Milage, 42 - 51, but note that unless you drive only on perfectly flat roads you will not get more than 50mpg at best. If you have any hills, and/or lots of stop lights, you will get closer to 40 most of the time. Roomier than the Corolla, except for driver (see below). Large rear storage (hatchback).

Front seat is too narrow for me (6'1", 210 lbs) so the seat sides dig into my sides. Visability out of windows is much less than my Corolla, but this seems to be a common defect with the new styles of cars. That's why it has a rear camera when in reverse. Driver cockpit is uncomfortable for long drives because 1) seat too narrow, 2) seat not long enough to support thighs. 3) steering wheel is set very low and forward so I my arms are always outstreched. 4) I cannot fully straighten my legs and still reach steering wheel, 5) I cannot adjust seating geometry to a position that allows my to sit correctly for enough leg room and also sit with back fully supported. I sit without much back supported, hunched forward a bit in order to get legroom. I can handle this for my 30 - 40 minute commute, but when I drive it for 2 or more hours I am very sore afterwards in the neck and back. I don't have this problem at all in the Corolla.

Also, having the airconditioning, audio etc all on one screen is a major distraction - takes much longer to do simple things like change heat setting or whatever. Screen controls are NOT an advance in engineering! Luckily it has steering-wheel-mounted controls for the audio.

Gets good milage, but nowhere near the advertised 55 - 60 mpg. I've gotten from 42 to 51 mpg. Seems to get less milage in the winter. Quiet ride, roomy interior (except that eating geometry for driver is very problematic.)Back seat is roomy for me at 6-1. Good sized rear storage area (hatchback).

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Corolla, Mini Cooper, Honda Civic. All are better for the drivers comfort.

Anyone looking for a Prius and reading this review has obviously decided that hybrid technology and fuel efficiency is their primary focus, or they would likely would not be very interested in paying a premium for that technology. Well, my daily commute is 184 miles so you might imagine that fuel economy was at the top of my list. I just got tired of wasting time and money stopping to fill up, plus I really do not have a desire to be on a first name basis with the gas station guy! The first week I owned this car I was averaging 48.5 mpg. And, that's almost exclusively driving on the interstate, which is projected as the lower of the two mileage estimates (performs even better in urban settings). I'm expecting even better performance over time as the car is broken in and I learn to drive it more efficiently, both of which has been reported by most other consumer reviewers.

A close second strength is all the other technology embedded in this vehicle. I purchase the #4 package and am completely impressed with the long list of technological advancements that make this car so user friendly (did I mention I spend 3 hours of my life in a car every day?), and fun to drive. First, the on-board computer/touch screen display is outstanding. Don't underestimate the importance of how this technology helps the user get the most performance out of the vehicle. The performance data it reports is not just "cool," but usable as a means of informing the driver how to adjust driving habits that impact performance. The smart key system is real nice as I am often loaded down with stuff and don't have to have the key/remote in my hands to gain entry. Push-button start, electronic displays, iPod port, Bluetooth for hands-free cell use, HID headlights (really do make a difference for night driving), and engine immobilizer theft deterrence system are ALL value added features that help me LOVE this car.

Finally, it is comfortable and spacious.

Truthfully, I am going to have to be a little picky here to even come up with a list of criticisms. But in the interest of providing a balanced review there are a couple of things I can report that an interested buyer might want to know. The cabin noise level at highway speeds on stretches of cement-laden expressways is a little loud (better on paved stretches). From what I've read in editor's reports, this is due to relatively little use of sound deadening materials. That's because they add weight and weight is the arch-enemy of fuel economy. This theory cannot be dismissed as I notice the car's fuel performance actually increases as the gas tank empties (yes, it is that sensitive to weight).

The Bluetooth/hands-free features are a little difficult to use and not user-friendly. It's easy enough to link the system to your phone, but using the other hands-free features like voice-command, and phonebook features are not intuitive. I have a PhD and still haven't completely figured it out. I'll have to sit in the car with the manual this weekend to get the hang of it.

