I have been lusting after a Toyota Prius for quite some time, since I saw how fuel efficient, roomy and cool they were at the LA Auto Show in early 2005. Once the law passed that allows Prius owners to drive in the carpool lane in California, I simply needed to justify my purchase. A new job, 50 miles away from my home, was the ticket. If I could get a car that let me drive in the carpool lane, it was worth it. However, I had a problem. There was at least a two month wait for a new one and the allotment of 75,000 carpool stickers in California were all but gone.

A month ago, I decided to consider buying a used Toyota Prius that already had the stickers on it. Penske Motorsports, a Mercedes dealer nearby, advertised a 2004 Prius with 16,000 miles at a reasonable price. I went in, negotiated a great deal, and took it home. I've been thrilled ever since.

Because the Prius is a low-emission vehicle that gets more than 45 miles per gallon, it is eligible to be driven in the carpool lane without a passenger. Driving in the carpool lane in LA traffic saves me about one hour per day of driving. That by itself is worth the price of the car. Adding the 45 miles per gallon I get to the mix makes this even better.

Features

Toyota introduced this version of the Prius in the 2004 model year and hasn't changed it too much since. The car I bought is loaded, with DVD navigation system, built-in Bluetooth for hands-free operation of my cell phone and steering wheel control, a premium audio system with a 6-disc CD changer, driver and passenger airbags, a heads-up display that shows how fast you are going, very fun displays for fuel efficiency, and much more. In 2004, satellite radio and MP-3 connectivity was not built in (it is now), so I had that installed separately.

Other standard features include bucket seats, power heated mirrors, keyless entry and keyless starting, anti-lock brakes, traction control and cruise control.

Ride

The Toyota Prius is comfortable and offers a good ride. However, with only 110 horsepower, it doesn't have a lot of giddy up. It takes more than 10 seconds to go from zero to 60, which makes driving on the highway somewhat of an adventure. However, once you're up to speed, the car is fun to drive and accelerates well. It also is almost silent in many instances. When you're stopped at a traffic light, for example, you don't hear anything. The engine basically completely shuts off. The 15-inch wheels add to the comfort of the ride.

Driving a Prius is a little different than a normal car. To start it, you have to have your foot on the brake. Shifting gears is different, because the automatic transmission gear shift basically stays in the same location. You just move it from one location to another to change from Reverse, Drive or Neutral. Because the gear shift moves back to the same place, the car makes a beeping sound, similar to a truck, when backing up. This is annoying but a necessary safety feature.

Other than that, the car drives like a normal car. You just have to get use to its nearly silent operation when you are stopped. At times, you'll feel like the engine has died, but it hasn't, the car has just shifted to battery operation.

Interior

There's a lot to do in the Prius. The navigation system tells you how to get there, the informational system tells you which engine is working (gas or electric), the audio system provides sound from various sources,

Gadgets

As mentioned, the Toyota Prius is filled with gadgets, including keyless entry and starting, Bluetooth for hands-free phone use, DVD Navigation, 6 disc CD changer, displays showing fuel use and efficiency and much more. I'll cover each briefly here.

The keyless entry and starting feature is almost like science fiction. In fact, the Mercedes salesperson who sold me the car couldn't believe that a 2004 Prius had it. "We didn't get it until 2005," he exclaimed. "And it costs extra."

Basically, you can keep the key (really a transmitter) in your pocket at all times. It sends a signal to the car, allowing you to open or lock all of the doors and the trunk and to start the engine by pushing the cute little Power button on the dash.

Bluetooth phone operation is pretty easy to set up, as long as you have a Bluetooth telephone. This allows for completely hands free operation that you can control from the steering wheel. I input my phone book from my Treo 650 effortlessly. Every time I start the car, it automatically connects to my phone. When I select a number to call, it makes the call and when it connects, the car turns into one giant speakerphone with outstanding noise reduction, much better than my Bluetooth headset. The only problem - there's about a one second delay from the time the call is connected until the Bluetooth kicks in, so I never hear anyone say hello. This is annoying. Other than that, however, the Bluetooth operation is fantastic.

