Test drive

 Well I just took my first test drive in a Prius and think I will wait awhile
befoer I get one (1 or 2 years).
The dash is like that minivan dash long and wide which I dont like, there is
not a power seat option , but the  worst thing is the rear window, when I
got in and loked at the rear view mirror i thought I was looking down a
tunnel.
The computer display seemed very distracting even for just changing the
raido stations(maybe if the sales men who was in the back seat ) knew a
little more about it it would have been a more comforable drive.
I ahve had a camery for the last 10 years and love the Toyota line but I
just hhink that except for the gas milliage hte is still a lot of work to do
on this.

  Although I find my 2005 Prius a very well thought out and put together car
and am enjoying it very much, it certainly isn't for everyone. My previous
car was a Ford Explorer, which I liked very much and put a whole lot of
trouble-free miles on, unfortunately, I also put a lot of gas into it as
well. Seeing that the Prius was the no. 1 car in the U.S. on owner
satisfaction, I took a look at it.

I liked the clean dash look and especially the location of the speedometer
and other lights. As a retired military pilot, it reminded me of the
"heads-up" displays and keeps my speed within my vision when looking at the
road ahead.

The computer display can be distracting, but I am getting used to it and
don't pay much attention when in heavy traffic. Besides, with a touch I can
turn it completely off to a black screen (and still use the radio, by the
way).

I was not sure about the lack of electric seat controls, but found that the
seat was very comfortable, all the way back, for my 6' and 235 lb body.

As to the rear view, my other present car is a F150 pickup with a cap over
the bed. Compared to that, the rear view in the Prius is expansive. Yes, it
could be better, but I am used to relying heavily on the outside mirrors,
which are good, and have little problems with the back window.

As to waiting a couple of years, the best information is that there will be
few changes to the Prius until the 2009 model year. The last significant
change was for the current version in 2004.

If you are interested in the hybrid technology, look at the Ford Escape,
which uses the Toyota system, or the upcoming Lexus or Toyota Highlander,
both coming out this year, I hear. I also hear rumors that Toyota is
considering putting the hybrid technology into the Camry. But, next time try
to get a sales person with more knowledge of the car.

 The rear window and rear view mirror take a little getting use to:
1. There're actually two rear windows and the eye of a driver snaps to
the top one - some training will aid the driver at looking through
(ignoring) the horizontal divider and not focusing on it but the view
beyond...
2. The mirror's self darkening feature works very well so no
adjustment needed with bright lights or UFOs flying behind you... This
may be an extra option.

I've had the car now for 4 months and drove 5,000 miles - a wonderful
experience. How will Toyota top this? The competitors are far behind
on feature by feature and total package value.
Rent the car for a day - this is how I test drove it....

Ori Artman