New Prius to be heavier, faster

We've heard the criticisms of the Prius. It's too small, too slow, and too prissy. Auto-enthusiasts are, well, unenthusiastic with the car. But isn't that the point?

One of the really fantastic things about the Prius is that it doesn't give you 150% of what you need. You can't fit five suitcases in the trunk, and you won't win any drag races. But you will have a nice, functional car that uses a heck of a lot less gas.

After nearly 10 years of success with the car, Toyota wants to bring something new to the table. According to AutoObserver, the 2009 Prius will be bigger, longer, more powerful, and faster.

Fuel economy will increase as well. But a bigger engine and body mean that the heavier car will lose total efficiency, even if a slightly-improved hybrid system bumps the mileage up a few miles per gallon.

The good news is that Toyota seems to be looking at broadening the Prius line, making it into a kind of sub-brand. There might be a sub-compact version of the car, which could see very exciting mileage numbers. The manufacturer also is looking at creating a version for their Lexus brand that would be faster, larger, and less efficient.

I'm a little disappointed in the lack of a plug-in option for this next-gen Prius, as well as Toyota's continuing reliance on nickel batteries. While lithium-ion remain in their sights, Toyota seems too fat and happy with their current dominance in hybrid technology to really be going after this new technology.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Prius, and I'm looking forward to driving the new and improved version one of these days. But Toyota needs to reaffirm its focus on efficiency with something spectacular before I'll buy into this Prius beef-up.

Via AutoObserver