Crawling through Toronto’s bumper-to-bumper traffic at a
rip-roaring pace of 20 km/h has never been so much fun. Why? At that very moment the near-silent car is
consuming no gas. Welcome to the Prius owner’s daily
commute.
The hunt for a city car is unlike any other. While consumers are interested, yes, in an A to B vehicle that
will get them through the 45-minute (on a good day) two-way commute, they’re looking for more than four
wheels. Roaring engines need not apply, but the meek purrs of many small sedans fail to satisfy, creating a
niche for the iconic mid-class sedan, the Toyota
Prius.
The Prius has enjoyed a steady position as the hybrid car of choice with a loyal following of dedicated
eco-conscious celebrities and commuters. Eager to join their ranks, this Lifestyle writer took the
iconic sedan on a test drive to get to the bottom (and top, interior and exterior) of the hybrid’s hype.
“More edge. More style. Less wind resistance” was the Toyota mantra when redesigning the 2010 Prius’s
exterior. The edges of the car are streamlined and crisply sculpted to follow the aerodynamic principles that
make its drag coefficient an industry-leading 0.25. Large windows and the trademarked glowing “Toyota” symbol
add to the car’s futuristic appeal, and though a mid-sized sedan, the car certainly had presence among the
larger cars that surrounded it in the urban parking lot.
The interior was a pleasant surprise. The windows that appeared large from the exterior seemed even more
generous from the insider’s perspective. A fan of the high-end Lexus, I found that the Prius nonetheless held
its own in terms of cabin comfort and style. The interior is graceful, placing it on the high end of
mid-priced sedans. Steering wheel-mounted controls allow for the opportunity to adjust temperature, audio and
volume. A stylish centre console and a unique instrument panel on the dashboard added to the futuristic feel
of the car without making it feel too “techy.” Of course, a range of options (such as leather interior
upgrades) only furthered the understated luxury of the car. My favourite stylistic element was definitely,
however, the flashing light that displayed my gas usage.
The 1.8-litre engine makes the Prius Canada’s most fuel-efficient vehicle with a combined city/highway rating
of 3.7/4.0 L/100 km. The hybrid element comes in with three driving modes: EV/ECO/POWER. EV drives solely
(and silently) on battery power; ECO maximizes gas usage; and POWER provides that extra push for merging onto
Toronto’s busy highways.
“[These modes] are what make the Prius an ideal car for city driving,” Toyota consultant Neil Shelton
explained as we sat in complete automotive silence at a red light. “Right now we’re running solely on battery
power. We aren’t using any gas at all.”
Unlike many electric vehicles, there is no need to plug the Prius into an external power source: The battery
is trickle-charged while the engine is running, receives charge when the brakes are pressed, and finally, can
receive yet more power with the installation of the optional solar-panelled sunroof. The sunroof also
regulates the car’s internal temperature by taking the edge off of the oven-like interiors of our cars during
the summer. The Prius is, in so many ways, just cool.
“There’s a reason why Hollywood is driving this car,” Shelton agrees. “Celebrities can afford
whatever they want, but they’re buying the Prius.”•
