My 1993 Nissan 240SX convertible got into a minor car accident. I have 2 medium size dents and a large scratch on my driver’s side and my rearview mirror on my passenger side need replacement. Since the accident wasn’t my fault the guy who hit me’s insurance is paying for the repairs. Since the repairs took about a week I needed a rental car. The rental car company wasn’t able to get me a full sized vehicle (Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Dodge Neon Etc.) in time; I got a free upgrade to a 2009 Toyota Prius. Since I was considering getting a hybrid as my next car I considered this a weeklong test drive.

This car needs some get used to when you drive it. It doesn’t have a “key” per say. The key chain that holds the keyless entry buttons is your key. There is a keyhole but it is only there for aesthetic reasons. You plug the key chain into your car and press the power button. Then there’s this small lever that you choose for Reverse or Drive. When you need to park you have to press the Park button. Unlike driving a traditional car, where if you forget to press a button or pull a lever you’re pretty much ok, here you skip a step and the car is undriveable. It did take me a day or two to finally get used to the weird buttons and levers but I finally got the hang of it.

One major upside to this car is that it is SO QUIET!!!! Since I have a very random, usually late night, work schedule, I’m usually asleep at 7 or 8 in the morning when everyone else is leaving for work. Usually it’s someone starting the car that wakes me up. By Day 3 my parents had their names added to the car and we were all amazed by how quiet it was. You do not hear the engine revving up; you do not hear the motor. In fact, someone told me that the “engine noise” that you hear standing next to the car is artificial for safety purposes. The inside of the car is quiet too. Since my current car is a sports car, I hear a lot of revving when I drive. My previous car was a 1986 Acura Legend and my parents drive a 2002 Honda Accord. Although you don’t hear as much noise with those 2 cars, that noise is a room full of noisy children compared to how quiet the Prius is.

So here is what counts, the full efficiency. During my weeklong drive I averaged a 42.2-MPG, city and highway. According to EPA estimates the 2009 Toyota Prius is suppose to receive a 51/48 city/highway MPG. You also need to take into account that all week it was 100+ degrees Fahrenheit outside so I had the air conditioner on icy cold. There is also a screen in the car that shows how you car is running and how full the battery is. It also shows you your current MPG and average after a certain amount of miles.

Most of the time was spent driving to work. At one point I averaged a 60.6-MPG on my 15 mile drive to work. But you also need to take into affect that most of the time driving to work are down hill slopes and since it happened to be a Saturday where I had to leave at 7 am, there was next to no one on the road. That same day driving home from work I averaged a 26.2-MPG. But driving home from work was during rush hour where there was a lot of traffic and a lot of stop and go driving. Just like any typical car no matter how great the fuel efficiency is, if you are stuck in traffic with a lot of stop and go driving, the MPG is going to dip.

So now here’s the burning question, will I get a Toyota Prius? Right now, no. In the future, more than likely, yes. I’ve had my eye on the new Toyota Prius, the one with the solar panels. I live in Southern California, sunshine is pretty much all we have left. I’m a big fan of Toyota and Honda, mostly Honda but Toyota isn’t far behind. Currently Toyota has the most fuel-efficient hybrids. Using the prices on the websites, I’ll take off $2,000 for the car being so quiet. My Nissan and my parent’s Honda averages about 21-22 MPG. So to make up for the fuel efficiency of a hybrid, it’s going to take at least 4 years before I actually start saving money. So a hybrid right now is a great investment if you want to reduce carbon emissions, but not yet a great investment if you want to save money.

Another factor is that hybrids are fairly new; we don’t yet know the long-term effects. Honda or Toyota engine, I know they will last at least 200,000 miles. My Acura had a mileage of 220,000 when I bought it in December 2007 and I added another 15,000 miles on to it before selling it in March 2009. But what about the battery? How long will the battery last? How much will it be to replace? It’s the whole battery concept that is really pulling my parents and I away from a hybrid at this moment.

Here’s how it goes. My parent’s Honda still has at least another 50,000, five years, before we need a new car. The life expectancy of my Nissan is currently unknown. Hopefully in the next five years we’ll have a better understanding of how long a hybrid battery lasts. Plus I’m pretty sure the fuel efficiencies of hybrids are going to go way up to where it’ll only be a year or two before the savings actually start coming in or there is going to be so much competition that the prices of hybrids aren’t that much more expensive than a typical car. Currently the big three Japanese car companies, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan, all make hybrids. American car companies are also catching up. I heard a rumor that Volkswagen is also coming out with a hybrid. So now all we need is the rest of the Asian car companies, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, etc. and the Europeans, Mercedes, BMW, etc. to make hybrids, and before you know it, hybrids will be the norm.As much as I an eye on this Prius with solar panels I severely doubt it will be around in 5 years or other cars will also add this feature. As great as solar panels are, unless you live in a place with a lot of sun, like my place of Southern California, Florida, or Texas, it's not going to be very beneficial.

To read my day by day account of my week long Toyota Prius test drive go to http://christiprius.blogspot.com.