Before taking the wheel of the Toyota Prius, I was skeptical with the idea of hybrid cars in general. I thought of them as a needlessly complicated solution to a very simple problem. The problem of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption, I thought, could easily be rectified with the use of clean diesels. And it has worked too, just look at Europe, where over 65 percent of the cars sold run on diesel fuel. But that was then. After sampling the Prius for a little over a week, I thought, maybe Toyota did hit on something here.
Of all the cars available on the planet today, the Toyota Prius is indeed the best balance between eco-friendliness and practicality. The advanced technology under the hood works seamlessly, making the Prius as sensible as it is practical. It starts out with a sophisticated drive-by-wire system that connects the gas pedal to an intelligent computer system that controls two power plants (gasoline and electric) as well as the continuously variable transmission, effectively stretching the Prius’s mileage without compromises. When it works together (its called “Synergy” after all) it delivers 110 horsepower—with an aural quality as smooth and silent as your home split-type air conditioning. For pure pulling power, the motor taps into the 500-volt battery pack for pure electric energy. It then switches to the 1.5-liter gasoline engine when needed and uses the combination of fuel and electric power for quick maneuvers (i.e. overtaking). While the electric to gas transition usually occurs at around 20 km/h, if you’re gentle on the throttle, you can push with pure electric power to around 40-50 km/h. The battery gets charged when you’re cruising or braking via its regenerative braking system. It’s a big plus too that you can watch all the engine action via a computer screen that shows an animated power-flow diagram. Be careful though, staring at the monitor can get a bit addicting, especially if you’re wagering which driver can squeeze more mileage.
Completely silent at idle (it runs on pure electric then), it scoots to 100 km/h in around 10.3 seconds, a suitable number for a compact car. There’s some hesitation though when it comes to combining both electric and gasoline during overtaking maneuvers—creating a need for traffic planning on a two-lane highway. With independent MacPherson struts upfront and a torsion beam axle at the back, the Prius handles tidily, but it doesn’t manage to smoothen all the bumps. The Prius cruises calmly at speeds and brakes well, though the pedal feels a tad mushy. The most unnerving quirk for the uninitiated must be the way the engine shuts completely off after a second at a stoplight. Fear not, this auto stop function brings the engine back to life automatically when needed. The silence itself is an audible sign that you’re saving fuel. And what savings; after the 900 or so odd kilometers with the Prius, we just consumed 44.94 liters of fuel—good for an astounding 21.27 km/L (you can opt to drain the battery completely with an EV mode button that saves even more fuel).
The Prius looks huge, especially with its wheels pushed to all four corners; and make no mistake, it’s no cramped econobox. The low, sleek hatchback is an executive car in size, seating five comfortably with still enough space for that run to Ortigas Home Depot. In addition, the rear seats split-folds 60/40 for enough space for anything you can think off. The leather seats offer ample support, but the driving position feel like the Toyotas of old with a longer distance to the steering wheel than to the pedals—a telescopic steering column would have helped. And speaking of something else to incorporate, perhaps better visibility should be part of the design brief. Although it’s understood that engineers had to rake the windshield for the sake of aerodynamics, the effect is a huge, deep dashboard that’s hard to see out off. The resulting wide front pillars create a blind spot too making for anxiety during parking maneuvers; the view behind is also obstructed by a split rear window.
At the center of the Prius’s control system is the 6-inch color touch screen. Even without a manual at hand, it’s easy to get used to; though those anal about spotlessness will complain that the screen’s an easy fingerprint magnet. It washes out in direct sunlight too. The surrounding four button system is also a much easier system than anything the Germans could muster. Happily the most important controls such as the ventilation and entertainment systems are duplicated on the steering wheel.
Though not yet sold in the Philippines, in North America the Prius is sold for roughly P 1.2 million—putting it squarely in Camry territory. That said, the Prius tested is commendably loaded with features such as leather seats, 6 airbags, traction control (that can’t be switched off) and a 6-speaker sound system with MP3 capability and an auxiliary audio input. Toyota’s keyless entry/exit system dubbed Smart Key also makes an appearance.
At the end of the day, the Toyota Prius is a car that manages to satisfy both car nuts and tree huggers alike with its lively acceleration, great fuel economy and near silent operation. Sure, there are some bumps along the path to perfection, but there’s no denying that the Toyota Prius is a marvel of engineering that effortless delivers superior gas mileage without sacrificing comfort or reasonable performance. I must admit, I have to say that the Toyota Prius is indeed the best available solution to our planet’s greenhouse gas and fuel crisis problem.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang
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