The suspension is a bit tight, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, this car handles and corners pretty well with little over or under steering. The price to be paid for that, of course, is a medium-harsh ride on rough stretches of road. This is compounded by its light chassis weight, but that's a fair trade-off for increased economy, in my opinion. All in all, this car's highway ride will not feel like your grandfather's Buick Park Avenue.

Like I said, I purchased package #4 with cloth seats. I would have ponied up more $$ for #6 with leather seats, but they weren't that nice and with no heated seat option I opted to save the money.

Only other weakness I can think of is lack of availability. I ideally wanted the #5 in black or gray - not a single one in the Midwest, and red was not an option for me. Buy the ext warranty just in case with all the electronics.

May be the best vehicle I have ever owned. So far has surpassed my high expectations. If you are looking for a car that is embedded with the industry's finest technology, engineering, AND the best fuel economy, then this car is for you.

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I really researched this purchase. I scoped out the Civic and Altima hybrids, but neither came close to Prius' combination of economy, technology, and quality. I used to own an Accord ('90) and drove it for 250K+ miles until it rusted out. It was a great vehicle, and this car reminds me of how satisfied I was with that at the time. I own a 2002 Envoy my wife drives for her short 5 mile commute, so I feel like we have the best of both world's in terms of use and flexibility. Hey, I'm not getting anything for this glowing review other than satisfaction in maybe helping someone else discover what I have about this vehicle. I'm not a tree-hugger by any stretch, but 48.5 mpg, 98% less pollution output, and less quality time spent with the gas station guy is reason enough to cry out from the mountain-top.

Fuel economy. I average 50MPG overall. Make sure you practice driving to maximize your MPG! Don't drive your hybrid like regular gas engine vehicles. Learn to coast downhill and to traffic lights, pump the gas at the right time, don't leave your foot on the gas. Watch the hybrid screen to learn this subtle art, and it will pay off. Good, ample rear seat room. Lots of space in the trunk, and the back seats fold down to accomodate something six feet long into the hatch. Car is mighty roomy inside, but outside the car has a narrow width, so it's easy to slip into tight parking lot spaces--fewer dings, too. Great repair ratings. For a 2WD, it handles well in snow and rain. I love the double glove boxes, large consol storage, and sunglasses cubby.

Ventilation system. This did not seem to be as efficient as in other vehicles that I've owned, especially the defrost/defog. Although, it is acceptable. I have found that there is a wicked blind spot on the right front affecting left hand turns because the spot blinds traffic that is nearly upon you. With awareness of this, I am sure to look twice to avoid an accident with the right front when pulling into traffic making a left turn. Although the repair records/ratings are excellent, it is expensive to replace the battery and transmission, so get the extended factory warranty if you can. I miss the luxury extras of the Jeep Laredo, but they are minor tradeoffs to save $400+ in gasoline a month. Backing up can be tricky, but with the backup camera, it's much safer. Regardless, it's much less dangerous to back up in this car than in any SUV.

After researching for 1.5 years, new and used cars, I decided to purchase the Toyota Prius. I just love it, but it was an adjustment coming from a Jeep 4WD Laredo. I like the size, especially the ample head/footroom that can accomodate 6+feet persons both in front and back seats. With two growing teenage boys, I need room to grow in my car. I wanted the hatchback, after having a large vehicle. I was used to having lots of space, and I didn't want to sacrifice it for mileage with a different small car (like PT Cruiser, VW, HondaFit, Toyota Matrix, etc.) and a sedan trunk wasn't going to satisfy me. What is lovely is that the electric engine, hybrid battery, and gas engine are all under the hood--not so for some other hybrids that put the battery in the trunk. So, the trunk space is all mine. Also, the electric start is marvelous. Back-up beeper is surprising, but necessary, because the car is so quiet (no engine sounds) that people around you are not alerted to a backing car. I didn't want this hybrid, because I thought that the design was ugly, but every day I love it more--including its style. I paid $25K including the extended warranty and "package 3". With the 2007 model, side curtain airbags are standard, rather than including them beginning in the 2006 "package 3".

