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Toyota Prius car review

22/12/08

Price21,210
We like...Roomy, practical, different
We don't...Not as economical as it claims

Hybrid family hatchback with petrol and electric motors is the best-known 'green' car. But how ds it stack up for value?

Film stars drive ‘em. That’s the one thing everyone knows about the Prius. Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Jack Nicholson, Will Ferrell and Billy Jl – to name a few – have, if the stories are true, each trundled around in one. And their reasons for owning are the same as anyone’s – to be seen as freethinkers, a little bit counter-culture, perhaps. And above all, to demonstrate that they care about pollution, global warming, what you will.

But, once the fuss is done, is the Prius a car to have? Certainly, it scores on tailpipe emissions, chuffing out just 104g/km. That’s low enough to qualify for the cheapest-but-one road tax band and also gives a free pass for the London Congestion Charge. It also promises up to 65.7mpg overall, an exceptional figure for a family-size car.

The Prius gains its edge because of its petrol and electric motors that work together. The 1.5-litre petrol engine ds most of the work when starting from cold, while the electric motor helps out, taking over to power the car completely at low speeds in traffic. And wafting along in a near-silent car is an odd, almost eerie experience. In town, pedestrians don’t expect quiet cars, and you must keep your eyes peeled lest folk step out in front of you.

The two motors swap the workload to and fro effortlessly and there’s no jolt to say which has taken charge. There is, however, a neat diagram that shows on the car’s info screen to say exactly which motor is doing what. Any surplus power gs to the batteries hidden beneath the car’s back seats – and that includes any generated through use of the brakes.

Toyota Prius To drive, the Prius is an oddball. The controls are unconventional: the selector for the auto transmission is a tiny wand jutting from the dash to the left of the wheel, while there’s no hand brake, but instead a US-style parking brake you work with your left foot. Meanwhile, the steering wheel centre is home to a riot of buttons that control, among other things, the car’s heated rear screen.

You start the car by slotting a bladeless keyfob into a slot within the dash and then pushing a power button. The instruments light in response but the petrol engine dsn’t start until you attempt to move the car. And if the car’s been used lately it may decide to move off until electrical power, the petrol motor cutting in as you gather speed.

Tioyota Prius Toyota Prius It rides with a smoothness like that of fluid-sprung Citrns of old, although regular springs and dampers smooth the bumps. And it’s lively enough, although the engine becomes noisy and coarse if you gun it. The wheel is noticeably small but places the car with reasonable accuracy. But there’s too little feedback from it to encourage a sporty driving approach.
And the cabin’s comfortably and roomy, although the grey seats and dash of ours looked gloomy. I’ve left the key question until last which is, can it match its promised fuel consumption figures? Not while we had it, even over 300 miles of gentle(ish) motorway driving, it couldn’t better 49mpg.

And when plenty of diesel-powered family-sized saloons can beat such a figure easily, while getting close(ish) to its CO2 emissions figures, we wonder whether paying extra for the Prius’ clever high-tech is fully worthwhile.

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