2010 Prius 2 Review
If I could, I would give this vehicle a 4.5 stars. We thoroughly enjoy driving it. I am 6 feet tall with long legs and this is the only car of any make, since the early '70s, that I have driven in and owned that provides more then enough leg room behind the steering wheel. I even have to move the seat slightly forward from the farthest backward extension of the seat. Head room is great. It handles curves very well. You feel like you are driving both a sports car and a family car. Depending on where we drive, from level terrain to hilly even mountainous terrain, the miles per gallon average is 45 to 60. Freeway and in city driving mph is 53-60. The reason I only give it a 4.5 stars is because of the three negatives we have found. The frame is too close to the ground so you must stay on good developed roads or it will bottom out. Visibility in front is poor i.e. it is very difficult to judge how close you are to up close things like vehicles, parking up close to cement blocks in straight in parking are examples, These two difficulties can be overcome with practice, however. But, the worse problem (as a driver) is looking over your right shoulder trying to see if any traffic is in the right lane or approaching from the right side and in backing up. For those models with backup cameras, there is some benefit. But, from the back side panels near the back seat head rests to the rear window there is basically no visibility for about three feet. That leaves you with a dangerous blind spot. The only way to try to overcome this issue is to take a lot of time and cranking your head and body all over the place to make sure your blind spot is safe. But, to be fair, I have test driven many models of both U.S. and foreign makes that have the same rediculous design problem. If you drove in the '50s and '60s, you will remember that none of these problems existed in cars. Perhaps one day manufacturers will incorporate better designs and new products, some that already exist, that provide clear visibility and strenght. Unfortunately, these are design problems that are kept to please buyers instead of safety issues that must be corrected. We still like the Prius. Until and if and when a better car with better mileage and safety design comes along, we will stay with the prius.
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