2005 Toyota Prius User Reviews

Pros

fuel economy is great

Cons

poor handling on uneven surfaces

Purchased As New

While the mileage on a tank of gas is great, the handling on uneven road surfaces is scary. The car seems to be in suspended animation after hitting a washboard surface. Is this because the car is a "lightweight"? This car was not used during snowy weather, until this past winter. Several times, on snow rutted main roads, I was afraid of the lack of steering/handling control. If you don't live in a snowy part of the country, or only take the car out on short jaunts...it's great. But, if it's your main car, think again. I'm going to try a Fusion Hybrid for 2011....read morehide

Pros

excellent fuel economy,quite, confortable

Cons

none

I read every review, then decided to buy a new 2005 leftover that has every package and option. Was able to get the dealer to discount the price $3000 .00......First tank of gas 46.9 lot better than my F150 was giveing me. My only problem is learning how to progran the GPS & Bluetooth. There is so much to read and the sales staff is useless. Plenty of pickup and go, was suprised how it handled at 70mph on the interstate. Toyota in my opinion has hit a grand slam with this little jewel........read morehide

Pros

Great mileage, computer display, lots of interior room, side airbags.

Cons

A little weak on acceleration.

We were looking for a new car and were looking between the Camry, Rav4 and Prius. It was easy to find one with side airbags and vehicle stability control.

Of course it doesn't get 60mpg. I've gotten as high as 54mpg, BUT, it takes time to learn to drive efficiently. When we first got the car, my wife was getting 29mpg, after two months, she's up to 44mpg. I average about 47mpg. The cold will effect mileage and I live in the midwest, on warm days we've seen the mileage go up. Also, we have after market snow tires that lower mileage.

I'm 6'2" and there is plenty of room in the car for me. It took a little bit of time to get use to the Multi Function Display, but now it's second nature and besides, most of the controls are on the steering wheel.

The car drives well. It's not a sports car and doesn't handle like one. Sometimes it seems it takes a bit of time to get up to speed, but I've had no problems cruising at 75mph.

I love this technology. I love that we get great mileage. We're saving $125/month on gas now. Plus, it's low emissions....read morehide

Pros

Fuel economy and Smart Key

Cons

Interior is light and difficult to maintain.

I have package 6 2005. I had to buy a car as my mother could no longer get into the Sport Trac. Going from 14-15mpg to 43-44 in a hilly area of San Diego county has been awesome. You must read the Manual for this vehicle!

I wish I could have Smart Key in every aspect of my life, office, home!! And you cannot lock your keys in there! My dog loves the easier jump into the back where she has ample space to roam with the seats folded down. It is very comfortable and all the hiding cubbie holes are very useful. The extra storage is not easily visible, be sure your dealer is knowledgeable about your vehicle as well!!

The car handles well and gets into traffic without hesitation. It is not a race car! The Nav system, Bluetooth and Stereo are very nice quality. The stereo does not rattle the windows of the vehicle next to you (I wish the same could be said of every vehicle on the road!). It is sporty and of course the Salsa Red is an awesome color. I do wish the interior could have been a darker and easier to maintain material. The 06's have taken care of that issue....read morehide

Pros

It's a hybrid

Cons

cheap floor mats- my heel wore down to the rubber in 5,000 miles of driving.

For those of you who live in the mid-west this is what the dealers don't tell you: This is a California car. You get great milage as long as it doesn't get cold. The gas engine needs to be running in order for the heater to work regardless if the battery is fully charged or not.. The winter formulation of gasoline cuts down on the MPGs. So what can you expect? An average of 35MPG. This information should be available to everyone when they inquire about the vehicle. I was not expecting the sudden drop in MPGs because I was told that "the electric motor runs the vehicle." "The gas engine is used to charge the battery and assist in acceleration." During the summer the MPG was between 43 and 48. I even achieved 53 MPG in a slow commute on the Edens expressway. Still, it is a great car....read morehide

Pros

very good fuel economy. great mileage.very great miliage

Cons

not at all. very good car

I love this car. Not only is it a really good looking car but the quality is even better.Ilove this car.

Pros

This is the new generation of smart cars

This car is great I bought it in Chicago drove it to Buffalo with 1 tank of gas 10 gal.lol
inside is much bigger that what you think from outside
This car should not be compared to fuel economy cars
because fuel economy is not the onlything you will get

It comes with set of directions for vale parking (how to start and operate the car)

Push botton start, push botton parking, jet plane tech for throutle control and gears

little Joystick like gear changer

silent start

car goes to electic mode at the red light (no gas usage)

before I purchased the car I asked a friend of mine for his opinion he was negative after the purchase i took him for a ride .

yesterday he was telling me he did not get excited about any car in past 25 yers until he took the ride in my car
he said to his wife to change her lexus with this car when the time comes

another friend said the fuel usage computer helped him to learn about driving and saving gas

other friend just bought acura tl and she said she did not see this car when she bought hers (that is a great car as well but is not a prius)

the other day I drove 22 miles and tried to get a good gas millage and 64 mile/gal was the number...read morehide

Pros

gr8 fuel economy, zippy, smart, comfy.

Cons

watch out if you crash it; you may be without for a long time....

I love my prius. However, i had an accident. I was side swiped; only knocked on left bumper. I was almost stationery. I have been without my beloved prius for 2 months. If it's ready in 1 month, i will be happy. 3 months with no car is a long time. The problem? Too few around for spare parts. A long wait for imported parts from Japan. Also, a special welding machine, valued at $30,000 had to be brought in. The car crumpled on inpact. The panel beaters have to send it away because they do not know how to use he electric technology. They commented that if it were a Corolla or Camry, I would have it back by now. What i anticipated in saving on fuel, has been eaten up in hire cars. Something i never consideed when buying. So be careful out there!...read morehide

Pros

getting 45-50 mpg consistently.

Cons

nav.system defective.

I bought my Prius in feb.2004 and have 85,000 miles on it,when I 1st got it got 40-45 mpg and now get 45-50 mpg.drive mountanous areas mostly freeway and highway and I was initially worried that the prius coukdn't handle the steep inclines and snowy roads,but soon found out it ran better than the civic I had previously owned( not a hybid civic)I zip right up the mountains.Storage wise I haul more stuff in it than the 4 door sedan civic I had. because of the hatchback and roomy backseats.The only problem i had was at 45,000 miles the navigational system, wasn't working right which was causing the radio and heating systems to be effected,I took it in and even though I was over the warranty the part was covered($4000 part and I paid labor ($120).After I run this one into the ground I'll get a new one....read morehide

Pros

Quiet, 44-46 MPG (for real no fake out EPA baloney)

Cons

hard to see out back at night

The mileage is very accurately recorded in this car and 44-46 is routine with my city/highway commute. Mileage is less during summer when air conditioning is running. I love my Prius. The main thing I love relates to my hatred of pumping gas! The acceleration is great. Anyone who owns a high mileage standard auto will notice an increase in gas mileage and a marked increase in acceleration. The sound system is very nice and the quiet of the car enhances the listening experience. The car routinely makes no noise when running on battery with the air conditioning off. The flip down back seat makes transporting large objects easy. The GPS makes trips to my kid's play dates easy. I had a Honda Civic Hybrid and the mileage is slightly better and the acceleration is about 5 MPG better....read morehide