2004 Toyota Prius

The next great hybrid is here


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All this is combined with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, and as one powerplant the Prius produces 76 horsepower and 82 lb.-ft. of torque -- compared to 70 hp and 82 lb.-ft. for the previous model. Improving the previous Prius' performance was a major issue for Toyota engineers, and they improved acceleration, 0-60 times and fuel efficiency. Overall, the performance of the Prius is not unlike a typical 4-cylinder vehicle, though you can feel the weight difference a little. It's not fast off the line, but gets out quickly enough -- it's 0-60 is improved to 10 seconds, a full 2 ticks less than the 2003 Prius. Fuel mileage did improve by about 7 miles-per-gallon, though your personal driving habits will influence this number. Where the Prius shines most, however, is in driveability. The thing is easy to drive, smooth and effortless on acceleration and turning -- thanks in part to Toyota's throttle-by-wire technology, which replaces the traditional gearshift lever and allows shifting using a small joystick mounted on the dash. Once at cruising speeds, the Prius slices through road; on trips with multiple errands, it is an incredibly easy vehicle to start, stop, park and maneuver.

Which, when you think about it, is what most of us need a car to do. And that takes the Prius out of the fringe and puts it square in the playing field of the rest of us.


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