Quality, Reliability and Economy - Prius has it all

The 2006 Prius is the latest in the continuing development of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system. This technology is being applied in the Highlander and two Lexus models, all of which are designed for performance with economy whereas the Prius is designed for economy with performance.

The Prius was designed from the beginning as a maximum efficiency vehicle. That's what it does. It gets great mileage. It can perform very well but this car is intended for drivers who want an ultra-practical, safe car which costs very little to operate. Performance is a secondary consideration although performance is definitely there.

The new Prius has incorporated an amazing, new air conditioner which works very well even in hot, scorching Arizona. The A/C is electrically-driven as opposed to the Honda approach which drives the A/C off the engine. This means that the A/C does not shut off when the engine shuts off. The A/C does take energy to run and this impacts fuel economy so set it for a comfortable setting but avoid turning the interior of the car into a meat locker on a hot day. Helping the AC is great insulation and new solar-absorbing glass which does keep out a lot of heat. This glass is not inexpensive, so consider the glass coverage on your insurance policy.

Apart form the "boot-up" sequence of "starting" the car with a "Power" button, this car can be driven like any other car. Jump in, turn the wheel, work the pedals and go places. To get the maximum efficiency out of the Prius, one needs to adapt one's driving habits to the technology of the car. The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is a wonder of technology. It is smooth as silk and allows power to come from the planetary gear device from the electric motor, the engine or both. Yet, to gain best economy, the driver needs to put the car into high gear. This is done by reaching a cruising speed and then gently backing off the throttle just a bit. As this is done, the instantaneous fuel mileage display will show increasing numbers. Additionally, the Prius benefits from a decent off-the-line acceleration to cruise speed. Don't mash the pedal, but there is not a significant advantage in a long, slow acceleration, either. Accelerate normally and responsibly up to speed and then back off so the CVT can achieve the highest possible gear ratio.

Slowing down is a unique process also. Gauge the lights and drive in front of yourself as much as possible. When you suspect you may need to slow down or stop, back off the throttle. The Prius will automatically go into regeneration mode whereby the energy which would be wasted in a conventional car is captured and pumped into the massive NiMH battery behind the back seat. When braking, apply the brake very gently at first. This engages the regenerative braking system and you will feel the car start to slow down. By the time you need the physical brake linings, you should have already recovered a lot of the energy of the car in motion through the regeneration process.

The Prius gets its horsepower from the engine and its torque (all 295 foot-pounds of it - as much as a Volvo C70) from the electric motor. Moving away from a dead stop brings up both power sources and if you need to move, don't worry. Step down and this car will fly. You'll pay for that in lost fuel economy but if you need to get out of harm's way, this car will really move.

Tire pressure is critical to the fuel economy of all cars but especially so with the Prius. The dealer recommended 38psi. The Goodyear Integrity radials are rated for 44psi and this is the pressure I use based on the advice of a tire expert in my home town and years of experience doing this. This is my choice but each owner should set tire pressure based on their own comfort level and based on the ratings of their tires and driving conditions. On conventional cars, the difference between 34 and 44 psi has always translated into about 10% mileage improvement with no degrading of ride and with snappier handling. The Prius has an on-board tire pressure monitoring system which can be set for the driver's preferred pressure. It will then alert the drive when tire pressure falls.

Handling is something people often debate. The Prius has electric steering. It does not require a hydraulic pump. Steering has good road feel without transmitting every jolt from the road to the driver's hands. It's not sport steering like one would expect on a Porsche but it has good, safe road feel. There is never a feeling of being disconnected from the road as one gets in cars with overboosted steering.

The Prius incorporates many safety features into its design but optionally available are side and side curtain airbags for front as well as rear passengers. A total of six airbags protect all occupants in the event of an impact. This option is available with options packages starting at the very basic level and is well worth having. Insurance companies do take note of this and it will lower the insurance premium. The car overall is very safe. It's not designed to be a rocket and insurance is very reasonable for this car given clean driving records, etc.

