2005 Toyota Prius Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: The Prius is a great and cheap car to run! by LectroFuel

Feature availability

The car has many standard features. It has automatic climate control and a touchscreen standard. There are a bunch off fuel economy saving guages on the screen that help you with saving gas.

Interior styling

The interior is very well put together. There are many hard plastics, but everything feels solid and nothing has ever broken off. The front armrest console has fabric that has worn off over time. The seats are beige and very hard to clean. There are many stains. There is a LOT of storage in this car. I can bring an entire camping trip's worth of stuff in the car. The trunk is huge! Many storage compartments to keep things safe.

Reliability & durability

I have only had to fix recalls and an A/C blower that went out a couple weeks ago. Nothing major at all.

Fuel economy

The car gets great fuel economy. About 35-41 mpg.

Front seat support & comfort

The seats are surprisingly comfortable in the front. It has tons of lumbar support and the seats fit me perfectly. There is a lot of foot room.

Powertrain performance

The engine is extremely loud when accelerating almost anywhere. It's REALLY slow. About 10.1 sec 0-60 when new. About 12 sec I'm guessing now. The battery is getting weaker and can doesnt run as often in EV mode as it used to. I have to floor the car often to get on the freeway. This lowers MPG a LOT. This is why I don't really get the advertised MPG.

Ride smoothness

The shocks are going out and I don't really want to pay for them because they will be worth half of what the car is worth. The ride gets choppy at times. It is terrible, but is not one of it's strong points.

Quietness

The wind noise is loud, which is wierd because it is aerodynamic. There is also a lot of road noise, which gets annoying.

Handling

I expect this out of a hybrid, but there is no steering feel and the steering wheel doesn't feel connected to the road. It isn't very fun to drive. Also, when driving in a parking lot or when you're turning the wheels at low speed, the steering wheel is very heavy and hard to turn.

Tires

The low rolling resistance tires give the car it's great fuel economy. These tires have no grip and when you're in an emergency situation, the car understeers. When going around a corner, it understeers. This is a huge reason why the car handles badly.

Color choices

I bought it new in Salsa Red Pearl. The paint is starting to peel.

Controls and instruments

Everything is very easy to use. There are many buttons on the steering wheel from a/c to audio controls to cruise control.

Price or payments

Great value.LOW MAINTENANCE.

Safety & braking

The braking is very touchy because they regenerate power to the hybrid battery. It stops VERY quickly though.

Rear seat room & comfort

The rear seat is very hard and not that comfortable. There is a lot of room though and easy to see out of the car.

I'm going to keep this car until it dies.