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This is the first hybrid, but I've owned and driven a station wagon, SUV, minivan, family cars, Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Jeep, AMC, Chrysler and more. I've owned new and used cars. It is very similar to Honda/Subaru/Toyota family cars in response. I love this car! Good family car, and it's roomier compared to other family cars that I've owned.

1.very smooth & quiet on freeway & town . 2.like the keyless stuff & power 0n&ff start button 3.very easy to use steering wheel side control . 4.simple &good looking intererior. 5.hight roof a plus for 5'11 like me . 6.appealing look from outside &small but still catch attention. 7.good gas milage(low43-hi51) 8. very small turning radius.(good when makingU-turn) 9. very cheap when compare to european expensive & SUV car to operate

1.small & hard working 1.5L engine on hill driving . 2. no drag racing & fast turning 3. missing a side-bump-guard (will be dent by the big SUV ) 4. no power seats because Nagv unit& audioAmp are stored under the seats!) 5. Perfer better soundJBL speaker 6. more expensive than regular econo car

Amoung all the car I have & had owned. This one takes the longest time of delivery (11 month for 'WHITE 'color ) .Well,it's not disappointed with all that waiting ,the car looks great with a few people already asking & commenting this car as it happened to my MBZ 300CE when I bought it 12yrs ago.DRive:excellent smooth ,quiet cut throught wind with little noise . I drove the car from San Franc. to LA . As I pass throught the Gorman there was a 10 mile traffic backup .Traffic is very slow 2mile/hr up the mountain & at night .With the HID head lighted all the time , Navg on & aircon running ;this car paSS THE 4-HR-LONG traffic test without dying. I see a lots of car running out of gas & die on the road.With the blue toothcellphone I could even call help for them . As4 the rest of the hill driving without problem so long as u keep that speed to 60.Little more noise from the 1.5L engine but the rest is quiet as the avalon'02 .It is very entertaining & informative w/that very large &easy center display to use .Much Much better than the MBZ & BMW Navgi. (though they have no leather )Interior workmanship & use of material are excellence to world class (when u compare to those megaB$$ .The loaded equipment is excellence compare to the similar high-priced car like MZB & BMW. Sure if looking as an econo car it's not cheap . However, no other car builds like it (AT this point'05)looks small from outside but it's a well above midsize car comfortable for 5 & lots of trunk room (like a camy) & appointment loads of feature that only find in very expensive car& quality back by Toyota & save the enviroment. (I still don't understand why my new MBZ & many others driving with a so-often burnt out tail light !!!)

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MBZ(CE,S,SLK) BMW(M3), CAmy ,Avalon

Gas milage is excellent! It's very compact and easy to find a parking sopt in the city.

Has enough power but not enough power to drive up steep hills and mountain passes COMFORTABLY. I don't know it's because the car is light or what but it skids/shakes driving on freeway during the rain.

My wife and I bought a Prius last year and drove almost 35,000 miles (in a year)! We bought it as primaly car (daily commute, shopping etc.), and it runs fine for city driving. We haven't had any mechanical problem so far! The Prius does excel for gas milage, but it's not really a fun car...not fun to drive especially in Pacific Northwest...where many mountains and hills. Even though it drives fine drive over pretty steep hills, it does not have enough power to drive up COMFORTABLY. It seems like it's having a hardtime and make us feel bad driving uphill! : ) Almost 80% of people drive SUVs and/or Pick-ups here in Seattle area, and they like to tailgate compact cars like Prius which is very annoying! Also, the interstate condition around here is very bad (many potholes, bumps and cracks) and it's very scary driving on freeway during the rainy season (winter). It skids/sakes when you drive through standing water... even a little one! We just bought another car as secondary... bought it basically for weekend use (to go National Forest etc.) We go backpacking/climbing/mountaineering a lot and needed a tough 4x4. So, we bought a 2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade. Of course it has bad gas milage...18 city / 22 freeway. BUT, now, we drive Jeep more than Prius... it's so much more quiet and comfortable. It's vary stable in rain. We even got to test it in snow on the mountain pass the other day. It drove just like on dry pavement without chain!

