2008 Toyota Prius: Saving the Environment!

Summary

The Toyota Prius is an impressive technological feat. It offers much better fuel economy than conventional cars and radically less environmental impact. The Prius is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the United States and in the world. The 2008 Prius gets some new options, notably leather upholstery and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Full Review 2008

We find the Prius to be a comfortable car that's easy to like and live with. In short, we like the Prius. The EPA ratings for the 2008 Prius are 48 mpg City, 45 mpg Highway, and we're guessing everyday fuel economy for most owners should fall somewhere between 40 and 50 mpg. While the Prius excels at fuel economy, its performance in terms of emissions is even better.

 Prius is certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV); meaning that it meets the Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) exhaust standard; plus a zero evaporative emissions standard, a 150,000-mile durability demonstration, and an extended emissions system warranty. It's important to understand that the Prius is not an electric car. A small, highly efficient four-cylinder gasoline engine charges the battery as you drive. No special knowledge is needed to drive the Prius.

Trims and Styling '08

The Toyota Prius is available in base ($22,475) and Touring Edition ($23,370) trim. Standard features include fabric upholstery; electric air conditioning with a micron filter; power windows, door locks and heated outside mirrors; remote keyless entry; cruise control; a tilting steering wheel with redundant climate and audio controls; intermittent front and rear wipers; a six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo; and P185/65 all-season tires on 15-inch aluminum wheels. 

Visually, it's distinguished by HID headlamps with integrated fog lamps, and a larger rear spoiler.

Options are bundled into packages, with each succeedingly numbered package building on the contents of the previous packages. Package 1 comes standard. Package 5 ($3,280) adds navigation. Package 6 ($4,550) tops it all off with leather seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Safety equipment that comes standard includes antilock brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, and traction control. Standard passive safety features include advanced multi-stage, dual front airbags; side-curtain airbags designed to offer head protection for front and rear passengers; seat-mounted side-impact airbags for torso protection for driver and front-seat passenger; three-point seatbelts and head restraints at all five seating positions; and rear seat head restraints that are adjustable. A tire pressure monitoring system comes standard. The Toyota Prius is beautiful in its simplicity, with graceful, fluid lines that make it look futuristic.

The quarter panels and doors are sleek and clean. An even more steeply raked backlight (rear windscreen) ends in a high spoiler that trips the air stream as it leaves the car, maximizing the aero advantage of the car's almost-vertical back end. The narrow tires help fuel ecnomy, but they clash visually with our current sense of proportion. 

The headlights are compound units that house the running lights, side marker lights, turn indicators and, when ordered, fog lights. Vertically stacked compound taillights wear modish clear lenses and bookend the lower section of the liftgate.

Interior Styling and Features

The Prius is surprisingly roomy inside. Cargo space with the standard 60/40 folding rear seat in place is 14.4 cubic feet, comparable to that of a midsize sedan. Head restraints are adjustable in all five seating positions. Directly beneath the screen is the control head for the sound system. The base AM/FM/CD six-speaker sound system is quite capable. Dome lights grace the headliner, front and rear. A tall glasshouse yields exemplary outward visibility. The lower compartment holds bulkier items. The front part of the center console opens up, also clamshell-like, into two cup holders. Door-mounted map pockets, expandable magazine holders stitched into the back of the front seat backs, and an unexpected, semi-secluded bin below the stereo offer additional storage.

An armrest folds down out of the rear seat back. Gas pressurized struts ease opening and closing the hatchback.

Test Drive 2008

Most people who buy hybrid-powered cars aren't looking for something that's fun to drive as much as something they can drive with a clear conscience. The Toyota Prius is certainly the latter, but it won't bore its driver, either. 

The Prius launches without hesitation thanks to the electric motor's 295 pound-feet of torque from almost a dead standstill. Speeding calls for horsepower, and as the Prius approaches its maximum velocity, it relies increasingly on its small gasoline engine for motivation. Prius gets its power from a gasoline engine supplemented by an electric motor. In a bit of hyperbole, Toyota calls the combination the Hybrid Synergy Drive. The Hybrid Synergy Drive does, however, rely on its electric motor more than do most other hybrids, including the first-generation Prius; as a result, Toyota claims the Prius produces about one-tenth as much pollution as the average new car. To us, Toyota's hybrid system seems more like an electric motor with gasoline engine assist, while Honda's system seems more like a gasoline engine with electric motor assist.

The gasoline engine steps to the fore at more constant speeds, especially during highway driving, where horsepower is more critical for maintaining a car's momentum.

Any time the driver's right foot requests more motivation than the electric motor alone can provide, the gasoline engine fires up and joins in.

The electric motor itself, combined with a planetary gear set, functions much like a continuously variable transmission. The Prius also saves fuel and reduces emissions by scavenging energy that most cars waste. Regenerative braking links the brakes to a generator, helping use the car's kinetic energy to recharge the battery whenever the brakes are applied. Previous EPA ratings for the Prius generated controversy. But remember that EPA tests cars on a chassis dynamometer, that is, a set of rollers in the floor, which work against an electric or hydraulic resistance.

2008 Conclusions

The Toyota Prius sets the standard for environmentally friendly transportation. Autropolis.com praises "The core technology consists of a combined hybrid system which can run on gasoline or electric power depending on speed, power needs and other conditions."  It delivers extremely good fuel efficiency for a four-seat car with an automatic transmission. Cars.com loves "Its excellent reliability certainly hasn't hurt, and the Prius owes no small number of its sales to states like California and Virginia, where officials have allowed hybrid owners to drive in carpool lanes even when the driver is the only occupant." Toyota is clearly the leader in hybrid technology. The Prius is an amazing piece of engineering, yet driving one and owning one is not much different from a conventional car. That's impressive.