The fit, finish and design of the new Prius are all exceptional. It's almost Lexus quality in terms of materials and construction. The rear hatch is well made and does not rattle or chirp. It provides good driver visibility and incorporates a camera (option packages 3 and higher) which displays what is behind the car on the console touchscreen monitor. I have found that while this is a help, I still feel better turning my head and looking around as the monitor suggests in text when this is engaged.

The interior is spacious. There is more legroom in this car than in a Mercedes S-Class. It's simply amazing. At 6'3", I can put the driver's seat back where I need it to be, get out and get into the back seat and my knees don't touch the back of the driver's seat. I've never owned a car in which I could do that. It's just roomy. The back seat will fit three with full seat belts and head restraints for all. There is a rear armrest console with more storage space to augment the huge front console which is full of drawers, cup holders and deep compartments.

The rear hatch lifts to reveal an ample storage area with a tonneau cover which can be pulled out to cover items placed there. Under the rear deck are breakdown tools and more storage space.

There are two glove boxes up front and in front of the passenger and a centre storage compartment in the dash. Front doors have side map pockets and seat backs have map/book pouches.

The interior is illuminated with lamps for both front and rear seats and there are door edge "puddle lamps" to illuminate the street when getting out at night. Headlamps are halogen or HID (optional). Both really light up the road.

The instrument panel is clear and easy to understand. Speed is displayed digitally in large, easy to read numbers. The center display is a touchscreen which allows the driver or passenger to control the climate system, the stereo.CD player and observe the energy use of the car through diagrams which show the flow of energy and through analysis screens which track the car's fuel economy. One button switches the car from miles to kilometers.

The stereo is a very good one. Six speaker sound is excellent and the CD player can play MP3 CDs onto which the owner can store up to eight hours of music, It certainly plays regular music CDs as well. Basic options packages add the AUX input for an iPod. This is hidden inside the console and is activated by the "AUX" button on the dash. An optionally available JLB stereo with CD changer is available.

The steering wheel provides controls for volume, track or station up/down, mode (AM, FM1, FM2, CD) AC on.off, temperature, cruise control, etc. These controls are very easy to use and are tactile so one does not even have to look off the road. Lights and front/rear wiper controls are sensibly placed and easy to use without any real thought or diversion from the act of driving.

The Prius requires an electronic module to be present in order to operate the car. In the basic version, this is a keyring remote which lock and unlocks the doors and activates the panic alarm. Once inside, this unit is inserted into the dash where the key would normally go and the car is unlocked and the disabler system is turned off.

Optionally, Toyota offers "Smart Key" which is a step up from the keyring remote. It lock and unlocks and provides a panic button but just having this in one's pocket is all that is required in order to operate the car. The system recognizes the driver and turns on interior lights. Touching the door handle unlocks that door (it can be programmed to unlock all doors). Then the driver simply gets inside and powers-up the car. There is no need to insert the remote into the dash. The care is smart enough to know that this electronic key has moved to the interior of the car. If you unlock the car and someone else gets in without a smart key, it will not power-up. This option is so useful that I recommend it highly. Your key stays in your pocket. You won't drop it through a storm drain grate if you never take it out.

Toyota has done an outstanding job with the technology as well as the construction of the Prius. It's easy to see out, easy to drive and fun to drive. Fuel economy depends largely on driving habits. If a person drives in a sporty manner, this will be reflected in the amount of petrol it consumes. If one drives with economy uppermost in mind, the car will get outstanding mileage.

Maintenance is low. Coolant, for instance is to be replaced at 100,000 miles. Oil changes are recommended at 6 months or 5000 miles and an indicator light will come on to remind the driver that an oil change is needed. Oil changes are comparatively easy on the Prius with the drain and filter easily accessible. Toyota dealers offer a reasonably prices quick lube service which can do the job and have you on your way in half an hour.

