Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm into automobiles almost as much as I am technology (these days the lines between the two blur). In January of last year I cashed in one and a half bitcoin and bought a used hypersonic red 2016 Prius 3.

Remember $16k bitcoin?! Those were the days.

So what's the verdict after owning the Prius for a year?

My initial impression of the Prius was it was like learning to drive all over again. What quickly became apparent is this wasn't just a car, it's more like a behavior modification device. I'll explain more about that later. My previous car was a 2010 Honda Fit Sport and, although the Honda was a wonderful vehicle, the Prius is so technologically advanced it's like a spaceship in comparison.

Ruby's (yes, I name my cars) maiden voyage was a trip halfway across the country to New York City in mid-January. The hardest thing to get used to was the sheer amount of feedback coming from the display, there's a LOT going on and at first it was a huge distraction. The smaller screen in the upper center of the dashboard shows how efficiently you're driving and gives you a "score" between every start and stop. This was super annoying at first but now I (mostly) ignore it. I have to say that whether I ignore it or not, it has made me a better driver.

This trip to the East Coast was like boot camp, riddled with a myriad of dangerous obstacles. One of the scariest of which was when a woman directly in front of us slammed on her brakes unexpectedly and for no apparent reason on a freeway off ramp somewhere in rural Indiana. I merely tapped the brakes and our poor beagle Amstel immediately came flying through the air from the hatchback and through the gap between the front seats. Luckily, my wife caught Amstel like a football a fraction of a second before he hit the dashboard. Lesson learned, those Toyota disk brakes definitely have some serious stopping power.

By the time we crossed through the Holland tunnel into New York City l had really started to appreciate the Prius. First of all it's quiet and fun to drive but the most astonishing thing was the gas mileage. We averaged well over 50 mpgs while driving 70+ mph. Little did I know the best was yet to come. My Honda had less horsepower and averaged around 29 mpg overall. I later discovered that city driving is truly where the hybrid powertrain shines. Around town I'm now averaging closer to 70 miles per gallon. I literally only get gas once every three or four weeks.

Design

Everything aspect of the design of this fourth generation of Prius is polarizing. People either love it or they abhor it and this generation's sales have taken a huge hit as a result. I happen to like the look of this car, especially the taillights, which make it very visible at night. The front end makes the car appear to be a sneering bird of prey and my wife and I lovingly call it "the angry hybrid." The sharp angles remind me of a stealth aircraft.

The interior of the car is just as polarizing. Most of the hypersonic red models I've seen have the black/grey interiors but mine has the lighter tan and light grey color scheme, which makes the cabin feel much larger than it really is.

Driveability

The 4th generation Prius is a bigger car than you might imagine. It's not nimble, by any means, but most people don't expect a hybrid to drive like a sports car. It has acceptable power in most situations, especially in Normal or Power Drive mode. When accelerating to pass on the freeway the power is more than you expect. When starting from a complete stop (unless you're in Power Mode) acceleration feels slow, which makes sense from a fuel economy standpoint.

Quality

This is one area that Toyota is known to excel in. Fit and finish on the car are flawless. At nearly 33k miles there are no rattles or squeaks whatsoever. If previous generations are any indicator, expected reliability of Gen 4 should be way above average. I recently had to take Ruby in for some recall work (engine wiring harness) and met an owner of a Gen 2 (2009) Prius that was in for its 250k mile service. The mechanic told him they changed the spark plugs and found nothing else wrong. He said it should be good for another 100k miles. The drivetrains on these cars last so much longer because the internal combustion engine is only operating a portion of the time you’re driving. The Prius continuously cycles between running on the internal combustion (gasoline) engine and the electric motors depending on driving conditions so there’s less wear and tear.

The Heart of the Prius

Source

The Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain is the heart of this car and is where the Toyota engineer’s have showcased their brilliance. The most advanced aspects of the car are tucked away under the hood and once you learn more about how it all works it’s truly fascinating. With each generation the HSD system has taken a huge leap in efficiency and refinement. This fourth generation HSD is a full 70lbs lighter than the first generation sold in America in 2002. The amazing gas mileage is the obvious advantage but many forget that the C02 emissions of the Prius are only a small fraction of comparable internal combustion models.

Conclusion

As great as the Prius is I likely won't keep this car more than a few more years. Even before I bought it I realized this would be my "bridge car" to the world of pure electric vehicles. The plan is to make the step up to a Tesla 3 in 2020 or 2021. The reason I’m waiting is my wife and I live in a condominium and can’t install a charger in our garage stall. Elon Musk has said the goal of Tesla over the next few years will be to make electric cars feasible for apartment dwellers to own. To make good on that promise Tesla will be aggressively expanding its already impressive network of supercharging stations over the next few years. Battery and charging technology will be sure to improve exponentially as well. I don't know why they just don't make the batteries slide out so they can replace the depleted battery bank with a fully charged one, there must be a good reason why.

Soon, charging a Tesla will be nearly as simple and as easy as filling a conventional car up with gasoline.

Until that day, Ruby, my very polarizing and p!ssed-off hybrid will suit me just fine. : )

Thanks for reading!

~Eric

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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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