In a recent test of the new Australian-delivered Toyota Prius one of our biggest criticisms was price; at $39,990 it's around double the cost of a comparable Echo 4-door sedan. In contrast, however, you can now pick up a second-hand Japanese import 'Series 1' Prius from just $25,000!
So what is the Prius and why on Earth would anyone want one of these oddball-looking vehicles? Well, the Prius functions just like any other well-designed small sedan - it's space efficient, practical and easy to drive. Thanks to its use of hybrid technology though, it just happens to consume up to 50 percent less fuel and produces 80 percent less exhaust emissions than an equivalent sized conventional car. Certainly, the Prius is one of the most groundbreaking cars of recent years.
As we stated in our new car test of the Australian-delivered Prius "the Prius is propelled by two parallel power sources - a petrol engine and an electric motor with a battery pack. The petrol engine is used only under acceleration or for medium-to-high load conditions. For the remainder of the time - when there's only a small amount of power required - an electric motor is used to drive the wheels. At maximum throttle, however, the Prius effectively 'compounds' both drive sources for the maximum available power. The key philosophy behind the hybrid system is to use electric power in instances when the petrol engine runs relatively inefficiently."
Further to this, the Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack is kept charged thanks to a regenerative braking system that converts (otherwise wasted) kinetic energy into electrical energy. Depending on conditions, the petrol engine can also be used to charge the battery pack - all of these decisions are left to an intelligent management ECU.
The petrol engine employed in the Prius is a 1.5-litre transverse four with VVT-i, DOHCs, 16-valves, direct-fire ignition, a MAP sensor and electronic throttle. Unlike a conventional petrol engine, however, the Prius keeps its exhaust valves closed until the end of the expansion stroke; this so-called Atkinson cycle principle is said to offer significant efficiency advantages. On its own, the 1.5-litre engine can provide 53kW at 4500 rpm and 115Nm at 4200, but - don't forget - the electric motor also provides parallel drive. The electric motor chips in with 33kW from 1040 to 5600 rpm, taking the overall power output to a respectable 86kW.
Note that the Prius drives through a CVT automatic transmission with a selector lever sprouting from dashboard. It's operated like any other auto transmission, except there's also a 'B' gear position that - when engaged - increases the effect of the regenerative braking system.
Obviously, the Prius is not the sort of vehicle to offer hair-raising performance. Thanks to the immediate availability of the torque supplied by the electric motor, though, it is quite capable of keeping up with traffic without fuss. One thing that takes some getting used to, however, is that you have to vary brake pedal pressure to maintain a constant rate of deceleration whenever the regenerative braking system decides to cut it. Interestingly, our 20,000-odd kilometre Series 1 test vehicle (supplied by Melbourne's Sports and Luxury Cars) also had some jerks and clunks when switching drive sources; since the Series 2 Australian-delivered Prius we tested was seamless in this respect, we can only guess that refinements were made to the later hybrid system.
Given that the electric motor is relied upon as the sole power source at light load, it's no surprise that the Prius fuel consumption and emissions are best in gentle city/urban conditions. In typical driving, the petrol-drinking engine is used only for moderate-to-heavy acceleration and maintaining speeds above around 50 km/h. In order to
completely eliminate fuel consumption and emissions, the hybrid system will also shut down the petrol engine whenever the car becomes stationary. Under these ideal urban/city conditions you can expect the Prius to return around 5.0-litres per 100km fuel consumption - together with only
20 percent of the carbon dioxide generated by an equivalent sized conventional car...
While the Prius hybrid system is highly innovative, the rest of the car is pretty conventional.
The four-door cabin offers generous front headroom with adequate legroom and width. Rear seat passengers benefit from a relatively high roofline delivering abundant headroom and good space in all other sprawling directions. The only gripe in terms of space is that the boot-mounted battery pack of the Series 1 Prius eats a considerable amount of cargo space - more than double that of the Australian-delivered Series 2.
The Prius can be a little noisy at heavy load but, with its engine shut down, it's completely 'stealth' at light load and low-speed cruise - under these conditions, the Prius is every bit as quiet as a mega-buck Euro prestige car. This 1250-odd kilogram hybrid offers a very soft, compliant ride but it does understeer whenever hustled through a corner. MacPherson-type front struts and lower L-arms are employed at the front, while a trailing-arm curved torsion beam axle can be found at the rear. Swaybars are also fitted at both ends.
The most striking feature of the Prius cabin must be its central multi-function touch screen. This 5.8-inch LCD screen displays instantaneous hybrid operating status, a fuel consumption monitor, service schedule, time/date, ambient temperature as well as the controls for the audio system. The only problem - and it's a big one - is many of the on-screen characters are in Japanese...
The Prius also uses an LED instrument cluster directly ahead of the driver at the base of the windscreen. This displays road speed, fuel level, odometer/trip meter and a 'Ready' sign for when the hybrid system is operating. Coolant temperature is indicated by a blue or red illuminated symbol.
Specification wise, the Prius is quite well endowed. It's got analogue climate control, power windows and mirrors, a 4-speaker cassette/CD/tuner (set to Japanese radio frequencies), twin airbags, map lights, remote central locking, rear fog light and more. It's not exactly a bare-bones economy car...
The body - while not the most attractive design ever dreamt - is nonetheless technically advanced. With attached airflow over its top panels, smooth flow down the sides, a sharply cut-off rear trailing edge and undercarriage wind deflectors the Prius achieves a very respectable 0.29 co-efficient of drag. Its ugly 14-inch alloy wheels and 175/65 factory tyres also offer minimal rolling resistance. The only give-aways to the presence of the hybrid driveline are a badge on the boot lid and a cooling vent for the hybrid battery in the left-hand C-pillar.
Okay - now let's cut to the chase. At $39,990, the locally-delivered Series 2 Prius is out of reach of the average small 4-door buyer as well as those motorists keen to get behind the push for 'clean cars'. Poor sales prove that. With the availability of second-hand Series 1 Japanese import Prius for nearly half that price, though, the whole equation changes. Practical, eco-friendly motoring is now within reach for most modern car buyers - and that can only be a very, very good thing.
To see our new car test of the Australian-delivered Series 2 Prius visit "The Toyota Prius Hybrid - Part 1" and for a technical run-down of the hybrid system take a look at "The Toyota Prius - Part 2"
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Toyota Prius "Series 1" Fast Facts...
- Good urban fuel consumption - although many current conventional-powered cars aren't far behind
- Minimal exhaust emissions
- Adequate on-road performance
- Soft, comfortable ride
- Very quiet at light load
- Spacious and practical
- Well appointed
- Many of the LCD touch-screen characters are in Japanese
- At last - an affordable hybrid!
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Contact:
Sports and Luxury Cars
+61 3 9753 5799
http://www.sportsluxurycars.com.au
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