The Prius(with photos)

After a busy week, here's the post I said I would do. (See my first take on the Prius last week)

Although it's already a relatively old model, it is still fascinating, since it's still light years ahead of it's competitors.

It's an expensive hybrid, you wouldn't expect it to sell as good as Camry's; instead it's more of a proof of concept that sets the Toyota brand apart from the competitors. So, only select dealers do show the Prius, where they add a mark to show it does. They say it's a glimpse of the future, but we all know clearly, that we would ultimately need cars that doesn't been gasoline.


Here's the electric motor, taking up half the space of the engine chamber. And this is where it needs specially trained technicions for maintainence. So you're stuck to Toyota dealers that do Prius repairs.

The Hybrid mark on the side and the back, a show off badge that shouts out "I love the environment" (And of course, "I'm rich").

The driver's seat, you can see a "Power button"that starts the engine, the dashboard, and the shift, which is more like a joy stick: every thing's drive-by-wire. The dashboard might seem weird with all the meters and numbers in the middle, up on top on the dashboard. But I tried sitting in the driver's seat, and was amazed by the genious of the design. You can keep your head to the road, and read the numbers without moving your head. I like it.

The "Power button", up close. They use it with the newer "key-less" systems, and it's very cool.