Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Greg Wilson
When it was first introduced in Canada in 2000, the Toyota Prius gasoline/electric hybrid car was looked upon as a curiosity rather than a vehicle people would actually buy to drive to work in every day. Early adopters, such as David Suzuki, and government and corporate fleet departments paved the way for the public’s growing acceptance of gasoline/electric hybrid technology, and sales numbers are starting to pick up. But as with any new technology, people are skeptical of spending their hard-earned dollars on a vehicle that may or may not be reliable and may have a poor resale value. The GM EV-1 electric cars is a case in point. This battery-powered car was marketed by GM for a few years, but poor battery performance led them to withdraw it from the market.
So far, Prius’ have proven reliable - something we might have expected from Toyota. And unlike pure electric cars, you won’t have to worry about the battery dying in the Prius. Like other hybrids, the Prius recharges its batteries on the go. They never have to be plugged in, and they never run out juice in the middle of the freeway. The Prius is a little different to other hybrids though. It’s capable of running on battery power alone, engine power alone, or a combination of both - and it switches automatically and almost seamlessly between the three modes.
The hybrid system by the way - electric motor, controllers and battery - is covered by an 8 year/160,000 kilometre warranty.
Redesigned for 2004
The 2004 Prius is the second generation model, and it’s been completely redesigned. Now a hatchback instead of a sedan, the Prius has a roomier cabin, a larger trunk, and improved access through the lift-up rear hatch. The Prius’ passenger volume of 96 cubic feet is only about 5 cubic feet less than the mid-size Camry sedan, and yet the Prius is considerably smaller on the outside.
The Prius’ revised gas/electric hybrid drive system has been significantly improved. Its new 50 kilowatt electric motor is 50% more powerful than the previous motor and that allows the Prius to operate in electric-only mode for longer periods of time. This means less reliance on the 1.5 litre four cylinder gasoline engine and better overall fuel consumption. Toyota claims the 2004 Prius averages 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres versus 4.6 litres per 100 kilometres for the 2003 model. In addition, harmful tailpipe emissions have been reduced by about 30%. The hybrid powertrain produces about 90% fewer smog-forming emissions than a conventional gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine.
Both the 1.5 litre four cylinder engine and electric motor have more power for 2004. With 76 horsepower from the engine and 50 KW (67 horsepower) from the permanent magnet electric motor, the 2004 Prius accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in about 10 seconds, compared to 12.7 seconds for the previous model. When coasting or braking, the Prius regenerative braking system charges the nickel metal hydride battery.
A continuously variable transmission, which has infinitely variable gear ratios, is standard. The CVT is equivalent to an automatic transmission but you won’t feel the transmission changing gears.
The Prius’ price hasn’t changed from the 2003 model: $29,990. But there’s a new package of options that includes Vehicle Stability Control, side and curtain airbags, fog lamps, JBL sound system, anti-theft system, and garage door opener. With these options, the 2004 Prius retails for $34,055. My test car came to $35,434 including Freight and A/C tax (provincial taxes excluded).
Unique interior
The interior of the Prius is so unique, that you do feel like you’re driving “the car of the future”. The slab-sided doors are large and it’s an easy step-in to the elevated driver’s seat. The steering wheel is small and mounted low and there are no instruments behind the wheel - they’re up on top of the dash near the windscreen in a bright green digital format. The advantage of this position is that the driver doesn’t have to look down and refocus on their eyes on the instruments behind the steering wheel. The digital instruments include a speedo, fuel gauge, transmission position indicator and trip odometers.
In the centre of the dash is a 7 inch colour ‘touch’ screen that can display readouts for audio, climate control and driver information such as average fuel consumption, as well as the current operating status of the hybrid drive system. Major functions can be displayed by pressing buttons on the perimeter of the screen while operational functions can be operated by pressing the screen - for example, fan speed, temperature, ventilation, and rear defroster are all operated by touching the appropriate area of the screen. However, some radio functions such as volume, seek, scan and tune are operated with traditional buttons below the screen, while pre-set station selection and sound adjustments are done on the touch-screen. I found it a bit confusing. As well, the steering wheel includes controls for volume, seek, mode, heater temperature, air conditioning, rear defrost, front defrost, and air recirculation.
The touch screen is easy to use, but there are two significant drawbacks. The first is glare on the screen surface. If the Sun is shining through the side or rear window, it’s almost impossible to see the display. And if you can’t see the display, you can’t turn up the heat or adjust radio settings or do any of the other touch-screen functions. The second problem is that if you want to adjust two different types of functions, say climate control and stereo settings, you have to switch from one display to another - you can’t see both at the same time. Another smaller problem is that the backlit display cannot be adjusted for brightness at night.
Click image to enlarge |
The transmission shift lever in the Prius is more like a joystick than a gear lever, and the gear pattern is unique. There are positions for Reverse, Neutral and Drive, but no Park position. Park is engaged by pressing a button. As well, there is a ‘B’ position for ‘braking’ which is used to activate engine braking when descending a steep hill. To start the car, you step on the brake pedal and press the Power button.
The interior is very roomy - there’s lots of legroom and headroom for front and rear passengers, and the soft fabric seats are quite comfy - although I would have expected a higher quality seat fabric.
Click image to enlarge |
Like the Echo, the Prius has those unique upper and lower gloveboxes in front of the front passenger, as well as a roomy bin between the seats with a 12 volt powerpoint, and two flip-out cupholders.
