Diary of a Noobie Prius Owner

So, it's 2 weeks since I bought a 2007 Toyota Prius T Spirit. Here's what I've discovered so far.

If you're European then the most obvious difference between a Prius and a standard car is it's an automatic. None of that endless mucking about with clutches and gear-changing when you're in town or heavy traffic. Plus, with the Prius, you don't get the poor fuel economy that usually goes with an automatic.

The 'Key'

Starting the car takes a bit of getting used to: 'Key' in it's slot on the dash; foot on the brake; press the Power button; put it in Drive; foot-brake off; and you're away.

About that "foot-brake": The Prius doesn't have a hand-brake - Presumably because they wanted maximise the amount of storage in the centre of the car- instead it has a foot-brake down where the clutch would have been. It seems to act just like the hand-brake (i.e. It's a mechanical thing rather than a glorified electronic switch), so it's not too difficult to get used to. It's just a bit....different.

Driving home after buying it was interesting - A 90 mile journey, mostly on motorways - I was a bit unsure about over-taking because I hadn't figured out the blind spots. The view out the rear window is limited (The worst aspect of Prius) so you're more reliant on your side-mirrors and looking over your shoulder. Anyway, I think I've figured it out now.

Strangely, given that rear window, reversing seems easier in the Prius than with my old car (a Primera).

Fuel economy: I've only been on one motorway journey so far (See above) but I still hit the manufacturer's 'extra-urban' miles per gallon figure. It seems to be all about driving smoothly (No heavy braking or acceleration) and sticking to the speed limit.

Fuel Consumption Monitor

Their urban figure (56 mpg) takes a little more thought but I'm regularly getting 53.5 now. The technique seems to be more smooth driving, accelerating steadily up to the speed limit (no hanging about necessary), then lifting your accelerator foot until you're just maintaining the speed. When I do this, I generally find the fuel consumption monitor (see picture) shoots up to 75 to 100 mpg! Unfortunately, there's not much you can do when going uphill or when the engine's first started. You just have to take the hit.