When my son bought 2009 Toyota Prius, nobody was more shocked than I. We are talking about the kid whose first car was one of those gas-guzzling four-wheel drives on steroids. But, as my son put it,' if it is good for Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz, it is good for me.'

Toyota Prius managed to do for hybrid cars what other companies did not yet: they made it feel like a 'normal' car. Just better. My son manages to get about 45 miles per gallon even through NY rush hour traffic, without contributing too much to the CO2 emission (only 89g/km) problem. The motor is incredibly quiet, and this small looking car is surprisingly comfortable, even for someone 6'3", like my son. There is also much more trunk space than you would expect.

The basic principle on which this hybrid system works is: there's a petrol engine - in the case of my son's Prius a 1.8-liter unit with 98 bhp, and then there is an electric motor, which adds 36 more bhp, more than enough for everyday driving. I was surprised to learn that the electric motor can drive the car on its own, up to around 30mph, when the petrol engine takes over.
The electric motor is powered by lithium batteries, which are charged during slowing down and braking, so they do not require separate recharging.
The Prius has CVT automatic gearbox, making it very easy and comfortable to drive. It does not like to go faster than 70mph, it starts getting noisy, but how often do we need more speed than that?
The price is no joke - my son paid almost $24,000 at Toyota dealer in Morristown, NJ. Prius sells so well, they offer almost no discounts or special features, they know people who want it will pay the full price.