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2008 Toyota Prius Review
Easy on the environment.
2008 Prius Review Summary & Specifications
The Toyota Prius sets the standard for environmentally friendly transportation. It delivers extremely good fuel efficiency for a four-seat car with an automatic transmission. EPA numbers peg combined city/highway fuel economy at 46 mpg, which is about what you can expect. 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 filed this report from Northern California, with John F. Katz in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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| Vehicle Category | Compact Cars |
| Editor | New Car Test Drive |
| Model Lineup | Toyota Prius ($22,475); Touring Edition ($23,370) |
| Engines (standard) | 1.5-liter dohc 16-valve inline-4/ plus 50-kW (67 hp), 500-volt, permanent magnet electric motor |
| Transmissions (standard) | 48/45 |
| Engines (optional) | 1.5-liter dohc 16-valve inline-4 plus 50-kw 500-volt permanent magnet electric motor |
| Transmissions (optional) | continuously variable automatic |
| Safety Equipment (standard) | dual front airbags; driver and front passenger seat-mounted side impact airbags; front and rear side curtain 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; tire pressure monitor |
| Safety Equipment (optional) | Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) |
| 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 | 22475 |
| Model Tested MSRP | Toyota Prius ($22,475) |
| Standard Equipment | air conditioning; 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 |
| Options as Tested (MSRP) | Package 5 ($3,280) includes VSC electronic stability control, Smart Key entry system, security alarm, reversing camera, Homelink programmable remote opener system, navigation system with steering-wheel controls, JBL AM/FM/6CD/MP3 audio with Bluetooth, fog lamps, HID headlamps |
| Destination Charge | 660 |
| Gas Guzzler Tax | |
| Price as Tested | 26415 |
| Layout | front-wheel drive |
| Horse Power | 76 @ 5000 plus 67 @ 1200-1540 (net peak 110 hp) |
| Torque | 82 @ 4200 plus 295 @ 0-1200 |
| Fuel Economy | continuously variable automatic |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 |
| Length/Width/Height | 175.0/67.9/58.7 |
| 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 | 37.3/51.6/38.6 |
| Trunk Volume | 14.4 |
| 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 | 5.6 |
| Curb Weight | 2932 |
| Stock Tires | P185/65R15 all-season |
| Brakes Front/Rear | vented disc/drum with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, integrated regenerative braking |
| Fuel Capacity | 11.9 |
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