I think this is New Zealand, but I'm not sure. Interesting to read a "non American" review and try to figure out all the terms and phrases which are unfamiliar to our culture.

Also found out this, which I had never heard before:

"This is very much a First World car, however; Toyota cautions that the Prius should never be driven on poor gravel roads due to the risk of a kicked-up stone shattering one of the cast-alloy lower suspension arms."

Did any of you Prius owners know about that before? I bet not.....

http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?...icleId=2387593

It is indeed an interesting article, especially decoding the British descriptions for hood (bonnet) and trunk or hatch (boot). However, the writer got a few things wrong. First, there aren't 4-wheel disc brakes. The discs are only in the front. And he referenced the battery being 500v, which I believe it is around 200v (not exact voltage listed). So, what appears to be consistent between North American auto writers and auto writers in other places is that they also get details wrong.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)

What are these suspension arms? I had an incident on the highway. You think I should get the underside checked out?

Visit my newly-acquired website, Volconvo Debate Forums!

4-wheel discs standard in Europe, not sure in Japan. Battery in Prius is now 201.6 volts, inverter bumps it to 500V.

'04 Seaside Pearl #7. Fumoto oil drain, mudflaps, rear bumper scuff protector & rear warn system, compass mirror, EV mode button, 8" subwoofer in right rear cubby & 6" subs under seats, power lumbar in the front seats, Coastaletech hitch w/ Aspen bike/snowboard rack. iPod2car, 2 amps, Alpine component speakers, and DVD video, solid 47 MPG @ 70000 miles.

Interesting article, fo sho..

This "South African" based article reveals definitely interesting cultural insights. 'ZAs' or SA residents apparently cannot BUY a Prius, yet only Lease one for a fixed 4 yr term at about $475/mo (converted from the Rand), which is def a bummer, imo and at least based on current US practices; one in which I would not find myself a Prius Lessee. (especially not locked into 4 yrs - but thats just me).

Also, regarding the gravel warning... I'd speculate that such warning applies to 'driving' at cruise speed (25mph +) on "Poor" gravel roads. My driveway is actually gravel, oops, so that def caught my attention right off !

But basically, if you're rolling in your Prius on a rural African safari or sandy beach road, at speed, you're probably a high-cost profile jockey to begin with

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- Offset Fossil Fuels - OFF -

Indeed it is South Africa, here in NZ we can buy them (and get them with a working 'EV Mode' switch) - I wasn't warned about driving on gravel roads, and the guy at the dealership didn't mention that when we'd said we had (couple of times got a horrible grating sound from stones caught in the calipers - we finally figured you stop it by driving backwards for a while so they fall out).