'12 Toyota Prius/Prius Plug-In
The Toyota Prius has been around for some 15 years now, and it has had a colourful history. Those of you who know a bit about automotive his...
The Toyota Prius has been around for some 15 years now, and it has had a colourful history. Those of you who know a bit about automotive history will be aware of the past troubles the Prius has had. Now though, it seems those days are more than gone. The third generation Prius is by far the most technologically advanced of the range and well worth a good look at.
Like its big brother, the Prius Plus, the Prius is loaded with gadgets and gizmos to make normal use of a car even more easier. For those of you who struggle with parallel parking for instance, do not need to worry with the Prius, as with the touch of a button, the car will steer itself into the parking space, all you have to do, is control the speed. If you struggle to apply brakes firmly enough in an emergency, the Prius has this covered too with its Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system which detects possible collisions using radar, tightens your seat belts, activates the Brake Assist (BA) and, if needed, applies the brakes for you to reduce the risk of crashing, or at least reduce damage if a collision is inevitable.
Just like the Prius Plus, there are many other safety features on the Prius, such as seven airbags and special seats that are designed to limit the effect of whiplash during a low speed rear impact. You really do feel a sense a safety about this car, and this is true throughout the latest range of Toyota models.
Inside the cabin there are plenty of features that are designed to help you. A Head Up Display (HUD) projects information such as speed, hybrid mode and fuel efficiency, means you don't need to take your eyes off the road to get basic but necessary information.
The cabin itself is spacious and very well let, especially on the T Spirit model with the optional sunroof which also has built in solar panels which power the air conditioning system, allowing to the car to stay cool on hot summer days. The boot is spacious enough to easily allow a wheelchair or scooter to be placed in it, and rear seats that fold flat, there is plenty of room for shopping as well.
Susan Farndell owns a 2008 Prius and says "I have a Prius which I accept is everyone's favourite poke fun at car but the petrol consumption obviously is excellent, we've just come back from holiday having put 3 suitcases and the wheelchair in so there's tons of space inside, the gear shift is a simple knob on the console rather than a stick on the floor, the mirrors are big, if you leave the door open or the boot and walk away the alarm will go off which if you're forgetful is good, plenty of storage nooks and crannies, 6 cd changer standard so u don't have to go change them all the time, temp and audio controls on steering wheel (extremely useful if u only got one usable arm!)...frankly can't fault it other than the fact that people don't hear you coming and when u live in a town like ours where the tourists think every road is pedestrianised is a slight problem"
The question you have to ask yourself, is which Prius should you chose? Do you go for the normal Prius which starts from £21,845, or do you get the Prius Plug-In which starts from £28,245, slightly more expensive but does nearly twice the MPG and has half the CO2 emissions. Clearly, choosing between these two is not going to be easy and depends purely on how you use your car. If you spend most of your traveling time in a town or city, then the Plug-In is probably the best option for you, allowing you to travel for over 15 on Electric Vehicle (EV) mode, which basically means free travel around town or to and from work, before automatically switching back to the Hybrid system when the batteries have been used up. This would depend on you being able to plug the car in overnight though. So if you have on-street parking at your home, that could be a problem. However, if you spend most of your time zipping up and down motorways, then i would suggest you get the normal Prius. Yes, you don't get as much MPG, but it is cheaper, and if you don't spend most of you commute at lower speeds, i would suggest you go for the normal Prius.
Whichever car you pick, i can guarantee you will not be disappointed. The ride is smooth, the steering is light, the car is full of gadgets and gizmos to help you travel where ever you need to go. When choosing your next car for your mobility needs, i would consider the Prius. Which specification though, is something i will leave for you to decide.
The Toyota Prius was provided to us for review by Vantage Toyota Preston.