Toyota Prius 1.5 T Spirit

Road Test

Your Say

Toyota Prius 1.5 T Spirit

Test date 10 February 2004 Price as tested £20,832

For Roomy cabin, urban economy, low emissions

AgainstOrdinary performance, noisy engine, not fun to hustle

There is nothing new about hybrids like the Prius – cars that use both petrol and electric power to produce fewer emissions and consume less fuel than conventional vehicles. What is new about the second wave of hybrids is that you needn’t be a card-carrying Green to want to buy one.

The first-generation hybrids introduced at the start of the decade wowed us with their green credentials and high-tech oily bits, but didn’t present a strong enough argument to justify choosing one over a conventional petrol- or diesel-powered car. Despite enjoying a £1000 Government subsidy for green cars, both Honda’s Insight and the original Toyota Prius were still more expensive than their more humble rivals and, while the five-seat Prius didn’t suffer the impracticality of the two-seat Insight, the styling was a turn-off to European buyers and it wasn’t much fun to drive, either.

Honda’s riposte, the Civic IMA, arrived last year, a sensible four-door saloon packed with the Insight’s style of motive power that we found capable and practical, if just a little dull to look at and to drive. Toyota, too, is still firmly committed to the cause, to the extent that a Lexus RX300 hybrid will be on sale before the end of the year. But first to arrive is the new Prius, allegedly the world’s cleanest family car.