The Toyota Prius is one of the geekiest cars you can buy. What geek doesn't love the quiet hum of an electric engine or the screens full of mileage graphs and charts? There's just something inherently cool about a car that seamlessly switches back and forth between gas and electricity. The following is a list of just why a geek might consider Toyota's flagship hybrid.
The Top 5 Benefits
5. The Fuel Economy
Duh. The Prius is literally the best (non-electric) car out there for fuel economy. You might not ever have the pleasure of driving the fastest, biggest or most luxurious car, but there's something kind of thrilling about knowing you got the BEST car for fuel economy out there. Sure, there are lots of cars that come close on the highway, but no diesel/subcompact/geo-metro can compare to the pure bliss of getting 50+MPG while crawling along in bumper-to-bumper gridlock on your commute home from work each day.
4. The Technology
We're not talking about Nav systems and stereos here, but rather the very impressive Hybrid Synergy Drive. For those of us out there who don't normally care much about cars, the Prius is our version of "fun to drive". It's neat seeing the arrows fly around on the display as energy goes in and out of the motors and battery. Watching as your car generates more and more electricity going down hills never gets old. And I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's at least kind of cool to silently stealth through parking lots and side streets on the electric engine alone. There is no shortage of graphs, charts and weird buttons to keep your inner geek happy as you drive.
3. The Community
The Prius is definitely a hate it or love it kind of car, but those who love it REALLY love it. There are tons of groups both on and offline who are seriously into getting the best out of this unique vehicle. The largest online resource is Priuschat. You can be assured that this community will be ready and willing to help and provide advice with anything from modding your Prius to researching the best way to eek out those extra few MPG. The people who love this car want to make sure you love it too, and will do everything they can to answer your questions.
2. The Little Perks
There's a lot of little stuff here and there that makes driving the Prius awesome. Some states and provinces still offer tax incentives. Others give discounted tolls or access to HOV lanes for single occupant drivers. There's also nothing better than driving around a crammed IKEA parking lot to nonchalantly take the Hybrid space right by the door (assuming a Hummer hasn't already taken it). Even if you don't like the Prius or Hybrids, there's no doubt that you are rewarded for driving one.
1. Long Life and Easy Maintenance
In the first few years, there were concerns that the battery in the Prius would die an early death or that maintenance would be horribly expensive because of the hybrid components. These concerns have been almost completely nullified over time and the Prius has been shown to be one of the most reliable vehicles on the road (a la consumer reports). In many cases the Prius requires less maintenance because of things like regenerative breaking (fewer brake pads to replace) and all-electric accessories (no belts to change). Many Priuses last for hundreds of thousands of miles with very little more than routine oil changes. Even with great fuel economy, you still wouldn't see the mass of Prius taxis out there unless the car had excellent reliability.
The Top 5 Drawbacks - It's not all sunshine and roses deciding to hop aboard the Prius bandwagon.
5. Your Car Now Makes a Statement
The Prius is synonymous with hybrid which is synonymous with the environmental movement. There are definitely some Prius owners who deluded into believing they helping mother nature by putting another car on the road, but for the rest of us we just really like the cool car and/or gas mileage. Prepare to be constantly reminded that a Hummer is better for environment than a Prius or that batteries are a ticking time bomb just waiting to unleash an environmental fury in your next fender-bender. For many people, it seems like driving a Prius is like having a big "I'm Environmental and Better Than You!" sticker plastered all over the back of your windshield.
4. The Prius (And Other Hybrids) Still Have A High Capital Cost
There is endless debate on this all over the internet, but let's be honest, a new Prius is not the cheapest option for saving money/using less gas. As mainstream as the Prius is, it's still more expensive than other similar mid-size cars and you'll need to do a fair amount of driving to recoup that cost. If you specifically need a mid-size car and utilize all the space, then it's a great option. But, how many really people do? A smaller econo-box is often going to be cheaper (albeit less cool) in the long run for the Monday-Friday single-occupant commuter. Until the Prius gets in even more hands and economies of scale ramp up, you're going to be stuck paying a premium.
3. It's Freakishly Noisy Inside
You could make a lot of subjective comments about how you hate the look, or the displays or any other unique features of the Prius, but one thing new riders in a Prius always notice is just how noisy the thing is at highway speeds. It's like driving into a wind-tunnel. The problem probably manifests itself because of a few reasons: the low-rolling resistance tires, the lack of heavy sound-deadening material, the stark contrast between the silent city-operation... It's especially puzzling because of the very aerodynamic shape of the car itself. Whatever the cause, the noise makes it hard to recommend the Prius for someone who spends most of their driving miles on the highway.
2. You Have to Change Your Driving Style
You can most definitely get in a Prius and "just drive it", but eventually all those fun gauges and charts will serve to remind you just how much gas you're wasting by driving normally and it will eventually push you to try hypermiling. To get close to (and eventually beyond) the fabled 50 MPG it almost becomes like a video game. You need to know exactly when to fire up the engine, when to pulse, when to glide, how slowly to break, what your engine temperature is, how to warp-stealth... The list goes on. For some people, hypermiling is fun and they're good at juggling everything. For others it becomes frustrating and even dangerous as they focus on getting everything perfect while forgetting to actually drive.
1. There's a Really Big Magnet in the Back Bumper...
... which seems to attract large SUV's and Trucks dangerously close! No matter how you drive, people will tailgate you - a lot. It's not an exaggeration. Those who hypermile and drive dangerously slow probably help to fuel the problem, but even those who drive no differently than anyone else will notice just how often others will protest your choice of conveyance by driving a foot behind you. It is all the more unnerving with the hatchback being so close to the bumper because you'll only see a monster grill filling up your rear window. If you are at all a nervous driver, but you still want a hybrid, you might want to go for something a little less hybrid-looking like a Civic or Camry Hybrid.
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