The Toyota Prius is the Modern Day VW Beetle

The Toyota Prius is the ultimate in "geek chic." It's styling reminds you of either a little ladybug or a puppy scooting on its haunches as fast as it can away from the big dogs (usually Semis on the freeway). It is the modern day equivalent of the VW Beetle in that it is an anti-statement.

It just goes about its business getting insane miles per gallon with a drivetrain concept so advanced even George Jetson would say, "Huh?" The 2010 Prius takes it a step further by upping the power yet somehow managing to increase the miles per gallon to 51 city/48 highway. Apparently they figured out the new 1.8 liter 98 horsepower engine didn't have to work as hard as the old 1.5 so it got better mileage. Work slower, get farther? Could it be the engineers at Toyota read the Tortoise and Hare fable before coming to this conclusion?

The Toyota Prius only gets into trouble when a small minority of loud mouths get behind the wheel and decide to tell others that their cars are destroying the earth and the Prius isn't. Does this person not know that their mere existence on the planet (through garbage waste, water usage, carbon dioxide emissions, overpopulation) is doing far more damage to the planet than any Honda Accord ever will? And then why don't these people take it a step further and buy a bike?

Thankfully most owners just see their Prius as a high value five door with stellar fuel economy. And it is, especially considering its low $22,400 base price. Although the Honda Insight hybrid may be cheaper and look similar it is coarse riding, the engine is buzzy and the interior is a cost cutting disaster. Not worth it just to save a few grand. A very un-Honda like car that makes you feel like you are riding in a 19^th Century Ox-Cart.

The 2010 Toyota Prius driving experience is like no-other. If you ever wanted to get close to feeling like you were Checkov from "Star Trek" piloting the Starship Enterprise there is nowhere else but behind the wheel of the Toyota Prius that comes close for ordinary citizens. The dashboard is a surprisingly stylish piece of work for Toyota with all the controls falling towards the driver with perfect ergonomics in a sort of waterfall style fashion. You press the start button and hear the electrics whir to life but no engine. How do owners ever get used to that?

You then pop the now iconic P-R-N-D lever into D and off you go down the road not making a sound. This is the perfect car for sneaking up on friends on Halloween and then dousing them with shaving cream. Wait, maybe that isn't such a good idea to be spreading around the Internet.

The Prius has a surprising amount of pep; plenty for overtaking on the freeway or even to have a little fun at the stop lights. So why are Priuses so often driven like they have 3 horsepower? Well that is all part of the Prius fuel game. The more you coast to a stop (say when coming to a light) the more your battery will charge and the better your fuel economy will be. There is a screen that even shows you how it works as you're driving. So you see it isn't the Prius that is slow, it is the Prius driver that is trying to save a few sheckles here and there. Apparently this game can get quite addictive so don't expect this to change anytime soon even if they release a Prius with 500 horsepower and 800 miles per gallon.