Car reviews

Introduction

The Prius is the world’s first petrol-electric hybrid vehicle to be mass manufactured. It made its debut in 1997 after remaining in a development stage for almost 5 years. Toyota prides itself as being the first car manufacturer to have a proper low-emission vehicle strategy. They outlined and documented their environmental policy in 1992.

Having proven so popular in Japan, the Prius was introduced in Europe late in 2000. Initially, the sales were slow, and when it comes to Europe, the sales have never really picked up, at least not to the level that’s comparable with the hybrid car’s popularity in the USA and Japan.

Exterior & Interior

The design of this car is apparently what keeps the sales back in Europe. It’s not a beautiful car. To a certain extent its design is dictated by the drag coefficient and the extra equipment that has to be positioned (batteries and electric motor) and you cannot help notice that the Prius looks different.

The large sedan-like body with excessively small front and rear parts will cause many people to think twice before buying a Prius. On a positive side, many have noted that the Prius looks like a small minivan, hence its body proportions shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Despite the 1st generation Prius being classified as a compact car, it is reasonably comfortable and will seat 5 people, but it won’t leave enough space for their luggage. The rear row of seats can be folded, though, to provide extra boot space. People with longer legs might find the driver’s position rather uncomfortable due to its lowered dashboard and steering column.

Style-wise, the interior design fits the car’s image as it looks geeky and modern. The geekiness is enhanced by a huge LCD screen displaying the current energy consumption.

The car is reasonably equipped. It has a basic car audio system, electric-powered windows and mirrors, air conditioning and safety features like two airbags at the front and anti-lock brakes.

Drive

When accelerating, the car uses a combination of the electric motor and petrol engine. When a constant speed is reached, it uses the petrol engine alone. At low speeds, the car runs on the electric motor. Switching between those two happens automatically.

The Prius is only available with an automatic continuous variable transmission, hence it’s not very exciting to drive. Handling and stability is probably worse than in a similar size family car. The Prius certainly feels different and sounds different. At times you will not hear the engine which is a strange feeling when sat in a car.

Faults & Repairs

It is sometimes reported that the Prius suffers from electrical problems. In a car that constantly relies on electronics, this sounds like a daunting prospect. However, things are not that bad. The car is quite reliable, although it needs specialist servicing and maintenance which can prove expensive. The Prius cannot be maintained in any old garage, it has to go to an official Toyota dealership whenever it needs to be looked at.

Because the first generation Prius is getting quite old, its batteries will suffer from diminished efficiency. This is important to realise as replacing the batteries can be very expensive.