Knowing that your car emits less pollution than anything else on the road is a big selling point. Regenerative braking, CVT, immense torque, 50mpg, color touchscreen display ... all icing on the cake.

Its ugly, I'll admit that. Inside it is much bigger than it looks; the short hood and trunk make it look smaller than it really is.

If you're looking for the cheapest car to own, this isn't it. The money you save on gas won't make up for the difference in price over a Focus or Echo. However, this car is *far* more comfortable to drive than either, and more fun to boot. Shockingly good acceleration at higher speeds, despite being the quietest car I've ever driven. This car has all the features of a high-end compact, and is priced accordingly. Its not a stripped economy car, its a comfortable family sedan.

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Similar to Camry or Corolla... Somewhere in between.

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This is to refute what the other gentleman says about the Prius since I have one and have a first hand impression of the prius.

1. Acceleration: The insight with a manual transmission gives 0-60 in 10.8 secs (if driven right!). The prius with auto gives 0-60 in 12.4 sec. I measured it. Obly your decision on buying either the prius or the insight is not based on acceleration.

2. Pollution: Prius is SULEV, insight is ULEV. If you want a comparison of which is more polluting by the mile, take a look at http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/about.htm

Prius has a smog index of 0.14 which is far lower than insight.

Prius earns a 10 rating (least polluting, greenest vehicle) whereas the insight gets a 6. And since the basis is per mile, there is absolutely no doubt that the honda is a more polluting car.

And guess what, I have driven both the prius and the insight, and I love my prius.

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Prius

Quiet, spacious, solid, fun to drive, great fuel economy, super ultra low emissions.

Price, mediocre sound system, paint of dubious quality, poorly designed user interface on dash and computer touch screen.

The hybrid system, as implemented by Toyota, makes so much sense that I now find it a let-down to get into a conventional automobile. The integration of gasoline and electric is completely seamless. No starter motor, no shifting, no wasteful idling at stoplights or in traffic jams. On deceleration, the motor turns into a generator and recaptures some of the kinetic energy -- what a great concept! All this in a car that, though small, is very comfortable to drive in the city or on the freeway, has plenty of pep, and is well equipped. And you can feel good about doing less damage to the environment. The only thing that stops me from awarding that fifth star is the extraordinary amount of chipping and scratching that has occurred after 9 months; it seems that you just have to sneeze on this car to damage the finish.

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Honda Insight, the only other hybrid currently available, gets better mileage but is a two-seater with no trunk.

Fuel economy.
Comfort.
Technological wizardry (as in the displays).
Seamless 'gear shifting' (no gears: continuously variable transmission).
Quietness.

Light weight makes it susceptible to weaving in gusts -- as most small cars are.
Price is high for size -- but not for quality.

My new Prius is the most interesting car I've ever owned. It is also -- next only to my 1972 Citroen DS-Pallas -- the most comfortable. It beats the Sevilles, the DeVille, the Q-45, and the Trooper-SE I've owned the past 20 years.
The Prius is giving me nearly 60mpg (virtually all my driving is on city roads).
My only problem is that my wife keeps saying "It's so cute. Cute. Cute." -- and insists on driving it instead of her Mazda Millenia. (She even goes into the garage at night just to stand and admire the car.)
Everything about this vehicle is fine. Others have written about its displays: they're large and easily read. There is, in fact, little I can imagine that Toyota might have done better. Interior storage space is excellent. And the radio/tape/CD player beats the dickens out of every other car I've owned.
The Prius is a keeper. And if I finally drive it to death, I will get another Prius -- or whatever marvel Toyota replaces it with.

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Best car I've ever owned.

Impressive technology, seamless integration between electric and petrol engine, more mpg, environmentally friendly, comfortable, good AC, modern and functional instrumentation, good seats, nice driving position, well executed CVT

Poor interior quality, poor paint quality, original tyre size is wrong for this car- bad, bad original loudspeakers, too soft rear suspencion makes it hard to maneuvre in difficult situations. And how come they made a large old fashioned stick for manipulating the CVT and not some electronical gadget buttons on the steering wheel? Hm ...

A liberating new, innovative consept car from a company that dares. What is most striking is the execution of a good idea; the seamless integration between electric and petrol engines. Absolutely unbelievable. The car is more than fast enough (actually it's quite fast when overtaking on highways), very, very comfortable, and easily seats five grown ups. Boot space is adequate. The interior lay-out is superb, and everyone who says something negative about the instrumentation has not driven the car for more than one day. It's the best functionality dashboard I've seen, including my three latest cars- Audi A4, Peugeot 406 and Mercedes C200. The silence in the cabin is deafening, also at high speeds. Handling is comfortable, but by no means sporty. The rear suspencion is too soft, and can give you a surprise in the moose (elk) season ... Tyres/rims are a tricky thing with the Prius, the original 14'' does not work well. Switching to 185/55/15'' Continental Premium Contacts gave more nimble handling, more stability, higher mpg (by 4%) and a substantially quieter ride. How come Toyota is offering these tyres/dimension on a 1350 kg heavy, super innovative car? Also- get rid of the original speaker set, they're probably made of cardboard and they sound like trash. (I recommend a set of well balanced MB Quarts ... ahh ...). Driving this car in the city is a joy. Very flexible, easy the maneuvre, very small turning circle, quick - and so, so quiet. What I don't like in any Toyota is the cheap interior details and poor fittings, making all their cars seem cheap inside. Toyota - please take a look at a VW or an Audi, and see how this is properly done. Or a Mercedes. A little bit softer and more expensive plastics will probably get rid of the rattling and squeeky noises as well ... And the paint is also not that impressive, it chips and scars easily.

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Peugeot 406 (1 year), Audi A4 (1 year), Mercedes C200 (2 years)

Extremely suited for commuting in heavy traffic inside/outside city limits.
Very economical in fuel-consumption. Overall average: 56 (UK)mpg. Well designed, light, roomy interior.
Techically unmatched !!!

Gearlever feels jerky when changing gear from P to D.
Strange enough: D to R is just right !

Price paid: f.49000 (some US$ 19000) Roughly the same pricerange as Toyota Avensis 1.8 Huge price-cut round 35% because of tax-cut and environmental subsidies.
One tiny newspaper article grabbed me. After a short testdrive I was crazy about that Japanese hybrid. Until recently cars didn't do me that much. Surfing the internet groping for technical information, contacting enthousiasts and learning a lot.
There's no way back....I'm infected .........

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This car is unmatched !!