The icon of the hybrid automobile is the Toyota Prius, and as has been noted here and about every else in the Free World (and likely elsewhere), the third generation of the five-door full-hybrid arrived earlier this year as the 2010 model year. When we initially drove this latest Prius at a media introduction, we wrangled 73.9 mpg in an on-road hypermiling competition with other journo types (placing first, we might add modestly, as the first all journalist/no Toyota engineer aboard team).

That’s impressive, and we wouldn’t drive that way every day, but we know it can be done because we did it.

On the other hand, what is it like to drive a Prius every day in a go with the flow, go to the market and go what traffic will allow on the Interstate? That’s what we wanted to find out with a week of driving a Prius without any extraordinary attention to gas mileage.

Road Test: 2010 Toyota Prius II car review, living green in the real world