Faults:

The computer sometimes has a funny glitch in cold weather. Goes away after the car warms up.

Tires are pretty expensive, and don't last more than 50,000 miles.

General Comments:

We inherited this car about 5 years ago. At the time, I was somewhat worried about the situation with the main battery, as well as the other various electrical systems, especially as this is the first generation of Prius.

The first generation is very different from the generations afterwards. It looks more like a ordinary economy car. It's also rather small. The interior is surprisingly spacious, despite the smaller size. Overall the interior is not exactly exciting. Perhaps a bit more utilitarian than most, but that's OK. The seats are actually quite comfortable and supportive. The speakers for the stereo system sound really good, even though they're more or less anonymous looking and plain.

Performance-wise the car is decent. It's not going to win any races at the track, but that's not why you'd buy one of these anyway. From 0-30MPH the car will probably be quicker off the line than any other ordinary car. But after that, the acceleration is pretty anemic. It doesn't have any issues on the freeway, and with the CVT transmissions, it's a nice, smooth ride as well.

Fuel economy is typically around 46-48MPG, depending on how I drive. To get really good fuel economy, as in around 50MPG, then I have to be fairly conservative. At first I did this, being easy on the gas and seldom driving over 60 MPH. But as time went on and the novelty wore off, if you drive it like a 'normal' car, expect to get something like 46MPG or so. I can drive all week on less than a tank.

Once I got used to doing the maintenance, it's not terribly different from other cars. Changing the oil, transmission fluid, engine coolant, spark plugs, belts, and air filter are all straightforward. The only regular maintenance item that is tricky is the inverter coolant. The inverter converts the battery power into high voltage for the electric motor and has to be cooled. The coolant is vacuum-sealed, and thus you cannot get air pockets in there or you could damage the inverter. So for that I take it to a shop for them to do, as they have a vacuum system.

The reliability has been the same as I've had out of other Toyotas: very good. The car now has around 150,000 miles, and so far we have yet to have a serious issue. The one and only problem it has is the computer will on occasion throw out a battery warning on cold days. This happens about once a year, and the light goes off within a minute. The fact that this was the first version of the Prius and it is now going on 11 years old is promising. The battery is still working fine, despite the age and miles. I assume that in that time battery technology has only gotten better and thus more durable. I'd have no qualms about buying another Prius with regard to the battery longevity.

My single biggest gripe is that this generation of Prius came with a odd size of wheel. As such, only one manufacturer makes the tires, and the tires themselves aren't very good. They wear out prematurely. If we're lucky we can squeeze out 55,000 miles on a set. They aren't cheap either. About $100 each. A minor gripe is that the plastic headlight lenses started fading and hazing about 2 years ago. I have to buff them out with a polishing compound made for these lenses about every 4 months. The lenses face upward, taking the full brunt of the sun. On the other hand, it seems like most cars this age have the same issue.

All in all, it's been a very good, no-nonsense, get you there type of car.

Faults:

Mainly Canadian winters are taking their toll on this car; rusty rocker panels, and the roof line where it meets the windshield is getting rough. Now at 339,000kms, it needs front shocks and the A/C system fixed. But it's 10 years old with 339,000kms on it.

General Comments:

Not the fastest car on the road; but great on gas. Has enough power to get around town, but can be a little slow if merging onto a fast moving highway.

Comfortable interior though; especially for a car of its size. Mainly drive in the city, but have taken it on a few road trips, and it performs great overall.

Fuel economy is awesome! I get upwards of 800kms to a tank (500 miles), and it's only a 45 litre tank! Never had a car this good on gas.

Also, kudos to Toyota engineers; it's been 10 years and almost 340,000kms, and the Hybrid system still works as good as when it was new. The battery has lost some of its power, but still performs good overall.