Toyota Prius

A short week in Chicago. A delayed flight on Monday so an upgrade at Hertz.

I have never had a Prius before and have only been for a short ride in one. Where to begin? Let me try starting from the very first.

Another keyless starter. With the Prius, the keyless fob has to be in a slot next to the steering column before you can press the 'Start' button. And when you start it, the gasoline engine doesn't actually start. It starts in electric mode. My Escape Hybrid always starts with the gasoline engine running. So there's a bit of wondering whether your started or not.

The other problem about not knowing if the car is started or not is that there aren't any dials or instrument panel like a normal car. There are some digital indicators and a digital speedometer way forward under the windshield.

Then to figure out how to get in reverse. There isn't a shifter between the front seats. There isn't a shifter on the steering column. There is a knobby thing to the right of the key slot with R - N - B and a button labeled "P."

The driver's seat is quite high and the windshield is long and low. I like to sit up high but I don't like having the roof line and visors right in my line of sight. The side mirrors are big and adjust like I like them. The rear of the car is low sloping and has glass down to the bumper. It is kind of an odd look through the rear view mirror.

Getting used to the controls and instrument panel takes a bit of getting used to. The Prius has good pickup though there is a delay when pressing on the gas pedal and the car's reaction. You really feel like you're driving by wire in this vehicle. I did get the wheels to squeal pulling out into traffic at one point.

The Prius is definitely an impressive vehicle. It is like driving a concept car with all the high tech knobs and indicators. The Info panel controls the audio, ventilation and vehicle data. It certainly helped being kind of techno-junkie.