Jr's Impressions Post Prius 2k

Having this car now for 2000 miles and less than 40 gallons of petrol out of my billfolds assets, I have a few observations, and compliments.

We bought our new 2008 Prius the day we went shopping for it.

We picked up this Silver Pine Mica #6 in Fairfield, Ca. We weren't on a list and didn't swap a place in line as far as I know. Paid sticker, and the extended warranty... and didn't care.

Driving my previous daily take-me-to-work-car (see avatar) I am used to having a car make some noise, and many times I'm expecting certain noises or creaks to come when I'm driving along certain familiar roadways. Also, I like to compare stuff, and I have had other cars to drive before this one... so I'll make my comments about performance, and the performance measurement is relatively easy when you can take the same corner or ramp in different cars with the same driver that has the same attitude for the car... meaning... I will drive a car to it's limits... but, I ain't trying to push the limits because I want to keep the car.

Soooo... I'm also saying I may have a bias... nevertheless, I think I got a deal.

Personal best liked features:
Split rear seat...
Climate controls...
Storage...

Comfort:
I can get in relatively easily except for the right knee getting against the bottom of the steering wheel in the first thing; I'm certain it's just a new technique I have to learn just like I did for the Vette, but it isn't a bad ride once I'm in my seat. Plenty of room for me and 3 passengers and a dog sometimes... More than in my Citation, and any of my 2-door rides, which is a bonus, but it still follows the laws of physics and doesn't magically have more legroom than the Eldorado. The seats themselves are cushioned nicely for my commute, but you can feel your bottom give a slip to the side on an aggressive turn.

The controls are easy enough to reach and change, and I actually like the center DIC... having a camera is novel but not intimidating, I think there should be a switch/button for it to come on on demand, but that is just me. I like the controls on the wheel, and how the cruise controls work and feel... Now however, I gotta get an account with Bluetooth... and that's a good thing I think, my cell phone is at least 4 years old.

The car in the morning is the quietest drive I have been in outside of a Town Car of my father's... I can hear what's happening outside, but I don't have to hear all of it, as anyone that has a soft-top can attest is one of the trade-offs. I am enjoying the quiet, and I believe it helps my morning rush attitude tremendously... however, I still want to kill some of these bastards that cut me off going 80mph on the Capital City in the morning. I personally know this car has the guts to catch up to the tards and flip them off honking the cute little horn to get their attention... but that's another story...

Performance:
I bought the car because it was rated the best MPG hybrid in the country for years. I needed 350 mile range and a smaller tank. I was used to driving 150-225 miles to a tank average in my Vette... but that is a 20 gallon tank... soooo... one of the things I noticed right off is I'm getting twice the distance between fill-ups, for less than half of the gas I used to get... and the last tank of gas I put in the Vette was just over $95 American... I didn't get a fin back from a c-note... so I can appreciate the savings from the gas use on a tangible end directly related to my pocketbook.

I believe performance also means pushing the pedal to get the best "time"... so I must admit, I have tried to get the worst mileage and get around some of my favorite ramps and interchanges to compare how well this car compares to others I have had my seat in... and, it can hang with any sedan I have driven that wasn't just built for sporty driving. I didn't feel as comfortable taking some of the 40mph at above-recommended-speed, but I didn't feel the car couldn't do is as the Plymouth Voyager can make you feel on exactly the same corner at the same speed in the same lane...

There's a series of speed bumps that I can use as a gauge to how well you can get over stuff, and the Prius did far better than my Vette (DUH), but only about as good as the minivan on the bumps... it didn't bottom out at any time though, as I have in other cars over those bumps. Also the car is responsive to input, but not entirely predictable on slippery surface, although I didn't feel the car was gonna lose-it, I didn't feel the lag and grab was the same as it is in my other cars with the ability to change/reduce individual wheel speed... that may have something to do with the tires on the car, as I am used to performance tires (there IS a difference)... also the power steering is totally detached from any real road input, so I have to pay more attention to the absolute attitude of the wheel in my hand as opposed to feeling the turn through the suspension into your hands... but I am a bit of a purist... minor bias... still a good safe feeling when I was pushing it.

No burnouts... the motor can and will rev like a banshee... so yes, I have heard it running, but it didn't make the car leap... scoot good, yes... leap, no... but then again, it ain't a sportscar... so that isn't a fair comparison, but comparing it to a Vega I'd say it was not as quick as one, but is definitely faster than my Beetles were, or the Metropolitan, and much slower than either of my V8 Vegas ever were, but they only got about 10mpg... soooo...

Distractions:
The Prius label inlaid on the floor mat on the driver's side is pealing off. Looks like the hot-glue gun didn't get it completely.
The rear wiper is just too tight to the window to clean around or change it looks like, looks like an easy mod, but why didn't they do that.


Other than that... the folks at Toyota made a nice car for me to own. And I appreciate that.