Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Toyota Prius 2008 Review

Toyota Prius is the environmental champion of Toyota. When American car companies like GM was trying to develop cars that totally ran on electricity, Toyota came with a car that used both electric and gasoline power. Today, Toyota Prius is one of the most fuel efficient environment friendly cars in the world. It is also one of the highest selling cars in the USA. The car first appeared in Japan in 1997. In 2001, it came in USA. Till date, it is the highest sold fuel efficient car in the USA.

“Prius” is a Latin word which means, ‘to go before.’ It tells the car is a predecessor among its class. Till now, Toyota has released three models of Prius.

Toyota Prius 2008 comes in two different categories: Toyota Prius Base, Toyota Prius Touring.

Toyota Prius 2008 standard exterior/interior features include:

  • Intermittent rear window wiper.
  • Rear deck spoiler.
  • High Solar Energy-Absorbing glass.
  • Electronic rear hatch locking system.
  • Chrome-type finish grille.
  • Heavy-duty rear window defogger with timer.
  • Color-keyed front and rear bumpers and door handles.
  • Washer-linked variable intermittent windshield wipers.
  • Aerodynamic multi-reflector halogen headlamps.
  • Dual color-keyed power outside mirrors.
  • 15-inch 6 spoke alloy wheels with P185/65R15 tires.
  • Push button start.
  • Liquid crystal multi-information display panel with energy monitoring, fuel consumption, climate control, outside temperature and audio status modes.
  • Central instrument display with digital speedometer, fuel gauge, shift-lever indicator and odometer with twin tripmeters, and warning lights.
  • Remote keyless entry system with 2-stage unlocking, panic function and remote illuminated entry.
  • Electronic shift lever.
  • AM/FM CD with six speakers.
  • Cargo area side panel and under-floor storage.
  • Tilt steering wheel with audio, climate control, navigation function and hands-free phone-calling controls.
  • Power windows with driver-side auto-up/down and retained-power features.
  • Power automatic door locks with anti-lockout feature.
  • Remote hood and fuel-filler door releases.
  • Center console armrest with storage compartment, drawer, and dual front and rear cup holders.
  • Overhead console with maplights.
  • Fabric-trimmed seats and door panels with storage pockets and bottle holders in front doors.
  • 4-way adjustable front seats with adjustable headrests.
  • 60/40 split fold-down rear bench seat with fold-down center armrest and adjustable headrests in all seating positions.
  • Defroster-linked CFC-free automatic climate control with electric inverter compressor air conditioning, humidity sensor and air filtration.
  • Dual-compartment glove box.
  • Digital quartz clock.
  • Two 12V auxiliary power outlets.
  • Dual illuminated visor and vanity mirrors.
  • Retractable passenger-assist grips at all doors.
  • Front and rear dome lights.

As part of optional package for Toyota Prius 2008 you will get:

  • 15-in. 6-spoke alloy wheels with P185/65R15 tires and trim rings.
  • Heated outside mirrors.
  • High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and integrated fog lamps.
  • Cruise control that maintains a pre-set speed as set by the driver.
  • Advanced computerized key system. This system uses sensors to automatically unlock the doors and start the vehicle.
  • Auxiliary audio jack and MP3/WMA playback capability.
  • AM/FM 6-disc in-dash CD changer with nine speakers in seven locations, auxiliary audio jack, MP3/WMA playback capability, satellite radio capability, hands-free phone capability via bluetooth.
  • Voice-activated DVD navigation system.
  • Tonneau cover.
  • Dual seatback pockets.
  • Leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel.
  • Auto-dimming rearview mirror.
  • Backup camera.
Toyota Prius 2008 safety features include:
  • Driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System.
  • Driver and front passenger front seat-mounted side airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags.
  • Anti-lock Brake System with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist.
  • Traction Control.
  • Child-protector rear door locks.
  • Front and rear crumple zones and side-impact door beams.
  • Engine immobilizer.
  • Center high-mount stop lamp.
  • Temporary spare tire.
  • Rear-seat Child Restraint System lower anchors and top tether brackets.
  • 3-point front outboard seatbelts with adjustable shoulder anchors and driver-side Emergency locking retractor, front passenger automatic/emergency locking retractor.
  • 3-point rear seatbelts with automatic/emergency locking retractors for all passengers.
  • Outboard front seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters.
  • Driver and front passenger seatbelt warning sensor.
  • Hood hold-down hooks.
  • Direct Tire Pressure Monitor System.

As part of optional package for Toyota Prius 2008 you will get:

  • Anti-theft system.
  • Vehicle stability control.

Price:
The manufacturer's suggested retail price of Toyota Prius 2008 is $21,100.


