Gossip

Overheard at the Prius Connection Chicago, the pricing on the 2010 Prius will run from $24 for the base model to $31K for the top of the line. Three basic packages include:

Base $24K
Just what is says, the base. The 2010 Base does not have an MFD but it does have the new hybrid readout built into the dash. All new HSD and body style.

Second Package $29K
-nav
-solar panels and sunroof
-leather seats

Third Package $31K
-collision avoidance
-radar lane warning
-assisted parking
-17″ alloy wheels
–WILL NOT HAVE SUNROOF OR SOLAR PANELS

Please keep in mind this is gossip and not confirmed by Toyota. And while I think this is probably somewhere in the right region, it could easily change if Toyota decides to reposition one model or the other. And of course, the features are just some of things each model level might include.

Impressions from Detroit

Ok, as I said, I wanted to relate to you as many of my direct thoughts as possible. So here they are, stream of consciousness style, in no particular order. If some of the things seem contradictory then mark that down to the observations any person would make of something as complex as the new 2010 Prius.

-It’s beautiful car. No really. I thought the previous iteration was as well despite a lot of juvenile jibes from the mainstream auto press but I think this new model is more mainstream in its styling while still staying true to what the Prius is supposed to be, first and foremost, a performance* vehicle. It’s sexy.

*and to those of who take issue with my use of performance I would contend the following, as much or more than any other production vehicle on the road, the Prius delivers the performance it promises. While that performance may not be the fuel huffing paradigm of the pro car writers, it is the performance that matters to most consumers. The Prius is and will continue to be reliable, environmentally sound, comfortable, efficient, affordable and technically interesting. As part of this contention I would add that it outperforms, in this manner, anything else on the road. Sure, a Z-06 goes faster but what’s the point? You can’t actually take advantage of that definition of performance unless you own a private track. The Prius does what it supposed to do and the 2010 does it more stylishly than ever.

-The sunroof and solar panels rock. Seamless integration, great idea.

-Are the seats in the 2010 different? I got the immediate impression it’s slightly more comfortable. Maybe it was the blueberry martini gelatin shots.

-Touch Tracer is one coolest innovations since SmartKey. It’s brilliant.

-I’m not sure I like the new display on the dash. This is an early impression and I would drive the car to get a better sense of it but while integrating more information up higher is better in general am I too frivolous if I suggest the old MFD display was prettier? Either way, it’s more ergonomically placed now and possibly more useful. It reminds me, a bit, of the hybrid Camry I drove last year (though much more complex).

-There’s no excuse for a 2010 model not to come standard with full iPod integration.

-Oh, and a CD stacker? That’s so 1990. A single slot in the dash is more than enough for those dinosaurs left reliant on optical discs for music. It’s like putting wooden spoked wheels on the car. To me, a stacker is a liability. I know it will break, it’s just a matter of when.

-I don’t mind the badge on the front of the vehicle being larger but the terrible blue, printed “glow” is, well, terrible. It looks cheap, very cheap. If I do get a 2010 that’s the first I’m going to look around to replace. I know this is trivial but it jumped out at me.

-I’m undecided about the new center console “nose”. At first I loved it. Then, after sitting in the car I wasn’t as sure. I might really like it when I’m driving it but I’m not why it’s there other than for stylistic reasons. It might make a really nice armrest. It might just get in the way.

-And with the above said, I love the shifter on the new center console “nose”. I could live without the rather odd blue carbon fiber embedded in the plastic but I love the positioning of the shifter.

-Big props for the changes to the between front seats center console. I love the new lid mechanism.

-The flipdown cupholders in the back seat rock.

-I love the restyled rear tailights. Can say Batmobile?

-The 17″ magnesium wheels look incredibly cool. I wish I didn’t have to go the full boat upgrade to get them but if you want to talk about going a long way to remove the nerd factor from the exterior, these wheels do it.

-I’m very curious to see real world performance from this new HSD system. Toyota says it’s 90% new compared to the previous generation so I’m quite eager to see how it performs on the road. I would love to see it do better in cold weather. I hate seeing my MPG dive in the winter.

-The LED headlight option is very cool. Unfortunately I’m guessing it’s going to cost prohibitive and porbably very hard to get. It’s still very cool.

