Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Toyota Prius

While in the Bay Area over the weekend for my older/little sister's wedding, I had a double surprise at the car rental agency.

I reserved an economy car, which I always do, but unlike most every other rental, I actually received an economy car, too. I usually get a "complimentary" upgrade to some piece of junk I don't want, like a mid-size Pontiac or some other gas-guzzling, boring, can-only-do-a-U-turn-in-an-open-field pile of crap.

Plus, I got a Prius, which is a new one for me. The push-button start and electric motor took a little getting used to, but after about, oh, the second time I turned it on, everything was cool. The Prius is a surprisingly fun car to drive: peppy, roomy and ergonomically sensible. The easy-to-read display that shows fuel level, odometer, speedometer, etc., is like a heads-up-display, but just below the windshield.

The only quibble I have is that - possibly down to me - the car didn't run through the same startup routine each time I turned it on, and twice had to be restarted. In a car without a normal arrangement of parts, that's a little unsettling.

I'd think seriously about buying one, which is more than I can say for almost any car I have ever rented. Almost is because I got to drive a Fiat Punto all over Tunisia a few years ago, and I loved it! So, I'll take a Prius and a Punto.

And a Mustang, too. Why not.

3 comments:

SquirrelGurl said...

Two of my co-workers and my parents' neighbor have a Prius. Every one of them LOVES their car and thats saying something since the neighbor gave up her Mercedes to get the Prius. The only thing she misses is the heated the seats that the Mercedes had.

I got the chance to ride in a Prius and loved it. It would have made the short list of cars that I am considering purchasing when my car needs to be replaced but it has no trunk space. Ok so it has trunk space but very little. And that just won't do- I carry a lot of junk in my trunk :o) But seriously, thats the only thing I can fault the car for. Its way roomier inside than you would think and is fun to drive around in. I just don't think I'd be able to fit all the stuff I'd need to carry in the back. Maybe they'll come out with a new model with more trunk space. That would be AWESOME.

Field Notes said...

How much junk do you need to trunk Squirrelgurl? The giant Newf plus the spaniel could fit in the Prius :=)

SquirrelGurl said...

All sorts of junk like my Buttercup's saddle, her blankets, bridle and we can't forget Storm dog's bag of goodies. Keep in mind this all needs to be in the very back cause Stormy likes to have the backseat all to himself :o)