Cars are rated one (forget it) to four ('bout as good as it gets) James Deans

 Specifications

• Style: gasoline/electric hybrid, five-door sedan
• Engine: 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine/50kW electric motor
• Transmission: continuously variable automatic
• Drivetrain: front-wheel drive
• Horsepower: 76 hp gasoline/67 horsepower electric
• Torque: 82 ft-lbs. gasoline/295 ft-lbs. electric
• EPA mileage: 60 city/51 highway
• Weight: 2,890 lb.
• Base price: $19,995
• Price as tested: $23,714.06

Maybe, you can drive tomorrow's car today.

I say "maybe" because a friend of mine was told there would be an eight-month delay in getting even the first-generation Prius, much less this new, coveted second generation model. At least 10,000 were pre-ordered before October. And that was before Motor Trend named it Car of the Year in November.

Oh yes, it IS that good.

It's a midsize sedan that probably 90 percent of vehicle buyers could be happy with. It's a car they should buy, instead of gas-slurping sport utilities. It should be government issue for traveling workers so we don't blow tax dollars out tailpipes.

And that's a way I've come to look at vehicles. To me, they can often be reduced to tailpipes. Those tailpipes spew, or drip, money from their ends. Some, like the Toyota Echo or Honda Civic, dribble some coins as they roll along. Others, like the Suburban or Cadillac Escalade blow dollar bills like a typhoon. On an interstate, they're like a Wells Fargo truck with the back door open and banditos tossing bags of bills into the air.

Exhaust gases, after all, are the perfect real life example of "money to burn."

Somewhere deep inside a fiery cylinder, your dollars are burned and blown through an exhaust system out a tailpipe.

If you have better uses for your money, I have an alternative for you. Meet the gas/electric hybrid that has perfected the type, the Toyota Prius.

I flat loved it.

When I first drove the original Prius introduced into the United States in 2000, I was disappointed and critical of it. It skimped on features, was underpowered, and no fun to drive. Virtually every criticism I made has been corrected for this new second-generation Prius. Features like cruise control, climate control, anti-lock brakes, and a decent stereo system are standard for the under-$20,000 price. The major extra-cost option on our tester was a satellite navigation system -- that can be voice-controlled from buttons on the steering wheel!

The initial reaction to the Prius from those not familiar with it is that it "looks funny." It is extremely aerodynamic and its 0.26 coefficient of drag is the best I've seen for a production car. It's slicker than a Corvette, an Audi TT, a Porsche Boxster. It slides through the air, lowering noise and improving fuel economy.

So get used to the looks. They're purposeful.

And the main purpose of this car is provide thrifty, utilitarian and reliable service in a mid-size package.

Under the hood are two, side-by-side motors. On the driver's side is an electric. Next to it is a compact four-cylinder gasoline engine. They work both separately and together to return that 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 on the highway. Those figures are not backward. The Prius is at its thriftiest in stop-and-go traffic.

At slower speeds, the electric motor can come into play more often. No gas motor, no fuel expense. Pull up to a stoplight or stop in a line of traffic and the Prius seems to conk out. It's true; the gasoline engine shuts off. It remains off as the car remains at rest. Press the accelerator and the electric motor springs the car to life. At about 3 miles per hour the gas engine fires and both can then rocket you zero to 60 in about 10 seconds.

This little scooter, you see, is quicker than some minivans.

And there's no cord to plug in. This isn't like the failed electrics with their limited range of a few years back. With the Prius, motion creates the needed electricity. During deceleration and braking, energy created is transferred to the batteries, charging them. The Prius even boasts the world's first electric air conditioner -- no fan belt to drag down fuel efficiency as it does when run by a gasoline engine.

Yeh, but what about room?

There's room for five adults. There's a big cargo bay under the rear hatch. And the rear seats can fold flat to increase the cargo space. A six-foot, eight-inch tall photographer at the newspaper where I work rode in the rear seat and raved about both the head and leg room. It had more, he said, than the car he himself bought based on his basketball-player size.

The Prius is unique in so many ways that it's difficult to know where to start. Begin with the start-up sequence. Our tester had an optional remote keyless entry fob that served as a transmitter. Put it in a pocket or purse and the Prius recognizes when you approach the car. You don't have to unlock the doors. Just tug on the handle, the Prius does a quick computation, confirms it's you, and unlocks the door for you.

