Two more weeks and the Toyota Prius long-term loan goes back home and already there is a sense of sadness building up. I’ve always been under the impression that in order to love a car, it must have a soul, character, flare and make you feel alive. Frankly, it doesn’t.
I’ve spent the last two weeks driving the Prius to and from Brisbane CBD morning and afternoon and I think I’ve finally realised that perhaps, I am actually attached to this car on more levels than one.
When I drove a Bentley Supersports a few weeks ago, I had that immediate sense of falling madly in love with a machine that made me feel like I was 12 again. It was a treat, everyone needs to feel like that every once in a while. Then I came back to Brisbane and jumped back in the Prius and to my surprise there wasn’t that sense of disappointment.
It’s a bit like this, you know how women say there are two types of men, the one type which is like a caveman, big, built and generally mostly used for a short romantic encounter, then there are the humble family men, you know the type, practical, loving, caring, etc etc. I think cars such as the Bentley fulfil the first criteria, they are Sunday cars, only because you love them more that way. The Prius, on the other hand, is the epitome of an everyday car. You can’t fault the bloody thing.
If I had all the money in the world I can assure you there would be a Prius i-Tech sitting in my garage (along side other cars such a Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin V12 Vantage and an ABT tuned Audi R8).
So far the only things that have annoyed me with the Prius are the somewhat limited rear-vision due to the cars oddly shaped backside, the lack of native iPod support and the resulting distortion experienced through the auxiliary port and most importantly, the high pitch beeping noise it makes when you’re reversing (I know I am reversing, there is no need to remind me every half a second).
All minor issues to say the least. On the other hand, it’s one of the most comfortable cars I’ve travelled long distances in, it’s incredibly quite to the point that pedestrians don’t hear you behind them when you want to get past. It’s packed full technology that you absolutely cannot find in any car for a similar price.
I think Toyota should attempt to market the Prius to the gadget lovers as well as the environmentally conscious as it has enormous appeal from a technological point of view. You can read more about its technological features in my previous updates.
