Toyota's hybrid Prius has for years used its lozenge look to connote that it’s a different kind of car. Alas, that look now is as common as denim, with Toyota already having sold more than 100,000 Priuses in the U.S. just this year.

Add to that the fact that Honda’s new Insight hybrid is designed to convince observers it and Prius were separated at birth, and the pill-shape appearance looms less radical.

So, it seems, this all-new third-generation Prius, whose styling has changed only in an evolutionary way, has given up on metal bending as a way to grab attention, opting instead for a techno ambience.

For example, a glance at the instrument panel’s centerstack reveals this thing has more screens than Wehrenberg -- at least in the toniest Prius V we drove. (Those who have less status with the Roman Empire can opt for lesser trims -- I, II, III and IV in ascending order.)

Upon slipping into the driver’s seat, I was struck by the profusion of information displays. I found a small green screen for climate data, a big rectangular screen for navigation and audio functions, and twin screens situated immediately below the windshield, the one on the left displaying vital signs -- speedometer and mpg -- the one on the right showing, among other things, an animation display of the hybrid system’s function.

I was longing for popcorn.

Of course, the real test of a hybrid is its appetite for fuel, and Prius allows the driver a say in that thirst with three different “performance” modes: EV for pure battery motivation (it’s good for less than a mile), Power for a “sportier feel” (Mustang GTs are not threatened), and ECO, for best fuel economy. We tried them all, using mainly ECO.

The feds, who don’t tell us what mode they used, say this new Prius, with its 1.8-liter I-4 and electric-motor/battery-pack hybrid hardware, checks in at 51 city/48 hwy/50 combined EPA mileage. Our experience wasn’t quite as happy, but still impressive.

We achieved 46 mpg over 340 miles of city/hwy driving, in the process making no special efforts to goose the mileage number.

In the course of those miles, I found Prius to be a pleasant commuter, if not a pulse-quickener.

Outward visibility is fine in all directions, even through the comical, horizontally split rear window (memories of the Pontiac Aztek), and room front and rear is impressive.

Steering feels vague and brake pedal feedback rivals stepping on a brick, but the ride is compliant and the car, with 134 total system hp, is slightly peppier -- such as it is -- than the lethargic generation two.

The available technology, however, is most impressive -- everything from warnings about lane drifting to radar cruise control. But not all of it is user friendly. The electronic transmission shifter, for example, is confounding, with Neutral being elusive and Park, which is a button on the console, not even available at the stick.

But techno foibles and fun aside, this car is all about fuel economy and convenience, and it scores on both fronts as a family sedan, proving hybrids no longer are the sole purview of hardcore greenies and techno geeks.

Prices start at $21,740.