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08 February 2012
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Toyota Prius road tests and consumer car reviews
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The Toyota Prius combines the aesthetics and technology of the future to bring you a truly stunning vehicle - inside and out. With its dynamic, futuristic styling, the Prius is an aerodynamic marvel. And yet it remains a highly practical car, with the car's interior designed with form, function and quality in mind.
Toyota Prius consumer reviews by year of make: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Road tests
Toyota Prius
T Spirit 2009 - The world’s first mass market hybrid car first went on sale in Europe in 2000. Three years later came the second-generation Prius, and 2009 sees the arrival of the third. During that time power has risen by 30%, while fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have dropped by 23% and 26% respectively. Are y [...]
Toyota Prius
TSpirit Hybrid Synergy Drive - The Prius is a practical and versatile car that effortlessly switches between the electric motor and and 1.5 litre petrol engine. Excellent reliability and economy plus good looks will make this an extremely popular choice in the UK. [...]
Brian Bridle, Suffolk
Toyota Prius 1.5 2009
Futher to my previous review we have now undertaken the 1200 miles to Nairn and back. With local running it amounts to 1400 miles. At no time did we drive for economy, just kept up with the traffic, cruising at 75’ish mph with the occasional visits to higher numbers. We averaged 58.6mpg. The comfort was great, no back aches at all. Local running back home on back roads to Clacton returned 62mpg! Fantastic.
Submitted: 06/11/2011 21:18:42 | ID: 8519
Mark Bloxham, Hertfordshire
Toyota Prius Prius II 2005
I bought my Prius from new and have now covered 65,000 miles. I think this is probably the best car I have owned. Read the test reports and the car gets critised on lack of performance and ’driving feel’. Back in the real world of normal humans though I find the performance strong particularly at low speed and the handling is great. Issues: not many. The ride is a tad firm, the annoying buzzers and beeps e.g. to remind that you are in reverse (how did we ever cope before?), not great if you live up a mountain (in Austria i found that after 10 miles of constant up-hill the battery gets exhausted and you are left with just the petrol engine which struggles). Nothing has really gone wrong, only paint on the bonnet fixed under warranty. Economy, I get 52mpg on average.
Submitted: 11/10/2011 08:49:46 | ID: 8410
Carmen Gendusa, United States of America
Toyota Prius Prius III 2011
Best car I have ever owned. Prior to purchasing, I test drove BMW 325, Volvo S60, Audi A4, the VW Passat and Jetta - all 2011 models. The Bimmer had heavy steering and small backseats. The S60 is a rocket but the ride was too bouncy and again had really small backseats. The Audi backseat is a joke and steering too loose. VW’s Passat had no headroom in the backseat while the Jetta was near perfect all around except the steering which was like a 1951 Buick! You could turn the wheel but the VW did not turn, needing much more angle on the wheel. I was coming from a Miata and I drive rather briskly. I test drove a Prius III and considering everything - economy, build quality, backseats, convenience, useability, practicality, comfort, brakes, and handling - my Prius with sat nav, solar roof etc is absolutely the best car I have ever owned! Three modes of motoring; electric, economy and power. Yes, POWER! The rise is smooth yet well damped and actually fun to drive.
Submitted: 11/07/2011 09:46:58 | ID: 7960
Brian Bridle, Suffolk
Toyota Prius T3 2010
Looking for economy that can be handled on a pension I looked at several makes that have low RFL and good MPG. My car at the time was the Audi A4 Avant and my wife had a 150bhp Zafira Auto. The test drive was a revelation because not only is the Prius big and roomy inside its very quiet and rapid (for its power/weight ratio). So far trundling about town I get 45mpg. (most trips are 2 miles with a max of 12 in town traffic of Ipswich. We’ve yet to do a long run but would expect around 50, which compares with my Audi. Where I shall miss out is in the midrange acceleration and at the top end. Both the Audi and Zafira would do the 50-100+ in very short order. I don’t expect to corner on rails but it’s still very stable when driven "correctly" or sensibly. Remember economy comes from driving with a good understanding of what the traffic around you is doing so that brakes are rarely used. If you need them the Prius has very good brakes and for long downhill stretches there is the engine brake on the gear-change. So far Toyota reliability and build quality is very good. The "acid test" is would I buy another? Big YES. My Prius is the 1500cc and even though the 1800 is only a little faster on the 0-60 it would I think be more economic on the motorways. Where my Audi was "outstanding" the Prius is "very good". If it continues with the same reliabilty as the Audi it will gain even more points. Curiously the one thing that is not advised is "tweaking" the engine computer for more BHP.