Good Acceleration. Great mileage, though the EPA's estimates disappoint. Wonderful steering wheel - small and easy to grip, with a tight turning radius to match. The controls on the wheel are very intuitive, which is necessary since the LCD is begging the driver to focus attention from the road. Great interior space (got rid of a Chrysler minivan for this one). The Driftwood Pearl color, while not an aesthetic triumph, covers dirt beautifully, while the ivory interior does just the opposite. Talking at the fast food drive-thru is so much easier now! My wife doesn't see at night as well as I do, so she's in love with the HID headlamps. Just get them. They're an active insurance policy -- stunningly bright without annoying oncoming drivers.

Seats are acceptable, but could use some cues from normal vehicles - power adjustments, more than two of them, etc. But they're comfortable. Toyota is clearly aiming at women who want to sit high, and I want to sit lower and feel less like a van driver. I feel like I'm wearing a visor, sitting so high. I'd love to have a telescoping steering column. The ivory interior gets dirty, fast. Don't buy this car if you're going to be cruising the interstates on a regular basis and want a relaxing drive. Plenty of back seat space, but I'm only 5'10" and have to slouch a bit to keep from rubbing my head on the roof. At least there's lots of knee room for slouching.

Happy to have the 2005 Prius! First things first: We're finding the exact mileage numbers that others have noted: 43 mpg average, less in city and 50+ on highway. I've spent a lot of time seeing if I can improve mileage through smooth driving, but the hills around our home really make the gas engine work, and you can't regenerate more energy than you put out.... But we'll save 15000 pounds of gasoline over four years compared to our minivan, so what the heck. But what a fun car to drive! The handling on mountain roads is pretty Camry-like, with enough body roll to keep you from getting too sporty (the tires start squealing right about the time the body roll gets scary). It is still a blast to drive around, and gizmos give you stuff to play with while waiting at the light. Open highway driving is not particularly enjoyable, except for the looks we get. The closest vehicular personality to the Prius (on highway at least) is, sadly, my old '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The car hunts down the highway like a four-wheel drive, is much more susceptible to crosswinds than my Town & Country minivan, and generally feels ill at ease at freeway speeds with wake turbulence from semi trucks. But it triples the mileage of the Jeep and doubles the minivan.... I wouldn't recommend driving through standing water at high speeds, either. I'd heard of hydroplaning issues, and wonder if some other rubber could make the car a little stickier. I'd trade a couple of miles per gallon for more positive control. The Prius is very quiet (you do hear the poor 1.5L working away) and you get up to speed faster than you expect (except often I find myself accelerating slowly, trying to keep my mileage up!). I still have the sense that I'm a beta tester, so I should overlook some of the human interface quirks (a start button for one), but Toyota has definitely done a lot of things right.

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Ford Escort GT; Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Volkswagen Golf; Toyota Camry; Solara; Mazda 6

mpg is approximately 40

breaks down frequently and very costly to repair. (for instance transmission is around $8400)

In less than 3 years with slightly above 75,000 miles (mostly highway) I've gone through one gas tank, six tires, a windshield, and a transmission. Nothing has been covered under warranty. I've been stranded three times. This vehicle does not live up to its hype and the national Toyota office has been no help.

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Corolla, Accord.

Mileage; high-tech gadgetry; environmental responsibility; ergonomics of car interior

As noted above, I was surprised the car did not have power seats with a memory function, nor does it have leather as an option. This was our first 'hatchback' car, and my wife and I were a bit concerned about the rear visibility. It's certainly less than we'd like, but we're getting used to it.