Toyota Prius 2008 Touring standard exterior/interior features include:
  • Touring Exterior interior.
  • Tuned suspension.
  • 16-inch 7-spoke alloy wheels with P195/55R16 tires and full wheel covers.
  • Dual color-keyed power outside mirrors.
  • Heated outside mirrors.
  • High Intensity Discharge headlamps and integrated fog lamps.
  • Washer-linked variable intermittent windshield wipers.
  • Color-keyed front and rear bumpers and door handles.
  • Heavy-duty rear window defogger with timer.
  • Chrome-type finish grille.
  • Electronic rear hatch locking system.
  • High Solar Energy-Absorbing glass.
  • Touring has a larger rear deck spoiler.
  • Intermittent rear window wiper.
  • Push button start system.
  • Liquid crystal multi-information display panel with energy monitoring, fuel consumption, climate control, outside temperature and audio status modes.
  • Central instrument display with digital speedometer, fuel gauge, shift-lever indicator and odometer with twin tripmeters, and warning lights.
  • Cruise control.
  • Remote keyless entry system with 2-stage unlocking, panic function and remote illuminated entry.
  • Electronic shift lever.
  • AM/FM CD with six speakers.
  • Cargo area side panel and under-floor storage.
  • Tonneau cover.
  • Tilt steering wheel with audio, climate control, navigation function and hands-free phone-calling controls.
  • Power windows with driver-side auto-up/down and retained-power features.
  • Power automatic door locks with anti-lockout feature.
  • Remote hood and fuel-filler door releases.
  • Center console armrest with storage compartment, drawer, and dual front and rear cup holders.
  • Overhead console with maplights.
  • Fabric-trimmed seats and door panels with storage pockets and bottle holders in front doors.
  • Four way adjustable front seats with adjustable headrests.
  • Dual seatback pockets.
  • 60/40 split fold-down rear bench seat with fold-down center armrest and adjustable headrests in all seating positions.
  • Defroster-linked CFC-free automatic climate control with electric inverter compressor air conditioning, humidity sensor and air filtration.
  • Dual-compartment glove box.
  • Digital quartz clock.
  • Two 12V auxiliary power outlets.
  • Dual illuminated visor and vanity mirrors.
  • Retractable passenger-assist grips at all doors.
  • Front and rear dome lights.

As part of optional package for Toyota Prius 2008 you will get:

  • Smart Key System.
  • AM/FM CD with six speakers, auxiliary audio jack and MP3/WMA playback capability.
  • AM/FM 6-disc in-dash CD changer with nine speakers in seven locations, auxiliary audio jack, MP3/WMA playback capability, satellite radio capability and hands-free phone capability via Bluetooth.
  • Voice-activated DVD navigation system.
  • Auto-dimming rearview mirror.
  • Backup camera.

Toyota Prius 2008 safety features include:

  • Driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System.
  • Driver and front passenger front seat-mounted side airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags.
  • Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution. (EBD) and Brake Assist.
  • Traction Control (TRAC).
  • Child-protector rear door locks.
  • Front and rear crumple zones and side-impact door beams.
  • Engine immobilizer.
  • Center high-mount stop lamp (CHMSL).
  • Temporary spare tire.
  • Rear-seat Child Restraint System (CRS) lower anchors and top tether brackets (LATCH).
  • 3-point front outboard seatbelts with adjustable shoulder anchors and driver-side Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR), front passenger Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR).
  • 3-point rear seatbelts with Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractors (ALR/ELR) for all passengers.
  • Outboard front seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters.
  • Driver and front passenger seatbelt warning sensor.
  • Hood hold-down hooks.
  • Direct Tire Pressure Monitor System.

As part of optional package for Toyota Prius 2008 you will get:

  • Anti-theft system
  • Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).

Price:
The manufacturer's suggested retail price of Toyota Prius 2008 is $23,370.

Useful Link:
http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/ (Toyota Hybrid Prius’ official website)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What ever you do please do not buy the navigation system. When the car is moving you cannot access any of the navigation features. There is no way to override so the system is practically useless.

Anonymous said...

The previous comment is factually incorrect. If you consult the user manual on the navigation section you can still use the nav system while driving through a series of voice commands. There is a button on the steering wheel you push and the nav system responds to voice commands. It is more tedious than selecting your destination before starting your trip but you can still use the nav system. You say a key word like address or any of the others in the manaul and it will prompt the car to ask you a series of questions either detailing the address further by narrowing the state, city, street, then house number or by allowing you to adjust your cars heating/cooling or making phone calls. It took us a long time to discover this feature but it is there and is nice to be able to use while the car is in motion. You can also input phone numbers into the speed dial buttons and attach a voice command to those so you can hit the call button from the steering wheel and it will dial for you based on the command you give it. You can also call a number not in the speed dial by giving it the digits to call. I will admit that the voice commands are primitive and not very intuitive and you must speak clearly and assertively or the car tends to misinterpret - with that said I wanted to share that the nav system is a great feature that just takes some getting used to.