Prius
I’ve been driving a Toyota Prius since October 2007. I decided to lease it or four years. Starting 2008, the dutch IRS decided to discount tax for personal use, allowing drivers of an A-class energy label car to add only 14% of the catalogue value of the car to their annual income. I was very pleased to hear this, but I didn’t choose the Toyota Prius for that reason.
I have to be honest. Cars aren’t my thing. My idea of a car matches most people’s idea about computers: it’s a device and it should work. If it does, who cares how or why?
When I found out that hybrid cars existed, I became very curious. The first test drive convinced me. A car this quiet with all the electronic features was very appealing to me. I felt a lot of understanding and sympathy with the makers of this car. In addition to that, japanese cars are tested in Japan and they don’t find their way to Europe until they are completely bug-free. In Europe, this process works exactly the other way around…
Driving a hybrid car isn’t that special to me anymore. The Prius is just a great car that’s very quiet and it runs somewhere between 1:16 and 1:20. I did, however, promise myself never to drive a car with only a fuel engine on board, so it has to be at least a hybrid, or whatever high tech solution the future will bring…
Minor update: The only negative thing I can think of about the Prius are its dangerous floor mats. Click here and read what Dagblad De Pers wrote on this (Dutch).
On January 28th Toyota announces a recall of European cars as well
