My comments on my new Prius

After a two and a half year wait, I finally got a Prius two months ago. To make a long story short, I became interested in the Prius in October 2003 when I first had a test drive on a 2004 Prius. Demand for the car far exceeded supply and I was not willing to pay a big premium over MSRP. One dealer was so sleazy he told me that my place on his waiting list would vary depending on how much over MSRP I would be willing to pay--$5,000 over MSRP would get me near the top of his waiting list. Suffice it to say, I broke off contact with that dealership. I put my interest in abeyance until this year when the tax credit for hybrid cars became effective and I was able to find a dealership that would sell for MSRP and would allow me to order the color and package to my liking.

Now that I have had a Prius for two months, I want to say that my wait was well worthwhile—it is a great car! My comments on this car are as follows:

Driver and passenger comfort[: outstanding with very comfortable seating that also is high enough to make it easy for an older person (like me) to get in and out of the car easily.
Ride: excellent. The Prius has a very smooth and comfortable.ride.
Acceleration is quite adequate to accelerate and allows safe transitions onto interstate highways.
Handling is good but short of great. Steering is good but lacks giving the driver a “feel of the roadâ€. Also, on highways that have been grooved to combat hydroplaning, the car is pushed somewhat from side to side because the grooves are not cut straight.
Economy is excellent. The mpg on my first tank was calculated at 43.7 mpg based on a tank that was supposed to have been full when delivered. My second tank is getting about 2-3 mpg more based on the multi-information display on the dashboard. There is definitely a learning curve for driving this car but the multi-information display is very helpful—and instructive in teaching one to drive this car properly to maximize mpg.
Fit and finish are what you expect from Toyota—everything fits well and the paint job is first rate.

The one negative comment that I have is about the multi-information display. It is an LCD and becomes very difficult to read in bright sunlight. Similarly, the speedometer is impossible to read when wearing sunglasses to combat the brightness of sunny days.

Overall, I am very well pleased with my 2006 Prius.