Spotlight: 2004 - 2009 Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is to hybrid cars what the iPod is to personal music players. It is the icon by which all other hybrids are measured. And although it has been around since 2001 the 2004-2009 is the generation where the Prius really came into its own.
This generation has better fuel economy, more creature comforts and is larger than the first generation Prius. Even though you may think of the Prius being compact, inside it’s really as roomy as a Toyota Camry and there’s a wealth of standard features like very comfortable seats and a futuristic tutor instrument panel. When you’re shopping for a good used Prius, you might find several great features like a JBL sound system, navigation with back up camera and blue tooth hands-free calling. But options like heated seats and power moon roof are not available at all. You’d have to look for a 2010 or newer Prius for that. And the word on the model years – in 06 the Prius got a bit of a face lift, so if you’re shopping across model years you will see some visual differences. In 2007 seat mounted front air bags were made standard. A touring trim was made available with a stiffer suspension and some of the optional features earlier mentioned were included as standard equipment.
The Prius takes off smoothly thanks to the electric motor which handles its initial acceleration. As a matter of fact, with a full battery charge you can get up to 30 mph on electric power alone. But after that the 76 horse power gas engine kicks in. The gas and electric motors combined send 110hp to the front wheels through a CVT transmission. The payout is close to 45 miles per gallon on the motorway and between 48-60 miles per gallon in town depending on how you drive. But it’s not all rosy though. There were several recalls of the Prius including one airbag defect from 04-06. The big one of course being the possible unintentional acceleration problem where the acceleration pedal gets pressed right down to the floor and doesn’t come up. Still the Prius gets great safety ratings. The only setback being 06 and earlier models without the optional side airbags. Those models get a poor side impact rating in safety testing. Check with your dealer to make sure these safety issues have been addressed, they are required to fix it at no charge to you.
Taking a look at the competition the Honda Civic hybrid gets just as good fuel economy at a lower price, but it’s not as versatile as the hatchback layout of the Prius. When it comes down to it, the Prius is one of the most simple and practical fuel efficient vehicles, but for added safety we recommend going for one of the later models with standard side air bags. Many of the newer models may also have the original manufacturer warranty which is just another great reason to buy a 2004-2009 Toyota Prius.
We have some great examples of Toyota Prius cars for sale. Feel free to take a look!
