TOYOTA PRIUS HATCHBACK REVIEW

My car

I did about 5000 miles this year and have mixed feelings. The dealer was nice but reluctant to give discounts, so the extras like the leather seats, window tints were heavily bartered for. Upon delivery, the front bumper had a tiny scratch although they pretended it wasn't there. I wasn't impressed by the dealer overall, but that's not the point. The car, on the first first drive, was very pleasant. It was quiet and extremely 'new', everything felt fantastic. After only a few miles, rattles developed on the dash, in two places. For several months due to a busy schedule it was impossible to get them to fix it, then when the car was brought in, it took them three days to try and sort it out. They also had to fix the leather upholstery which came undone.

The rattles are still there. They came back just ten minutes after driving away from the dealer. There was a loud snap, somewhere in the dash, like a piece of elastic broke, and the noises began. Haven't had the schedule to fit in a trip to the dealer and get it fixed, plus the courtesy cars they give are rubbish.

Another issue developed. And the dealer has been oblivious. After the harsh weather ruined the roads of London, any bumps were extremely noticeable, but there was one distinct problem with the wheel, which shakes strangely sometimes, and it just seems like build quality is a real issue here.

Rough on bumps, poor noise insulation and missing electric folding mirrors, poor sat nav.

My car

After many years of owning large, cosseting, Volvos I finally bit the ‘sustainability’ bullet and purchased a 3rd generation Prius T Spirit. Quite brave given that my previous experience of Japanese cars was a Datsun Cherry. The rather low grade plastic dash coupled with rather bland interior colours simply added to the enormity of this leap of faith. I need not have been worried at all. The car has exceeded expectation at every level. Apart from sounding a little like a demented bee when climbing steep hills (a consequence of the CVT gearbox) the car is quiet, composed, and sure footed. The highly functional Sat Nav, Bluetooth telephone system and the HUD leave many luxury brands in the stone ages and the car seems to eat up the miles. No compromise, no road tax, and 10% company car tax. Not a tough decision for a company car driver. For the company owner the 100% year 1 right down, the very low fuel bills, a 5 year warranty, strong residuals and 3 years free servicing make the Prius a winner.

My car

I purchased new Prius in November 2009 and like many others waited 4 months for delivery! Unfortunately over the next 5 months I found the car was not for me. It has a very hard ride which is possibly down to the 17inch rims with low profile tyres. The hardness does not stop here in fact the only soft thing in the car are the seats and one of those collapsed within 3 weeks of owning it! I agree with What Car there is zero feedback from the steering, in fact ther is more on a computer console! The car is full of technology and electronic gizmos. Alot of these seem fun on a test drive but in the main are useless. The sat nav is the most complicated I have come across and the electronic parking aid is pointless. Toyota seem to have invested a great deal of money in the green technologly and forgotten all about the people riding in it. My wife only drove it twice preferring her diesel Yaris even to drive on regular 300 mile trips! I know we had a cold winter but never achieved more than 54mpg some way short of Toyotas claimed 70mpg. After a regretful 5 months of ownership the Prius has had to go. I now own a VW Passat diesal estate and achieve a regular 50mpg. I know that the Prius has a loyal following but it was for me an expensive mistake. I tried to opt for a more environmental approach in car ownership but Toyota for me has a long way to go to make the experience more enjoyable. I would not recommend this car if you in any way enjoy driving.

My car

This is my first company car for 12 years, the company is mine too, 100% corporation tax write down in the first year, v low benefit in kind, zero road tax, london charge exempt, this is the only car that makes perfect sense as a company car however the previous version was a pensioners run about this is a proper motorway going car. I drive 50,000 miles a year and from new in Oct 09 ive nearly completed 25,000 completely trouble free miles it is very comfortable, smooth, quiet, beautifully built if a bit grey inside, steering is very good (ignore What Car) wind noise is non existant, engine is quite powerful in normal driving with "Power" mode giving boost to overtaking but eco mode fine in everyday driving. Its a very quiet engine at any speed and starts & stops silently at will, The CVT is the best ive ever driven and once you get used the the difference between a normal autobox it is very relaxed, road noise only noticable on rough road surfaces,72mpg is a lie but 62mpg is easily achievable, Sat Nav out of the Lexas LS600h is the best in any car today, self park a gimmick, the Hi-Fi is just that, optional DAB is the best ive had, CD's can play or be downloaded to a 40GB HDD, Blue Tooth Audio is a revelation playing IPOD's & Blackberrys wirelessly, Bluetooth phone is brilliant, overall sound quality is superb. Only complaint's are the rear view is not brilliant but it does block following head lights at night & the headlights s/be Auto at this price but thats about it 10/10