The Toyota Prius is still the most popular and best-selling hybrid car in the US and world today. When the Prius was released back in 1997 it pioneered the trend towards hybrid vehicles.

Purchases of the Toyota Prius started to rise as more models were released, even though, initially, sales of the now-popular hybrid vehicle were not very good. Toyota released its second-generation Prius in 2003 as the first midsize hybrid available to the public, and that year it was named Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine.

People are not just buying hybrids because of the environmental and health issues, but also because of the soaring gas prices which is leading people to look for alternatives. Prius is the number one choice due to its simplicity and price, although, there are many hybrid cars to choose from.

Many improvements have been made to the latest hybrid vehicles. While the first version of the Toyota Prius had excellent fuel efficiency, air conditioning was the sole option available. The second generation vehicle improved on the first in aesthetics, speed, and size. It is the first sedan of its class and size and has won numerous awards.

It employs the Synergy hybrid system used by all of Toyota’s hybrid vehicles. It has a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine with smart valve timing along with an eternal magnet Ac synchronous motor. It has 110 horsepower (combining electric power with gas power) and 46 mpg fuel economy (city and highway mileage combined, as rated by EPA).

It has an electronically controlled continuous variable transmission, anti-lock system and regenerative breaking. The environment benifits because of the low 89% emissions.

Power windows, cloth seats, micron filter air-conditioners, cruise control, door locks, and keyless remote entry are included as standard features in the second generation Toyota Prius. Switches can be found on the steering wheel that controls the climate, audio and cruise control.

Customers have the option of buying the vehicle with a navigational system with Bluetooth technology. What makes it different from any other hybrids on the market is that it uses a power button to start the ingition rather than a key. An energy motor is mounted on the dashboard which indicates the flow of power between the engine, electric motor and battery pack.

While the second-generation Toyota Prius isn’t the most stylish of the available hybrids, its low price, high miles per gallon, and environmentally minded features combine to make it extremely attractive. If you’re looking for practicality why not choose the pioneer?

You can find more great information and articles about hybrid cars, including the Toyota Prius, on our website.

As a consumer are you well informed? Do you pay attention to the receipts you get and to all the wording on your bills? I have started doing this and have found that there are many times when I am over charged, especially with grocery shopping, and that the fine print on some of the bills, especially insurance bills, has inaccurate information on them. I work hard for my money and I do not want to spend it by being over charged for goods and services.

Several months ago I was paying my semi annual installment for my car insurance. I noticed that the premium had gone up, but I did not pay a great deal of attention to this. My husband noticed the increase and questions this because our policy was supposed to decrease after six months of no claims. We had not made a claim in the six months. I started reading on the bill and noticed that it stated that our drivers license records indicated that we had one or more violations that caused the increase in our insurance. Neither my husband nor I had received a ticket or fine in the six month period. We called the insurance company and we were told that there was an outstanding parking ticket that had been issued two years ago. They said that it was indicated that there was a warrant out for my husbandís arrest due to this outstanding fine. The ticket was for parking in a handicapped space without a sticker. My husband works with disabled clients and is always very careful not to block any accessible spaces, let alone illegally park in one of them. We went to the department of motor vehicles and asked to see our drivers license records. Both records were clean. There was no mention about an outstanding fine or warrant on my husbandís record. We asked for copies of our drivers license records to send to the insurance company. The department of motor vehicles offered to fax the information directly to the company.

When we arrived home we called and explained the situation. The representative stated that they did not know what had happened, but they would readjust our premium and send out a new one. Our guess is that because we have a common last name, someone elseís record was accessed rather than my husbandís or a wrong number was entered when doing the records search. If my husband would not have reminded me about the amount of premium we would have paid three hundred dollars more for our insurance. We would have paid the increased amount rather than the discounted amount for being safe drivers. It is very important to take the time to read your bill statements and also your receipts.

Patricia Stevenson owns and operates Drivers License Records which finds many county records including adoption records.