2008 Toyota Prius Touring Road Test

I have to admit, this might just be the most impressive vehicle I have ever driven - times two. You see, as far as Toyota Motor Corporation’s hybrids are concerned, the Toyota Prius and the Lexus LS 600h L take their positions at opposite ends of the spectrum. That is, in terms of expense, the former is the least while the latter is the most. Let’s just say for now, without going into much detail, that you can almost buy the Prius with the amount you would spend on just a few of the options on the LS alone. But that’s not what impressed me the most.

Before I get into that, why mention the LS? Well, this is a Toyota Prius road test, without a doubt. But, the only difference is that I’ve just spent time behind the wheel (and stretched out with my feet up in the back seat while watching TV and enjoying a shiatsu massage) in a Lexus LS 600h L. So, to mark my transition, I’ve decided to include a thought or two, or three, on the Lexus in addition to what you’re actually here to read. After all, aren’t all hybrids alike?

The quick answer is “no,” in case you thought I was serious about that question. Most, like the Lexus, are hybrid electric versions of cars normally powered by conventional gasoline engines, while others, like the Prius, are rolling icons of the green movement. For 2008, this ultimately unique Toyota remains essentially the same as last year’s model. Now in its second generation, having been redesigned in 2004, the Prius merely sees some minor content shuffling found in each of its optional packages.

Under the hood, you’ll still find Toyota’s familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive system, consisting of a small 1.5-liter Miller-cycle four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and a 500-volt electric motor (up from 274 volts as found in the first-generation four-door version). The internal combustion engine (ICE) is capable of producing 76-horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque, while the electric motor produces 67-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, for a net total output of 110-hp (and not 143-hp). The two components work seamlessly, like how a figure skating pairs champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo. When you accelerate from a stop or at low speeds, the battery provides the power. As you build some speed, the gasoline engine instantly comes to life to assist the battery and charge it at the same time. If you happen to require more thrust during acceleration, the opposite will occur where the battery will now assist the engine. And when it comes time to slow down, the Prius uses its regenerative braking system to capture some of the lost kinetic energy and store it in the battery for future use. It sounds pretty straightforward, but if I were to highlight one sentence, it’d be the first one. Yes, the Prius can run on battery alone. And that’s why we call it a “full hybrid.” It’s probably one of the main reasons why the Prius can achieve an EPA fuel consumption rating of 48 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway, while the Honda Civic Hybrid with its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, well, can’t. Running on battery alone is something the Civic Hybrid claims it can do, yet actually can’t do at all (if you’ve read my article on it). Sure, its engine will shut off when the car has come to a full stop, but the Prius can do the same, as do all hybrids. For bragging rights, the Prius can crawl its way through three-hour long border line-ups without ever needing to idle its ICE, which is priceless. Try that in a Civic Hybrid.

No, you didn’t read that wrong. The Prius achieves better fuel consumption in the city than on the highway, mainly because of that ability to run on battery power alone (I promise I won’t say that anymore). It’s also due to the fact that on the highway the engine needs to run more often and at higher revolutions per minute. It’s a good thing Toyota decided to limit the engine’s turning speed to 5,000 rpm, in order to help further reduce wear and tear on its mechanical components. It allows you, the owner, to have peace of mind with its powertrain warranty of 5 years / 60,000 miles and its hybrid-related component warranty of 8 years / 100,000 miles, not to forget of course the comprehensive 3-year / 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is not a bad deal at all. And, to be more specific, that hybrid-related warranty applies to the battery control module, hybrid vehicle control module, hybrid vehicle battery and the inverter/converter. So, you’re pretty much covered if any sort of glitch decides to act up on you.

But, let’s get back to the topic of fuel consumption. During the week, I drove 225 miles and used up 7.4 gallons of regular unleaded fuel. That works out to 30 mpg. Wait a second here, that can’t be right. No, but it is. Even the Energy Monitor in the Prius confirms I averaged 32 mpg, which is slightly better than what I came up with, but nevertheless just as embarrassing. As a reminder, the Prius should be averaging 46.5 mpg. My average is a whopping 16.5 mpg short of what is expected. Is this normal?

No, something’s got to be wrong, because I’m getting similar fuel consumption to what the average Toyota Corolla driver is getting, and that car has more power (126-hp in last year’s car) and costs less (under $19,000 fully loaded). When in doubt, blame it on the heavy right foot. For the majority of the time I had the Prius, it snowed. And whenever it snows, it’s cold. So when the Prius decides it’s best to run on battery power alone (sorry, one last time), it wasn’t producing any heat and I wasn’t getting any warmer. So, the trusty right foot gave a helping hand, because the only way I was going to get warmer was to keep that engine running. I’d have to say this is probably one of the main disadvantages to owning a hybrid, but get yourself a plug-in block heater and we’ll declare it a problem solved; at least at start-up.

