I read somewhere that Prius is Latin for "to go before". A clever name for a very clever car.

The Toyota Prius is a Hybrid vehicle. It uses both a gasoline motor and a Ni-MH battery in conjunction with each other to give you optimum gas mileage. This car never has to be "plugged in" as the battery recharges itself using regenerative braking. What is regenerative braking? I had to look it up on the Toyota website and it says: Regenerative braking is a feature of hybrid vehicles that allows the motor to act as a generator when braking. It converts the kinetic energy of the car's motion into electric energy that recharges the battery, further increasing the hybrid's fuel economy.

The advertised gas mileage for the Prius is 60 MPG in the city, 51 MPG on the highway and 55 MPG combined. The Prius gets better mileage in the city because at speeds under 40 MPG you are actually coasting along under the power of the battery rather than the gasoline engine.

The Prius is in demand - people all over the country are on waiting lists for their car to come in after plunking down deposits to ensure that they get their Prius as soon as it arrives at their dealership. People are flocking to this car for so many different reasons among which are the fact that it is a "green" car and kinder to the environment (10% of the emissions of a 'normal' car), the incredible gas mileage it gets while fuel prices continue to rise, and the fact that it is an awesome car in its own right despite the emissions and mileage. Fun to drive, cute to look at and economical to drive. The standard Prius comes LOADED with great features at a base price of $20,875. Because of the high demand, there really is no haggling over the price. You will pay the MSRP…. You can try to negotiate a lower price, but I very much doubt the dealer will lower it as they know that they can sell it for the MSRP. The Prius doesn't stay on the dealer's lot very long.

Here is a summary of my favorite features that came as standard equipment - this however is just my favorite stuff, it does come packed with more features. (Information is available from www.toyota.com that lists all features):
EXTERIOR
-Dual heated color-keyed power outside mirrors -- I like this one because I live in the Northeast and if you have ever had to chip snow and ice off your side mirrors, you'd appreciate this feature too!
-Heavy-duty rear window defogger with timer - also a handy feature living in New England!
-High Solar Energy-Absorbing (HSEA) glass - If I understand this correctly - this might help keep me cooler in the summer... I'll have to wait to find out for sure though for a few more months at least..

INTERIOR
-Push Button Start - I love pushing the button and watching everything light up!
-Liquid crystal multi-information display panel with energy monitoring, fuel consumption, climate control, outside temperature and audio status modes - this is pretty cool - the display can be turned off if you don't like it though. You can choose one of 2 different modes as your screen saver (I call it that for lack of a better description) Energy or Consumption. Energy will show you where the car is getting its power from - battery or gas with actual real time mileage. The screen has your four wheels that spin when the car is moving with arrows that display what you are using. It takes just a little while to get used to and understand. Consumption will show you a bar graph with minutes as the horizontal axis and mileage as the vertical axis. This screen also gives you the average MPG for the current trip. There are also screens for climate control, audio, and if you have it - your Navigation system. My model didn't come with a Navigation system so I am not going to say anything about that. I do like the climate screen though because you can set the desired temperature and set it to "auto" and the car will reach and maintain that for you. Each screen on the display also gives you the current outside temperature in the upper right corner.
-Central instrument display with digital speedometer, fuel gauge, shift-lever indicator and odometer with twin tripmeters and warning lights - I really like the dash set up. It is just more comfortable to keep track of everything.
-Cruise control - this is just nice to have period.
-Remote keyless entry system with 2-stage unlocking, panic function and remote illuminated entry - very handy and this is my first car with this feature so I am loving it.
-Tilt steering wheel with audio, climate control and navigation function controls. It is great to be able to turn up or down the stereo, change radio stations, adjust the internal temperature, turn on the front or rear foggers all from the steering wheel!
-Power windows with driver-side auto-up/down and retained-power features - no manually rolling up and down the windows to pay the tolls!!
-Dual compartment glove box - this is a clamshell design and I store my glasses and toll tokens in the top portion and all the regular glove compartment stuff like manuals in the bottom half. Pretty clever to think of this design!

SAFETY
-Traction Control (TRAC)- New England again - snowy and icy roads. I love that I have this feature.

There are many websites and chat groups devoted to the Prius and owning one. One of the most popular is www.priuschat.com where owners compare mileage, experiences, aftermarket options etc and owner wannabe's can lament over their waiting list times together. A lot of valuable information is available in the Priuschat forum and I highly recommend checking it out if you are considering a Prius purchase yourself.

I am one of the lucky ones. I test drove my Prius and brought it home with me that day without waiting months for it. My Prius had been previously spoken for but the person had changed their mind just the day before so it was available to purchase. Probably the one and only time in my life that I have had good timing!

Because I bought what was available, I didn't have a choice of color or packages. Luckily I got what I wanted there too, I got the Millennium Silver base model without a package. Mine also came with the cargo net, cargo mat, carpet floor mats and emergency accessory kit as well.

