First off, we are basically satisfied with this car. It now has 7500 miles on it; we bought it new. It is practical and reasonably comfortable, roomy, and quiet. Performance is fine; acceleration is certainly adequate and safe, cornering is tight, braking is short and straight and well-controlled.
Complaints: cheap plastic interior looks good to start but is designed to show every little scratch and thumbprint. It will shortly look as cheap as it is. Some dash rattles have started. The rear view is obstructed by a big piece of plastic, a really really stupid design flaw.
The gas mileage, averaged between highway and city driving about 50/50, is no better than 45-46 mpg at best. It was claimed to get 60 in town and 50 on the highway, which is an absolute joke. You can only average 50 on the highway with a good tailwind and driving at 50 mph; I tested this. Any side or headwind at all, and any incline, and it will drop at least 4 MPG. In town, it is nearly impossible to feather the acceleration so that only the electric motor is engaged, and even when you do, the battery then rather quickly discharges to the point that the gas engine must kick on to recharge it, making the in-town gas mileage never better than 50 mpg, either. If you drive anywhere approaching normal, matching prevailing traffic speed patterns, your mileage is nowhere near 50 either on the highway or in town. Car and Driver and other extended driving tests match my results - everything points to the mid 40's, still pretty good but I had a cheap Ford Festiva that got 43 mpg.
Had I known that I would get 46 mpg, I probably would have tried to save a few thousand and bought a Honda civic hybrid instead; apparently, they actually get closer to what the EPA says.
Getting 10 MPG less than advertised sticks in my craw. Toyota claims that it's my driving but I know better. I did not expect to get what the EPA said, but I certainly did not bargain for it being this far off the mark.
Had I known this, I would not have made the purchase I did. Now that we have it, though, I guess it performs ok otherwise, and it certainly gets stares.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 22,000.00
Condition: New Model Year: 2004
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