Toyota Prius: Behind the Wheel Blog

Read our Toyota Prius news report here.

After an extended stint in the Prius, I must say that I've grown somewhat fond of the plucky little eco warrior. It's not a fast car -- in fact it's very slow -- but there's still something satisfying about driving it, particularly when you only have to fill the small tank with petrol once a week.

By the end of our test, which included about four weeks of drive time, the detailed trip computer listed an overall consumption of 4.5L/100km. It's not quite the claimed average of 3.9L/100km, but is still an impressively low figure.

Living with the third generation hybrid car day in and day out, it's fair to say that it's an exceptionally efficient car, but it's not perfect in every respect.

Some of the areas of the car that I found wanting were rearward vision, which is split in two via the unconventional tailgate design. It also has a small boot which means that family trips to the beach may have to be made without the li-lo and jumbo umbrella (or jumbrella).

Our test Prius was the top-spec i-Tech model and though it had radar cruise control, I rarely found myself using it -- not only because manual control of the throttle resulted in better economy but also because it overlayed a large 'distance' graphic over the main information screen, obscuring the instant economy meter.

Despite some minor shortcomings, and a lack of driver involvement at times (it's certainly no sports car!), the third generation Toyota Prius is an easy car to live with.

For an entire month we drove the Prius to and from work, to do the groceries, to meet family in the country and even to go to the beach (it was cold). Forget for a moment that it's a high-tech petrol-electric hybrid, and the Prius functions well as an everyday mode of transport.

The seats are comfy, the controls (while numerous) are clearly laid out and getting into and out of the vehicle wasn't too much of stretch for anyone. Rear seat room is ample for two adults or three kids, and the stereo is a good piece of kit too.

The heater and aircon work well and night driving is made easier thanks to the strong headlights. We also spent plenty of time on the road in torrential rain, and it's safe to say that the wheels never lost traction, and because it's an automatic, the vehicle is very approachable. Punting the Prius around is child's play.

All the controls are within easy reach -- except for the seat warmers which are absurdly placed out of sight underneath the centre console -- and the car functions very much as you'd expect: reliably and effectively.

Overall, the vehicle impressed the most during the daily commute. Without doubt, it is one of the best -- if not the best -- commuter cars on the market.

My route to work includes mainly 40 and 60km/h zones, populated by dense traffic for much of the drive, and this is the Prius's natural habitat.

At slower speeds the petrol engine rarely ignites, and with the various diagnostic and telemetry data channels available, it's not hard to modulate the throttle so as to ensure zero emission operation for extended periods of the daily drive.

Even when flooring the throttle, the Prius doesn't drink too much juice, due to the way the engine is tuned, and my overall feeling towards the car is very positive.

It's not perfect and does have issues, such as the below average rearward vision, but this vehicle certainly improves on the previous Toyota Prius in many areas, and is an easy car to live with.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi