The Precarious Path To The Prius

A couple of years ago I was in a local shopping center when I spotted a stylish futuristic vehicle. I had never seen anything quite like it before and walked around it a few times as the owner approached and flashed a friendly smile which opened up a conversation about the car.

I soon learned it was called a "Prius" and it was a rental car. She told me a little about it, that it was a hybrid and got good gas mileage and how much she was enjoying the driving experience. I should also mention that she was absolutely gorgeous. :wub:

She really took her time showing me the car and even let me sit in the drivers seat which was very nice of her. I was amazed at all the controls and the layout of the dash and monitor. The coolness factor of the interior hit me immediately and I was very surprised that I had never even heard of this automobile before. After I felt I had taken up way too much of this sweet woman's time I thanked her and went on my way.

Eventually I forgot all about the woman. And the car.

Three months ago I begin a serious search for a new car. After tons of research I had finally decided on a Lexus RX350. The new model had just come out and it sounded like the perfect vehicle for me. All that was left was the test drive.

The RX was a beautiful vehicle, inside and out, and I was quite impressed with it...until I got in the drivers seat and started the test drive. I should mention here that I'm not quite 6'1" and about 170lbs so I'm not overly tall or large however I felt like a sardine in the RX. The center console offered no movement for my right leg and my left felt crushed against the door. I also had to lower the seat all the way down so that my head didn't hit the ceiling.

Overall, the ride was great, quiet and smooth, however I was totally uncomfortable the whole time and couldn't wait to get out of the vehicle. I had read somewhere on the Internet that the RX was more suited for a woman and I tend to agree with that statement. I was also very dissappointed with the cargo room. For a vehicle that looked so large on the outside it felt cramped and claustophobic on the inside. Even the back seats felt cramped. Supposedly it got about 18MPG, which didn't seem bad. Certainly sounded better than what the bigger SUV's were getting.

The gadgetry was impressive though. Bluetooth, Nav, backup camera...all very nice. But none of that mattered if I would never be comfortable in the drivers seat.

Needless to say I was dissappointed since I was really set on the RX. I passed.

I then found out that the new ES350 was coming out in a few weeks and I decided to wait and test drive one when it came in. I had read that it was supposed to be a larger vehicle, with more room for the driver and the the new leader in the luxury market.

In the meantime I test drove a number of other cars, none of which did anything for me. Seems like every car these days has that darn center console that really hinders leg room. None of them seemed unique either. All were quite bland and unexciting to drive.

It was also during this time that gas prices spiked.

Finally the new ES arrived at the dealership and I made it down there first thing in the morning and ready to make a deal if the car worked out. I've always been a big Lexus fan and was keeping my fingers crossed on this one. Besides, the bluetooth, Nav, backup camera it was also keyless, which I found fascinating. The only downside it seemed was the fact that it only took premium fuel and I did some quick calculations to determine that at current prices just filling up the car would be $54. Ouch. MPG was supposedly 20-30, which probably translates closer to 22 and if premium went up to $3.50 then I'd be looking at $63. I didn't even want to think of what it would be at 4 or 5 bucks a gallon.

I thought the look of the car was quite nice, if a little bland, but overall I was quite impressed with the car and the interior was gorgeous. Needless to say I was very dissappointed when I got behind the wheel and once again felt cramped. Not as cramped as I felt in the RX however I was just uncomfortable enough to know it wouldn't work. It was a huge letdown.

As I left the Lexus dealer I was really unsure about what I was going to do car wise. Seemed like I'd run out of options and I was doubtful that I'd find any car that I'd be happy with.

Luckily there was a Toyota dealer right across the street. Since I had a fairly long drive back home I decided to just look around for the heck of it and I quite unexpectedly came across one of those cool little cars that the beautiful woman had been tooling around in on her business trip. It was blue and the salesman told me that it was a "Prius" and was sold but he happened to have a '05 model in back that he could let me test drive. My first reaction was so say no since I just felt it would feel tinny and have lousy pickup and basically feel like a bumper car once you started to drive it but I agreed and then found out what kind of mileage it got. I knew it was supposed to get good mileage but not 50 to 60 MPG. I had to have him repeat that a few times. Again I thought it just had to ride like a kids go-cart.

Then I got inside. WOW! After test driving the RX and ES I felt like I had TONS of room around me, headroom and legroom to spare, with no center console and it was very, very comfortable. Much more comfortable than I had been in either Lexus. It was amazing. It truly was a small car with a BIG interior. Even the back seat felt huge compared to the other vehicles and the cargo room seemed to be even more spacious than the RX.

Not only that, it had just about all of the electric gizmos/gadgets that the others did...bluetooth, Nav, backup camera and the keyless entry as well. Another huge surprise.

After getting the rundown on the instrument panel I was ready to drive it and, again to my surprise, it had fantastic pick up and front visibility, much better visibility in fact than the ES did. I took it on the Interstate and had no trouble passing or staying with traffic. The ride was also amazingly smooth and quiet. I just couldn't get over it. This was no toy or carnival bumper car. Why had I not heard more about this car???

The amazing test drive won me over but it had all happened so fast and I had to do some research before I could make any sort of decision and that's when I found this site. I poured over posts for a few weeks, determined that there just had to be something wrong with this seemingly "perfect wundercar." During those weeks gas prices went up more. The posts on here remained positive and I felt myself caught up in the "Prius Nirvana" that most of you share so I called the dealership and put in my order for a Driftwood Pearl, #8. He said it would take between 30 and 90 days but called after only 3 weeks to say it was in.

I couldn't pick it up for a few days and in that time I started to wonder if I had made a mistake. That maybe I should have gone with a more traditional vehicle. Well, all of those doubt evaporated after just a few days of driving the car. It's awesome. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven and I never would have believed it of a hybrid. My first tank was 47MPG and now I'm averaging 55 on the second. Every day I find something else to marvel at. I even find myself making excuses for having to go into town more.

I could not be happier with the purchase and want to thank all of you for helping me to make the decision to make the plunge. It's finally fun to drive again.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pjconner @ Jun 6 2006, 11:58 AM) [snapback]266748[/snapback]</div>

Heh, yes that would have made it a perfect ending, wouldn't it? Riding off together into the sunset in the Prius.

What still bothers me though is how misinformed I actually was about a hybrid. I'm ashamed to admit that I had been brainwashed by the media into thinking all of the negative aspects of having one were true and that they were merely a gimmicky fad, not to be taken seriously. I can't ever remember seeing one positive news item about them come to think of it and that is very sad. I don't understand why there aren't more media people praising cars like this and talking them up more as a viable solution to combat the up and coming gas problems facing us.

Great mileage aside, the Prius is a fantastic car all by itself. I already mentioned its optical illusion quality when it comes to interior space but it's a solid feeling, smooth riding, sharp looking automobile that is totally unique and I can't think of another car that I would want in its place, until of course the "08 version comes out with plug in capability. B)