I was already very interested in the car after doing my research but the moment I actually drove her for the first time I was absolutely in love. This car is so much fun to drive. She looks small from the outside but it is deceptive because she has a lot of room inside! Prius is classified as a mid size sedan although you might think it was a compact when you look at her. The Toyota website advertised her interior room at 112 cubic feet (passenger compartment is 96 and the cargo area is 16). The rear seats are split 60/40 and fold down together or separately to give you several options for loading up the back. We bought a full size gas grill this past weekend and was able to fit the box into the back with the seats folded down and still close the hatchback. I was impressed - I really thought we were going to have to go home and switch cars to use the pick up truck to bring the grill home but it fit into the Prius. I will have no problems shopping at my warehouse club and loading up the back with the giant packs of toilet paper, paper towels, 50lb bags of pet food, cases of water etc.

To start her up you take the key, which doubles as the remote to lock/unlock the doors, and slide it into the the slot on the dash. (Toyota cleverly hid a real key in the remote/key fob key that you can use if the battery in the remote goes dead on you.) Press the brake lightly with your foot and press the power button. The dash and the 7" multi information display lights up and you are ready to go! The dash display is set up differently than an average car. It is all digital and goes across the bottom of the windshield. It is actually easier to check your eyes on the road and check your speed etc, with this set up.

There is a "shift" on the dash that you use to put the car into D, R, N or B. In reverse there is a constant beep to remind you that you are in the Reverse gear so you don't hit the accelerator accidentally and expect to go forward. The B is for Brake and it will assist you in slowing down the engine when you are coming to a stop. It will actually bring the car to a full stop without you ever having to apply the foot brake. The shifter automatically returns to a home position after you made your selection so that you always start from the same spot.

The standard audio system is a great one! AM/FM CD w/ 6 speakers. The knobs to tune the radio station and volume are recessed into the dash and pop up with a gentle press so you can twist them and then pop them back into the dash. I like this because I am a person that always seems to knock a knob off the stereo and can never find it again. The sound quality is fantastic and you can preset 12 FM stations and 6 AM stations on the radio for all your favorite channels. When scrolling stations using the buttons on the steering wheel, you only scroll through your preset stations. You need to use the Seek button under the CD player to scroll all stations.

The rear compartment comes with a taneau cover that you can pull to cover purchases from passerby's eye. The cover is attached to a removable bar that you can fit in the hidden compartment below the trunk area for storage when you have to load up the back of your car and it would otherwise be in the way.

When I first got her and my mother saw it for the first time she called it a "space age Jetsons car". It sort of is! I think my mom was worried that it would be uncomfortable to ride in as she is in her 60's and has arthritic issues but I drove her all over town last weekend and she told me that she was surprised how comfortable it was. It wasn't hard for her to get in or out of the car and she was able to stretch out her legs inside while riding. She told me that the longer she rode with me that the more impressed she was with the car. She didn't want to try to drive it yet though. :) Baby steps.

My father however, practically jumped when I asked him if he wanted to take it out for a test drive. Dad is a gadget sort of guy and this entire car is like a gadget to him. He had a ball driving her and really enjoyed exploring all the features. Watching him was like watching a kid with a new toy.

The Prius handles great! I have driven it in sunny weather, rain and on icy roads this past week alone and I felt totally at ease. The ride is incredibly smooth for being so low to the ground. We have a lot of frost heaves on local roads from the winter cold and I don't feel like I'm constantly riding over train tracks like I did with my old car (Pontiac Grand AM) - the Prius glides over them effortlessly. She is amazingly quiet - especially at speeds below 40 since it is all battery. On the highway, I did hear some minor wind noise but only at speeds over 65. It wasn't so much that I would probably have noticed if I wasn't paying attention at the time. I have a friend who test drove a Prius two years ago but choose a Jetta instead because she said it did have good pick up and she was concerned about merging with traffic on the highway. Toyota must have made some modifications there as well because when I press the gas, she responds beautifully. I can zip onto the highway from a crawling on ramp with no problem at all. I was actually surprised at the pep it does have. She hugs the road and it is fun to drive on curvy roads. I am looking forward to taking her up to the White Mountains this fall to do the leaf peeper tour when the foliage changes again.

I am completely enamored with my Prius and I honestly could not be happier with the purchase. I love to talk about her and get lots of questions from co-workers, friends, family members and strangers about her. I just smile, answer their questions truthfully and watch the skepticism turn into admiration when they learn the truth about some of the common misconceptions about this remarkable car.

Kudos to Toyota for their commitment to the hybrid vehicle and for thinking of EVERYTHING when they designed her!


FOR THOSE WHO WANT ALL THE TECHIE DATA, PLEASE REFER TO THE WEBSITE WWW.TOYOTA.COM


Amount Paid (US$): 21,677
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005