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2006 Toyota Prius Review
The environment's best friend.
2006 Prius Review Summary & Specifications
The Toyota Prius sets the standard for environmentally friendly transportation. It also delivers extremely good fuel efficiency for a four-seat car with an automatic transmission. Just ignore those EPA numbers. Buyers can expect to average something north of 45 mpg. Toyota is clearly the leader in hybrid technology. The Prius is an amazing piece of engineering yet driving one and owning one is not much different from a conventional car. That's impressive.NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard is based in Northern California.
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| Vehicle Category | Compact Cars |
| Editor | Tom Lankard |
| Model Lineup | Toyota Prius ($21,725) |
| Engines (standard) | 1.5-liter dohc 16-valve inline-4/ plus 50-kW (67 hp), 500-volt, permanent magnet electric motor |
| Transmissions (standard) | automatic |
| Engines (optional) | 76-hp 1.5-liter dohc 16-valve inline-4, plus a 50-kw (67 hp), 500-volt permanent magnet electric motor |
| Transmissions (optional) | continuously variable automatic (CVT) |
| Safety Equipment (standard) | dual front airbags; anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD); three-point seatbelts and adjustable head restraints in all five seating positions with force-limiting pretensioners in front and height-adjustable front shoulder belt anchors; ISO child seat tether anchors |
| Safety Equipment (optional) | driver and front passenger seat-mounted side impact airbags; front and rear side curtain airbags |
| Basic Warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Assembled In | Tsutsumi (Toyota City), Japan |
| Manufacturer Phone | 800-468-6968 |
| Manufacturer URL | www.toyota.com |
| Base Price MSRP | 20875 |
| Model Tested MSRP | Toyota Prius ($21,725) |
| Standard Equipment | automatic climate control; cruise control; power steering; tilt steering wheel with redundant climate control and audio controls; front and rear variable-speed intermittent wipers; remote keyless entry; power windows, central locking and heated outside rearview mirrors; AM/FM/CD stereo; delayed accessory power shut off; 60/40 split folding rear seatback |
| Destination Charge | 540 |
| Options as Tested (MSRP) | Package 7 ($5,730) includes VSC electronic stability control, driver and front-passenger seat-mounted side airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags, backup camera, Smart Key entry system, security alarm, Homelink programmable remote opener system, navigation system with steering-wheel controls, JBL AM/FM/cassette/6CD, fog lamps, HID headlamps |
| Gas Guzzler Tax | |
| Layout | front-wheel drive |
| Price as Tested | 27995 |
| Horse Power | 76 @ 5000 plus 67 @ 1200-1540 |
| Torque | 82 @ 4200 plus 295 @ 0-1200 |
| Fuel Economy | 60/51 |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 |
| Length/Width/Height | 175.0/67.9/58.1 |
| Track Front/Rear | |
| Turning Radius | 34.1 |
| Seating Capacity | 5 |
| Front Head/Hip/Leg room | 39.1/51.0/41.9 |
| Middle Head/Hip/Leg room | |
| Rear Head/Hip/Leg room | 37.1/51.6/38.6 |
| Trunk Volume | 16.1 |
| Payload | |
| Towing Capacity | not recommended |
| Front Suspension | independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| Rear Suspension | torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| Ground Clearance | 5.9 |
| Curb Weight | 2890 |
| Stock Tires | P185/65R15 all-season |
| Brakes Front/Rear | ventilated disc/drum with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, and integrated regenerative braking |
| Fuel Capacity | 11.9 |
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