2009 Toyota Prius Touring

Pros

Great fuel economy (41-46); great AC; smoothest cruise control ever.

Cons

Hard ride; harder seats; uncomfortable driving position for tall drivers; enfuriating NAV system

Purchased As New

** Performance:
I get over 40mpg during the summer in Phoenix, running the AC all the time, driving the same way I always have. In the winter months I get a maximum of 46 mpg, but most of my driving is over 55mph on freeways, and that's the best the gasoline engine can deliver.
Although it's reasonably peppy around town, the 1.5L engine is anemic on the highway, and horribly noisy during hard acceleration.
Although this model comes with so-called "High-Intensity Discharge" headlights, the amount of light on the road still doesn't compare to the halogen lights on my old 1998 Camry.
** Interior needs better human engineering:
The seats don't move back far enough for drivers with long legs like me (I am 6' 1"), they're hard as a rock, and not adjustable for seat-bottom pitch --all of this causing my knees to cramp and my butt to go to sleep on long trips. No place to rest my right knee, and I find I must hold my right foot up in an uncomfortable position on the accelerator pedal.
The "voice-activated" NAV system interface is so user-unfriendly that we seldom attempt to use it - falling back instead on manual control.
The instrument lights are not smart enough to dim and brighten between day and night, but rather are tied to the headlight control, so they must be manually switched with the brightness dial if you leave your headlights on all the time. The digital clock is always unreadable on a bright day -- WHY?. Glare from the speedometer panel reflects off the inside of the windshield at night.
** COST:
Don't believe the advertising! With the highest-level option package (#6), and all dealer preparation (including window tinting), the delivered cost for my 2008 Prius Touring model was over $30K.

Altogether, I generally LIKE driving this car; I LOVE the MPG, but it has the most uncomforable driver's seat of any car I have owned.