Hybrid

A new contender for favourite rental car of all time.

2008 Toyota Prius

The good:

• Terrific fuel economy - 98 miles on 2.37 gallons = 158 km on 9.0 L = 5.7 L / 100km = 42.0 mpg


• Pretty good power - no trouble accelerating up to 65 mph, while going uphill, and easily coasting along at 75 mph, charging the battery, while going downhill. You'll just have to ignore the high whine of the CVT (and the lack of a tachometer).


• Silent [WARNING: link NSFW] - battery mode is only good for a few miles, but perfect for parking lots, stoplights, and bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Rear View

The bad:

• Awful rear window visibility - the big spoiler bar across the rear window is a huge distraction, which alone guarantees I will never buy this model for myself.


• Complicated, distracting touch-screen controls - just asking for trouble if you need to adjust anything while driving.

42.0 mpg!

The quirky:

• Dashboard mounted. tiny gearshift lever - only Drive, Reverse, and Battery. How does CVT cope with snow?


• Rear-facing camera for Reverse - sorely needed because of the poor visibility. Also beeps annoyingly when backing up.


• P button to Park - the rental company had to add a label to remind drivers to use it.


• Unintuitive features, which make the owner's manual mandatory reading. Like the power switch (and keyless operation), and the odd exterior buttons for the door locks.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

All in all, it does grow on you, but while fun to rent, it's not a keeper. Some improvements over my previous Prius experience, but also more quirks and drawbacks than before. If buying, I still would probably look at a more "normal" car like the Camry Hybrid instead.

2003 Toyota Prius (Swedish trim)