-Colors for 2010. Why of why won’t Toyota do one weird color every year? It would be sort of out of character for them. Toyota has always striven to please the broadest range of people possible but these colors are, can I say it, kind of boring? Now, with that said, the new blue (Blue Ribbon Metallic) is OUTSTANDING! It’s beautiful and the new Prius wears it very well. On the other hand, the adult diaper gold (Sandy Beach Metallic) may be one of the worst Toyota colors ever. The new gray (Winter Gray Metallic) is very similar to previous versions and looks nice. I imagine white is white will look mostly the same. The silver, as viewed in the photographs, seems washed out to me but still nice. Avoid the A-D-gold.

-EV mode, ECO mode and standard. I will be very interested to see how these work in practice, especially the ECO mode. EV is pretty obvious and frankly, there’s no ambiguity there but the ECO mode seems a bit more problematic. I’m very curious to see how it plays out in real life. Of course, cheers to Toyota for bring the choice to the American version of the Prius.

-More get up and go? Once again, without driving it I can’t say much other than, I’ve never been disappointed in the way my Prius accelerates. Maybe this one will somewhat assuage the “but it’s no fun to drive” folks. I doubt it. The Prius, by definition, isn’t their kind of car. It’s a new and different paradigm which you either accept and love or resent.

-Yay, they kept the double glove boxes.

-”Plasmacluster”? Just wondering what the heck that means?

-I liked the power button up high better. It’s a very small thing but there it anyway. I’m also not sure about the placement of the “park” button but that’s not a big deal either. It’s probably a good when you have to try this hard to find something to whine about.

-Two words for those us in the north, “heated seats”. Oh yeah!

-No Mo Fuel Bladder!

That’s enough for now and all I can remember or grab from my notes. Have you seen the 2010? What do you think?

Observations from the video

-Lowest drag co-efficient of any vehicle
-Combined MPG of 50 MPG
-Full EV mode
-5 more cubic feet of interior space
-Optional LED headlights
-0-60, 9.8 seconds
-New MFD, built into the dash
New Options
-Solar powered unroof that automatically powers the air conditioning system with warm weather auto system
-Pure electric AC system
-Pre-Collosion system
-Auto parking
-Safety Connect-Toyota’s version of Onstar

Sales start in late Spring in the US.
They expect to sell 180,000 in the first year.

Patent roll call
300 patents for the first generation Prius
370 patents for the second generation Prius
2,000 total Prius patents worldwide.
1,000 for the G3 alone

It’s a nice looking car. You’ve seen it already and this official unveiling holds no visual surprises. Amazing announcements. I’ll photographing the car this evening during our private event.

Look for tons of pictures and video then.

First snow of the year

Here in Lancaster, PA, this is what I woke up to…

SNOW!

I love winter.

I really need to clean off the MFD.

2010 Prius debut

Impressions from Detroit

Ok, as I said, I wanted to relate to you as many of my direct thoughts as possible. So here they are, stream of consciousness style, in no particular order. If some of the things seem contradictory then mark that down to the observations any person would make of something as complex as the new 2010 Prius.

-It’s beautiful car. No really. I thought the previous iteration was as well despite a lot of juvenile jibes from the mainstream auto press but I think this new model is more mainstream in its styling while still staying true to what the Prius is supposed to be, first and foremost, a performance* vehicle. It’s sexy.

*and to those of who take issue with my use of performance I would contend the following, as much or more than any other production vehicle on the road, the Prius delivers the performance it promises. While that performance may not be the fuel huffing paradigm of the pro car writers, it is the performance that matters to most consumers. The Prius is and will continue to be reliable, environmentally sound, comfortable, efficient, affordable and technically interesting. As part of this contention I would add that it outperforms, in this manner, anything else on the road. Sure, a Z-06 goes faster but what’s the point? You can’t actually take advantage of that definition of performance unless you own a private track. The Prius does what it supposed to do and the 2010 does it more stylishly than ever.

-The sunroof and solar panels rock. Seamless integration, great idea.

-Are the seats in the 2010 different? I got the immediate impression it’s slightly more comfortable. Maybe it was the blueberry martini gelatin shots.

-Touch Tracer is one coolest innovations since SmartKey. It’s brilliant.

-I’m not sure I like the new display on the dash. This is an early impression and I would drive the car to get a better sense of it but while integrating more information up higher is better in general am I too frivolous if I suggest the old MFD display was prettier? Either way, it’s more ergonomically placed now and possibly more useful. It reminds me, a bit, of the hybrid Camry I drove last year (though much more complex).

-There’s no excuse for a 2010 model not to come standard with full iPod integration.

-Oh, and a CD stacker? That’s so 1990. A single slot in the dash is more than enough for those dinosaurs left reliant on optical discs for music. It’s like putting wooden spoked wheels on the car. To me, a stacker is a liability. I know it will break, it’s just a matter of when.

