2009 Toyota Prius
by Rebecca Antioco

Toyota has been building its now ubiquitous Prius since 1997, although it didn’t hit North American shores until 2000. Sales that first year numbered a mere 5800 units. But word caught on quickly, and sales steadily increased, reaching nearly 25,000 units sold in 2003. That’s the year the second-generation Prius was launched, with improved performance and power. Sales shot up 125 percent from 2003 to 2004, and Toyota never looked back.

As it became hip to be green, consumers lined up at Toyota dealerships, visions of 50-mile-to-the-gallon fuel economy dancing in their heads. By 2005, even with Priuses selling above sticker price, the first popular mass-produced hybrid was Toyota’s third-best selling vehicle in North America, behind Camry and Corolla. Total cumulative worldwide sales topped the million mark in early 2008, when high gas prices had everyone flocking to hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles.

But sales fell along with gas prices and the economy, and dealers are now offering incentives on the Prius for the first time ever. The timing may be just right for the third-generation, which was introduced at the auto shows in early 2009 and will debut as a 2010 model. 

As it is, the current-generation Prius is a good car. It does achieve the best fuel-economy rating of any car currently on the market. Sure, you’ll pay less for a sub-compact that performs admirably in the mpg department, but the trade off is in interior room and refinement. You won’t find 38.6 inches of legroom in the back seat of a Honda Fit, and you’ll get a little more bling for your buck in the Prius.

Consider this. The Prius comes in three trim levels: standard, base and Touring. All are well equipped and appointed, featuring remote keyless entry, push-button start, tilt steering, power accessories, a 60/40 split fold down rear seat, and steering-wheel-mounted controls for the climate-control and audio systems. The base model adds upgraded wheels, heated mirrors and cruise control. Move up to the Touring trim and you get sport-tuned suspension, 16-inch wheels, foglights, xenon headlamps and a larger rear spoiler.

Importantly, in all models, the air-conditioning system uses an electric-powered air compressor, instead of running off of the engine belt. This means that when the vehicle is running on the electric motor only, the air conditioner still functions at full power. Not so on hybrids like the Ford Escape. The result is greater fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.

In terms of space, the Prius is considered a midsize car, despite its diminutive appearance. It rides on a 106-inch wheelbase and yields just over 96 cubic feet of passenger room, and 14.4 cubic feet of cargo room (30 with the rear seat folded).

Options are available in packages, and only on the base and Touring editions. Package 2 adds stability control, backup camera and SmartKey keyless entry and ignition. To that, Package 3 adds a JBL premium audio system, alarm system HomeLink and Bluetooth. Package 4 (base only) gets you all of the above, plus fog lamps and HID headlamps. Package 5 adds navigation system, and Package 6 includes leather-trimmed steering wheel and seats. A fully-loaded Touring model still resides a few thousand dollars south of the $30,000 mark.

The four-door hatchback Prius is available with one engine/transmission pairing. The powertrain is Toyota’s third-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive, a gas-electric powerplant that can operate in gas, electric or combined gas-electric mode. It pairs a 1.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson Cycle gas engine with an electric motor, yielding a combined 110 horsepower. An electronically controlled continuously variable transmission completes the system.

Drivers can monitor fuel efficiency on the seven-inch touch-screen display, which also houses the back-up camera and navigation system, when so equipped.

While the Prius doesn’t exactly tear up the road, its performance is more than adequate for everyday driving, either on city streets or on the highways. Toyota claims a zero to 60 time of about 10 seconds. The transition from gas to electric to combo driving is, for the most part, seamless, with a disconcerting silence your only indication that the gas engine has powered down. It can accelerate up to 25 miles per hour on the electric motor alone. Steering is light and responsive, making it easy to navigate traffic or zip into a parking space.

Sliding into the cockpit the first time, I felt a little disoriented by the lack of instrumentation on the dash immediately in front of me. The navigation/fuel-consumption monitor screen is located on the center console to the right of the steering wheel, while the speedometer resides in a digital strip that spans the center of the dash. Despite the unconventional placement, controls are intuitive and easy to read.

Starting the vehicle is a push-button operation that takes some getting used to, as does the odd shifting mechanism protruding from the dash just to the right and below the steering wheel.

On the safety front, antilock brakes with brake assist, traction control, advanced dual front airbags, front seat-mounted airbags, and side curtain airbags are standard. In crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Prius was awarded four stars (out of five) for driver and passenger protection in front impacts, and for rear-seat passenger protection in side impacts. It received five stars for front-seat occupant protection in side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Prius its highest rating, “Good.”

The Prius has a lot going for it. Its cargo and passenger room nearly matches that of the Camry, and it carries four quite comfortably. Power is adequate for everyday driving, while styling and build quality measure up to Toyota’s typically high standards. And with incentives being offered for the first time ever, Prius is darn near a bargain.