The best car to get you started in the Hybrid world
practical, Safety conscious, interested in comfort, not rich, married, value conscious, cost-conscious, fuel-conscious
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FEB
28
2008
Toyota Prius - 2007 —
We absolutely love this car and everything about it, including all the toys and gadgets that come standard at an unbelievably cheap price. We mainly purchased this car for it's gas saving hybrid capabilities since my husband commutes 3 hours everyday (1 1/2 hrs there and 1 1/2 hrs back). This car had the highest MPG recommendation and the price was right and the gadgets abundant.It did take a little getting used to at the start, since some of the features are ahead of the curve. For the first few weeks I felt like I was in the Jetson's car. I was really not used to the push button starting (you put your foot on the brake pedal and click the button on the dash to start). As long as the 'key' (a little electronic device) is in your pocket, purse or in the car somewhere, your car will start. Then the gear shift is not your normal console gearshift down in the middle of between the seats. It was this little tiny miniscule gearshift on the dashboard.
Everyone's favorite is the awesome backup cam. Implanted in the dashboard is a decent sized viewing screen (touch screen at that). It delivers more than just the back up image but more on that in a minute. It's main job is whenever you put it into reverse it shows what's behind you. It is true that distance is a little distorted and you cannot solely go by the camera's view, but it is a safeguard that is much used and appreciated. We have cats by our house so it's nice knowing you're not backing over one of them and you don't have to worry about it. Even at night it shows clearly what's behind you. If there are raindrops on the cam it does distort things somewhat but not as bad as you'd expect. Also there is a persistent beeping when you are in backup mode (reminiscent of utility trucks that beep when backing up.) This is MOST irritating but neverless is a good safety feature for that unfortunate stupid time you 'think' you have it in drive and it is still in reverse. You won't make that mistake with this car since you have the beeping and the image on screen to remind you that you're still in backup mode.
Now for the added features contained in the viewing touch screen. First, we'll talk about audio. It has your audio controls (pre-setting radio stations, tuning, balance, bass, volume,CDs, AM/FM selections, etc). You use the touch screen to control these features. You also have a few buttons on the actual steering wheel that allow you to change the radio stations, CD track or switch between AM/FM as well as volume control without losing site of the road. There are little nodules to let you 'feel' your way to the right button without turning away from the road, which is great. So in taking care of audio you can use either place to control them. We also noticed on our own that the volume automatically adjusts itself meaning that if you are driving the sound is higher and when you slow down at a stop light it turns the volume down recognizing that the volume isn't needed as much when it's quiet in the car. Then when you take off again, it gradually goes back up again.
The touch screen also has cool illustrations relating to gas/electric usage, (a picture of a car with the wheels turning and arrows showing if the battery is being charged or drawn from depending on if you're pulling on gas reserves or electric reserves. It's very informative and helps you see what helps to conserve gas and what doesn't. The screen also gives you an average of your last several miles and tells you what your MPG usage has been. This helps you see where you need to drive better or be more conscious of speed and taking off, etc. My husband has been able to achieve 50 mpg with very careful driving and conservation. To put it simply, drive like there's an egg under the gas pedal and don't make any sudden changes unless absolutely necessary. This will help you to get the best mileage possible. 100 mpg strictly is only possible when you are coasting down and hill and not using any gas, so realistically expect somewhere between 40-50 mpg depending on your personal driving habits.
Last but not least, the touch screen has the climate controls built in. THis has some wonderful features that give you almost all the comforts of home. It has the usuals, defrosting for front and rear windows, A/C, top and bottom blower controls, heat. My favorite item in these controls is the temperature control. It basically works the same as your Central Heat and air unit at home. You decide the temperature you want it to be in the car with the up and down arrows, and it decides what needs to happen to fulfill that need. Along with it being on the touch screen, it also has up and down arrows on your steering wheel, so if you are trying to pay attention to the road, but you're burning up, you just hit the down arrow which turns the 'temp' down and makes the A/C come on to cool you down. If you are cold you just click the up arrow to turn the temp up a few degrees and the heat comes on to warm you up. Awesome feature!
As for the rest of the dashboard. The odometer and speedometer are digital numbers that are green and are way back on the dash close to the corner of the dash and windshield. It is right below where your eyes are at on the road, so that part is very nice after you get used to it. The only downside to it is because it is so close to the glass it reflects horribly at nighttime and sometimes is a little distracting depending on the lighting you are in. There are TONS of other lights that you won't see unless they are needed, like a key light showing you there's no key present in the car, a light telling you it's time to get the oil changed ("Maint Req'd"), and a few other things that you need to know.