-I don’t mind the badge on the front of the vehicle being larger but the terrible blue, printed “glow” is, well, terrible. It looks cheap, very cheap. If I do get a 2010 that’s the first I’m going to look around to replace. I know this is trivial but it jumped out at me.

-I’m undecided about the new center console “nose”. At first I loved it. Then, after sitting in the car I wasn’t as sure. I might really like it when I’m driving it but I’m not why it’s there other than for stylistic reasons. It might make a really nice armrest. It might just get in the way.

-And with the above said, I love the shifter on the new center console “nose”. I could live without the rather odd blue carbon fiber embedded in the plastic but I love the positioning of the shifter.

-Big props for the changes to the between front seats center console. I love the new lid mechanism.

-The flipdown cupholders in the back seat rock.

-I love the restyled rear tailights. Can say Batmobile?

-The 17″ magnesium wheels look incredibly cool. I wish I didn’t have to go the full boat upgrade to get them but if you want to talk about going a long way to remove the nerd factor from the exterior, these wheels do it.

-I’m very curious to see real world performance from this new HSD system. Toyota says it’s 90% new compared to the previous generation so I’m quite eager to see how it performs on the road. I would love to see it do better in cold weather. I hate seeing my MPG dive in the winter.

-The LED headlight option is very cool. Unfortunately I’m guessing it’s going to cost prohibitive and porbably very hard to get. It’s still very cool.

-Colors for 2010. Why of why won’t Toyota do one weird color every year? It would be sort of out of character for them. Toyota has always striven to please the broadest range of people possible but these colors are, can I say it, kind of boring? Now, with that said, the new blue (Blue Ribbon Metallic) is OUTSTANDING! It’s beautiful and the new Prius wears it very well. On the other hand, the adult diaper gold (Sandy Beach Metallic) may be one of the worst Toyota colors ever. The new gray (Winter Gray Metallic) is very similar to previous versions and looks nice. I imagine white is white will look mostly the same. The silver, as viewed in the photographs, seems washed out to me but still nice. Avoid the A-D-gold.

-EV mode, ECO mode and standard. I will be very interested to see how these work in practice, especially the ECO mode. EV is pretty obvious and frankly, there’s no ambiguity there but the ECO mode seems a bit more problematic. I’m very curious to see how it plays out in real life. Of course, cheers to Toyota for bring the choice to the American version of the Prius.

-More get up and go? Once again, without driving it I can’t say much other than, I’ve never been disappointed in the way my Prius accelerates. Maybe this one will somewhat assuage the “but it’s no fun to drive” folks. I doubt it. The Prius, by definition, isn’t their kind of car. It’s a new and different paradigm which you either accept and love or resent.

-Yay, they kept the double glove boxes.

-”Plasmacluster”? Just wondering what the heck that means?

-I liked the power button up high better. It’s a very small thing but there it anyway. I’m also not sure about the placement of the “park” button but that’s not a big deal either. It’s probably a good when you have to try this hard to find something to whine about.

-Two words for those us in the north, “heated seats”. Oh yeah!

-No Mo Fuel Bladder!

That’s enough for now and all I can remember or grab from my notes. Have you seen the 2010? What do you think?

tonight and this afternoon

Later this morning, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Toyota will unveil, by video, the new, third generation, Prius. Then later this evening Toyota has kindly put together a chance for us to, and I quote them, “get up close and personal” with the new Prius. I’ve just learned that this event will be at the Detroit Opera House. Should be interesting.

Check back after 11:00 for a report and pictures from the event.

If you want to see all the pictures I’ve shot (so far)

Follow these links:

morning and afternoon, day one

evening reception, day one

And then there’s this…

The reception

You have to say one thing, Toyota knows how to throw a party. They put nice get together for everyone this everyone this evening. Below some of the images from that get together.

And of course, tomorrow is the big day. At 11:00 we get to see video of the big reveal and then in the evening, as the story, we’ll actually be hands on with the car. Of course, I’ll have a lot of pictures from that (and video). Check back here for more from the Detroit Prius Connection.

Getting here and being there

Well, here I sit in the spiffy leather desk of my marble top desk in my room. Who woulda thunk it?

Here are the shots so far today. They’ll give you an idea of the trip and what’s Toyota has set up for those us here for the 2010 Debut tomorrow.

Look carefully to at the horizon on the left and you’ll see steam from the famous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Yes, I’m waiting at the gate to get on that very small airplane.

I guess this site shouldn’t surprise me as we were driving into Detroit.

