Toyota were miles ahead of the competition when they released their hybrid Prius with excellent fuel mileage ratings, back in 2004. The Prius has been one of the most fuel efficient vehicles ever since. In 2004 most people had no idea how a hybrid car worked and other car makers were stunned by the amazing technology packed in the Prius. Toyota made the hybrid trailblazer and it would be some time before they would have any kind of competition. Toyota still lead the way in hybrid economical cars and their latest offering, the 2010 Prius has plenty of new hi-tech features as well as laying claim to being the Prius with the best fuel mileage ratings yet.
Up until now the Toyota Prius has come with a 1.5 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine but many customers
were unhappy with the cars sluggish acceleration. The new Prius has a larger
1.8 litre petrol engine outputting 73kW in addition to a 60kW electric
motor. The car is still a bit of a slouch on take off (when only powered by the electric
motor). When the petrol engine kicks in at about 25mph however, acceleration is
comparable to other family cars.
So how have they made the new 1.8 litre engine more fuel-efficient
than the old 1.5 litre engine? This must certainly be in part because the
more powerful new engine doesn't have to work as hard as the old one. The engine is combined with a continuously variable automatic transmission which
keeps it in a narrow rev range best suited for
maximum fuel economy. The Prius is quite simply the most efficient family car on the
market. It returns amazing fuel mileage ratings - 51 mpg in the city and
48 mpg on the highway. Only smaller cars with tiny engines can beat it. Not
only do these fuel mileage ratings sound impressive but this is one car that you
can be confident will return the advertised fuel economy. The 2009 Prius returned slightly worse
fuel mileage ratings at 48 mpg for the city and 45 mpg on the highway.
Emissions of the Prius are also best in class at only 89 grams of CO2
per km.
The suspension on the Prius is soft and results in noticeable cornering lean. The ride is very smooth as a result of the soft suspension but Toyota have overdone it and the suspension needs stiffening up a bit. The steering feels good but because of the very skinny tires (aiding fuel efficiency!) grip suffers. The car has a tight turning circle making it ideal for narrow city streets. The brakes on the Prius take some getting used to as they're fairly sensitive. Overall the Prius can't be described as a bad car to drive but its not amazing either. Don't expect it to excite you very much on an open road.
The styling of the Toyota Prius hasn't changed a great deal since it was
first released and and its starting to show a bit of age. When the Prius
first came along with its incredible
fuel mileage ratings,
and having all that new technology, its styling looked suitably futuristic.
Now though its looking a bit dull and boring - how things have changed in
six years! This design came about partly because of its aerodynamic properties
but this can't be the only shape that gives such low drag. I think Toyota
should make some major design changes before they get overtaken by the others
out there.
Big windows provide excellent visibility when looking out of the Prius. Passenger space is pretty good - five adults can be seated in comfort with good head and leg room. Cargo space is also good for a medium sized car so the Prius should make a practical family vehicle. The base Prius model is priced quite reasonably, but the luxury models take the price up enormously and bearing that in mind some of the plastic interior looks a bit cheap.
The Toyota Prius is a very safe car. It has front,
side and curtain airbags, anti lock brakes, plus optional stability control.
Crash tests produced results of four and five star ratings.
The optional (and expensive) Advanced Technology Package has further safety
features which are at the cutting edge of technology. Radar cruise control
automatically slows the Prius down if the car in front slows, then resumes
cruising speed when theres a large enough space to do so. A pre-collision system tightens seatbelts
and applies the brakes when a collision is detected. Automatic
lane keeping stops the Prius from wandering out of its lane on the
freeway.
The hi-tech Prius comes with generous standard equipment and fascinating optional features. The latest Prius comes with a push button start system, cruise control, multi informational screen and steering wheel buttons for hands free operations, and 6 speaker MP3 CD stereo. Options include solar cabin ventilation, seat heaters, parallel parking assist, rear reversing camera, and voice activated GPS navigation. The solar cabin ventilation is an interesting new feature. A rooftop solar panel provides electricity for a cabin ventilation fan which keeps the interior cooler when the car is parked.
The Toyota Prius is still the best hybrid family car. It has the best fuel mileage ratings of any car its size. Toyota are improving their production techniques to make the car in a more environmentally friendly way. The Prius also has great high tech features. The new safety features of the 2010 model are pretty amazing - such as the radar cruise control, auto lane keeping and collision avoidance system. Theres minor problems with driving dynamics but the Prius still performs well on the road and is pleasant to drive. The cars styling is starting to look a bit old (but this is a subjective problem). Overall this is an excellent hybrid car that has lots going for it.