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SPECIFICATIONS
Hybrids offer excellent fuel economy with none of the disadvantages
of electric or hydrogen cars. No change to the refueling infrastructure
is needed with hybrids, whereas with the others you're out of
luck if you're away from an outlet plug or gas (literal) station.
This is the second generation Prius. The original was a compact
car with very nice manners. Performance is modest, since there's
only a 1.5-liter four under the hood and the 50 kW (67 hp) electric
motor can only help so much. But the benefits are still there,
and except for a few ultra-modern touches, you'd never know you
were driving anything "different."
Power reaches the front wheels through an "automatic variable
gear ratio transmission." This means a CVT, or constant velocity
transmission with an infinite number of gear ratios. CVT gearboxes
aren't really gearboxes, but pulley systems that do a better job
of matching gears with engine speed than any other automatic.
Of course, shifting into gear is an experience. There's a small
lever in the dash. It's usually in "N" for neutral.
To get the Prius moving, you move the lever to the left and down
to "D" to go forward, up to "R" to go backward.
When you stop, it's difficult to shift back into "N."
It's best to push the "P" button to engage the parking
brake.
There's no key. You place a fob into a slot in the dash and push
"Power" to get the engine going. When the electronic
dash lights up you know you're turned on.
As with most hybrids, the gasoline engine shuts off when you're
stopped, either in your driveway or at a traffic light. When you
hit the gas pedal, everything comes to life and you can move away
as with any other mid-size with a slightly underpowered engine.
But the excitement of driving the Prius negates any complaints
about low power.
The speedometer is located at the base of the windshield in the
center of the dash. There's a large display in the center of the
dash, much like a navigation system in a more conventional car.
But this display tells you what your gas mileage is and how much
electric power you've regenerated. You don't really need this
information, and Toyota could have used a more conventional dash
arrangement. But it's also nice to look at the fuel economy figures
rise on long trips. Average of more than 41 mpg for a combination
of city and highway driving.
The Prius is a mid-size car. As such, it has excellent rear-seat
legroom and an enormous trunk. Set up for carrying passengers,
the trunk is rated at 16.1 cubic feet. But like in a hatchback,
you can fold the rear seatbacks forward and more than double cargo
capacity.
In order to gain excellent fuel economy, the Prius is very aerodynamic,
with a Cd of 0.26. You'll find this one in a crowded parking lot.
With a price of $22,614, the Prius is a bargain. It offers great
economy, it's very modern, it's friendly to the environment, and
there's a rebate for buying a hybrid.
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