USED Toyota Prius Hatchback (03 - 09)

My car

Chris, I'd be interested to know if you've actually driven a Prius? I have, in fact I've just ordered one.

You're right, it is a lot more expensive than a Honda Jazz. Unfortunately, for someone like me, 6'2" and has friends, the Jazz just isn't big enough. How does the Prius compare, price wise, with a similarly specced and sized Focus?

Also, consider the fact that the Prius does 50+ mpg on unleaded, which is about 13p a litre cheaper than diesel. I'm not saying that the Prius is the answer, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

My car

Can I just put in a bit of sanity into this discussion - I drive a Honda jazz and get a true 55mpg commuting 50 miles per day mixed town/and main roads.

This car costs around £11,000 new compared to the £17,000+ for a Prius, which will buy you a lot of petrol.

I have read a lot of mixed road tests and reviews about the Prius, where 'if you drive like a saint you can get over 60mpg' but most people tend to get less than 50mpg.

The Prius is just another example of marketing hype over substance - nice one Toyota.

My car

Forget reviews that say this car is not a pleasure to drive - it just depends what type of driving you do. I've just switched to one from an Astra Diesel and for the city commute it's truly relaxing and smooth. It's also no slouch but gives superb economy - I'm getting 50mpg around town. Even out in the country it feels solid and stable but of course it's no go-kart. The best thing about the Prius is the lack of gears to change - who would have thought an automatic could be so economical and so tax efficient for the company driver. Toyota really should make more of this fact. Front and rear leg room is excellent too for its class. The only equipment lacking is folding power mirrors otherwise I can't fault it.

My car

Sadly, so many contributors write about this car without having really investigated their claims thoroughly. For instance some claim it does the mpg figure on the USA Prius website--yup it does but that is 48 miles per AMERICAN gallon. Mine does 58mpg on a british gallon. Some claim that we pay twice as much as they do in the USA(God knows how that is a criticism of a car) but in reality we pay £19K of which £3K is Governmet tax for the same as they pay £15K in the USA. However, the Prius is excellent; cheap to run and wholly reliable. Oh, and its petrol engine is totally diferent to the Otto cycle one in a normal car--it uses the Atkinson cycle(which is great in a hybrid)and that leaves dirty little noisy carcenagenic diesels way way behind! Enjoy one until something much better comes along.