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Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Toyota Prius is Toyota’s gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle and was the first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid when it went on sale in Japan in 1997. Since that time, the Prius has become the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S. and the world. The Toyota Prius entered the U.S. market in 2000, and the second-generation 2004 Prius debuted in the fall of 2003 as the first Toyota product to use Hybrid Synergy Drive, Toyota’s third-generation gas-electric hybrid powertrain technology. 
New Body DesignThe new Prius is a 4-door hatchback, whereas its predecessor had a regular trunk. The first version looked boxy, but the new 2,890-pound Prius is far more streamlined. Its exceptionally aerodynamic body has a super-low .26 coefficient of drag (CD) to help minimize interior noise and enhance fuel economy.
(The lower the CD, the less wind resistance a vehicle has. Even a 0.30 coefficient of drag is good.)
Amazing Fuel EconomyThe Prius is among the most fuel-stingy cars. It had Environmental Protection Agency-estimated ratings of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway when it went on sale in mid-October. That's up significantly from 52 and 45 for the 2003 Prius.
Those numbers represent quite an accomplishment. But actual fuel economy will be lower for most Prius owners because it's doubtful if many—or any—of them will have the rigid driving patterns the EPA uses to maintain consistency in getting fuel economy ratings for vehicles.
The 2004 Prius uses a "Hybrid Synergy Drive" system. It has a small 76 horsepower (up from 70) 4-cylinder engine and a 67-horsepower (up from 44) electric drive motor. With a battery pack, they work separately or together to propel the car through a smooth automatic continuously variable transmission.
New Body DesignThe new Prius is a 4-door hatchback, whereas its predecessor had a regular trunk. The first version looked boxy, but the new 2,890-pound Prius is far more streamlined. Its exceptionally aerodynamic body has a super-low .26 coefficient of drag (CD) to help minimize interior noise and enhance fuel economy.
(The lower the CD, the less wind resistance a vehicle has. Even a 0.30 coefficient of drag is good.)
Amazing Fuel EconomyThe Prius is among the most fuel-stingy cars. It had Environmental Protection Agency-estimated ratings of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway when it went on sale in mid-October. That's up significantly from 52 and 45 for the 2003 Prius.
Those numbers represent quite an accomplishment. But actual fuel economy will be lower for most Prius owners because it's doubtful if many—or any—of them will have the rigid driving patterns the EPA uses to maintain consistency in getting fuel economy ratings for vehicles.
The 2004 Prius uses a "Hybrid Synergy Drive" system. It has a small 76 horsepower (up from 70) 4-cylinder engine and a 67-horsepower (up from 44) electric drive motor. With a battery pack, they work separately or together to propel the car through a smooth automatic continuously variable transmission.
It may seem confusing, but actual combined horsepower is 110 instead of 143. That's because the Prius hybrid technology doesn't allow adding the two horsepower figures for a combined total. The car simply can't deliver maximum horsepower figures of the engine and motor together. (The 2003 Prius had 98 actual horsepower.)
No electrical outlets are needed to recharge batteries, contrary to what Toyota says some people think. Rather, the Prius drive system constantly recharges itself.
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