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Good things: Superior gas
mileage, sturdy chassis, lots of room, well
priced, good visibility, lots of standard equipment,
technological marvel.
Needs improvement: Poor shifter placement, audio
screen to difficult to reach, air conditioning
halves gas mileage, cost of repairing, technological
marvel.
Last year, this was The Car Family's
top vehicle. It held four adults, had a usable
trunk, got terrific gas mileage, and felt as
solid as a Porsche. It was fun to drive and
you felt good about yourself and the environment.
It won us over immediately. We just finished
retesting the Toyota and found some additional
insights.
First, the Prius, is surprising
fast, costs AUD$40,000, comes loaded with features
such as remote entry, power windows, automatic
transmission, and touch screen controls. The
fact that the Prius gets well over 50 mpg in
mixed driving is an extra helping of nice on
this car. We loved this Toyota totally, until
we started driving it in hot weather and found
that the air conditioning and freeway speeds
dropped the gas mileage to just a little over
28 mpg on the road. We double-checked and were
surprised. In the morning, we got nearly 100
mpg. On the return trip that afternoon in 100-degree
heat, we recorded 28 mpg with the air on full
tilt. We repeated this test the next day with
nearly identical results. Maybe this was an
anomaly, but you need to check it out, although
28 mpg is very good for most vehicles.
To give you a little background,
the Toyota Prius is the world's first mass-produced
hybrid automobile as it combines a 1.5-liter
gasoline engine and powerful electric motors.
Both power sources are capable of propelling
the car, individually, or together when extra
power is needed, such as when passing. Turn
the key and car starts by itself. Next, you
grab the strange gearshift, watch the indash
monitor to make sure you place the transmission
in drive, and the electric motor takes over.
If you are in a hurry, the gas engine kicks
in and the Prius lets you know that there is
plenty of low speed power available. Within
seconds you are up to speed. It is easy, uneventful,
and pleasant.
The Prius uses its electric power
whenever possible, running on the 125-pound
battery that rides low in the chassis, until
more power or recharging is needed. Than the
57 horsepower gas engine leaps to life. This
is no slow car, press the accelerator and both
the electric and gas motors move you along quite
nicely. You only notice a slight shake when
the gas engine starts and the rest of the time
the drive is smooth and comfortable.
Technology is everywhere in this
car from the drive-by-wire accelerator, to the
five computers which handle the important tasks
such as deciding when the car needs to be recharged,
when all the motors are needed, and when to
shut the engine off. Yes, the Prius turns itself
off when the car is stopped such as at traffic
lights. At first, this is disconcerting, but
a simple touch on the "gas" pedal
and the Toyota immediately starts and off you
go.
Mom's view: I liked this car and
found it an ideal commuter vehicle. It is fairly
short and yet the interior is very roomy with
lots of storage areas and a nice open feeling.
Unfortunately, the huge windshield and the Toyota's meager sun visors didn't make a good match driving
into the sun. The back seat could hold two adults
and the trunk was easy to use, although I would
have appreciated a little more room for longer
items.
Someone at Toyota must be related to
the designer of the Mazda Tribute and Ford Explorer
because all three cars have shift levers that
block access to portions of the heating and
cooling controls as well as the stereo. In a
car as sophisticated at the Prius, this positioning
defies logic. And, while Toyota is fixing that
error, there is another glaring one to correct
in the form of the LCD monitor; you can not
read it while wearing polarized glasses or in
the bright sun let in by the high windshield.
Despite these mental lapses, there was no getting
around the fact that this was a very friendly
car overall, and one I would not mind owning.
Dad's view: The continuously variable
automatic transmission, which means that there
is essentially no shifting and the engine is
kept operating at optimum conditions at all
times, was a marvel. Smooth, quiet, and yet
responsive, this transmission is going to be
available in all cars before the decade is over
because it gets the most from the engine and
your fuel dollar. The Toyota's gas engine is
only 57 horsepower and designed to work with
the help of the electric motors that offer another
40 horsepower and have the advantage of producing
the same torque as a 3-litre V6. That's right,
this car does not sit around at stoplights.
When the gas and electric motors team up you
keep up. However, around 45 there is a let down
making your zero to 60 times lapse into the
12-second zone. On the freeway, you can keep
up with all the legal traffic and only have
to wait for the fast lane inhabitants to pull
over for gas and you're by them in a flash.
The brakes recharge the electric power pack,
which makes them a little grabby until you learn
to modulate the pedal. This concept is called
regenerative braking and works very well.
The
engine also recharges the battery when it is
running. You DO NOT, repeat DO NOT have to plug
this car into a charger. It is always ready
to go. Of course, if you decide to floor the
Prius the battery pack will eventually drain.
However, the monitor will let you know that
the gas engine is in charge, literally. In order
to accomplish this drainage you are going to
have to be doing well in excess of the speed
limit for an extended period of time and your
gas mileage is going to be dismal. In other
words, you are defeating the purpose of the
Prius and should look into buying an Echo or
Celica. A feature that appealed to me greatly
was the monitor that showed your current gas
mileage and your fuel consumption rate for the
last half hour. One morning I reached over 100
mpg for five minutes by just keeping up with
traffic. For the entire half hour trip, I average
well over 70 mpg. The monitor also tells you
what is powering your Prius, the gas or electric
motors.
The trim size of the Prius and high
roof line make it a distinctive looking car,
but most people just thought is was ugly, especially
from the front. The steering wheel is adjustable,
the seats feel very good, and only the lack
of an armrest keeps it from being supremely
comfortable to drive for long periods of time.
Female graduate student: This
car is big on the inside and small on the outside.
It is a very utilitarian design. I loved the
idea of the Prius. Good gas mileage, lots of
room inside, and the ability to be parked in
the smallest of places appealed to me. What
didn't was the straight sides with their tempting
"dent me" appearance and no protection.
With a full tank of gas, you can go well over
450 miles with the Prius. In fact, you get so
used to not checking the gas gauge in the
centre
cluster that it shocks you when the low fuel
light comes on. The small turning radius of
the Prius is great. You see a space, any space,
and it is yours. A nice car, and this Toyota
is not just for the nerds. Green is the best
colour.
Working, college-going teenage
male: You have to sneak up on this car it is
so ugly. Once inside it looks a lot better.
The CD and stereo worked very well, the radio
gets above average reception, however the audio
controls are very limited, and the trunk isn't
big enough to haul much in the way of snow boards,
surf boards, or even plain boards. It is spooky
when the car shuts off at a light. Makes you
worry that the truck sitting inches off your
back bumper might try to push you out of the
way if you have any trouble starting it. Don't
worry because one touch of the gas pedal and
you are off and running. This is not my kind
of car. I like the great gas mileage, and I
love the concept of conservation, but I need
a little bit of beauty and Toyota has hidden
it all beneath the hood. Truth be told, I'm
waiting for the Matrix with the optional 180
horsepower engine, all wheel drive, and room
for everything.
Family conference: A year
after selecting this vehicle as the best in
the nation, we find the Prius still keeps us
delighted with its useful nature, solid character,
and stupendous gas mileage. We recommend it
highly for commuters and those who love to share
gas mileage figures at family gatherings.
Written by the Car Family |
