Handling and Performance
Now it's time to take a look at what makes the Prius tick. With a 1.5-liter engine, the Prius uses both the engine and battery pack under the very seats of the car to create an eco-friendly, fuel-efficient vehicle. Before you start getting too excited about the Prius's features, though, understand that this car is not a vehicle built for speed. While it is luxurious and convenient, this isn't the kind of car you want to take out on your weekly street race.
The Prius is able to hit its top speed at around 106 mph, and in accelerating, the vehicle takes 10.9 seconds to hit 62 mph. The vehicle will keep up on the highway, but this is not a precision instrument. The handling prowess isn't bad, yet if combined with a need for speed, you may want to reconsider. The tires are also fairly skinny, but the tread on them attempts to keep an overall strong grip while saving on fuel. The car clings to the road very well, but there is nothing of specific notability about the handling or speed in the car.
The quality of the actual ride, however, is wonderful. While at lower speeds, the vehicle runs smoothly, while quickly, utilizing the electric motors to generate enough power. Then, stead ling accelerating, the gas-powered engine begins to give more clout to the vehicle while still charging the batteries. Another positive feature of the hybrid engine is the silent driving feature, although, it's still important to be extremely alert and cautious on the road, as the silent driving may lull you into a false sense of security.
Because of its main feature as a hybrid vehicle, the gas needed for this vehicle is greatly reduced, and the engine shuts itself off during traffic stops. To be fair, accessories such as air conditioning and your radio do get their power from the battery pack, so while the engine will move the car and recharge the battery, it is important to note exactly the kind of power consumption you are looking at.
Finally, the Prius is a very light vehicle. The hybrid has a gasoline tank made of resin, and instead of the heavy steel used in conventional vehicles, aluminium is used to maintain a lightweight vehicle.
Fuel-Efficiency and Eco-Friendliness
The Toyota Prius hybrid was developed specifically to be an eco-friendly vehicle, and with so much time to perfect the design, don't be surprised that this particular vehicle can boast to be one of the best vehicles in low consumption of gasoline. The car is also able to claim that the production of other greenhouse gases is extremely low, and the emissions are near negligible.
As for the fuel consumption for the Prius, you can expect to get around 65 to 67 miles per gallon in urban areas. The EPA has stated that the car can get up to 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Why is this the case? The light weight of the vehicle, as well as the drag coefficient is able to make the car much faster and more efficient.
Initially, there was concern that the batteries of the Prius hybrid would be an environmental concern, which prompted Toyota to begin a program where in they recycle the old batteries. The fears of environmentalists allayed, dealerships are paid anywhere up to $200 in the event that they have consumers turn over used and old hybrid batteries.
The important thing to remember is that the main reason that the Prius is so popular is because of the impact it has as an eco-friendly and green car. This car has every reason to be popular for that reason, too, seeing as how by using this vehicle, the contribution to improving the environment is amazing.
Other Features
Now that you've had a chance to look at the different features of the Prius's exterior and interior, it is important to note that there are even more new and different features that make the Prius unique. Not just for the efficiency of the vehicle, there are new technological features that are, quite frankly, pretty cool. Let's take a look at some of them:
1. If you're not going to be travelling on the highway, there is a new mode for the Prius that allows you to completely move to electric motors. The EV mode can allow 1.25 miles while at a speed of 30 mph. Using this mode, the car would produce zero emissions and would be nearly silent, which is a nice change when driving in a noisy city.
2. While not only removing that gross engine smell that some older conventional cars have when you use the air-conditioning system, the hybrid has an AC system that's completely powered and run by the electric motors. There is an electric-inverter compressor that has been built into the system and allows the AC to run completely independent of the engine, on top of reducing the amount of gas you use.
3. It wasn't just a cute catch-phrase to call the Prius a "Smart Car". There actually is an electronic brain in the core of the vehicle that is used to coordinate all of the systems in the vehicle, which increases the reliability of the vehicle while you're driving.
4. Once again, the car keeps getting smarter and smarter, as now the newer version of the hybrid uses a voice recognition system that can control your GPS, air conditioning and audio system. That way, when you're trying to change your
CDs from The Strokes to the Rolling Stones, you won't have to look away from the road and shuffle around to do that.
5. There's always a concern about safety with hybrids, seeing as how they are smaller and lighter, but be assured that from the EuroNCAP crash test program, the Prius snagged a five-star rating, which is the maximum. The airbags are located on the driver, passenger, front side and curtain of the car, and the stability control in the vehicle keeps the balance steady.
6. I'm sure you're curious about the price of the Prius as well, and there's no worry there. The Toyota Prius is sold at around $21,000 to $27,000, which is around the same price range internationally for hybrids, if not cheaper. It is also one of the most affordable hybrids on the US market.
The Toyota Prius Hybrid has the unique position of having been one of the precursors to the rest of the hybrids that we see on the market today. Not only is it the first and foremost hybrid, the most well-known, Toyota has continued to promise that the future models of the Prius will continue to be even more sophisticated, efficient, functional and enjoyable.