This is the Prius Connection hospitality suite, sort of our “home base” for the next 36 hours. Free candy bars!

Two legends of the Prius world. John runs one of the pioneering Prius sites on the web and frankly, one of the most informative. John has collected a mountain of data on his Prii and has posted it all to the web. John’s site is one reason I have a Prius today. Michelle is another encyclopaedia of Prius knowledge. I’ve emailed with her a few times and she’s been kind enough to set me straight on facts. Between these two people there is a vast wealth of real world Prius knowledge. I was honored to finally meet both of them in person.

Now I’m heading off to the welcome reception. More stories and pictures later this evening.

flying

After a wonderful customer service experience with a delightful Northwest employee (no sarcasm, she rocked) here I am at the gate. I managed to get all of my camera and computer equipment through security, something which I had imagined would not be simple.

HIA is mostly empty. I guess not a lot of Harrisburgians fly to Detroit on Sunday morning.

Lucky me.

In a little over two hours I should be safely ensconced within Toyota’s arms in the motor city.

On my way

I’m leaving for the airport in a few minutes. I have all my fluids segregated to the checked baggage and everything that could possibly be used for a dangerous purpose has been secured.

It’s a short to Detroit and I’ll check back in here sometime around 3:00 p.m. just to let you know how the venue for the big event looks (or at least one of them).

It’s should be a very interesting next 48 hours.

Below are the officially issued Prius “teaser” images from Toyota. I’m just placing them down here for the record.

What everyone seems to think is the splash screen from the MFD of the new, 2010 Prius.

Posted by Toyota at priuschat.com

What it is I’m not exactly sure but it’s a legit image of some part of the new 2010 Prius. Maybe it’s control for the fully motorized gull-wing doors the 2010 will have? (and of course, that last line is a joke)

Posted by Toyota at Greenhybrid.com

This is billed as a shot of the overhead console but what praytell is an “SOS” button for?

This image was posted on priuschat.com by bossdowner

This image was posted on priuschat.com by bossdowner

This image was posted on priuschat.com by bossdowner

This shot of the console isn’t nearly as cool as the shot from the New Zealand spycar. In this one the center console looks as though a nose as just been stuck on the dash. It had a much more wraparound look in the other images.

This image was posted on priuschat.com by bossdowner

This image was posted on priuschat.com by bossdowner

New shoes for my baby

My Goodyear Integritys lastedd 35k. Not bad given the regular drubbing those tires are given online. And don’t get me wrong, the Integrity’s a decent basic tire but that’s all. Their useful is too short and they don’t make the Prius a very nimble vehicle.

On the recommendation of a trusted friend and expert mechanic I purchased a set of Bridgestone Insignia SE200s. They’re not LRR tires (though the lack of an official LRR rating makes it tough to decide what is and what is not LRR) but as one of the images below attest, they’re great for MPG.

I’ve only put a few dozen miles on the tires so I won’t say more right now. Expect a full review (with MPG results) in a few hundred miles.

For now, cheers to Chris at Lititz Auto Service and thanks to guys there who got me back on the road in short order.

Here’s the MFD after driving home from having the tires installed…

Yes, 67.3 MPG!

Here’s what the Insignias look like.

The real consumer group talks about the Prius

Consumer Reports car blog offers their impression of the Prius…

From the logbook: Toyota Prius Touring

History shows that Toyota made the right decision when their designers made sure that the second-generation Prius looked like nothing else on the road. Most buyers wanted the world to know that they were proudly piloting a hybrid. Unlike the Honda Civic and Accord Hybrids—which looked nearly identical to the non-hybrid models and sell in much lower numbers, so much so that the Accord version was dropped—the latest Prius silently screams, “Here I am! And I’m burning less gasoline than you.”

This the dumbest thing Quincy prattles about in this article. Once again we have to hear how the world emulates a Comedy Central cartoon. People buy the Prius for a number of reasons and I’m sure some of them want to be viewed through the lens of their car. This is unquestionably true of some portion of all car owners. Is more prevalent among Prius owners than say Corvette owners? Or Hummer owners? Or BMW owners? I doubt it in the extreme and there are volumes of evidence that the people who see themselves as “car authorities” don’t think the Prius is cool.

No big deal to me. I didn’t buy the Prius to enhance my sex life I bought it because I wanted a cheap to drive and maintain car. I don’t have to be a gearhead to enjoy this car. The car just does it what it does and leaves me to pay attention to the road. If that doesn’t resonate with every person who drives the car then I’m not surprised. We’re all different. But to categorize all Prius owners in one silly little, animated pigeonhole is lazy writing at best and a cheap shot at least.

