A bright and shiny red car almost always gets attention from fellow motorists. So did the bright shiny red Toyota Prius but because of its hybrid status. It received its share of assorted comments, mostly positive. Comments ranged from: “Wow, is that the runaway car?” “Is that the new Toyota hybrid?” “My uncle has one of those and it’s so quiet you don’t even know the car is running.” “How’s the mileage?” In recent days the Toyota Prius had received its own share of mostly bad publicity. Up to the challenge of driving the news making Prius I made my way from one destination to another and its performance silenced its critics.

On any given subject our opinions are often formed by personal experience and outside influence. Certainly I had heard about the Toyota Prius, but left final judgment based on my personal driving experience.

From the get go, the Prius offers space, comfort and is easy on the eyes and great for the environment. The Prius is equipped with a 1.8L DOHC 16V 4-cylinder engine, electric power steering (EPS), 4-wheel disc brakes and front individual suspension. On its exterior the Toyota Prius has LED headlamps with auto-off feature, headlamp washers, fog lamps, heated outside mirrors, 17-in. 5-spoke alloy wheels with P215/45R17 tires.

For your safety, the Prius offers anti-lock brakes, w/EBD and brake assist, driver and front passenger advanced airbag system, driver and front passenger seat mounted airbags, LATCH and more.

For your comfort and convenience, the Prius offers, EV/Eco/Power modes and touch tracer display, multi-information display with trip information. AM/FM/MP1 –disc CD, integrated Satellite Radio, Bluetooth wireless, remote keyless entry and more.

Between city and highway driving the Prius was a quite champion, delivering on both performance and safety, achieving an average 49 mpg. The Toyota Prius tested at the highest level of performance of any hybrid driven to date. Try it out for yourself and test drive one at your nearest Toyota dealership. Base cost—under $28,000.