http://www.autoblog.com/2004/09/19/toyota-prius-in-the-autoblog-garage-day-1/ Autoblog Comments for Toyota Prius: In The Autoblog Garage Day 1 http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2004/09/19/toyota-prius-in-the-autoblog-garage-day-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2004/09/19/toyota-prius-in-the-autoblog-garage-day-1/
Comparing to a Corolla XRS or Camry (or a lot of other cars). The Prius is a fantasitic car for commuting, City driving, or short trips. I've never taken it on a long trip, so I can't really comment on that. But I would say it is superior as a commuter or City car.

You can turn the screen off if you want to.

There isn't really any "added weight of the batteries". Sure the batteries weigh more than no batteries, but they don't weight much and Prius has no transmission, just a fist sized CVT device that saves tons of weight. The car weighs under 3000 lbs, less than my VW GTI, a 2 door hatchback. As far as brake wear goes, there should be less in a Prius than in virtually any other car, because of the regenerative coasting and braking, which results in less use of the conventional brakes.

Milage in a Prius is more variable than with most cars. If you drive it like a Prius you can get the EPA milage. If you don't alter your driving style to take advantage of the Prius's special features, like regenerative braking, you won't get the EPA milage. I'm getting about 56 mpg in combined driving. Seems most people get mid 40's to mid 50's.

I don't really like the fan/AC/heater controls. I think maybe I'm missing something too, and find it to be one of the worst features of the car.]]>Dec 18th 2005 10:58PM