Toyota Prius: Handing it back

Read our Toyota Prius news report here.

Our extended drive of the Toyota Prius has concluded. At least a couple of drivers here at the Carsales Network have had their views on hybrid-drive vehicles challenged by the real-world practicality of the latest iteration of Toyota's hybrid-drive car.

The unconventional car has been a typical Toyota in that it hasn't left us stranded, has transported us from A to B in reasonable comfort and safety, and it has done so using little fuel. In other words, it has delivered pretty much everything Toyota promised, other than the theoretical fuel consumption figures. In defence of the Prius, it has come close enough to justify the car company's faith in its product.

Would we buy one? Tough question… without a straightforward answer.

There's a body of opinion that hybrids are insipid. And unfortunately, to make them more appealing would erode their efficiency, by definition. You can't fool around with the exhaust note or the tyres to improve the driving enjoyment without increasing the car's fuel consumption -- even if only marginally. There's no character in the silent running mode of the electric motor either. As a final nail in the coffin, hybrids are shaped for wind-cheating, which means little of aesthetic interest to excite drivers or passers-by.

So ask a driver who enjoys driving whether they would buy a Prius and the immediate answer would likely be 'no'.

Now, ask the same person what they would buy instead, for a reasonable purchase price, taking into account the need to transport a family in comfort and safety, without emitting undue pollutants and without costing a fortune to run...

Now see that same person stuck for an answer.

There really is nothing that comes close to delivering everything a family driver needs -- short of full-on driving enjoyment. Sure, there are cars like the MINI D, which can actually be fun, as well as frugal and reasonably cost-effective, but that's not a cut-and-dried solution either.

It's tiny and the family will quickly outgrow it. Lack of two rear doors and reduced luggage capacity restrict its practicality. It's no more fuel-efficient than the Prius and runs on diesel, which can be more expensive than petrol, as recent history has shown. Plus, the retro styling of the MINI is the very antithesis of the Prius's modernity -- and it doesn't appeal to everyone.

On top of all that, if you're that committed to saving the environment and reducing your own carbon footprint, the MINI emits more CO2 (as well as harmful NOx emissions).

We don't see the MINI as a direct competitor to the Prius. It is, to be frank, at the opposite end of the spectrum for small eco-friendly cars and buyers attracted to it wouldn't consider the Prius as an alternative. Nor vice versa...

Like the Prius, the MINI D has its fair share of weaknesses, but they're different weaknesses.

A much more viable competitor to the Prius is the Audi A3 Sportback 1.9 TDI e. The German import offers a bit more prestige, better resale, significantly lower price and ultimately better driving dynamics. It shares with the MINI D worse emissions and is also less economical to run than either the Prius or the MINI -- meaning add to the cost of refilling the diesel-fuelled Audi the extra quantity required to cover the same touring range as the Prius. As we recall too, rear-seat accommodation isn't as spacious as in the Prius.

Back to the Prius. One thing that stands out about this third-generation model is just how much more practical the car is, compared with its forebear. It's genuinely capable in the real world and its appeal to a broader demographic is substantive.

It might be argued that Toyota can do more still, to increase the jack-of-all-trades capacity of the car -- and that will broaden the appeal of the Prius further.

But others will equally argue that if it's a question of introducing Hybrid Synergy Drive to a wider clientele, that's a task for the upcoming Camry Hybrid.

So who will buy the Prius and how will they use it?

There's an element of 'green cachet' in owning a car like the Toyota, but that's not to say that it is a token gesture in the struggle to reduce emissions and fuel use. Certainly academics and environmentalists will buy it for what it says about their level of personal commitment to the environment, and there'll be the usual municipalities and taxi operators who can muster a rationale for buying the car.

As for how it will be used; the Prius is never going to be a fuel hog, as we discovered from our open-road run from Sydney to Melbourne. If you're expecting fuel consumption figures below 4.0L/100km, in line with official ADR figures, you'll probably be disappointed by consumption anywhere up to 5.5L/100km.

Take that in context though -- running all hours, on open roads, up and down dale -- and owners should be satisfied with that sort of frugality. It is, after all, just 60 per cent of the average fuel consumption we recently recorded in the Ford Fiesta Zetec in the same circumstances -- and it's not like the Fiesta is a guzzler either!

So yes, you can drive the Prius on freeways and, as we found during peak hour, freeway travel -- as long as the traffic is moving slowly enough -- does also invite EV mode for zero emissions and very low fuel use. The Prius would be ideal for car pooling -- so that you can also share the cost of parking in the city.

In the main however, the Prius is most at home in the suburbs; probably no more than 20km from a major urban centre if it's called upon to be a commuter vehicle in peak hour.

It might conceivably be a valid purchase option for buyers who rarely leave the confines of the outer suburb or country town in which they live. This is why we can picture municipalities buying the Prius in large numbers. With more restrictive speed limit zones in urban areas, the Prius is in its element.

And to answer the question posed earlier, would we buy it?

Sadly, no. Not unless we could lay hands on the skunkworks factory model sleeper with the wide rubber and the GT-4 running gear.

Perhaps we're not quite ready for the future... but others are.

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