Hybrid hype

I took an opportunity to drive a Toyota Prius (otherwise known as a favourite tank of the eco-warrior) around the streets of Christchurch today.

After a "place the key in the slot and push the Start button" ritual, I was greeted with... silence. And a "Ready" light on the dashboard.

Move the "gear lever" to D or R, let go of the foot brake, and it starts to move like a ninja. Disconcerting at first but rather fun, although one must wonder how many inattentive pedestrians will this Prius ambush during its lifetime...

The next challenge in an unfamiliar town is to plug in the Navman. I furtively searched every nook and cranny in the cabin for a cigarette lighter - only to find none. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I actually had to read the manual - for a car!

It turns out that to keep in line with its clean, green image, there is no cigarette lighter, but a "power socket" deep inside the centre console takes its place.

Now for some sounds. There's a factory CD player and radio integrated with the centre touch-screen, and there's supposed to be a line-in for your favourite MP3 player as well.

It's a competent enough around town. Accelerate properly, and the gasoline engine rasps to life. Wait at the traffic lights and all becomes quiet again. Never in my life have I feel so detached from the car I'm driving. The steering is electric, accelerator and brake behaviours are all completely controlled by the engine computer to manage the sophisticated hybrid system. As for suspension and tyres - just don't ask.

The electric motor with a hefty 400Nm torque helps with traffic light take-offs, and you get the warm fuzzies from watching a simplified diagram of the hybrid system with animated arrows showing energy flow.

Despite all its sci-fi charm, in my opinion it's just too much to pay for a Japanese car right now. Maybe wait a few years for the trickle of Jap imports to become a flood first...