Actually, because the car is so quiet when moving on battery power alone (except when you put it in reverse and an annoying beep reminds you to be careful backing up), it makes its biggest statement at the gas pump.

This time around we’re testing a Touring model with stability control ($23,220) to see if it improves the Prius’ handling. What have we learned over the past few months driving it? Is the Prius just a rolling science project or is it a real car? Read on for our test teams’ initial feedback:

“First impression isn’t too hot, but this car grows on you.”

Interesting in that, overwhelmingly, the opinions I hear are that most buyers really love the car from the start and, if anything, develop some not-so-hot impressions later on.

“Switching from electric power to gas makes the engine shudder to life; I don’t remember our last Prius doing that.”

Interesting. I haven’t heard or experienced that. I suspect it’s the particular car Quincy drove. Or maybe not. I haven’t heard from recent owners any complaints about the HSD shifting between ICE and electric drive.

“Not impressive to drive (stiff ride, poor steering feel).”

Purely subjective and, as with some Quincy’s other comments, this tends to be the opposite of what I hear from owners. Driving the Prius is different. It’s not my wife’s TT Quattro for instance and it’s not supposed be. I vastly prefer driving my Prius to her car. My wife? She loves her Audi. It’s her kind of car. She loves to drive my car because it’s easy. She loves to drive her car because, for her, it’s fun.

“This car was more amazing when we tested it in ’04.”

The car has changed so much as the context that you’re driving it in. In 2004 the G2 Prius was brand new and dramatically different from anything on the road. Now, it’s commonplace.

“Transmission selector makes you push forward for reverse and pull back to go forward? (I remember complaining about that arrangement in another vehicle with the initials ‘B.M.W.’)”

Purely subjective. I think this is one of those car geek things that seems to bug people who drive cars for a living and write about them more than it bother owners.

“One display screen for all secondary functions is ridiculous.”

Again, one subjective opinion. For me, the MFD offers a simple way to change the car’s settings. It’s doesn’t bother me at all that there aren’t levers and such cluttering the dash.

“I spent too much time switching from screen to screen when I should be looking at the road.”

Classic new Prius driver habit. Once you own and drive it for awhile the fascination with the MFD ebbs and it’s just a control panel.

“All this software to calculate ‘instant’ and ‘overall’ fuel economy but no ‘distance to empty?’”

Totally agree. I know why Toyota didn’t offer this but I agree, it would be very nice to have.

“Sub-par driving position – plenty of room, but the [steering] wheel is too far away and the dead pedal is badly angled and too close.”

I agree about the steering wheel being too far away (again, it’s subjective). I wish the wheel would telescope out further and offer more vertical adjustment. I don’t get the thing about the dead pedal. It’s fine for me. I suspect it’s different for every Prius owner.

“Visibility is OK, but there are lots of pillars and that odd back window.”

Here’s where I wonder what car he was driving. Forward visibility in the Prius is fine but side and especially rear visibility stinks on ice. It’s one of the universal complaints about the G2 body design.

“Great packaging for four people and lots of luggage space for what is a small car.”

Without question. I don’t classify the Prius as a “small car”. Any car that comfortably carry 4-5 adults isn’t small in my book but it is “great packaging”.

“Good rear-seat room for kids.”

No doubt.

“40+ mpg is still amazing.”

It is for a car that offers the size and comfort the Prius does.

As you can see, while the Prius doesn’t deliver an engaging driving experience, it delivers fuel economy in spades. (“A genius of a car, but too bad it’s not fun to drive” said one engineer.) There’s enough substance here to help you understand why this car continues to be all the rage for environmentally-focused people. And I think this line really sums up what we feel about the Prius thus far: “An impressive, ground-breaking product, but far from perfect.”

—Mike Quincy

Ok, here are final my thoughts on Mr. Quincy’s opinions.

“Opinion are like…” Nope, better skip that one. Suffice to say and what you’ll learn if you read through my blather is that I agree with many of his objective thoughts about the Prius and disagree with subjective opinions of the car (as do more than two hundred thousand Prius owners in this country).

If you’re a car geek and you want a performance car, don’t buy a Prius. A lot of us think the Prius is a blast to drive. I certainly do but I hear from a lot of professional car writers that they don’t find it fun. So obviously they’re looking for something that I, and doubtless a lot of Prius owners weren’t looking for.

