Toyota Prius, the "pet rock" of our generation. Part 1

Back in 1975, some random sells person came up with this stupid idea to put rocks in a box and sell them in the general market as pet rock. It was a piece of rock, polished, and made to look cute in some ways. The box was colorful with holes in it so that the pet could "breath". It was the perfect pet because it needed no cleaning up or taking care of. It never needed to be taken out to poop or pee. Didn't even had to be fed. It was a piece of rock for god sake.



The idea was as stupid as it could ever get.
However, with the right advertisement this sells man became a millionaire.
He boxed rocks and sold them for $15 each (equivalent of today's money).

It was the most have junk of the year. People wanted the pet rock more than they wanted a pet dog!!! It sold as if it was a necessity of life.

The pet rock was a fashion statement. It was a classic example of American lifestyle. A "look at me, I do fit in too".

Toyota Prius is the pet rock of our generation. A most have accessory of those who wish to conform.

Why do people drive Toyota Prius?

1. They are good on gas.
2. They are environmentally friendly.
3. It is good value for the money.
4. Reliable.
5. Cheap to operate.
6. Exquisite futuristic design.
7. Practical.
8. Cute.

Lets have a close look at each point.

1) Prius is advanced with a dual-drive system. It is a hybrid because it has an electric engine as well as a petrol engine. Such feature gives the Prius the advantage of fuel efficacy. But does it?

Toyota claims that Prius gets 46-54 miles per gallon if the car is run on the electric engine.
Put in simple words, the petrol engine runs but enough to fill up the batteries for the electric engine to run the car. All well if the car is driven under 40 miles an hour. Yes you can get 46 miles per gallon.

However, when the car drives faster than 40 miles an hour or the batteries run out of electricity the petrol engine is responsible for driving the car. Therefore, the car turns into an all petrol powered car.

The petrol engine is very small. It varies from 1600cc to 1800 depending on the generation. Therefore, the car consumes on average 31 MPG.

In 20,000 miles, the average gas mileage consumed in highway/city is about 36 MPG.

36 MPG is the kind of gas mileage you can get from almost any modern day small car.

If MPG is your main concern, you may be better off with a VW Golf Diesel. They consume on average 50 MPG.

So Prius is not all that fuel efficient after all.