We were looking for a replacement for my wife's 1995 Avalon, which she uses primarily as an around-town commuter car. We were interested in an environmentally-friendly car and pre-ordered the Prius with all the bells and whistles, sight unseen, based mostly on the hype and positive reviews. When it came in and we finally got to drive it, we bought it on the spot. Toyota really listened to their customers and this second generation Hybrid is terrific - a perfect blend of technology, ergonomics and fun. It won't win any drag races, but it's plenty peppy enough for driving around town; I've had no concerns accelerating onto on ramps or merging with traffic. The interior roominess is great with superb fit and finish - externally it looks like a small (compact) car, but internally it feels very roomy.. It is a bit skittish with a strong crosswind but no more than any other lightweight car. I'm a gadget nut, so this car with upgraded electronics is right up my alley. It all works seamlessly (I'll be switching cell phone providers in early '04 to obtain bluetooth phones for us to use in the car). The keyless entry system is terrific. The navigation system seems very accurate, but the interface is a bit more complicated than seems necessary (my other car is an Acura RL with a nav system, where the interface is very clean and simple). For a car with all these bells and whistes, I was surprised to find that it did not have memory seats/mirrors, or power seats, which I would have gladly paid a bit more for. Also, I would have paid for leather seats - the velour cloth seats are nice, but I expect they'll get dirty pretty quickly. We're getting mileages in the city of about 42 mpg, less than advertised, but certainly nothing to complain about. Transition from electric to gas to electric is seamless, and you hardly notice the gasoline engine turning on and off. The quiet at intersections is weird at first, but you get used to it. All in all, I'm convinced that in the near term (i.e., the next decade or so), hybrid technology is going to be the way to go. The Prius will bring this into the mainstream. I've already put myself on a waiting list for the Lexus RX400H, which will be their hybrid SUV, expected in September 04.

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1995 Avalon (which this replaces)

Great fuel mileage, though not as good as advertised in city driving. Quiet, fun to drive. Fold down rear seats a real plus. The keyless/smart entry is a blast!

Won't burn rubber off the line. Can't pack in 6 or more adults. You won't be able to look down on your fellow drivers.

We waited for the Prius to be out for a couple of years, then purchased a new 2004. A neighbor bought a 2002 and loved it, which made us take a closer look. Hence the purchase of the 2004. This little car is something else. We like the roominess, comfort and the tremendous mileage. Although we don't get the advertised mileage in town....quoted at 60mpg....we average 43mpg. The highway mileage is about as advertised, at 55mpg. With only 1500 miles on the car, we haven't had a bit of trouble. I like the handling, quietness, and the smoothness of the power train. All in all we are happy with our Prius, feels good to drive something that doesn't pollute too much also. Not to mention the savings on our gas bill each month. Ours is loaded with all options. I have to admit I wasn't sure about the new keyless entry system "Smart Entry", but now that we have had it for only a couple of months now.....I WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT IT!! This is a great thing.....not having to find your keys and fumbling with the door lock...or ignition!! All cars should come with this item as standard!!

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Lexus, BMW, Ford Van,

Lots of room for passengers and 'stuff'. Power is more than adequate for passing, etc. Super gas mileage. Fit and finish is perfect- it's a Toyota. PZEV rating is a plus. My Eco-Utility Vehicle!

Sensitive to strong crosswinds. Steering just a bit 'light'.

Most amazing car I have ever owned! Vast improvement over previous generation Prius in all ways. The room and great styling finally take gas-electric hybrids into the mainstream market most of us want. The technical features are very nice, but not overwhelming. The car is a joy to drive and it saves you money on gas - big time- and doesn't pollute the environment. The versatility of the hatchback design is great for carrying all kinds of cargo and the leg room in all seating positions is very good. This is the way cars of the future will be designed and powered. Toyota thought this one out very well.

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