No Compromises on the 2004 Prius

Review by Elizabeth Benton

photo from toyota.com

(November 5, 2003) Toyota claims its 2004 Prius requires no compromises – it offers a new Hybrid Synergy drivetrain, 5-person seating, eye-catching style and a modest price. But good luck getting your hands on one. The cars won’t be available in the United States for another six months or more, and dealers are already running out of their sales allotments.

I had the pleasure of test-driving the new model the day it rolled into the dealership on Wednesday, November 5. I must admit, I was sold—literally.

Toyota advertises that its new drivetrain increases the car’s power and fuel economy while it decreases emissions, compared to previous Prius models. The engineers have also increased the overall size of the vehicle. The result—an environmentally-responsible car that functions and feels like a classic mid-sized car.

Well, not quite a classic car. It took a few minutes to figure out how to start the Prius. Instead of turning the key to wake up the engine, you press a button by the steering wheel to silently start the system. The gearshift is more of a toggle switch by the radio, and the air conditioning, music system, and other gadgets function by way of a touch-screen flat monitor. Thankfully, the gas and brake operate the old-fashioned way.

As a timid driver, I can’t report on the hybrid’s highway acceleration. Navigating, the narrow, rainy, backstreets near the dealership, I didn’t bring the Prius over 30 mph. It drives like a smooth version of the Corolla it loosely resembles, and it makes admirable three-point turns.

Toyota's statistics seem to support the Prius success story. According to EPA estimates, the hybrid-electric attains an impressive city/highway average of 55 miles per gallon, a 15 percent improvement over the 2003 model’s 48 miles per gallon.

“ The gas mileage is unbelievable,” said Annie Devito, a sales representative for A-1 Toyota in New Haven, Connecticut. Toyota employees driving the Prius cross-country have reported getting upwards of 60 to 70 miles per gallon, Devito said.

Better gas mileage comes depite a body noticeably larger than the one housing its 2003 sibling. The Prius moved up from EPA’s compact to mid-size classification, and now comes in a hatchback style. Passenger room is 96.2 cubic feet, up from 89 cubic feet for last year.

The car does, in fact, feel roomy inside. There is ample space for at least two long-legged adults in the back seat, and perhaps a third skinny friend. The hatchback trunk provides adequate storage for groceries, guitars, soccer equipment, and maybe even a small cello.

First month sales for the new Prius have been “record-setting,” a Toyota press release said Monday. After only two weeks, Toyota sold 4,085 new Priuses, helping make last month its best ever for sales, despite the usual October slump.

New Rochelle Toyota at 47 Cedar Street has already sold nine of the new Priuses since they went on the market last month. “There’s such a call for them right now,” sales representative Harold Munger said. “It’s the car of the future.” Munger estimates that they’ve had at least ten inquiries a week since October. They will have a test car “probably next week,” he said.

As of Tuesday, A-1 Toyota in New Haven had already sold 22 of the new model to buyers so eager to reserve a car they didn't wait for a test-drive. Nor were they dissuaded by the seven to eight months delay for the cars to be shipped. On Wednesday evening, I made buyer number 26. The dealer has only four more cars left in its allotment.