So with that issue out of the way, I can safely say now that you’ll be able to achieve a far better fuel consumption rating than I did. In fact, according to a study of a large fleet of Prius hybrids, it’s reported that 61 2001 model Prius hybrids achieved an average fuel efficiency of 40 mpg over 1.60 million miles. So there you have it, you may be able get a better fuel consumption rating than I did. And on top of that, the 2001 Prius isn’t even as efficient as the new 2008 model, as its revised EPA rating back then was 42 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. And if that’s not enough, my tank of fuel cost $30.00, which works out to thirteen cents per mile, which is still good, right? Hey, at least I tried.

Moving inside, you’ll find yourself staring straight at a large, steeply-raked front windshield which provides excellent outward visibility and contributes to an extremely aerodynamic Coefficient of Drag rating of 0.26. Not even a Ferrari F430 achieves that, as its rating is 0.33 Cd, which is a lot worse. Of course, cars that approach 186 mph use drag to maintain contact to the ground, so maybe that wasn’t the best example. It’s still amazingly good, however. Looking out back you’ll also find a steeply-raked rear windshield for the liftgate, designed for the same intent. But thanks to an additional vertical piece of glass sitting just below the rear windshield, the view out back is almost as good as your view out the front. And speaking of views, the view all around is excellent, which is great for spotting other Prius drivers (or should I dare to say “enthusiasts?”). And I guarantee you’ll be able to see a handful of them around (just like yourself), because taxi drivers, among all other drivers, have realized similar monthly fuel bill savings and have caught on themselves. But not to worry, so far only seen them in bright yellow, dark green, orange, or plain white, and not the ultra environmentally friendly Silver Pine Mica you see featured here on these pages.

According to a news release by Toyota Motor Corporation in Tokyo, back in 2006, it was announced that worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius - the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle - have gone beyond the half-million mark, 504,700 units to be exact. So that was back then. Could you imagine the sales figures today? In 10 years? How about 20?

And while you’re imagining, I’ll continue to talk about the amazing steering wheel found in the Toyota’s greenest car (hooray!). It has 11 buttons. Yes, e-l-e-v-e-n. And that doesn’t even include those same ones that can toggle up and down. So you’re probably thinking that with eleven steering wheel buttons, my driving experience would have been a hectic nightmare. No, not in the slightest. Being a Toyota, they’ve managed to work their magic by integrating them really well into the steering wheel. Not only does it not look like it has a lot of buttons, but I didn’t even need to take my eyes off of the road to operate them. You’ll be able to control the stereo’s volume, mode (CD, AM/FM/Sat, radio station preset, CD track), front/rear defrost, automatic climate control’s temperature setting, A/C auto mode on/off, GPS navigation system’s map functions (if so equipped), Bluetooth hands-free wireless phone connection, fuel consumption ratings, and the Energy Monitor screen. Wow, that was a mouthful.

And by the way, that Energy Monitor was the screen I had displayed the entire time I was driving, mainly because it was so fascinating to look at. It basically displays what the Hybrid Synergy Drive system in your Prius is doing in real-time. It has color-coded arrows that show which way power is being directed to and from the three different sources: the engine, battery, and drive wheels. The latter is, namely, the front wheels (the rear wheels aren’t actually connected to anything; they’re the wheels that move freely). When you’re off the throttle and especially when rolling down hills, the front wheels drive a generator which recaptures the lost kinetic energy and charges the battery, like I said before. Shifting your gear lever to B mode (which stands for Braking) further charges the battery, by increasing resistance and thereby creating a braking effect. So, why does Toyota need eleven steering wheel buttons again? Well, it’s more of a convenience for you, of course.

Everything about how the touch screen and steering wheel buttons operate is user-friendly. Like I mentioned before, the seven-inch LCD color screen is touch-sensitive. There are also a few buttons around its perimeter that you can use to change the menus, such as the climate control, display settings, audio system, main menu, fuel consumption information, and of course the GPS navigation system, if the car is so equipped. The steering wheel buttons allow you to change the settings, like the temperature and radio stations, within each of the menus, without ever needing to actually access the menus. Brilliant. This really takes you beyond just simply being able to increase or decrease your stereo’s volume. You’d think BMW would have thought of this for their iDrive system, because the German automaker’s system is nowhere near as easy to use as the one in the Prius.