DVD Navigation on the Prius is good, but not great. I have an old version of the navigation DVD (3.2). New versions come out every year with updated street and business names and cost about $250 each. I am going to upgrade as soon as the next version comes out, which will be version 6.0, I believe. The navigation system sometimes asks me to make turns that don't make sense, so I ignore them. It also is very hard to figure out, so I still have the old home address of the previous owner, as it is not intuitive how to change the home address to mine, for example.

The audio system includes a 6 disc CD changer, JBL speakers throughout the car, an AM/FM radio and a cassette deck. I added an XM radio and an Ipod adapter. The sound is noticeably better on CDs, XM and Ipods than it is on FM. All, in all, it's a nice system.

Displays abound in the Prius. My favorite is one that tells you how many miles you've traveled since your last fill-up and what your average MPG is in that time. It also includes a real-time gauge that tells you how many MPGs you are incurring at this very second. I find myself holding up on the accelerator and coasting more when I'm going downhill, because that car uses no gasoline in those instances and this improves my overall MPG. However, I don’t take this display so seriously that I drive slower than those around me, something that some Prius owners have been accused of. One really neat feature is that the MPG setting automatically resets itself once it notices that you have filled your gas tank. Other displays show which engine you are using at the moment (Battery or Gas), offer maintenance histories, phone lists and favorite radio stations by AM or FM. While these are fun, don't forget to keep your eyes on the road!

Safety

While it's a fairly small car, the Toyota Prius is very safe. With passenger and driver airbags, traction control, xenon headlights and more, it has done very well in crash tests.


Cons

Until now, this entire review has been mainly positive. However, I'm not one of those Priusowners who is so blindly in love with the car that I can't see its faults. It has several. Visibility in the rear and sides is sometimes a problem. The car is shaped different than other cars, so you have to be very careful when changing lanes and backing up. It's not awful, it's just not as good as other cars I've owned. The ride is good, but not great. The Prius is not a luxury car and it doesn't claim that your ride will be as good as one in a Lexus or Infiniti, my two other cars. It isn't. The ride is a bit rough at times. Acceleration isn't great. It takes awhile to get to full speed, which can be unnerving on the highway. And finally, user friendliness is lacking in some car components, most notably the DVD Navigation system.

These are minor complaints. I'm very happy with my Prius and heartily recommend it.

Value

The Toyota Prius is wildly popular. There isn't another car like it. Combine its amazing gas mileage, gadgets, technology and the ability to drive in the car pool lane and there's only one other car in California that you can pick - the decidedly unsexy Honda Civic Hybrid. As a result, this car isn't the best value. You can't negotiate on price and might even have to pay a premium in some cases. In California, there's at least a two month waiting list at present to get a new one. So don't expect a great value. Still, at around $30,000 for a completely loaded version of the Prius and a $1,575 tax credit (down from $3,150), it's not a horrible value.

Conclusion

I waited a long time to buy a Prius. I'm very glad that I got this one. It's a great car, fun to drive, filled with gadgets, and gets great gas mileage. Plus, it's a super low emission vehicle that is better for the environment than the other cars on the road. The fact that I can drive in the carpool lane changes my life. There really isn't any other car for me.


Specs

Exterior:
Length: 175 in.
Width: 67.9 in.
Height: 58.1 in.
Weight: 2,890 pounds

Interior:
Front Head Room: 39.1 in
Front Shoulder Room: 55.3 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.9 in.
Rear Head Room: 37.1 in
Rear Shoulder Room: 53 in.
Rear Leg Room: 38.6 in.

Performance:
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 10.37 sec.
Braking Distance (60-0 mph): 131.65 ft.
Horsepower: 110
Turning Circle: 34.1 ft.

Fuel Data

Tank Capacity: 11.9 gallons
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
60 mpg/51 mpg