This car is the perfect vehicle for today's fuel prices. Admitted, the 52+ mpg sticker fuel efficiency rating is probably not realistic, but hey ... I typically make 46 - 48 mpg and that ain't bad either.
However, there is a lot more to this car than just the fuel efficiency aspect:
- the combination of electrical and gasoline engine makes for an incredibly smooth and quiet ride. Cruising in this car is sheer pleasure.
- having the electrical engine as a backup allows you to accelerate in ways you've never imagined before. The car's responsiveness to low-rev acceleration is really outstanding. Make no mistake about it - the Prius is no sports car. However, in average rush hour traffic you can out-accelerate almost everyone
- the one remark I hear consistently from people I take for a ride in the Prius is how surprised they are about the interior space that the car offers. I know it's an old marketing clichee, but due to the egg-shape design, the car really does look a lot smaller on the outside than it really is
- most of the time you don't notice the sophisticated safety features built into this car; however - the "vehicle stability control" literally saved me from a certain crash on an icy Kentucky mountain road this February. I thought I had lost control of the car, but VSC kept me safe.
- having all essential control elements on the steering wheel (climate control; music system; cell phone; ...) allows you to keep your hands on the wheel at all times. No fiddling around with tiny control buttons on the car radio...
- the bluetooth based hands-free system for your cell-phone is simply the most perfect, convenient and safe way to use your phone while driving. Seems like an irrelevant feature - until you use it for the first time.
- the car's smart-entry and smart-start systems are just so convenient. It now has become a real hassle to look for a key whenever I'm driving my second car
The only complaints I have are small practicality issues and are overall rather superficial:
- when you're listing locations in the navigation system's search function, you have to scroll unnecessarily to see city-names
- the smart-entry system seems to become unreliable in heavy rain. Maybe one of the brilliant Toyota engineers could have a look into this.
I must admit that the vehicle might appear a bit intimidating to a casual driver at first. You have all this sophisticated hybrid technology under the hood; due to the continuous-variable-transmission your gearbox looks different from what you're used to; and almost all settings for the car are done via touch-screen, not via buttons like on other cars. However, you really don't have to be a geek, or a computer freak, to drive that car. The complexity is just so well hidden from you. All you notice is an unbelievably smooth ride, easy controls, and an incredible gas mileage. What more do you want?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 21600
Condition: New Model Year: 2004
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