYC.”

“Driving position greatly improved, thanks to more foot room, telescope wheel, and seat height/lumbar adjustments.”

“Split rear window is crap in the rain – wiper only clears small area.”

“55 mpg on the commute home.”

“With this kind of fuel economy and a base price of $23k, why bother with lithium-ion or plug-ins?”

“The color screen [in the last generation Prius] has been downgraded to a low-res green screen out of 1983.”

“Roomy, but high center stack takes up lots of room and makes it feel cramped.”

“Can easily get over 50 mpg if trying.”

“As an engineer, I’m impressed. As a Gen 2 Prius owner – not as much. There is little reason to trade in our ‘06 model.”

“I dislike the seat heater switches buried under the console.”

“Beeping in reverse is so annoying.”

“Numb steering, especially off-center.”

“Took four adults into New Haven – all said they were comfortable.”

“Hard to use instrumentation info modes – seem cumbersome and illogical.”

“Efficient transport, but no fun to drive.”

“Steering firmer [than previous Prius] but no more direct.”

“More engine torque and less boomy sounding.”

So, at first glance, the new Prius that is improved in several ways, but certainly isn’t devoid of annoyances. Unlike the Ford Fusion hybrid, a car that showed that you can buy a car that combines both high fuel economy and driving enjoyment, the Prius remains biased towards maximizing practical and efficient transportation.

We’ll see exactly how efficient it is when we finish running our full fuel economy tests—including city and highway driving cycles—as well as our other tests here at the track. We’ll also publish a First Drive with more driving impressions shortly.

Visit our Toyota Prius model overview, for pricing, specs, and eventually ratings and road test (available to online subscribers).

—Tom Mutchler