Toyota Prius still leads the pack in fuel economy

Now entering local showrooms is the 2010 model, the third generation of the car that revived an idea as old as the automobile itself – and first seen in the United States in the 1904 Gas-Au-Lec – an electric car.

Using the Latin word that means “to go before,” the Prius hit the Japanese market in 1997 and came to America four years later.

With its unique shape,  a Prius  is as iconic as a Coca-Cola bottle, except that the Coke bottle is more attractive. The Prius brings to mind an old Volkswagen Beetle ad: “It’s ugly, but it gets you there.”

The Prius’ true beauty lies elsewhere, and it’s not hard to figure out where.

Start with gas mileage. When the first Prius debuted, the EPA rated its combined city-highway mileage at 41 mpg. The second-generation model, which debuted in 2004, netted 46 mpg. The third-generation model gets 50 mpg. My own test yielded a remarkable 53.8 mpg without considerable effort. 

And filling up takes just less than 12 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline – 11.9 gallons, to be precise – and the cost is less than three Alexander Hamiltons. All of a sudden, this car looks beautiful. Hey, gorgeous, where have you been all my life?

Drive off, and it’s the morning after. The reality is that the Prius drives like an ordinary automobile, which, considering what’s going on under the hood is quite remarkable.

The Prius takes a regular gasoline engine – in this case, a 98-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder – and teams it with a 60-kilowatt electric motor that is married to a continuously variable automatic transmission. Together, these components generate 134 horsepower through the front wheels.

When the car is started, nothing appears to happen, aside from a light that flashes “ready,” but the electric drivetrain is running solo. It does this up to about 25 mph. That’s when you’ll notice a slight vibration as the gas engine comes on. The engine and motor run in tandem. At high speeds, the gas engine does most or all of the work.

With the electric motor providing some of the power, less fuel is required. Instead, the electric motor uses a nickel-metal hydride battery pack as its power source, which in turn is recharged by the gas engine. Energy captured by braking and decelerating also recharges the battery.

When you come to a stop, the car’s drivetrain shuts off, restarting when you touch the accelerator. Thankfully, the air conditioning stays on as long as the ignition is on. On some hybrids, it shuts down with the engine.

Just think of how many microchips, miles of wiring and computers it takes to accomplish this feat.  But the remarkable thing is that, for the most part, the Prius drives like a Toyota Corolla, with which the Prius shares its body pan.

The car develops enough power to reach 60 mph in less than 10 seconds. Acceleration is quick off the line but quickly flatlines. The CVT transmission is more responsive than similar units from Nissan or Honda. Steering has a decent weight to it but returns little feel. The turning radius is surprisingly tight for a front-wheel-drive car.

Toyota provides three driving modes: “EV,” which allows drivers to go about a mile using only an electric motor; “Eco,” for optimum fuel economy; and “Power,” for when you need a dash of Andretti.

Because the energy of braking is captured and routed back to the battery pack, the brakes have a strong, touchy feel.  Using them takes some adjustment, but they’re easy to get used to.

The ride is firm but absorbs the worst bumps. The low-rolling resistance tires create a fair amount of noise on concrete, but otherwise the car is quiet. In corners, there’s decent grip but noticeable body lean.

Safety features include active headrests to reduce the possibility of whiplash in a collision, antilock brakes with electronic brake distribution, brake assist, traction control and stability control.

 The driving environment is as futuristic as the drivetrain.

The instrument cluster is all electronic and located in the center of the instrument panel. It consists of a speedometer, fuel gauge, mpg gauge and trip computer.

The slanted center stack houses the audio system and climate controls, which are easy to use. Some controls are unusual. The starter button doesn’t require a key. The transmission’s park gear is a push button. Reverse, drive, neutral and engine-braking mode for hills are housed on a stubby stalk on the console. It works well.

Aside from the usual options, such as a rear back-up camera, radar cruise control and navigation system, there are a couple of interesting ones : a moonroof with solar panels that power an electric fan to keep the car cool while parked and a  remote air-conditioning system that can be operated before the driver gets in the car.

The car seats four comfortably, five in a pinch. The cargo area is roomy but seems smaller than its listed capacity of 21.6 cubic feet.

The test car, a pre-production prototype, didn’t have a price sticker. But the car starts at about $22,000 and tops out at $27,000, depending on trim level.

While that’s more than a Corolla, it’s still reasonable enough to be affordable for those who don’t want to spend their week’s salary refueling the family sled. And that’s more than beautiful – that’s amazing.

What we say: Still the one to beat

Pro: Fuel economy and distinctive styling

Con: Distinctive styling

Stats

Engine: 1.8-liter DOHC four-cylinder 

Motor: 60-kilowatt electric motor    

Wheelbase: 106.3 inches      

Length: 175.6 inches     

Weight: 3,046 pounds    

Cargo space: 21.6 cubic feet    

EPA rating (city/highway) : 51 48 mpg      

Fuel consumption: 53.8 mpg     

Fuel type: Regular unleaded  

Base price: $22,000 (estimated) 

As tested: Not available