Prius

My New Prius

I just bought a new car. My 10-year-old Honda Civic had served me well for almost 150,000 miles, but after an encounter with a deer, holes in the upholstery, and a lack of paint in a few key areas, it was time for a replacement.

I've always bought Honda Civics (four in fact). In 1996 I splurged on three important luxuries and bought my first new Honda Civic. As a new father I felt I needed 4 doors, air conditioning and an automatic transmission (mostly so I could talk on my newly purchased cell phone).

As I wallowed in my mid-forties, I wondered if I was still a Honda Civic guy. I imagined myself in a few other brands, but I'm not much of a car guy. I really couldn't get excited about anything which left me back at yet another Honda Civic.

A couple of things ultimately changed my mind. There is the ever increasing threat of global warming, energy dependency on other countries and, probably most importantly, traffic. When I learned that there were three models that qualified for access to the carpool lane with a single occupant, my mind was made up. I was going hybrid.

My mother bought the Honda Civic Hybrid version, but ultimately I was swayed by the market popularity of the Toyota Prius and acquired a new black version over the weekend. Again, it's hard for me to get excited about a car, but there are some interesting elements of the Prius are fascinating me.

Energy Efficiency. While Prius engineering cleverly captures wasted energy to charge it's batteries, the real fascination is the real time feedback it provides about gas mileage. The LCD screen provides two views that could turn any "lead foot" into a "little old lady" driver trying to squeeze out another 10th of a mile for each gallon. It effectively teaches you how to drive with a feel for efficiency. This should be a requirement on every car.

Electronics. My Prius has the GPS navigation feature. I've played with it in other cars and it is a very cool tool that could allow me to kick my Mapquest habit. But I'm most fascinated by the "keyless" approach.

With my keys firmly buried in my pocket, as I approach the car it recognizes me and turns on the cabin lights. It stays locked not sure if I'm walking by or if I'm coming to take it for a ride. At the instant my hands come close to the door handle the car instantly senses my intention, and unlocks all the doors. With the key (better described as a fob) still in my pocket, I sit down and press the Power button. Just like my computer, I wait a second or so for the car to "boot" and get rewarded with a Ready message. There's still no need for the engine to kick in. In fact, at low speeds it is largely an electric-only car. I pop it in reverse and then get a video feed from my car's butt to aid me in backing out of the driveway without hitting anything.

Audio. Having never had a CD player in my car before, my 10 year gap between cars allowed me to skip an audio generation. The CD player accepts MP3 disks which means I can load up almost 1,000 songs in the six CD slots. Plus, the car has an IPOD-ready jack which appeals to my new listening habits.

No doubt my Prius will go back to being "just a car" very shortly. In the meantime, I'm quickly forming a new bond with trusty steed and at the same time, feel good about doing my little bit to help preserve our environment.

April 21, 2006