Well, with all the kafuffle over the ‘Chelsea tractors’, pressure to go green and carbon footprint, I decided maybe I should feature a car to suit our doomed environment. So I opted for the worlds cleanest family car, that is exempt from the London congestion charge saving poor Londoners a massive £2,000 per year, that runs on innovative Hybrid technology, has excellent fuel consumption, low CO2 emissions and low band B for Vehicle Excise Duty thus saving motorist those valuable pennies. I re-visited the Toyota Prius that caused a sensation way back in 1997 with its revolutionary concept Hybrid Synergy Drive.
Not much has changed with the Prius since them, which is proof of the pudding if you have a good recipe keep it. The second generation came in 2004 with a minor nip and tuck in 2006 that bought the exterior in line and increased the efficiently of the engine.
The Prius, that is Latin for ‘ahead of its time’ is available in three trims T3, T4 and T Spirit that was my test car for the week mated to an automatic transmission with a 1.5 litre engine at its heart. Now the press are banging on about the initial cost of the Prius and is it really as efficient as it claims but with fuel economy at a heavenly 65.7 mpg on a combined cycle, along with low emissions and insurance group 8E in my mind, that equates to more money in my purse to spend on cloths, a new hairdo or a visit to the beauty parlour once in a while.
Styling wise, the Prius is a pretty attractive car accentuated by 16-inch alloy wheels, body coloured electrically adjustable door mirrors, body coloured door handles and bumpers with the integrated rear roof spoiler hinting a tad of sportiness although this does mare rear visibility a little.
So really you have to trust the car and the quite remarkable technology under her bonnet
Inside the Prius is ample of space for both front and rear passengers and initially you look at the dashboard and ask ‘where are all the controls?' Well they are in fact mounted on the height adjustable steering wheel which could be higher, all 16 of them for audio, air conditioning, front and rear demisters, navigation including map and voice recognition and of course the telephone, being the top of the range Spirit. So take a few moments to familiarise yourself with the controls and where they are especially when driving at nighttimes. The air conditioning system is electric and operates independently from the engine thus helps to reduce fuel consumption Other toys include cruise control, electric windows, Bluetooth telephone interface and the Intelligent Park Assist with rear camera that is very handy and keeps the children amused for hours. The downside is that you could spend half your driving time in reverse to appease your darlings.
Now to the nitty gritty of how this Hybrid technology actually works. Flitting from entirely electric power for maximum efficiency across to engine plus motor plus battery, firstly you as the driver need to do nothing, just let the car do all the work. When the Prius has stopped, say at traffic lights, the petrol engine is automatically turned off to save energy and conserve fuel consumption. Be warned, you hear it go off but don’t panic, it will kick back in when you want to accelerate away and delivers maximum performance very smoothly. If you are driving at low efficiency, the car will operate exclusively on power generated by the motor, under normal conditions, both the engine and electric motor will power the wheels and the system will automatically decide what mode to use. The electric motor has been improved and is actually more powerful than most 1.0 or 1.2 litre internal combustion engines so don’t think the performance will be sluggish and ropey. Its not as 0-62 seconds takes less than 11 seconds that is on par with a conventional 2.0 litre diesel engine. In the meantime if the battery needs re-charging the generator will be called in to do the job.
I did find this a bit un-nerving and relayed totally on the ‘ready’ light being on that reiterated to me the car was still running. So really you have to trust the car and the quite remarkable technology under her bonnet whilst on yet another shopping trip, at the same token conquering the parking bays thanks to the speed sensitive electric power steering that constantly gauges how mush assistance you need and adapts accordingly resulting in a refreshingly good feedback. You may also find yourself venturing further afield for the ride and handling of the Prius is pretty impressive thanks to ‘Nachlauf’ geometry for the front suspension giving straight line stability and with the negative camber ensures the Prius stays on track in hard cornering.
Thankfully, as you OD on numerous outings, proud as punch you are saving the planet at the same time if you select EV – Electric Vehicle mode, by simply pressing a button on the dashboard, as zero emissions are produced - yippee, you are very safe for the Prius has a five star Euro NCAP rating for adult occupant safety. Not only do you have the ABS, EBD Brake Assist and Vehicle Stability control, but also Electronically Controlled Brake which is the worlds first ‘by-wire’ braking system that calculates the required braking force based on the amount of pedal effort and force you apply. In addition is E-TRC, another worlds first, Electric Traction Control that restores traction if wheel slippage is detected. Oh and don’t forget Uphill Assist Control that prevent the Prius from sliding down when the brake is released during start-ups on your steep driveways.
