Toyota Prius

Think of an ideal car for zipping around a traffic-packed city centre, and the Toyota Prius probably wouldn't be top of your list. But that's the role the hybrid has taken on over the past few months, as I've used it to travel from where I live close to Highbury in London (home of the all-conquering Arsenal FC) to Auto Express's West End HQ.
And while Thierry Henry might prefer something with a bit more 'Va Va Voom' for his capital transport, the Prius has certainly scored as a city slicker for me. As has been mentioned in our previous reports, the car is exempt from the congestion charge on account of its clever petrol/electric power sharing set-up. That's £5 saved every day, ensuring the innovative Toyota is a much cheaper - and more pleasant - bet than the Tube.
It has been simplicity itself to drive, too, with the smooth CVT automatic gearbox and silence at idle, courtesy of the electric motor, making journeys stress-free. Of course, every city dweller needs a break now and then - and the Prius got a chance to stretch its legs on a driving holiday in Scotland towards the end of the summer. Racking up around 1,500 miles in just over a week, it certainly proved its mettle on roads of varying qualities.
On motorways, the Toyota covered long distances easily enough, although noise intrusion in the cabin is greater than you'd expect at speed. This minor irritation only became particularly apparent after a conversation with a Spanish tourist - and fellow Prius convert - who'd noticed the problem on his model. Thanks, senor...
One of the country's most notorious roads, the Bealach Na Ba to Applecross in Wester Ross, provided a completely different challenge. Rising to a height of 2,053 feet, with one-in-five gradients and hairpin bends, this is not a drive for the faint-hearted. But while there's probably more fun to be had in other motors on this five-mile stretch, the extra strain placed on the brakes and suspension didn't faze the unflappable Prius.
As a holiday companion, the Toyota really excels. The large, practical boot easily copes with an assortment of bags and cases, and I particularly like the luggage bay cover, which - unlike the fiddly items on some other cars I've driven - can be pulled over easily to keep everything from view.
My trip north of the border brought the Prius up to its 10,000-mile service threshold which, for a car used to spending its life in close proximity to Arsenal, meant a trip into enemy territory - Tottenham. This was the first time we had used main dealer Jemca Metro, and the whole experience proved very straightforward. A courtesy car was made available, the staff were polite and accommodating and, with typical Toyota efficiency, the Prius sailed through the service.
The only extra on our £120.36 bill was £19.24 for a new plastic wheeltrim to replace one which had been scraped on a kerb. We've mentioned before how unsightly these covers are, but apparently they're fitted to improve aerodynamics. Having not driven a Prius without them, I can't vouch for this - but what is beyond argument is that they keep bills down. If the alloy itself had been scraped, a new one would have cost £354.97.
So far, so good, then... but is the Prius beyond criticism? Not entirely. Although I love the car's audio system - as it's operated by a user-friendly touch screen which even a confirmed techno-phobe like myself cannot fail to master - it has been behaving rather erratically of late.
The problem surrounds recordable CDs. Sometimes it plays them, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes there's a long delay before they engage. Maybe the unit is simply objecting to my choice of music, but it's slightly frustrating to find that one day a disc will play and the next day it won't.
A second drawback was pointed out to me by another Prius fan - they're a helpful bunch! - who said that he had been deterred from buying one due to fears over its resale value. It's predicted that the car will lose £10,493 over the course of three years, and that's clearly enough to put some potential owners off.
One other gripe is the green digital display for the speedometer, which can reflect on to the windscreen when driving on very dark, unlit roads and proves rather distracting. This is a minor criticism, though, because on the whole, our time with the Prius has been positive. It goes back to Toyota shortly having survived everything north London can throw at it in champion nick- just like its near neighbours at Arsenal, in fact...