Prius for me!

My favourite automobile, the Toyota Prius.

The reasons I like the Prius (though I can't drive) are its cute shape, the rear-view camera for my dad, and the fact that my family is helping save the environment. Here are some detailed auto-lover reasons why the Prius is so cool:
Hybrid Cars

Toyota has sold more Priuses than all other hybrids combined—The Prius inspires a cult-like devotion from its drivers. Satisfaction rates, consistently at 98 percent, are unparalleled. The Prius drives like a charm, humming along silently in all-electric mode at low speeds and revving up its 110 combined gas-electric horsepower for a respectable 0-to-60 rate of 10.2 seconds. Fuel economy – EPA combined city/highway rating of 55 mpg
Emissions – 89 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new car, exceeding the standards for a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV).

The Prius has plenty of leg room and storage space. Its stability control system makes it very safe. And the Prius has loads of bells and whistles, from keyless entry, high-tech fuel use dash display, and (on the 2006 model) a rear-view camera system to help you squeeze into a tight parking spot. All that in a package in the mid-$20k range.

Some problems

Then, there's the "Prius blind spot." The hatchback design limits the driver's visibility through the rear window. That makes some people crazy and is a non-issue for others. You have to take a test drive to see how it feels to you.

Another issue has to do with your interest in and tolerance for new technology. The Prius has been on the road in Japan since 1997, and in the United States since 2000. The performance of the new technology has been remarkable, but not without a blemish. In Oct. 2005, following a number of reports that Priuses were inexplicably stalling on the highway, Toyota recalled 75,000 Priuses in the United States. Apparently, the vehicle's computer system needed to be reset—and all was well. (Some hybrid drivers complained of reduced mileage after the procedure.)

Next Generation Toyota Prius

The final item is the potential of the third generation Prius, due out in late 2008 as a 2009 model. Can you wait until then? When Toyota released the second generation Prius in 2003, the vehicle was bigger, faster, more efficient, and more stylized than its predecessor. The third generation Prius promises a similar bump in the key metrics. Toyota has already made announcements about the use of better battery technology and hinted at a plug-in option. If these improvements pan out, then the next generation Prius could break the 70 mpg record!

Some of the famous people who like the Toyota Prius are the attractive Cameron Diaz, Kate Bosworth, and the cute young Hayden Panetierre: