The Toyota Prius Hybrid 2006 ( '06 ) Status update.

Well I've had the Prius now for a few months, and thought I would comment on my experience, since I pretty much can't pull up to a light with the window down, or stop in a parking lot without someone ask "how do you like it?". ;-)

I have to say I like it a lot. It's been better than expected thus far.

Toyota posted it as 51 mpg Highway and 60 mpg city (yes it does better in the city because of the way hitting the brakes and coasting recharges the battery, and at lower speeds you run in "all electric mode" much more frequently than on the highway).

Then I read that most experienced around 44-48 mpg. So that's about what I expected to get.
The first few tanks full of premium unleaded (that's all I run in everything I have, motorcycle, lawn mower, old bronco's etc.) I was getting about 46 mpg on average. A huge improvement over the 11-13 mpg from my '83 and '86 broncos, the 20-22 mpg for our '95 Crown Vic, the 15-19 mpg of the '06 Toyota Sienna (disappointing on that mileage), and even a nice improvement over the 35-40 mpg my 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200 cc motorcyle.
Then my wife drove it to Salt Lake City, Utah and back and only averaged 41 mpg. Worse, when she came back from that 1600+ mile trip, it continued to still only get 41 mpg for me!

At first I thought maybe it was a bad batch of gas, but after the second entire tank full with no improvement I took it to the dealership.
I had also noticed it seems to shifting more roughly from electric to gas mode. Plus I had a bit of a scare when I was in park reading and with the air conditioner on, then the engine kicked on to charge the battery and the whole car moved a few inches.

The dealership didn't find anything wrong. But reset the ECM.
This completely cleared things up!
I asked why it would do that and they explained that apparently the computer adjusts to driving styles over time.
So it turned out my wife had been lead footing (as she continues to do in protest to not driving V8's anymore) and the computer had dialed itself into max performance rather than mileage.

The reset immediately had me getting (and for the most part continuing to get) around 48-52 mpg!
This is with about 50% highway and 50% city.

The power has been more than adequate. It's no sports car, but more than enough to meet any needs at any time.

The only regret I have is that I wasn't patient enough.

I originally wanted to get a fully loaded package 8, but I would have had to wait 4-6 months to have one made and shipped. So I tried compromising, and went down in packages, until I was able to get a package 4 in 4 weeks.

The only thing I really miss is the leather seats.

The low end model (without VSC (Vehicle Stability Control, aka Traction Control aka Limited Slip, etc.) is only about 20k.
The loaded with leather, VSC, HID, Navigation, etc. is about 29k.
My mid-package was $24,600.

I'm planning when they make the pluggable hybrids available in the USA, to trade in and upgrade if the price is reasonable. They currently get about 100+ mpg (but the kits in the us void the warranty). If not then I'll wait until the warranty expires and then do the upgrade myself for the batteries, plugin and computer.

Hands down I can recommend this vehicle for just about anything except 4x4 off-roading, racing, or large groups of more than 4-5 people to be transported.

I have more leg room than the Sienna, though certainly not as much as the Broncos or the Crown Vic.

I had the windows tinted to the legal limit for about $100.00 and had the 3m coating added to the hood, front fenders, and mirrors for about another 200.00. Well worth it.

It's black and the tint helps cool things off inside and adds a nice look to it.

I recently learned (thanks to the salesman in later conversations) a trick to increase the battery recharge by "shifting" it into "B" mode on steep hills or long deceleration.

I've been able in the city to get sustained mpg around 65-75 mpg as long as I "behave".

If you're considering a prius I hope you found this useful. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions about my experience with it as the months and years roll on.
Cheers!