Buying a Toyota Prius: Following last week's launch of the country's first alternative fuel vehicle from Ford, there should be at least a little more active debate on our reliance on cars that run solely on fossil fuels.
The green debate on motoring has not really been illuminated on a local level, and apart from the obvious point - that we are producing too much pollution from cars - the best way forward has not really been fully explored.
Of course, the Ford Focus that can run on ethanol produced from everything from cheese whey to sugar cane is not the first impressively green vehicle to go on sale here. For the Toyota Prius it has been a long road and, while the car itself is undoubtedly impressive, it has not really gripped the imagination of the public. The key to the green technology of the Prius lies in the fact that it has a conventional petrol engine but also an electric motor and it switches from one to the other as the conditions demand. Some people have been understandably confused by this concept, and mistakenly assume the Prius has two engines.
In fact, the motor is actually a much smaller affair than the engine and does not mean the interior space of the car is completely compromised, as one might have imagined. The two operate in tandem and the motor, which is powered by self-generated and stored electricity, tends to operate at city and slow speeds, with the engine taking over in more demanding conditions.
When the electric motor is running the car is virtually silent. It simply glides along - it can be an unnerving experience as you pull away without the normal reassurance of engine hum. Overall the Prius driving experience is a pleasant one and there is a reassurance when you see the returns per litre on the fuel used, or rather that which is not used because of the periodic use of the electric motor. You can get double the normal average fuel consumption with the Prius.
The car is not really impressive in terms of design and has a sloped and anonymous look to it although the latest model is a little more adventurous than the older model. The interior is rather vast and uncluttered and instrumentation centralised. It is comfortable without being luxurious.
The newer model has scored five out of five in the EuroNCAP crash tests. The car was deemed to have a very strong and stable passenger safety cage and the restraint system proved it could keep the driver's head and chest away from the steering wheel. The newer model also won the European Car of the Year award last year. There are no recall record to speak of, this being a Toyota that has had huge investment.
Buying a second-hand Prius is really the only option you have if you want to make a truly green statement, but even with a Government concession on tax, the Prius is still challenged on price. It is still expensive on the second-hand market. A 2004 model with 35,000 kilometres on the clock is about €26,500. There are very few on the market, as relatively few have been sold. There are older imports available from about €17,000 for a 2001 model brought in from Japan. Unfortunately, the newer model locally traded mean buying green is still a rather prohibitive option - although some people are making a brave effort.-