Sit down in the driver's seat, put your foot on the brake pedal and press a "Power" button on the dash. The instruments light up. You're ready to rock.

See, the gas engine isn't utilized until needed. So your "start" is like one in a golf cart. Just switch on power, press the accelerator and go.

On the dash is a lever that controls the continuously variable automatic transmission. It offers only two real choices: reverse or drive. Select either, press the accelerator and the electric motor moves you out, quickly firing up the gas engine much like push-starting a car with a dead battery. To shut off the car, you stop, put your foot on the brake, press a "Parking" button on the dash, then press the Power button. You're off.

There are no nigglies for me to pick with this car. From proper door handle design, to the excellent four-spoke steering wheel, to the visibility front and rear, the Prius got it all right. (There's a split in the rear hatch window, by the way, that actually helps visibility at night. The solid separation piece is at the perfect spot to block the intense headlights of a car behind you at a stoplight.)

Inside, the cloth seats are comfortable and attractive. The dash is unlike any other, with speed displayed digitally inside a cave under the windshield. To the right is the navigation display. Day and night lighting is controlled by a twist knob on the driver's left. The car even has auto on and off headlights. High intensity headlights are one of many luxury options that can be added to fill the most discerning buyer's desires.

The passenger compartment has numerous storage areas and a deep center console. Room for every passenger is plentiful. The tall roof means no heads get bumped on entry and even a Stetson can be worn inside a Prius.

At night, opening a door turns on a puddle light, something usually associated only with high-end luxury vehicles.

The transmission is remarkable. It seems to hold rpm steady for a very long time as you accelerate. And that's exactly how it works. It matches your foot's desires to engine performance. It can be kept at low rpm for maximum economy or you can stomp the accelerator and quickly pass a slower-moving vehicle.

The Prius even has a one-touch up for the driver's side window. Pay your toll, pull up on the power window button and drive away. Again, not something usually found at this price: $19,995.

And the price of both the Prius and the hybrid Honda Insight has been a bone of contention in Detroit. There have been allegations that both are being sold considerably below cost, at a loss, to establish market in this new field. Yeh, well where's the competition, Detroit? How did you spend your R&D dollars? Don't expect me to pull out the crying towel and bawl with you if Toyota and Honda clean your financial clocks with hybrid vehicles.

Put your vehicles out there, and we'll be happy to compare. In the meantime, the Prius is undoubtedly the greatest bargain available today.

Regulations require that an annual estimated fuel cost be placed on each window sticker for a new vehicle. For the Prius, the estimated annual fuel cost is $382. That's easily $700 or more cheaper than most sedans -- every year. You can blow your money out your tailpipe if you want with inefficient cars or you can buy a lot of tech toys with the savings you'll realize by driving a Prius. Me? I have a long list of flat screen TVs, camera phones, DVD systems and computers that I could buy over the five- or six-year ownership life of the average car.

Example: I have the window sticker in front of me for your basic pickup truck. Gas-powered. V8. The sticker says that in a year, the driver of this truck can expect to spend $1,660 on gas. Compare that to $382 for the Prius. In just five years, you could keep $6,390 not blown out your tailpipe!

You bet I have better uses for hard-earned dollars than burning them up inside inefficient, gas-guzzling engines.

But there hasn't been much choice -- until now. Pure electric cars flunked the practicality test. The Honda Insight remains a novelty and hasn't matured. But the Toyota Prius is all grown up, a fully efficient, practical and extremely thrifty hybrid that weds the best of electric and gasoline power systems.

Expect this combination soon in other vehicles, such as a small sport utility. Ford has announced it will soon offer a hybrid Escape. GM has shown a model with electric motors on each wheel. But no one has marketed anything except Toyota and Honda. They are the players among a lot of trash-talkers.

If you're tired of the double-barrel shotgun blast of wasted money and increased pollution from the majority of today's offerings, then you owe it to yourself to get on whatever waiting list there might be for a Toyota Prius.

What will you buy with the dollars you don't blow out a tailpipe?

'nuff said.

VIDNOTES: From just outside the beautiful new studios of KARR-TV, a Car Place video production facility, this Windows Media Player movie highlights features of the 2004 Toyota Prius.

Home, James