The 16 cubic foot trunk is easily accessible by lifting up the rear hatch, and folding down the split rear seats more than doubles the amound of cargo space.
Driving impressions
When you put your foot on the brake, put the key in the slot, press Power, and put the lever in Drive - nothing happens! At least that’s what it seems like. The Prius usually starts out on battery power alone, so it’s eerily quiet until the engine cuts in unobtrusively to help the car accelerate. After a while, you can tell when the engine starts and stops, but it’s almost seamless.
Click image to enlarge |
My car had the optional “smart key” system which allows the driver to lock and unlock the driver’s door by simply touching a button on the outside handle - as long as the key is in the driver’s pocket or purse. The Smart Key system also allows the driver to start the car without having to put the key in the ignition slot.
The Prius gets better gas mileage in the city than on the highway - the opposite of most cars - because the engine shuts off when you’re on level ground, or when coasting, or when stopped at a traffic light. After a while, this seemed to be a natural occurence to me - why have the engine running when you’re not moving and pollute the atmosphere? All cars and trucks should have this feature.
Acceleration is acceptable for typical urban and highway use - which is rather amazing when you consider the gas mileage you’re getting. Toyota claims a 0 to 100 km/h of about 10 seconds, but independent tests conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada show a 0 to 100 km/h time averaging 11.2 seconds. Braking tests from 100 km/h to 0 averaged 141 feet, about right for a mid-size sedan. The Prius includes standard front disc/rear drums with ABS, electronic brake differential, and integrated Brake Assist for extra braking force under panic braking.
Click image to enlarge |
The continuously variable transmission is very smooth, but if you accelerate hard, you’ll hear the engine rev up quickly and settle back down even as you are accelerating. This is a weird experience common to all CVT equipped cars.
On a level highway at 100 km/h, the engine is quiet, but there are some unusual electric motor noises in the background, and some tire and wind noise. The Prius by the way has one of the lowest drag coefficients of any car on the road: 0.26.
Visibility is excellent, beginning with a low hood, three side windows, and two rear windows the lower of which makes it easy to see the bumper of the car behind when backing into a parking space, and when changing lanes. There’s also a small triangular window just ahead of the front side windows that helps improve visibility.
Click image to enlarge |
Handling and steering are the Prius’ weak points. The steering effort is easy, but it’s numb and detached from any road feel. When cornering, the Prius feels a bit tippy, and the low rolling resistance tires feel less than adequate in aggressive cornering. The suspension consists of front independent MacPherson struts and a rear torsion beam. It’s no performance car - but then, it’s not meant to be. Traction control is standard and Vehicle Stability Control, to control understeer and oversteer, is optional.
Click image to enlarge |
The official Prius’ fuel consumption figures released by Transport Canada and the EPA have proved to be optimistic, particularly in highway driving. According to the onboard computer, my average fuel consumption during the week that I drove the Prius in mostly urban and suburban use was 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres (51 mpg). The official Transport Canada figure is 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres (69 mpg). That’s a huge difference, and can be partially explained by the ‘ideal’ testing methods used in official tests which may emphasize city driving more than highway driving. I drove the Prius like I would any other car - not aggressively with exception of the occasional acceleration test. If I had been transporting passengers on a regular basis, the mileage figure would have been even lower.
Competitors
Click image to enlarge |
The only real competitor for the Prius is the Honda Civic Hybrid which uses a slightly different kind of hybrid drive system. The Civic is smaller in size, slightly cheaper, and doesn’t get quite as good gas mileage. The Civic’s advantage is that it looks and drives almost exactly like a regular Civic.
Verdict
Though I couldn’t attain the mileage figures quoted by Transport Canada, the Prius is nevertheless very economical for a mid-sized car, and is very roomy and easy to drive.
Technical Data: 2004 Toyota Prius
| Base price |
$29,990 |
|
| Options |
$ 4,065 (Package B: front fog lamps, vehicle stability control, premium JBL audio system, AM/FM/cassette/6-disc CD changer/9 speakers, side airbags, curtain airbags, smart key system, garage door opener, anti-theft system, auto-dimming mirror) |
| Freight |
$1,110 |
| A/C Tax |
$100 |
| Price as tested |
$35,265 |
| Type |
4-door, 5 passenger mid-size sedan |
| Layout |
transverse front engine/electric motor/front-wheel-drive |
| Engine |
1.5 litre 4 cylinder, DOHC, 16 valve, variable valve timing |
| Horsepower |
76 @ 5000 rpm |
| Torque |
82 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm |
| Electric motor |
Permanent magnet synchronous |
| Power |
50 KW @ 1200-1540 rpm |
| Torque |
295 lb-ft @ 0 - 1200 rpm |
| Net horsepower |
110 |
| Battery |
Nickel metal hydride, 201 volts |
| Tires |
P185/65R-15 all-season |
| Curb weight |
1310 kg (2890 lb.) |
| Wheelbase |
2700 mm (106.2 in.) |
| Length |
4445 mm (174.9 in.) |
| Width |
1725 mm (67.9 in.) |
| Height |
1475 mm (58.0 in.) |
| Cargo capacity |
456 litres (16.1 cu. ft.) |
| Fuel consumption |
City: 4.0 l/100 km (71 mpg) |
| |
Hwy: 4.2 l/100 km (67 mpg) |
| Warranty |
3 yrs/60,000 km |
| Powertrain Warranty |
5 yrs/100,000 km |
| Emissions/hybrid Warranty |
8 yrs/160,000 km |
