I could do this for a living......

In our continuing saga of car test drives, we took the ever popular Toyota Prius out for a spin today. We had to suffer the salesperson sticking to us like glue but on the plus side, he gave a great tour of the car, showing off features even I didn't know it had.

I've never been enamoured with the look of the Prius, but its practicality and economy make up for it. The cargo area is huge, especially with the back seats down. I found that the design of the hatch (the severe slant) makes the rear visibility less than optimal, but the little window on the back side of the hatch does help. Unlike the Honda Fit, I didn't feel like I was reaching for the steering wheel in the Prius as much even though it doesn't telescope out. For a car worth $35,000+, the cabin's styling feels 'econo-box' and lacks options like leather or heated seats. But what it lacks in luxury style, it makes up for in gadgets. The large touch display screen controls much of the car's operations including the climate control and many of the radio adjustments but also reports a lot of hybrid / engine system information. The typical instrument cluster is gone, replaced by a small digital readout near the windshield that may take some getting used to. The car lacks a real key, using the FOB's proximity to the car to both unlock the doors and allow the car to start. OK, start is perhaps an inappropriate word, because the engine doesn't actually start when the car powers up. In fact, the engine may not come on at all if you start out slowly. As we were winding our way through the Toyota dealership lot toward the exit, the engine remained silent. That by itself is a bit creepy. The big screen allows you to see when the battery is being used or charged. Based on prior experience I had with the Honda hybrid indicators, I think I prefer the Honda way of displaying the hybrid system - it's not as 'showy', but maybe the Prius method could be too distracting. Time would tell. But the screen can also display things like current mileage and other statistics.

One thing I think the Prius got right was not putting the battery system in a place that interferes with the car's usefulness unlike most hybrids, which intrude in a big way on the trunk's space and prevent rear seat fold-down. For a car that is the second most fuel efficient hybrid on North American roads (the no longer made Honda Insight is the most efficient), the car isn't a slouch, but it's 110HP and CVT transmission will not win you any road races whatsoever. I felt like the Honda Fit has more pep, but that may be because the Prius doesn't make all of its power available right away, trying to make use of the electric system before adding the gas engine into the fray. The delay is slight, but noticeable. But let's face it - this car isn't about power - it's about efficiency and it's impressive. Now keep in mind these are 'quoted' figures, so your mileage may vary. The Prius is quoted as using 4.0litres/100km City - 4.2litres/100km Highway. Note that it's the opposite of what you'd expect. Compare that to my car's 9.6litres/100km City - 6.5litres/100km Highway. But these figures really mean nothing to most people, so let's put this into numbers that mean something. How much money's worth of gasoline at today's prices ($1.25 per litre in Calgary for regular) would it take to go 500km (310mi)? The answer for the Prius is $25 city / $26.25 Highway. My car would cost $64 City / $44 Highway. That's also taking into account that my car needs premium fuel. Can you say gas miser? If I were buying a new car today and gas savings was my top priority, the Prius would end up in my driveway. Based on what I've heard of the next model year (2009), I think I'd wait for one of those. Especially since it will supposedly look better, have more power, yet get even better mileage!

But that price............ whew!