12 months of Prius

Hi folks,
I have now had my Oz Prius for 12 months and summarise my impressions as follows:

Delivered in March 2004 ,after 3 month wait.
Silver, base model – no options .(UK version)
Michelin Energy tyres fitted.
Added: Windows tint, dash mat.
ODO reading 10,000 km+ ( not used every day as I am retired )
Lifetime average (mostly city running)= 4.9L/100km
Does 5.4L/100km on rural highways (110kph cruise)

External:
Fitted mudflaps – ex Canada
Decals fitted on sides and rear bumper
Easy to clean, very slippery surfaces.
Wheel trim – I was going to try leaving them off, but decided to retain them – they look OK.
Door mouldings – decided not to fit them – was advised too many doors miss them anyway.
No problems so far with any damage – I always select a suitable parking spot.
Rear wipers – on wrong side and don't sweep enough glass, not used often anyway.
Purchased some 3M film for the headlights, but haven't fitted it yet.
Remote entry – had two instances early on when it refused to unlock, (used metal key) but no re-occurrence since.

Internal:
Fitted front seat covers.
Plenty of room inside for four adults, easy entry.
Lots of places to store bits.
Driver's seat is comfortable, probably needs a bit side support for some, but I didn't experience any discomfort on long trips.
Controls are excellent – initially I had a problem with the Cruise Control rotating with the steering wheel, but I'm now used to it.
Driving instrumentation (speedo, etc) is excellent, in it's almost HUD position.
The central Display needs some form of hood to prevent direct sunlight “washing out†the screen - still thinking about that.
Would prefer the current bar graph be repeated (reduced) up near the speedo display.
It's really the only useful driving guide on the display, a bit like those vacuum gauges that we used in our youth.
It's inconvenient to “look away†for it when mobile – it should be directly in front!
The 5 minute bars are somewhat useless – I would prefer something more meaningful, like 5 or 10km bars.
Fuel gauge – enough said on that item – a major disappointment in a technically superb machine, but we can work around it.
Beeper – this drives you mad initially, but after a while it isn't noticed so much.
Don't understand why there is no “external†reverse beeper, it's certainly needed on this quiet car.

EV button – don't often use that, same for the B mode shift.
Airconditioner is great, seems to cope with 40+ degrees C OK and is independent of the ICE (important).

Driving:
Initially you are very sensitive to fuel useage, but eventually you enjoy just driving this fantastic machine !
An extremely relaxing experience once you become accustomed to the handling etc.
Cruise Control is the best I've experienced – I suppose it should be, with amount of computer controlled power available.
I would prefer that the “increment†adjustments be 1kph in lieu of 1mph (1.6kph rounded up to 2kph)) – it can't be that hard to do.
Anyway, I find I am using it even in city streets – it's so responsive and eases the driving activity.
Road noise can be a bit intrusive on some surfaces – type of tyre probably important here, but I think that more sound isolation should be provided.
Rear view is somewhat restricted, with the divided window.
Steering – plenty of forum discussion on this, but I find that you train your reflexes to suit and become used to it eventually.
Crosswinds – I was aware of possible problems, but once you become accustomed to the handling it's not a major area of concern.
Open window buffetting – can be painful, but you soon learn not to open too low.
Overtaking – this has been a pleasant surprise, it happens so quickly and smoothly you need to watch the speedo.
The extra torque available when required is impressive!
Braking – very smooth, responsive system.
The Regen system helps minimise the use of the brake pads, and therefore the pads should last a lot longer than in a normal car.
Also, the B mode (ICE compression) braking effectively holds back the speed on long steep slopes.

Summary:
This vehicle can be summed up in one word – SMOOTH!
I am disappointed with the general public's lack of knowledge of this (and other Hybrids) technically advanced car, mainly caused by Toyota's reluctance to advertise.
Also, in our part of the world there is a conspicuous lack of financial relief on the part of local governments – there should be more incentives in place to encourage the use of these vehicles – they don't seem to get the message!

Now for the next year!

kenmac