Yes, it took a year and a half to hit 10,000 miles on Midori, my 2004 Toyota Prius. Yes, I still love the car. And, no, I don’t avoid driving to save on gas money.

Fuel Economy

Of course, everyone wants to know about the fuel economy. Does my Prius really get 55 miles to the gallon? Well, not when I drive it. Sometimes I baby it; sometimes I floor it. Sometimes I let the tire pressure drop to 30 PSI (oops!) and then pump it back up to 41/39. Admittedly, I’m no typical lead-footed, play-Frogger-on-the-highway teenager. But, I’m no “hypermiler,” either. And, all in all, I’ve managed a respectable 46+ MPG.

I don’t want to dwell on this mileage issue for long. It’s been done. Too much. I’ll just mention that the current Prius II median lifetime fuel economy from the real hybrid mileage database is 48 MPG from 110 cars. The individual vehicles range from 35 to 64 MPG.

Gas Gauge

Two months ago I had a Technical Service Bulletin repair done on my gas gauge system. If you haven’t heard of this issue before and aren’t having problems with a ridiculously inaccurate gas gauge, don’t worry. Toyota fixed its assembly line long ago. I find that even after this service, though, the car gives the “empty tank” alert way too early. I’m only averaging 8 or so gallons per fill-up in an “11.9” gallon tank.

Rattles

Okay. So, there are some rattles. The speaker above the multi-function display gets loose every so often. I asked the dealer to tighten it up once, but within a few hundred miles it was loose again. What can I do?

Lately, the auto-dimming HomeLink rearview mirror is also rattling. It’s quite annoying actually, but only noticeable sometimes when the radio is off and I’m cruising in stealth. I’ll look into it.

"New Car" Smell

Does everyone’s car smell new this long? Perhaps it’s because I keep it super-clean. I rarely eat in it; never spill in it. If the inside’s dirty, I’ll vacuum it relatively soon thereafter. Every time a guest climbs in he asks, as if on cue, “How old is this car?” Well, it’s a year and a half young. And, yes, it smells new.

The "Wow" Factor

I should write a script for myself. I’ll stick it in the central storage compartment and pull it out whenever I give someone new a ride.

Yes, it’s a hybrid electric vehicle. No, I don’t have to plug it in. Yes, I put gas in it. 45 to 50 miles per gallon. Yes, that’s good. Well, what type of car do you have? Yours gets about 20. Uh, huh. That’s bad. No, my car isn’t that fast, but the newer hybrids are. No, you can’t drive it.

Heck, I could make copies of the script and just hand it out. “Read this before you bother asking,” I’ll say. The Wow Factor is definitely there.

The Driver’s Seat

Tsk, tsk, Toyota. If there’s one thing I’m not overly pleased about, it’s the driver’s seat. I find it to be excessively narrow and sloped — even for me, an athletically-shaped guy. The left foot rest is too short for my size 11 shoe, so it can’t lie flat. I often opt to bend my leg next to the door, instead. There’s little stretch room.

Bluetooth Speakerphone

Toyota, who’s the one in charge of the Bluetooth speakerphone integration? Fire him. Really. Just go ahead and fire him. Either I am unknowingly dropping my cellphone in a bucket of water or the speakerphone system has some leaks.

Smart Entry & Start

What a great feature. I love it! The only downside is that when I am forced to drive another vehicle, I’ll literally forget to unlock the car doors before pulling on the handle; I’ll forget to take the key out of my pocket to turn the ignition; I’ll forget to put the car in gear and [more importantly] put it in park!

A few weeks ago I noticed that the fob wouldn’t always work when it was in the same pocket as my Motorola v710 cellphone, so I did some re-shuffling.

The Wrap-up

Those are the main points I’d like to highlight. Yes, there are a few hiccups, but what vehicle doesn’t have them? We’re talking about the Toyota Prius II, here. We’re talking about the most technologically advanced automobile on the market. I love my car — 10,000 miles hasn’t changed that. I don’t know what will.