But if you still manage to come face to face with a brick wall, the Prius has eight airbags, driver, passenger, side, front and rear curtain airbags, a starter button to reduce the risk of injury to the drivers knee from the traditional ignition key cylinder, front seatbelt pretensioners, three rear seatbelts, ISOFIX mountings as well as lots of body absorbing materials plus a Circuit Break Sensor that will automatically disconnect the High Voltage Power Circuit before the airbags are deployed.
I do think Toyota’s technology is incredible but it’s not just this that makes the car so unique. It’s a combination of the later, with amazing safety features, comfortable ride and lots and lots on board equipment as standard on the Spirit trim. The price tag is £20,665 so yes, you would have to drive many miles to get your money’s worth, which is, in fact, the essence because you can afford to as you whiz by yet another petrol station. . FemaleFirst Jackie Violet
Well, with all the kafuffle over the ‘Chelsea tractors’, pressure to go green and carbon footprint, I decided maybe I should feature a car to suit our doomed environment. So I opted for the worlds cleanest family car, that is exempt from the London congestion charge saving poor Londoners a massive £2,000 per year, that runs on innovative Hybrid technology, has excellent fuel consumption, low CO2 emissions and low band B for Vehicle Excise Duty thus saving motorist those valuable pennies. I re-visited the Toyota Prius that caused a sensation way back in 1997 with its revolutionary concept Hybrid Synergy Drive.
Not much has changed with the Prius since them, which is proof of the pudding if you have a good recipe keep it. The second generation came in 2004 with a minor nip and tuck in 2006 that bought the exterior in line and increased the efficiently of the engine.
The Prius, that is Latin for ‘ahead of its time’ is available in three trims T3, T4 and T Spirit that was my test car for the week mated to an automatic transmission with a 1.5 litre engine at its heart. Now the press are banging on about the initial cost of the Prius and is it really as efficient as it claims but with fuel economy at a heavenly 65.7 mpg on a combined cycle, along with low emissions and insurance group 8E in my mind, that equates to more money in my purse to spend on cloths, a new hairdo or a visit to the beauty parlour once in a while.
Styling wise, the Prius is a pretty attractive car accentuated by 16-inch alloy wheels, body coloured electrically adjustable door mirrors, body coloured door handles and bumpers with the integrated rear roof spoiler hinting a tad of sportiness although this does mare rear visibility a little.
Inside the Prius is ample of space for both front and rear passengers and initially you look at the dashboard and ask ‘where are all the controls?' Well they are in fact mounted on the height adjustable steering wheel which could be higher, all 16 of them for audio, air conditioning, front and rear demisters, navigation including map and voice recognition and of course the telephone, being the top of the range Spirit. So take a few moments to familiarise yourself with the controls and where they are especially when driving at nighttimes. The air conditioning system is electric and operates independently from the engine thus helps to reduce fuel consumption Other toys include cruise control, electric windows, Bluetooth telephone interface and the Intelligent Park Assist with rear camera that is very handy and keeps the children amused for hours. The downside is that you could spend half your driving time in reverse to appease your darlings.
Now to the nitty gritty of how this Hybrid technology actually works. Flitting from entirely electric power for maximum efficiency across to engine plus motor plus battery, firstly you as the driver need to do nothing, just let the car do all the work. When the Prius has stopped, say at traffic lights, the petrol engine is automatically turned off to save energy and conserve fuel consumption. Be warned, you hear it go off but don’t panic, it will kick back in when you want to accelerate away and delivers maximum performance very smoothly. If you are driving at low efficiency, the car will operate exclusively on power generated by the motor, under normal conditions, both the engine and electric motor will power the wheels and the system will automatically decide what mode to use. The electric motor has been improved and is actually more powerful than most 1.0 or 1.2 litre internal combustion engines so don’t think the performance will be sluggish and ropey. Its not as 0-62 seconds takes less than 11 seconds that is on par with a conventional 2.0 litre diesel engine. In the meantime if the battery needs re-charging the generator will be called in to do the job.
I did find this a bit un-nerving and relayed totally on the ‘ready’ light being on that reiterated to me the car was still running. So really you have to trust the car and the quite remarkable technology under her bonnet whilst on yet another shopping trip, at the same token conquering the parking bays thanks to the speed sensitive electric power steering that constantly gauges how mush assistance you need and adapts accordingly resulting in a refreshingly good feedback. You may also find yourself venturing further afield for the ride and handling of the Prius is pretty impressive thanks to ‘Nachlauf’ geometry for the front suspension giving straight line stability and with the negative camber ensures the Prius stays on track in hard cornering.