Toyota Prius drive blog: IT petrolhead won't swap MPS

Read our Toyota Prius news report here.

Paul Dossett has spent a large part of his working life with office technology -- and that would include coupling cables under desks -- so he could be expected to hold very clear views on advanced ergonomics and packaging.

"Designed for little people," was the way the tall and lanky Dossett dismissed the steering wheel adjustment in the Prius, but "I do fit in it, which is quite a good thing," he also remarked. He was less complimentary about the car's rear-seat headroom.

But the Mazda3 MPS driver reserves his strongest criticism of the new Prius for the way it delivers its power and how it performs in a straight line.

"That's just embarrassing," Dossett said about the Prius's acceleration. "It accelerates reasonably well once it's at cruising speed," he did note subsequently. Trying out the Power mode, he was further mollified.

"That's better, it feels more like a budget-box Mazda3 or something like that."

Dossett didn't much like the brake pedal feel either, finding the pedal pressure very soft after his MPS.

"These brakes are odd," he commented, "I do not like the feel of these brakes at all. They don't feel like they're working particularly well -- and I'm sure it's part of the regenerative thing -- but it does not inspire me with confidence. It feels more like 'drive-by-wire' and I'm not really pushing down on a master cylinder."

Subsequently, Dossett, who likes the idea of the Tesla all-electric sports car, explained where he thinks Toyota has stumbled with the Prius.

"I think the problem is that it plays into the stereotype that hybrid cars have to be slow.

"Power mode definitely made a difference... but if you had the power mode turned on, does your fuel [consumption] become exactly like a standard 1.8 with extra weight for all the other stuff. I think my problem with the power mode, is that you don't know when you want power mode. If you put your foot down hard, the thing should go 'well, he probably wants to go fast at this point' and just go fast.

"I was a bit worried by the whole thing of... you stop it, and then you realise that someone's about to rear-end you and you have to move forward before they hit you. If it took a second or two to kick in, that might be [dangerous].

"Excessive acceleration? That's hardly excessive," he said with a laugh at the tell-tale in the multi-information display when the Prius shifted from EV mode to normal mode and ran up the petrol engine, after he pushed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor.

"[Fuel economy] isn't enough in itself to justify spending another 10 or 20 thousand dollars."

"It feels like it has tyres on," Dossett commented flippantly. If there's one respect in which the Prius has an edge over his Mazda (other than fuel efficiency), it's ride comfort.

"This would intimidate the hell out of my mother, which makes me think it's not for her," he said, commenting on the high-tech instrument display and graphics.

Dossett was one reviewer -- but not the only one -- to draw a parallel between the driver interface in the Prius and a non-automotive application.

"You've gotta push quite hard; I'm used to an iPhone," he said in regard to the touch screen in the car's centre fascia.

"For basic driving, fine. Anything [where] you need to read a manual, not great," he remarked of the instruments and controls generally. In other words, with minimal instruction it's easy enough to get in and drive the Prius, but to extract the sort of performance from the car (including frugal fuel use) it promises requires a longer study of the features and facilities.

Ergonomics didn't rate all that highly. Buttons on the dash were badly positioned, in his view and he didn't find the control switchgear for the exterior mirrors until the drive was almost complete.

"I've just noticed that you can't see the front of the car at all. I'm just thinking what my mother would think when she drives it, because she's had several operations, she can't turn in her seat very well."

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