Toyota Prius hatchback 2005 review: weekend drive

The Prius is one of those new fangled hybrid petrol-electric cars that runs on a combination of petrol and electric power.

Toyota claims it uses up to 50 per cent less fuel than an equivalent sized conventional car.

After an initial "getting to know you" period, we have found the car to be just as easy to operate as any other.

At the time of writing we have just put in our second tank of gas, with fuel economy running between 5.0 and 5.5 litres per 100km.

With the rising cost of fuel, the car has obviously surfaced on the radar of many motorists.

Our first report was hardly fish and chips wrapper before we were contacted by one owner welcoming us to the Prius club.

Ray Bickerton used to drive a Falcon but he and his wife made the switch because they are "very concerned" about pollution.

"Since the Prius reduces pollutant gases by 90 per cent, it seemed a logical choice to put my money where my principles are," Ray said.

"As a side benefit the Prius uses only a third of the fuel that the Falcon uses. When the price of fuel rises to $2 per litre as it surely will, the benefit will be very substantial."

Apart from the silly space saver spare wheel, Ray has no regrets and says the car is fun to drive.

But he did negotiate a full size spare for longer trips, just in case.

Ray opted for the i-Tech option pack and says he wouldn't be without it now.

The pack includes side and curtain airbags, vehicle stability control, Bluetooth hands-free mobile telephone compatibility, Smart Entry and Start, new generation DVD-based touch- screen satellite navigation and premium JBL audio system.

Meanwhile, Mrs Riley has already chalked up a few kilometres behind the wheel of the Prius with few complaints.

She particularly likes the split rear window because the lower section remains clear even in the rain.

However, she's not too keen on all the questions that people have for her about the car.