My Prius

Russell’s Prius Pages…

February 26, 2006

It occurs to me I haven’t added anything to this in some time (as the dates above indicates). Of course, if you’re reading the main POG pages, you know that’s not true. But I should record some things here as well. So let’s do a little review of where I am at with regard to my Prius some ten months and 11k miles after getting it.

It’s still winter here in Lancaster though it’s hard to tell sometimes. Today it was 48 and sunny. Tonight, it’s 22. This is certainly the mildest and most snow-free winter since we moved here almost three years ago. But I think it’s reasonable, given the regular email questions that I get, to talk about how the Prius does in winter, and in snow.

If nothing else, the Winter Road Trip to Quebec earlier this month proved to me the Prius can handle whatever Ol’ Man Winter wishes to dish out. It snowed about 40cm during our four days there and we managed to get wherever we needed to go without incident. No sliding. No digging out. All this on stock tires. If nothing else, that’s impressive. And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a “winter car”. It doesn’t perform like a four wheel drive vehicle. However, it’s not supposed to. I think the important point here is that for the vast majority of owners and potential owners in the wintry realms, the Prius will do whatever you need it to do.

My mileage is down this season. Anywhere from 10-20% depending on the activities, temperature and driving conditions. That’s a bit disappointing but not surprising. I was told and read that the mileage goes down in the winter. Still, I’m maintaining a seasonal average of about strong 40MPG, which satisfies me.

I think the only thing I’m disappointed in is the heater. It’s not electric, it gets warmth, as most heaters do, from the ICE. This means the interior of the car doesn’t warm up until the ICE is warm. For me, who is prone to taking short trips, on the average of a couple of miles or so, most of the time I’m halfway to my desitnation by the time the car warms up. Not a huge deal really. It does make me miss my remote starter (though I’m not sure how that would function, if one could be installed on the Prius at all, anyway).

I guess the thing that still keeps amazing me about this vehicle is that it’s filled such a mutli-function role in our family. Since we got the Prius, a four door vehicle with ample stowage in the hatch, my wife felt as though she could get rid our of our Jeep (and I agreed with her). So she got the car she’s wanted for a long time, an Audi TT. Which means if sometime or someone needed to be hauled around, the Prius was our go-to car. And it’s performed admirably. Whether it was taking five adults to New York City (about three hours each way) or loading it full of firewood, the Prius can do it. It’s comfortable with people in it and it has an amazing amount of interior storage space. So when I needed to haul lumber, I used the Prius.

I think what’s interesting about much of my positive thinking about this car is that it has nothing to do with the prime motivation for getting it, it’s hybrid nature. That’s a given. I don’t even think about it anymore (and not feeling a pang of pain as I drive into a gas station is a nice thing indeed). I just use it and it works for whatever I want. That’s just good basic design that has nothing to do with it being a hybrid. For me, that’s a quite a testament indeed.

August 2, 2005

I know it’s an odd reccommendation but one of the best things I can say about this car is, it’s just a car. Sure, it’s a hybrid. It’s got all this drive by wire, computerized stuff going on it all the time. But day in day out, the really important thing is, it’s a pleasant, fuel efficient way to navigate between points A and B.

As far as observations a few months into my ownership, well, aside from the gushy stuff, nothing. And that’s good. We’ve cut down our family fuel expenditure by a ridiuclous amount. We have a Jeep Liberty and the Prius. The Liberty goes with my wife to work five days a week, the Prius does everything else.

It’s nice to be able to go on driving trips again with my wife. We love to travel by car and Pennsylvania is still new to us so there is always something to see. So our destination is an hour or two away. No big deal We hop in the car and go. There’s a freedom to that you don’t get in a lot of other cars (unless someone else is making payments on your gas card). It gives us time to spend together doing something we love and we didn’t have sacrifice comfort for it.

June 11, 2005

Another week has passed and nothing of note really happened. I put a couple of hundred miles per week on the car and it performs, well, as one would expect a car to perform, just with better gas mileage. And I think that’s the real obvious secret you don’t see mentioned much about the Prius. It is, in the end, a car. That’s the marvel, the triumph of the Prius. It;s an excellent vehicle. That it happens to be fairly radical new technology that uses energy so efficiently is important but it misses the main mission of the product. The Prius is, first and foremost, an excellent car.

Overall, going into my third month of ownership, I’m still very satisfied with the Prius. Its’ mileage is excellent. It’s a fun car to drive and it’s comfortable.

