2022 Toyota Prius: Still worth a look for your new car

The Toyota Prius was the first hybrid marketed in the United States, back in a time just after we partied like it was 1999 and one could still afford a decent one-bedroom flat in the gayborhood while earning a keep at a local gay business.

Ah, the good old days before people drank the Kool Aid en masse…

The Toyota Prius is still a good car to buy if you are looking for a reliable get-around-town vehicle that is affordable and reliable.  Yes, it is a hybrid, and I still feel it is somewhat like driving an amusement park bumper car.

When you crank it up (turn it over), it seems more like flipping a switch, as opposed to getting the throttle going.  When you put the Prius in gear, it’s a lot like (for me) taking your foot off the little electric button and kind of forcing the car to go.

Okay, I am exaggerating a bit. 

When you consider that mileage is 58 city / 53 highway and that you can get into the base L trim for $24,625 US, this is a new car that is affordable.  (Always shop around and be patient; finding one and the right price point is a bit like finding… yeah, great question).

Standard features are generous IMHO: Keyless entry, keyless ignition, heated mirrors, height-adjustable driver’s seat, automatic LED headlights, automatic climate control, six speaker audio, WiFi hot spot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa compatibility.

Standard safety is impressive as well: rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, road sign assist, automatic high-beam control, lane departure warning system, and adaptive cruise control.

The standard features and add-ons get better as you go up the food chain.

There is a lot of room for all your big box store purchases and ‘stuff’ in this year’s Prius. You’ll get 24.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the second row of seats up and 50.7 cubic feet of space with them down (slightly less if you get All-Wheel Drive on the upper trims).

One feature that the Prius still has that does take some getting-used-to is having all the dials and gauges in the center of the dash, as opposed to right in front of the driver. Once again, you do have to pay attention.

The latest numbers for all the manufactures show that car sales have slipped because of limited supply and perhaps buyers are running out of cash.  Who knows…..

I will continue to keep you as up-to-date as possible. 

This plot keeps changing faster than WandaVision.