So now that we all know the user interface is a no-brainer, how is the rest of the interior? Well, the rear seats fold flat, which is a huge plus since the Honda Civic Hybrid’s rear seats don’t fold at all. And because the battery is located underneath those rear seats, you’ll have 14.4 cubic feet of cargo volume to hold everything from Costco shopping sprees to skis, snowboards and the odd giraffe or two (ok, maybe skip the giraffe). And, of course, if you’re a taxi driver you’ll be able to hold your customer’s large suitcases while keeping them comfortable in a surprisingly roomy rear seat, with plenty of head and legroom. It’s a shame your co-worker driving that Civic Hybrid has less rear seat room and only 10.4 cubic feet of cargo space to work with. That’s almost the luggage capacity of a Mini Cooper with its seats upright, by the way, less what you’re able to carry. And while you’re on the run, you’ll appreciate the comfortable cloth seats which, incidentally, aren’t so designed for high speed drifts, but more so for comfortable long distance cruises.

Up until now, everything said about the Prius has generally been good. If I had anything to complain about it’d be its lack of a fuel range display (the one that tells you how far you have before the gas runs out). It’s lack of a tachometer (the rpm gauge) is a sore point too, not to mention the missing coolant temperature gauge, and, regarding the optional package equipped to this test vehicle, no parking sensors despite having a backup camera, no VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) disable switch, and the Smart Key proximity sensing key fob looks downright bulky and unstylish.

The base Toyota Prius is priced at $21,100, which has dropped $1,075 from last year’s $22,175 asking price. With the Touring model, you have the option of adding two packages, Option A at $2,105, or Option B at $4,175. If spending $2,070 on a nav system doesn’t sound too appealing to you, I’d recommend picking up an aftermarket portable unit for just about 10- to 20-percent of that cost. Option A, like the one equipped in this week’s tester, includes the aforementioned VSC, backup camera and Smart Key, in addition to a premium 9-speaker JBL audio system featuring an AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer with MP3/WMA compatibility and an auxiliary input jack (a phenomenal sounding stereo, by the way), and Bluetooth connectivity. The best part about having the Smart Key is that you’ll never again have to take your keys out of your pocket or purse to unlock your driver’s side door or start the car. But if you want to unlock all the doors at the same time, which you will if you’re ever going to carry passengers, you’ll have to approach from either the passenger’s side or from the rear hatch first. It’s a slight hassle, but I’ve gotten used to reaching into my pocket to unlock all the doors via the key fob itself (not so smart after all, eh?) or to open the driver’s side door first and then manually push the unlock button switch inside. Either way, I have a good feeling your local Toyota dealer can program the system to do what you really want it to.

So there you have it, I had so much to say about the Prius that I didn’t even have a chance to mention the Lexus LS 600h L. That’s how impressive this car really is. And not only was it impressive, it was a boot to drive around town too. Contrary to what other journalists may say about its handling characteristics, I found it to be quite nimble and fun to drive, actually. I’d say it drives just as well as the Civic Hybrid I tested a little while ago, if not even better. So, yes, what does the Lexus have that the Prius doesn’t? Well, it’d take another full review to explain (copy and paste “Trevor Hofmann, 2008 Lexus LS 600h L Road and Track Test, Oct. 29, 2007” to your favorite search engine and read what he had to say), but aside from the Hybrid Synergy Drive system and the touch screen interface/backup camera, everything else is different and better (except for my observed fuel consumption rating of 18 mpg, of course).

The Lexus LS 600h L is a technological marvel. It’s so unsuspecting when this 5,049-pound, full-size, long-wheelbase saloon goes about doing 0-60 mph sprints in the mid-five-second range. But speed isn’t as important in this class as comfort and luxury. And in that respect, it doesn’t disappoint. We’re talking about the softest leather in the business, real wood, and plush carpets. There’s an ottoman behind the passenger’s seat that not only reclines, but also massages, heats, and cools. But the main reason why I was so intrigued to even mention this car is because of its Hybrid Synergy Drive system. One way to describe it is, “it’s not even there.” If it weren’t for the fact that the engine shuts down at stop lights or that it can crawl along at low speeds in absolute silence, and that 35-percent of its trunk volume is taken up by the battery, you’d never notice you’re in a hybrid. The brake pedal feels normal - just like what you’re used to feeling when you’re driving a non-hybrid car. So it’s quite different than what you’ll feel in the Prius, although the brake pedal feel in the Prius is much better than that in the Civic Hybrid. And the power delivery is ever so silky smooth. It’s what we might be able to expect a few years down the road when some of this technology eventually makes its way down the pipe into the Prius. But until then, I know I won’t have to spend $104,000 (or rather $115,034 with all the goodies, except accessories) to get a piece of technology that truly impresses.