Well, I can't say much about how I like or dislike the Prius since I own an HCH2. However, someone I know purchased a Prius (I started him on the hybrid thing) and he loves the car. The pickup seems adequate, as compared to any other "economy" 4 cyl sedan. I have sat in the back seat several times and have always had sufficient room. I got to drive the car once, and it did seem to me that it picked up *slightly* faster than my HCH. Anytime you have additional torque at lower speeds, it will seem that way I believe. As someone pointed out, you need to know how your car handles and you will be as safe as you can be based upon your actions. Not quite the same words, but I belive the same point, none the less. I did find that funky back end rear view awkward, but would probably get used to it as it was driven. One thing I thought was that the Prius cornered much better than my HCH. The braking seemed better to, but it could be suspension, etc as well. Or maybe just my imagination haha.

Again, test drive all the vehicles that are in your price range and type of car. It never hurts to see what feels best to you. I traded in my regular civic for the HCH. I am loving the car everytime I have to drive. I tend to hover around 40-45 MPG depending on the season with a typical drive averaging around 5-7 miles each way. That's a bad drive no matter what car you own because you barely get up to operating temperature for the engine (in the case of hybrid, the rest of the system too).

Not trying to jump threads, as I typically stay on the HCH one because it's what I own. Was checking whats here to see what people say about the Prius and stuff.