Frugal hybrid makes few inroads... (News)

Most of the knocks on the car are because of the cost - Australia does not offer any tax incentives to buy a Hybrid car.

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Toyota Prius

18dec03

Verdict
Frugal hybrid makes few inroads Camel-like fossil-fuel consumption and environmental friendliness aren't sufficient to sell green motoring, writes Neil McDonald

There is something refreshingly noble about driving a car that uses less fossil fuel in traffic than everything else around you – except perhaps a bicycle.
But that's the Prius. It's a vehicle that engenders feelings of altruism by consuming less of the planet's non-renewable oil reserves while at the same time offering serious urban practicality.

However, Toyota's new hybrid entrant, like Honda's Insight, has not really made any serious inroads into the consciousness of local buyers for several reasons – its high cost being one of them.

And, despite the foresightedness of other countries, there are no tax concessions available here for private buyers to own these cars.

Such incentives have helped establish hybrid thinking in the minds of car buyers abroad.

We've not been blessed with such government largesse and, looking at the way diesel and LPG prices are treated, hybrid technology is likely to remain way down the list of environmental priorities.

Although local governments have fallen over themselves to be seen to be green – Queensland now runs 64 Priuses on its own state fleet – there's little reason for mum and dad to rush out to buy one. Private takeup is just 20 per cent of expected total sales of 20 a month.

Like the $48,990 Honda, the Corolla-sized Prius is expensive at $36,990. For almost the same price you could drive a Commodore S V6.

As a result, any inroads this 21st century technology is making into our consciousness is purely by accident.

Visually, the car looks like a larger version of the Audi A2 hatch, a small car not sold here – even down to the split glass rear hatch window for better visibility.

Styling leans heavily towards Europe and this is not a bad thing. It's handsome from any angle and the snub nose and short tail belie its Tardis-like interior.

Despite its high sticker price, it is $3000 cheaper than the car it replaces, as roomy as a Camry and in technology terms, light-years ahead of the old car.

It has an improved MkII hybrid synergy drive system, accelerates quicker, cuts a more aerodynamic path through the air and – heaven forbid – the fuel economy's even been improved.

We managed 4.7l/100km – about 60 miles a gallon in non-metric language – during a week of stop-start city and country driving with the air conditioning running constantly. In real-world conditions owners can expect to travel almost 1000km between refills.

The car is also more practical than it's sedan predecessor, being a sensible hatch design with 60/40 split fold rear seats and a roomy, modern interior. The rear luggage area is compromised a tad by the battery pack, which sits under the boot and is about the same size and thickness as a slab of beer but is as heavy as a keg.

Inside, the cabin is functional and dashboard logically laid out, despite its high-tech ambience.

There's a large central screen and deeply recessed LED dials under the windscreen for speed, fuel and ancillary functions – similar to the Echo.


Standard gear is nothing remarkable and about on a par with many $20,000 hatches, which means you get dual airbags, 15-inch alloys, foglights, ABS, front seatbelt pretensioners, electric windows/mirrors, climate-control air conditioning and central locking. A push-button start and brake-assist functions help mark it up a grade.


There's one option: the $8100 i-Tech package, which bumps pricing to $45,090 but adds DVD-based satellite navigation, front-seat side airbags as well as curtain airbags and vehicle stability control, Bluetooth handsfree compatibility, smart entry and start and premium nine-speaker JBL audio with six-disk in-dash CD player. The lower price has helped make the car more appealing and the luxury pack may woo some buyers from prestige cars like the BMW 3 Series.

The steering wheel – height-adjustable only – has a profusion of easy-to-navigate fingertip controls to operate just about everything from the cruise control to the air conditioning system.

Surrounding all this is an impressively up-market cabin with piano-black trim on the dashboard and plenty of large storage compartments.

If all this sounds rather conventional, it is. It's not until you start the car up that the unconventional kicks in. Firstly, there's no key, just a square fob that slots into the dashboard.

On the i-Tech version you gain the "smart key", which means you can unlock and start the car without using the key as long as it's in your pocket. Merely touching the driver's door will lock and unlock the car too and the car will automatically relock if you're more than 3m away.

Once belted in, you press a "power" button on the dash in much the same way you would any electric kitchen appliance. Once powered up the dash lights up and a "ready" signal in a wafer-thin bank of electronic instruments at the base of the windscreen shows that the car is ripe for a run.

The stubby automatic gearlever protrudes out of the dash and is feather-light with simple dashboard markings for reverse, neutral, drive and "B" for extra downhill engine braking. "P" is via a simple dashboard switch.

Flick the little selector into drive and, providing you're gentle with the throttle, the petrol engine won't kick in until you're doing more than 25km/h. When accelerating hard both the petrol and electric motors combine to provide about the same urge as an automatic 2.0-litre hatch, which means it's adequate rather than exhilarating. When you slow or hit the brakes, the petrol engine cuts out until needed again.

The conversion from electric to petrol drive is seemless and the only way most people will notice is the revving of the engine.

However, the cabin remains whisper-quiet even under full power.

It all comes together very well. The Prius is effortless to drive and the continuously variable transmission works a treat.

There's also good visibility and strong brakes.

Once under way the dashboard monitor can also provide a diagramatic display of where the power is coming from – petrol or electric motor, or both – while the dashboard screen gives a digital readout for speed and remaining fuel.

It's interesting to check out once but falls into the "too much information" category for every-day driving. There is also a switch by the steering cowl that controls electric-only mode that allows the car to run silently for up to 2km and not use any fuel through urban traffic.

At standstill, there's none of the gentle throbbing you experience with conventional petrol engines either, because only the electric motor operates.

The car is eirily quiet with just the quiet hum of the air conditioner to remind you that things are still working.

Despite it's in-town advantages, highway driving does show up some shortcomings.

The suspension crashes over even the most modest of bumps and the electric power steering, while ultra-light around town, is far too featherweight on the freeway and lacks feedback.

It's important to note that Toyota does not recommend that you use the Prius for towing, and the hybrid system – like a normal car battery – can be affected by weather extremes. In fairness, such quibbles don't diminish the overall driving experience. Servicing costs are about the same as a petrol engined Corolla too.

But until there's a serious attempt to offer some incentives for private buyers to own hybrids – or a massive jump in petrol prices – they will remain a scarce novelty. That's a real pity because the Prius could convert many more people to the hybrid way of driving.