The hybrid drive system (most of the car, really) is covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles. Other components are covered for 5 or 3 years. Toyota has stated recently that in six years of selling hybrids they have yet to replace one of the large NiMH batteries. There is, however, a small 12v battery in the back which is of unique construction and is used to boot the computer and operate lights and the Smart Key system. (If leaving the car for two weeks or more, Toyota recommends turning off the Smart Key system to keep from draining this battery).

This car impresses me. It is high tech and high quality combined. It looks good and is very comfortable. It will move when it has to but will also sip petrol under normal circumstances. It's a lot of car for the money and with current tax credits from the federal and state governments, the added premium paid for the hyrid technology is negated. I cannot recall every being so uniformly impressed by a car.

Real World Driving Update, 26 May 2006:

After learning how to drive this car for maximum efficiency (which has developed some better, safer driving habits, btw) I found the car was getting 45mpg in town with the A/C on. By filling up with premium, I realized a mileage boost and have now broken through the 50mpg barrier. The government mileage ratings are based on a non-real-world set of test criteria but are the same for all cars and trucks so no vehicle actually attains these figures in the real world but breaking through 50 was quite pleasing. Equally pleasing was filling up the tiny tank in two minutes and driving off while the guy in the Yukon behind me was calling his banker for a loan.

UPDATE: 29 July, 2006

The Toyota Prius continues to impress. The air conditioning can cope with even 115-118F days. Dealer window tinting allowed the AC to relax significantly by cutting heat transfer, especially through the hatch glass. Running the A/C at all times in the hot desert (105+ days, "cooling" to 100F by 6PM)has reduced mileage somewhat to 44mpg in city traffic. On longer trips across town or when not having to sit out many traffic lights, mileage does increase.

When the main battery level falls to two bars on the bar-graph, the engine comes on to supply power. Despite very hot days and traffic signals which are not properly timed, I have only had the engine come on to provide power twice. Efficiency is still excellent in all respects and the car copes with the hot desert better than other "conventional" cars I have owned.

The electric steering continues to make this car a real favorite. The steering is precise, road "feel" is excellent and response is fast to the point that I forget I'm actually steering and can concentrate on the road. The car goes where I want it to go and does so very predictably and effortlessly. This steering system should be standard on all cars, not just the hybrids. It's really that good.

I received a lengthy survey from Toyota asking me dozens of questions but also asking for brief essay answers to "What do you like most?" and "What don't you like?" To the former, I had difficulty paring down my list of likes. For the dislike portion I had to sleep on it. The next day I wrote, "The only thing I dislike is that it makes my other car look like crap." While amusing, it is true. This car continues to impress me.

Getting maximum efficiency from the Prius takes some concentration from the driver, so this might not be the car for everybody, but I certainly find that taking a longer view down the road, getting into proper pace with traffic, driving efficiently and safely are all good habits which require no real effort on my part. In fact, these are habits which are good when driving any car.

I am also finding that the Larry David "We're a special group" is true to some extent. Prius drivers wave and cluster around each other in parking lots to swap brief mileage reports. The camaraderie is a nice bonus and I find other Prius owners to be genuinely neat people.

UPDATE: 17 October, 2006

As I crept up on 2500 miles on the new Prius, I noticed that the mileage began to increase. While temperatures were requiring almost as much air conditioning use as during the "summer months", (Arizona has seven months of summer), mileage increased to 51.2mpg. Again, I drive with mileage in mind, so this may not be typical but it is possible. After the first oil change, the car is getting mileage consistently above 50mpg in the city. The grade of petrol has not made any difference, so save your money and buy regular. There is no observable advantage in using premium. This is largely due to the Atkinson Cycle engine which gives it different stroke lengths in intake and power strokes.

I have had zero reliability problems. In fact, zero problems. The car just works, gets great mileage and continues to be very fun to drive.

UPDATE, 15 May 2007

After a year of ownership, I have zero problems to report and mileage has increased to 52-54 mpg average per tank. It is comfortable and quite simply a very well-made car. As we approach $4/gallon, it is still almost free to drive.