had 45 mins to kill at a toyota dealership so i decided to look at the new prius. of course a sales droid approaches, knows nothing about the prius, and i just ask 'can i sit in it?' cuz i wanted to see how much room was in it. just so i got treated right i told him i had some time to kill before meeting the owner of the dealership (true). he said i could have a test drive, so i said sure, and off we go. here's my impressions...

first off, the looks. some flattering photos i've seen of it look ok but in person it's fugly. now i know it's a cheap shot to comment on the more common versions with the small wheels, but look at these - my lawnmower has bigger rims.

(more in the next post)...

 

ok, so i get in the car. it's ROOMY (legroom, arms, etc.) - i'm 6'3" with long legs so that's always something i look for, and the prius has tons of room. so i put the seat forward to the position i could just 'tolerate' so i could see how much legroom that would leave behind me in the back. i go into the back seat behind. PLENTY of room. well done toyota on the 'people packaging'.

next up, from the front seat again i notice there's an ACRE of dash in front of me, mostly devoid of, well, anything. there's an information display in a recess in the middle of the dash on the top edge under the windshield. since the car's off, it's just dark, like everything else. this was a model 'II', and there was also a 'III' but i could NOT figure out what the differences were, except the 'III' also had the optional nav, but that wasn't the difference because the II and III had different 'base' prices.

the front seats are quite comfy. steering wheel felt good. other controls looked a bit mysterious at first glance - power/eco/ev mode buttons, the stubby (tiny) transmission shift stalk/****, and other controls. i felt more like i was in a klingon space ship than a car.

so after sales droid gets the key, he said 'press the start button', so i do, and, nothing. then, knowing a bit from these forums and having driven a hybrid before, i realize ya gotta have a hoof on the brake pedal. do that, and press button. i have no idea that the vehicle is now actually 'started'. i don't recall the klingon dash display lighting up at that point, maybe it did.

car was face in to the parking space so i have to back up. droid presses stubby gear stick to get it into reverse, i gently lighten pressure on brake pedal, and the space ship begins to float backwards, silently.

about 10 feet out of the parking space while i'm still backing up, i swear i thought the sales droid farted. or maybe it was me? i felt a WEIRD vibration in my ***. oh, oh, that's when i realized it was the gas engine starting up by itself! ha ha.

so we advance forward to the parking lot exit and prepare to go on the open road.

when a gap opens in light traffic, i pull out. the only sound i hear is the air conditioning air coming out of two 'slits' in the dash - the thinnest dash vents i've ever seen! not the best for keeping the noise down. as i pull out (turning right) i notice the steering has more 'play' than a yacht, and there was more body roll than i would have expected at a whopping 10mph. under way i play with the steering, left/right, a bit, and yup, a 1983 cadillac had less play/roll in it. but no matter. onward i go in my klingon vessel.

i look in my rear view mirror and see a big BAR in the middle of the rear hatch opening. oh great. not sure whether to look under or over, oh wait, i've got no choice, it's just 'there'. mmkay, then.

onto another road, i decide to 'gun it' a bit. i push down the gas pedal, and, and, and... some gas engine noise/vibration, yes, yes, and oh, there it is, acceleration! this is better than ambien.

i try the EV/Power/ECO mode buttons and get very confused at how they work for a bit, not able to tell which button cancels which other button or how to turn it all off and go back to whatever default the car was in when i started. eventually after playing with it, i realize that mode buttons are toggles and you press them again to cancel, well, mostly. because the test drive was brief, i never detected ANY difference in the modes. i'm sure it saved a tree somewhere.

i mentioned great leg room earlier, but, and maybe the steering wheel telescopes i didn't check, but when the seat was positioned to give me ample leg room, my arms were at full stretch to reach the steering wheel, and i needed a map to navigate the dash beyond, and the windshield was something like the fake sky in the Truman Show - it looked real, but far away.

came back to the dealership, and wanted to look at the trunk/hatch space. it's ok, but very shallow, and the very steeply hatch prevents any chance of putting a large squarish box from UPS in there. hmmm... i get a lot of large square boxes from ups. i thought there was just batteries under the rear cargo area, but no there's another storage space, and think the batteries are in front of that, near the rear seat back. the seats fold forward of course, giving more storage possibilities.

oh about the 'information' display in the recess at the top of the dash - when the car is in motion there's various arrows and animations and icons and batteries and a couple of space invaders. i have NO IDEA what it was trying to tell me. epic fail.

the car's sticker was about $26k i believe. dealer says they sell every one they get quickly, and are proud they sell at msrp (and don't mark up). hmm... wonder why there's 3 on the lot then.

well, that was my experience... the prius is pretty neat, very room and comfy for people, not so great for cargo, and definitely a 'unique' driving experience, but 'fun' is not a part of the equation. driving it is more like flying an electronic kite than driving a go kart.

 

That is one of the most entertaining and colorful reviews that I have read in a while.

Thank you Mr. Clarkson-in-training...

 

thanks Phil! i just added my comments on the info display too...

 

Excellent review & quite entertaining Bit! It sounds as if you were inside of the Loch Ness monster instead of a car

 

you approached the car wanting to hate it... pretty bad review I say.

I drove 2010 Prius Euro spec the other day, with 15" wheels, and I swear car cornered better than my GS350 AWD. It was pretty punchy in PWR mode.

Thing is that currently only 17" wheels package has same suspension and steering tuning as Euro spec, which will be changed towards end of the year.

Compared to Gen2 i had, it was 2-3 generations better vehicle. Still cant compare with Avensis on luxury front, but it had quite a lot of technology at same price as before. HUD worked great and self parking mode was suprisingly awesome.

 

untrue. i definitely wanted to like it. have even considered buying one to have instead of my suv.

thanks.

i don't know what that means, but i was hard pressed to sense differences, except cosmetically, from the gen2 i've been in before.

i don't think the one i drove had HUD, and i certainly don't need/want self parking mode - i don't have all day to park.

 

lol, thanks. it is not a bad vehicle. just a bit... odd. but the fuel economy is no joke and great for someone on a tight budget. i could see getting a prius instead of a civic for example although the cost increase would probably require a LOT of driving to justify it.

 

This review is hilarious, it made me laugh. I don't think I can live with any hybrid/electric car as a daily driver.

 

Then you woke up.

 

Great review Paul, unexpected lol. We are both tall so the rear does seem shallow but to shorter people I think its fine. I find cargo room fine as well. I agree about the dash, I am just not a fan of central dashes but it definitely seems to be a selling point for the Prius and makes it different.

I agree with the salesman, smaller dealerships usually sell Priuses within a week of their arrival.

Overall a hybrid is a different kind of vehicle and clearly I've grown to appreciate what they offer. When I eventually visit you, you can review my car

 

by shallow i meant the cargo, not people space.

deal, although i know your beast is a lot more than a prius!

 

3 Priui on the lot isn't very many.

 

very entertaining for a review on the prius. Its a nice car and an improvement in all areas versus 2gen. cargo room is good compared to HS, CamryH, and even the IS.

btw, those wheels look so small compared to the 17"...those dont even look like oem rims.
much better...

 

In this area, Priuses often go quicker than that.