By Giving Prius More Power, Toyota Improves on a Good Thing September 2004

The 2004 Toyota Prius is the current darling of Hollywood's "green" set.

It's a gasoline-electric hybrid sedan that's grown by 137 millimetres over last year's version, has increased horsepower and torque and now cuts a rather dashing profile.

The result is a vehicle that provides the functionality of the average mid-sized family car, at a price that's not significantly above the norm, but allows you to make a statement about fuel costs, environmental issues and appropriate technology.

Hybrids, as you may know, use two powerplants operating in tandem to drive the wheels. Some, like the Prius (which is known as a "full hybrid"), can run on gasoline or electricity, or a combination of both depending on conditions.

Others, like the Honda Civic Hybrid, cannot run on the electric motor alone. On the road, the difference between the two systems is marginal. Both provide extraordinary fuel economy, although the Prius delivers its best results in city driving, as opposed to highway (4.0 versus 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres, according to government tests). In practice, you're unlikely to see much difference in fuel efficiency between city and highway, but you're also unlikely to achieve such superb Energuide numbers (between five and six L/100 km is more like it, even with a light foot).

Still, that could net you about 800 kilometres from the smallish 45-litre tank, which, at current levels, will cost you $35 to fill up from bone dry.

Although the Prius was redesigned this year, this didn't diminish its unique looks. Viewed from the side, it's almost triangular in profile, and from all angles cuts a futuristic and distinctive line. It's now a five-door hatch, abandoning last year's four-door sedan specification. As you might expect from its tall shape, head room is not an issue.

Standard equipment is generous, including automatic climate control, remote entry, anti-lock brakes, traction control, a continuously variable (automatic) transmission, alloy wheels, and an outside temperature gauge.

Our tester was equipped with the $4,065 "B" package, which adds Vehicle Stability Control, premium audio, side-curtain air bags, fog lamps, garage door opener, and the Smart Key system.

Used for the first time on a Toyota product, the Smart Key isn't really a key (in the conventional sense) at all. It's a fob that while in your pocket or purse is detected by the locked car as you approach it. Touch the door handle and the car unlocks; get in the car and press the "Power" button, and it starts (all this without having to find and insert the key in the ignition).

After driving, put the car in park, press the power button to turn it off, then press a button on the outside door handle as you leave. The car is again locked and the immobilizer is set.

But the Prius is a lot more than ignition-key gizmos.

The Prius's 1.5-litre gasoline engine classifies it, in U.S. terms, as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV). The engine makes 76 hp (up six from last year) at 5,000 rpm and 82 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. This engine is combined with a 67 hp electric motor that generates a substantial 295 lb-ft of torque, an increase of close to 50 per cent over last year's motor. In combination this "Hybrid Synergy Drive" system will pull the Prius from zero to100 kilometres an hour in about 10 seconds, according to Toyota.

When decelerating, a regenerative braking system captures energy and transforms it into electricity that's stored in a battery located behind the rear seat. It's this battery that powers the electric motor.

When you're stopped at a stoplight, the gasoline engine turns off to conserve fuel, and electrical systems, including the air conditioner, run off the battery. Creeping along at low speeds in stop-and-go traffic, the Prius will run on battery power only, further saving fuel. Once you are up to speed, the gasoline engine and electric motor work together, the on-board computer managing the whole process.

The driver needs no special skills to operate the Prius - it starts, stops and turns just like any other car. However, the interface between the driver and the sophisticated systems that run the car is somewhat different than those found in conventional vehicles.

On the road the Prius is very quiet (at stoplights, of course, it's silent), and on the highway there's virtually no wind noise, a result of the car's extremely low (0.26) coefficient of drag.

On corners and highway ramps, the Prius can be a bit tippy, due to the somewhat soft suspension. On the other hand, your ride is comfortable with predictable responses to steering and braking inputs.

The interior is spacious and bright. Visibility all around is excellent, and the car is very easy to position and manoeuvre. Although interior space is generous, cargo capacity is somewhat constrained by the shallow trunk and sloping hatch. The split-folding rear seat helps (the Honda Civic Hybrid lacks this feature).

If you want a fuel-efficient, non-polluting, safe, reliable, genuine alternative to large, gas-guzzling cars and sport-utilities, then hybrids are it, and the Toyota Prius is turning exotic technology into mainstream motoring.

In Canada, the waiting list for a Prius is four to six weeks.

SOURCE: Montreal Gazette

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