Submitted: 05/02/2011 21:11:55 | ID: 7018
Sue Kaer, Suffolk
Toyota Prius T-Spirit 2008
Very happy with this car. I live in a rural area but work takes me along motorways and into London and other urban areas, so really mixed driving. I average around 54 mpg or 500 miles to a tank, which I’m happy with. Love all the features on the T-Spirit: sat nav, park assist, cd changer, all of these make for the most trouble free driving I’ve experienced. Lots of room for passengers/dog in the back, and good boot space too. Love it!
Submitted: 20/03/2010 13:18:57 | ID: 4846
Ray Moorhouse, Derbyshire
Toyota Prius T3 2005
I recently told of how my Prius was returning 43 mpg on very short runs and in very cold weather which I thought was good, but over the last week or so I have learnt that by driving the car in a different way has improved my mpg by 4mpg urban driving. At the start I used to drive the vehicle as slowly as I could but I found driving this way drained the battery much faster bringing the engine in to play much quicker, but now accelerating up to speed much faster then just feathering the accelerator has increased my mpg. I believe driving this way keeps my battery charged up more which in turn helps the engine more, but even more impressive was my first real run out in the car of a 45 mile round trip with 4 adults in 67 mpg it returned, which I never thought I would see but it proves that with the right kind of driving under the right conditions Toyota’s figures are possible. The journey consisted of dual carriage ways country roads and some stop starts through a small town. I hope this was helpful.
Submitted: 06/02/2010 20:14:42 | ID: 4563
Ray Moorhouse, Derbyshire
Toyota Prius T3 2005
I bought this car in December 2009, just as the ice and snow arrived. Most of my trips are short just 2 to 5 miles at a time and even with the temperature as low as 0 to -5 for 4 weeks I still averaged 43 mpg ,so in the summer should be close to 50 mpg. This is 16 mpg better than my 1.4 corolla averaged in past winters even with warmer temperatures.
Submitted: 30/01/2010 10:56:03 | ID: 4487
Adrian Bond, Essex
Toyota Prius T4 2004
This vehicle is not a ’one solution fits all’, but some treat it as such, so treat any old review with caution. What this is is a spacious medium/large family petrol car, with the fuel economy of a diesel (but a 1/3 less CO2), as quick as any comparable petrol car (or diesel) and almost completely recyclable (including the NiMh batteries, regardless what some want you to believe (Yes, Top Gear, I’m looking at you)). To put in context, our 4 year old 04 Prius T4 was bought as a replacement for our 10 year old 2.0l Volvo V40 estate. We looked at the newer V50, but found this had less boot space and too little leg-room in the back seats; not good for taking a child seat or the aged in-laws. Yet for the same price, we got a car that was as fast as the V40 (which wasn’t bad for an automatic), nearly as much room in the boot, but much more room in the back. Not only that, but instead of a little over 300 miles on a 55 litre fuel tank in the V40, were getting over 400 miles on a 45 litre tank in the Prius. After driving this car for over a year now, it is regularly returning over 48mpg, and over 55mpg on longer drags, such as my runs from Essex to Manchester (even with the M5/M6 traffic jams). As for the technologies involved; Both my wife and I hold Electronic Engineering degrees, so investigated what could have been just the latest eco-fashion accessory before sinking 10K into a 2nd hand car. What we can report is: yes there is there a geek factor, but this car WORKS. Where the Atkinson Cycle engine lacks power, the battery fills in. When there isn’t a heavy demand, the battery will return the power that is normally lost to breaking (so no plugs, no coal-fired power stations, or any of that messing about!). When in a car park, you can even stalk others! The 1.5l petrol engine assists the battery or takes over without fuss, although it can be a little whiney under load (my only room for improvement, hence the 4 stars, but resolved with the new Mk 3s 1.8l engines). Road handling is not bad considering the type of vehicle, and doesn’t half shift from standing still (surprising the odd boy-racer). So, to summarise: This is a practical, reliable, safe family car which is not only easy to drive and live with, but cuts down your fuel bills, your CO2 output, and fills the gap between now and the future. So don’t listen to those who want something fast, fun, sporty or the latest eco-thing, it’s just not their cuppa...