June 6, 2005

Well, we did over five hundred miles in the new Prius over the last 36 hours. My wife and I picked a friend at BWI, then took straight to Manhattan for the evening, then, yesterday (Sunday, June 5) went back home to Lancaster. The golf cart got 51.6 MPG the whole time and performed most adrmiably. I got a little scared getting stuck in midtown traffic on Saturday. A typically hot and sticky New York day where the AC was working overtime. The battery level was down to two purple bars while sitting there. I had no problems mind you, just the anxiety of knowing the batteries were low. Be that as it may, the Prius was a joy in New York. Its’ size made parking and driving simple and while some of the roads in New York were tough on the car (and its’ inhabitants) I know this is equally true of many other vehicles.

One thing of note, we saw of bunch of Prii while there. And I do mean a bunch. Clearly the Prius has proven itself to be a good car for New York, and why not? At one point, parking in Greenwich Village for dinner, we counted two other Prii in the single block stroll to the restaurant (Benny’s Burrito, not bad either). Three Prii in one block. I think things are catching on.

May 15, 2005

Today marks the conclusion of my third week of ownership of the 2005 Prius, now designated, “The Golf Cart” (or more likely, the dirty golf cart attesting to the near constant appearance of any white vehicle even if Toyota does have the hubris to refer to this particular white as “Super White”). I wanted to wait a few weeks into ownership to set down my initial impressions rather than write something, as I was sorely tempted, right away. I’ve just made the appointment for my 1,000 mile service (this Friday, May 20th) so I think now is good time.

Specifics.

Mileage.
No, unless you modify the vehicle or have some extremely Zen-like driving attitudes you won’t get the 55 average MPG the EPA sticker claims. That said, I’ve been driving like shit and I get a strong 44 for the last two tanks. And I’ve done this purposely to see what the car would do when I wasn’t trying to slipstream behind every SUV and tractor on the freeway (which, by the way, works extremely well). I live in downtown Lancaster Pennsylvania. It’s a five to ten minute drive to the freeway (depending on traffic) so the heart of my driving is stop and go. Accelerate and brake. In one sense, this plays to the strengths of Prius and it’s Synergy Drive. For most vehicles, this is the worst place to try to get mileage. All in all, mileage-wise, given the manner in which I’ve had occasion to drive the vehicle, I’m ecstatic about the mileage. At 44 MPG on the low end I know I could get fifty easily but why? I can now drive around like a proverbial banshee and still save a prodigious amount of fuel. Or drive even somewhat sanely and do even better. I think for now I’ll be avoiding the high mileage tricks and just enjoying the vehicle.

Comfort and convenience.
The 2005 Prius is large. It’s not a small car, it’s in the mid-size category and the interior is, by any estimation, spacious. Even with the front seats adjusted fully towards the back of the vehicle I’ve had a six foot four inch individual in the back seat (and another friend) with no problems. The seats are firmly comfortable. The hatchback and folding rear seats mean I can carry very large items in this car with no problem. It compares favorably in every way with our Jeep Liberty, a comparison which, by its size, weight, mileage and price, should have much more room than the Prius. Most amenities are within easy grasp. I’m not a huge fan of the center console. It’s difficult to open while driving (I probably should not be doing that anyway). I wish the car had an ashtray.

I’ve taken the car on four trips in the four-hour range, each time I exited the vehicle not feeling as though I had spent the last few hours in “the rack”. The legroom is ample.

One extremely trivial thing, I hate the little “nub” that the floor mats mount on. I’m constantly dragging my foot across it and of course, since it’s a new vehicle, I figure one of these times I’ll be breaking it off thus sending my floor mats on an endless journey around the floor of the vehicle.

The cup holders are not adjustable but they are well designed if a little bit “floppy” with some beverages. I like the fact that they disappear when not being used and very sturdy.

The upper seat belt has a height adjustment that is nifty.

I’ll include the audio/video system in “comfort” since it is hardly a necessity. I have “package 2″ which means I have the basic Prius plus SmartKey, Anti-theft system and self-dimming rear view mirror. No audio upgrade (more on the other stuff below). It’s a basic Toyota system. Six speakers, tweeters in the front above the dash (in the pillars on each side of the windshield), six inch woofers in the lower front door and something in the back. How would I know what is back there? I’m always driving. Overall it sounds good. It’s not the loudest thing in the world and I would bet money they have intentionally tuned the amplifier gains down to preserve the longevity of the speakers. Single disc in-dash CD with AM/FM radio. The controls are split between the MID and the in-dash unit itself. This can be a confusing at times but neither unit is out of reach. The steering wheel controls are great though I am not all that enamored with their location. This is one area where my wife’s Jeep excels. The steering wheels controls on her Liberty are really more ergonomic in my opinion. Still, it’s nice to be able to fully control the audio system without taking your hands off the wheel even if to does mean some “full octave” reaches.

