Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £18,370 to £22,130
Improved drive, low emissions, real-world improvement in fuel consumption, clear head-up display.
Intrusive road and wind noise, limited rear headroom, expensive.
Vastly improved Prius is finally a credible rival to any diesel hatch and the best hybrid money can buy.
We have a few reservations here.
The first concerns the compromised driving position. The driver's seat, even on its lowest position, is mounted too high while the steering wheel is a little too bus-like when in its highest position.
At speed there's also a surprising degree of wind and road noise that intrudes into the cabin, which tends to undermine the efforts made to make the engine more refined.
There's also a question mark over the way the Prius rides since our drive was limited to smooth Swedish roads.
We drove versions on both 15" and 17" wheels and there was little difference between the two, but on less-than-smooth roads the Prius started to fidget. This could become irritating when the car is subjected to Britain's poorly surfaced roads. We'll reserve judgement until we drive the car in the UK, though.
The Prius is available in three model trims: T3, T4 and a range-topping T-Spirit. Each is well-equipped, the base T3 coming standard with the new head-up display, seven airbags, climate control, keyless go and 15" alloys (although bizarrely these have wheel trims added on top).
Spend £1,620 more and you get the mid-spec T4 trim that adds bigger 17" wheels, cruise control, Bluetooth and an eight-speaker sound system.
Finally, for a hefty £2,840 more than the base model you get the range-topping T-Spirit that adds sat nav, park assist and a hard disc music storage system.
Only two options will be offered: a leather interior (£1,395) and an innovative solar sunroof (£1,450) that runs the aircon when parked so you return to a chilled cabin.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Toyota Prius
wrote on 01 02 2007
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