Submitted: 14/11/2009 22:27:07 | ID: 3873
Ken Rainford, England
Toyota Prius T Spirit 2007
I bought this car less than two years ago. I recently decided to ask how much I could expect for a part exchange to the new model (main Toyota dealer). My loss over 18 months was £10000. My car had 12000 miles from new. If this is Toyota then for me its thank you but no thank you.
Submitted: 30/06/2009 10:29:06 | ID: 3178
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Tom, Bedfordshire
Toyota Prius T4 2007
This is not a drivers car, but with today’s traffic that’s not important. It’s a very relaxing car to drive in the rush hour, good sound system, and quiet. Economy depends on length of journeys, the weather, whether it is very hilly, and obviously speed. On my daily commute I get 60mpg in summer, 55 in winter. I’ve never averaged below 50 on a tank, even with motorways.
Submitted: 01/06/2009 09:23:58 | ID: 3024
Ian Roberts, Yorkshire
Toyota Prius T4 2009
I rented one of these cars for a weekend. It is so different from the norm that a 30 minute test drive proves nothing. This is not a driver’s car - if you want feel and dynamic handling then look elsewhere. For fuel economy though it is pretty good. I averaged 53mpg on a mix of driving. Round town averaged about 57 (though very thirsty on a cold engine). Motorway MPG is a very disappointing 40. I think the acceleration is deceptive - because it is so smooth and there is no link between road speed and engine revs you are accelerating much quicker than you realise. I enjoyed our weekend together and the car has a lot of good points but I don’t think I will be buying one.
Submitted: 27/05/2009 08:57:39 | ID: 2998
Greg Pritcher, Kent
Toyota Prius 2007
Gets much worse fuel economy than other diesel variants available with a quarter of the power. Also, on electric its much easier to hear people yelling out "fag" as you drive through towns. All in all its not green in the least.
Submitted: 23/02/2009 10:26:39 | ID: 2550
George Anderson, London
Toyota Prius 2005
Absolutely the worst handling car I’ve ever driven, it is ugly, the steering has no feel and the economy is no match for many other cars, it is also too big around town and uneconomical out of town. I am looking for something that I can drive around town and out into the country, also for trips around Europe, forget the Prius, the best cars seem to be The VW Polo Bluemotion or Seat equivalent, which is cheaper than the VW and both much cheaper than the Prius, or the Mini Cooper diesel, also the Citroen C3 is very nice, there are also other cars like Renault and Fiat, the only one I wont consider is the awful, expensive and not very economical Prius.
Submitted: 20/10/2008 10:43:12 | ID: 2038
RICHARD CAMIDGE, Yorkshire
Toyota Prius T2 2005
50MPG UNDER AVERAGE USE FAMILY SIZED SALOON WITH GOOD HATCHBACK LUGGAGE SPACE AND LARGE UNDERFLOOR AREA SEEMLESS AUTO DRIVE-TRAIN MAKES ’ORDINARY’ CARS FEEL ROUGH
Submitted: 14/01/2008 11:26:50 | ID: 921
Mark, Sussex
Toyota Prius T3 2006
This car looks great in black with the leather trim. the T4 and T spirit options aren’t really necessary. Its great to drive, totally reliable and gives you a good feeling to drive. Dont expect to average more than 46mpg.
Submitted: 14/12/2007 09:20:01 | ID: 855
David Tyler, Cambridgeshire
Toyota Prius 1.5 T4 Auto (Hybrid) 2007
I can’t speak highly enough about the Prius. I have always been green-minded but the small electric type cars were just not something that I could drive. When the Prius cam along it gave me exactly what I was looking for - good looking, fuel economy to die for. This performs just like a normal car and the use of batteries is really not a hardship. This is the perfect answer to the issues that I had about driving 30 miles to work every day. I save money and help save the planet - a good days work in my opinion!
Submitted: 09/11/2007 10:02:34 | ID: 555
Janet Simms, Leicestershire
Toyota Prius 1.5 T4 2007
Wouldn’t drive anything else just right now, nothing yet in the market compares to the space and peformance of the Prius whilst maintaining the same level of fuel economy and low road tax. A top buy.
Submitted: 02/11/2007 17:08:15 | ID: 496
Daniel, Leicestershire
Toyota Prius
It looks good and is extremely economical. I like to be as green minded as I possibly can and this did factor is my choice of car. It was not the cheapest car to buy but I'd imagine that the prices will come down in the future. A stylish and economical drive.
Submitted: 25/07/2007 10:45:39 | ID: 15
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