The steering column contains the usual features, windshield wiper column controls for front and rear and turn signals all in easy reach.
Storage and other features: On the backs of the seats there are pockets great for maps and other things. Since there isn't a gearshift in between the front seats there is a roomy compartment and dual cup holders that close up and look sleek. You can put CD's in the compartments as well as money/change in the little removable tray that sits up top in the main compartment. This compartment also extends into the back seat so that this part folds down revealing two stable sturdy cup holders for the backseat passengers.
Also, on the passenger side there are two (yes you read right ladies), TWO glove boxes. We have decided to use one for important stuff like the car manual, registration papers and insurance cards. Then the other one is used for things like wet wipes, ketchup packets, napkins, etc. The sun visors fold down with a mirror in both sides (driver and passenger). It has a little sliding door over the mirror and above there is an on/off switch for light. I like this feature because you can leave it in the 'on' position all the time, but when you close the sliding mirror door it automatically shuts off and turns back on when you slide the door back open again. It also keeps the mirror from getting dusty or smeared.
As far as cabin room, it is more roomy than our Nissan Sentra was. We ride 4 comfortably and 5 comfortably if they are regular sized people. Personally I am plus sized so it is slightly cramped with myself a regular sized friend and my 16 year old in between us, but not excessively so. The front seats are widely spaced and provide plenty of elbow room for my hubby and I even though we are both in the plus size range.
The back seat folds down in case you need to haul something larger than the trunk space. The trunk/hatchback is wonderful and full of great features. It has a little compartment door over to the side that pulls up revealing a little cubby hole just perfect to slide in a gallon of milk (to keep it from sliding all around the trunk). The whole platform in the trunk lifts up to reveal the spare tire and emergency supplies underneath if you should need them. When it is down the trunk area is very spacious for a compact type car and it also has a shade up top that pulls out and hooks up top (to hide anything that might be in your trunk). I like this because it makes you feel safe that any valuables (purses, suitcases) won't be advertised to a passing by thief. You can also unhook and allow the shade to retract when you want it out of the way (like when I am loading groceries in there and need to reach to the back easily.)
There are some safety features, like that the car won't lock if your key happens to be inside (to avoid getting locked out). Also, if your car is stolen while running but you have the key and they don't, it will stop the car from running just a few feet down the road, not letting them get any further and saving your car.
Another convenience feature that is a winner with this mom is the automatic lock open. If you have your key on your person and are walking up to the car, it automatically unlocks the front two doors and rear hatchback. No more fumbling for keys when your arms are full of grocery bags! Just walk up and open the door. Also when you are leaving the car, after all the doors are shut, you hit one of the buttons next to each door and it will automatically secure the locks for you, provided you have the key outside on your person.
As for the way this rides, it's pretty smooth for a compact car and has good handling. It will take some getting used to, because it is just so darn quiet! You start the car and pull up to a stop sign waiting to go. When you can go, you don't hear an engine running and you get a little gun shy thinking that the engine has stalled. But don't be afraid, it's really running and it will take off with a shot when you hit the gas pedal. It kicks in the gas when you really need it so it has great pick up.
We really haven't had any problems, other than one of the seals coming loose while it was sitting waiting to be sold which was promptly fixed by the tech upon discovery. Also there was a dank odor when we first got the car. It smelled like mildew but only when we turned on the A/C, so it ended up being that it needed a new Cabin filter. After that was replaced it went away. A time or two I had some weird things happen with the door locks. I was sitting in my car one time waiting for a friend and the key was sitting in the cup holder next to me with no buttons being pushed. All of a sudden the doors locked and then unlocked. It never happened again so I won't make an issue of it, but a few isolated strange things like that have happened.
One thing I should note for people new to hybrids: If you ever go to a drive in movie theater or will be sitting for an extended period of time with the air or other electricals running, keep the car running so you don't run down the battery. With the engine running, it will automatically kick into gas engine mode when it needs to recharge the battery. It will kick back and forth as needed without any worries. Replacing the battery is very expensive right now (1000-2000). We are told that by the time ours needs to be replaced they will have come down in price, but we wanted to avoid that if at all possible for now. I should also mention ours did not have GPS, but I think you can purchase that add on if you wish to. It is also Satellite radio ready even though we haven't purchased it as of yet.
One other con: Visibility out the back window can take some getting used to because of the positioning of the bar and trim work. When you're used to it, it's not as big of a deal. Just make sure to use all of the tools available to you.
Well, that's my review for what's it's worth. From a humble little housewife who knows little to nothing about cars. I hope it has been of some help to you.
Toyota Prius - 2007 is recommended by swatson99
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