The third-generation Toyota Prius puts a heavy accent on the car’s patented Hybrid Synergy Drive system. Performance upgrades include the transaxle (reducing torque losses by as much as 20% from the previous version), standard four-wheel disc brakes (versus the previous model’s front disc/rear drum brake system), and a new engine (1.8-liter, 4-cylinder Atkinson cycle that when combined with the electric motor provides 134 net horsepower—a 24 horsepower increase from the second-generation system). Prius for 2010 is more slippery than the previous model (going from 0.26 to 0.25 coefficient of drag) as the technical wizards put the 2010 Prius through more wind tunnel testing hours than any other vehicle in Toyota’s history. Prius gains a bit more legroom in the backseat, and the car is more than 2 inches wider than its predecessor. The interface between steering wheel buttons and instrument panel is a notch beyond other vehicles. Fingertip touches to audio/information locales on the steering wheel prompt an image to be displayed on the instrument panel, making this display interface (referred to as Touch Tracer Display) a world-first. From a mileage perspective, Prius tallied combined 41 mpg with the first generation vehicle (seen in 1997). The second-generation car collected combined mpg of 46, while the current third-generation Prius gets 50 combined city/highway mpg. The Prius IV model (which includes model III equipment plus a three-door smart key system, leather trimmed interior and other features) carries a suggested MSRP of $25,800.