She Said/She Said: 2008 Toyota Prius

Beth: The word “hybrid” has essentially become synonymous with “tree-hugger” and “granola,” and at least in the Prius’ case the title is earned. We averaged fuel economy in the mid-40s in a week’s worth of normal Chicago driving, and I felt very environmentally friendly when I managed to drive a little over a mile with the gas engine only firing — briefly — twice. What I didn’t expect from the Prius, though, was that it can get up and go when it needs to. If you want to drive in an uber-efficient manner, you can. And if you need to make it 90-plus miles in an hour, you can get there only a few minutes late. (Not that I tested this theory out myself, of course…)

Amanda: I was likewise impressed with the pick-up in the Prius, as well as the overall driving experience. One thing I wished it had that some other hybrids have is an indicator light — rather than a special screen you have to pull up on the center console — to let you know when you’re in electric mode. It’s a minor gripe, I know, but the transition between the gas and electric modes was so smooth most of the time that I sometimes didn’t even realize which I was using. Here’s the thing about the Prius in general, though: Many driving or design issues I have with it are often outweighed by its above-average fuel economy.

Beth: I’ve heard some complaints about the Prius’ “shudder” when the engine shuts off, and it is definitely there. It’s not at all intrusive, though, and like Amanda I’d consider it a small price to pay for such great mileage. The only thing that would really give me pause was its futuristic display setup. Rather than a simple speedometer and gas gauge behind the steering wheel, all that info appears in an electronic display at the base of the windshield. I don’t really like this setup aesthetically, but the real problem was that the display reflected off the windshield at night, leaving a blue-green strip of light directly in my line of sight as I drove — obnoxious and perhaps even dangerous. Adjusting the seat helped somewhat, but it was a persistent problem. I’d advise test-driving this car at night to see if it’s a problem for you.

Amanda: The speedometer setup didn’t bother me too much, although it did take a little getting used to. I wasn’t doing much night driving though, so I can’t comment on the distracting green glow. I was more annoyed by the fact that it seemed like absolutely everything was controlled by the screen in the center console. I’ve complained before that some luxury brands go overboard with the number of buttons to the point where I start looking for “Eject,” but the Prius had the opposite problem in that I wished a few more things could be controlled with a simple button rather than having to drill down to a specific menu on the screen. 

Beth: I actually didn’t mind the setup; it seemed very streamlined and utilitarian to me. I think that’s the vibe I most liked in the Prius: It’s simple. There’s not too much exciting going on (other than how far you can go between fill-ups), it just kind of gets the job done. There was plenty of space in the hatch, the seats were comfortable enough and I quickly got used to the things that bothered me at first (like the short, bisected back window and the untraditional “gearshift.” For such a trendy car, it struck me as very practical.