ok, i think i'm gonna get flamed. but i was stuck in 2 hours of LA traffic this morning, i realized the that the prius can use the carpool lane come 2005. my original pick for a car was either an RL, TL, 5 series, E class, new lexus GS or new 3 series. Any hybrid can use the carpool w/ 45mpg or better... so i thought of the prius, and it had same cool features, it's just the ugliest car i've ever seen... some features i liked...

keyless entry
hid
bluetooth
dvd voice nav
45 mpg!

 

You answered your own question. If it had heated seats, it would really rock!

 

I'd rather get a Hybrid Accord over a Prius, and I don't like Accord's that much.

 

amazing value for a car huh...

 

My aunt gets 55mpg in hers. Also, you can monitor the engine and power distribution through the little screen in the dash. Push button on/off is a negative IMHO, but I thought the car was nice! It is just as roomy as the camry and has most of it's options, just doesnt have the acceleration. You gotta give up something though for 50+mpg..

 

I just think it odd that, at least for the US market, the Prius is the only vehicle with LED taillights. No Lexus model has LEDs yet.

 

This car is the future of the car. Only way to get us off fossial based fuels. If they can make a normal car like the Accord to be Hybrid. Then every model can be Hybrid. Just a matter of time.

The next Gen Acura's will probably be Hybrids.

 

Do they still have a 6 month wait?

 

Are you sure about that? I am fairly certain the LS430 has them...

 

prius gets better milage when there is trafic and slow moving cuz of its 'engine/power' distrabution..... aka itself turning off the engine

 

I don't think this is the only way. Diesels have a lot of promise and can often surpass the fuel economy of a hybrid on the highway whereas in town the hybrids do better. Since bio-diesel is a renewable resource diesels make a lot of sense.

With respect to the Prius I drove when when it came out and seriously considered one as my wife was driving my diesel Bug. Pretty impressive car and would be an excellent daily driver especially in a city environment. It was a lot better than I thought it would be. Spookily quiet at times.

We took a long drive and cruised in (as my son put it) "stealth mode" (ie. totally electric) through a neighborhood and scared the bejeezus out of an old lady when she was rolling out our trash can to the curb. Little old lady didn't hear us coming until I honked the horn so she wouldn't hit us with the trash can. My wife says the later wet herself from the shock. Actually she said she pi$$ed herself and it leaked through her Depends but I didn't want to exactly quote her words.

I thought about one with nav and loaded. One other thing kept me from buying is I'd want to see how they do longer term in our frigid winter temps. Batteries don't like really cold weather. The federal tax credit though would have been nice, at the time it was $2,000 back if you bought one.

 

ls has them, the new rx hybrid has them, and the gs coming out in march has them