Summary:
This 750-word blog entry discusses positive aspects of ownership and fuel economy of a Toyota Prius from the point of view of an owner with a full year of experience with the vehicle.

Details or Sample:
I bought my Prius in February 2007. It´s a 2007 model in "silver pine mica," which is to say "green unless the sun hits in just right, in which case it turns silver." I bought it knowing that these two facts were true:

1. My daily commute for work is over 60 miles.

2. Gas prices aren´t going to come down.

Was the Prius my first choice? Not necessarily. I was interested in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, but it was unavailable at the time I was car shopping because of recently strengthened emissions guidelines which sent VW scurrying back to the drawing board with their diesel engines. I nearly feel as though I´ve dodged a bullet there, anyway, considering the prices of diesel fuel.

I bought my Prius and after over a year of driving it, I´ve noticed a lot of hype and a bit of myth surrounding the car I´ve chosen. Every time you buy a new car you tend to notice more of that model on the road around you, but the number of Prius I see on the road seems to far exceed what I´d expect from mere synchronicity, so it´s clear that the popularity of this car is not waning.

I´ve never received the so-called "Prius Wave" that´s supposed to signal camaraderie among owners of this hybrid. I suppose it´s not that exclusive a club any more.

I sometimes get questions about my car, and I can answer the common ones here: No, I don´t have to plug it in. Yes, it costs more than other similarly-sized sedans. Yes, all this electricity could be dangerous in a wreck, but so can burning gasoline, and emergency responders should be trained on how to handle hybrids in wrecks. No, it´s not a small car on the inside. No, you can´t fit the belongings of a family of four in the back; you have to choose some things to leave at home.

The most common question is about the fuel economy. I sometimes feel bad when a somber soccer mom at the gas station finishes filling up her SUV with the equivalent of a pair of nice steak dinners and glances over at me and asks about miles-per-gallon. But then I remember that she´s the one who went to a dealer´s lot and pointed at the behemoth and said "That one, please." Nobody forced her to drive a vehicle so obviously unnecessary for her lifestyle. I also sometimes feel as though the question is asked in hopes that the answer will be something disappointingly low, that I´ll slump my shoulders and roll my eyes and curse, "Fuel economy? It´s not what you´d think."

The truth is, though, it´s more than you´d think. Much was made of the EPA´s recalculation of the fuel economy statistics for the 2008 model line that resulted in the Prius getting lower scores. I heard several pundits who hate hybrids on general principle crow about the fact that hybrids aren´t what they´re cracked up to be.

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Written by: rljudge
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