SmartKey is the best thing since cars themselves. No question about it. While it’s not an enormous or vital thing it’s one of the most convenient and subtle improvements on a vehicle I’ve ever seen. So far, I’ve never inserted the key in the dash to operate the vehicle. I love the fact the key can sit in my brief case (or in my pocket) and the car senses it. I never have to fumble for the key. This is especially convenient when your hands are full, let’s say coming out of a store. All one need do is stand by the door, wait one to two seconds for the beep and voila! The door opens. SmartKey is great.

The anti-theft system is nice for two reasons. So far, it’s never falsed on me yet and so far, no one has stolen the vehicle. A more elaborate or effective anti-theft system I could less about.

Finally the highlight, at least visually, of the interior of the Prius is the MID or “Multi Information Display” as Toyota rather haltingly refers to it. This six inch LCD, touch screen, display panel is centrally mounted in the dash, well within easy reach of the driver. You control the climate controls through the MID. You control the balance, fader, bass and treble of the audio system with it (as well as your station presets for the radio). It also displays the mileage computer information. While some have derided the little animation detailing where power is going to and from, I’ve rather found it informative. At least early on it’s objective and direct feedback on how to alter one’s driving habits if one wishes higher mileage. Or, perhaps more to the case point, just how detrimental some driving habits are to mileage. I like it. It’s simple. Easy to use. And while full, mid-day sunlight can wash out the display, I’ve only had this occur briefly once or twice. It’s not a problem in general.

It’s the little things.

Visibility.
Front visibility is good though it takes some getting used to not being able to see the front projection of the vehicle. The slope of the hood makes it appear there is nothing in front of the driver but we all know, that is not the case. Rear visibility, while adequate, is just that and no more. I may be more of a stickler on that than most. In fact, I’m pretty sure I am. I diligently check my mirrors and what not whereas I know people who can cross entire states and not look “back” once. Be that as it may, the pillars of the Prius make for, to a favorable face on it, a very “focused” view to the rear. It’s not bad mind you and I’m surely more used to my previous Volvo and my wife’s Jeep but the Toyota’s field of view to the rear is a bit narrow for my tastes. So far though, it’s not proved to be more than a very trivial annoyance.

Overall bad.

Since my wife rarely deigns to wear her seat belt, I’m often left with the annoying blinking passenger seat belt warning light. It really should turn itself off after 30 minutes or so.

While the overall acceleration of the vehicle is fantastic (due to the Synergy Drive train) there have been a few instances where I’ve “punched it” and there was a slight delay before anything happened. Not a good feeling especially when one is used to a gas vehicle. That said, given the overall superior performance, a couple of glitches I can live with.

Other than these things, I have not found a bad thing about this vehicle. No problems with construction, no “bugs”. Nothing badly made or poorly engineered. Nothing broken. Sure, you should be to say that about any new vehicle. Exactly, you should be able to, but many new car owners can’t say it.

Overall good.

The best way to say it, I love this car. And I’m a car hater. I love motorcycles. Cars have never been something I’ve yearned to own and enjoy. They were tools, a means to an end, no more. I’ve come to really enjoy this vehicle. Cruising silently through the tree-covered streets of downtown Lancaster to my home is blissful. I love the idea that gas is not a major expense and now we can consider taking long road trips in a comfortable car (not that the Jeep wasn’t comfortable but it sure isn’t cheap to drive). I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone considering a new car purchase. I did a lot of research and while I was initially attracted to the Honda Insight with it’s higher mileage rating but the overall more flexible utility of the Prius really won me over. That and Toyota’s (thus far) well earned reputation for building a quality vehicle and providing strong service after the sale.

The cool factor.

If there is something cooler than silently blasting out of your parking spot then I’m not sure what it is (at least with regard to cars). If there is something cooler than the large round “Power” button on the dash used to start the vehicle, I sure haven’t seen it in another car. And for coolly weird, the joystick “gearshift” is as disconcerting initially as it cool later on. No clunky gears, no linkage, just flip it into gear and go. The Prius has cool factor in spades. Say whatever you want about hybrid vehicles, the Prius has everything I’ve seen in its’ price class smoked for cool. Add to which, the ongoing cost of this cool is not being penalized for driving your car. The Prius certainly doesn’t make me cooler but I certainly do enjoy its little features and idiosyncrasies.

What are you waiting for? Go get on a Prius waiting list.

Russell Frost
Lancaster, Penna

Thanks very much for taking the time to visit.

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