Word: priuses
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Gizmos for the Real World "Coolest Inventions" was an interesting survey of up-to-date products [Nov. 24]. I especially liked the item on Toyota's Intelligent Parking Assist, the optional self-parking feature in the new Prius that uses software to allow a car to parallel park itself while the driver doesn't even have to touch the steering wheel. This technology will be a big seller, especially for drivers like my mother, who faces many difficulties in parallel parking. Koji Yamazaki Toyohashi, Japan...
...More. More. Too much! Sorry, sir, was that your car? If you've ever driven in a city, you know the agony of parallel parking in a tight space. But your suffering may soon end. Toyota has invented a car that parallel parks itself. This new version of the Prius, Toyota's hybrid gas-electric automobile, has an optional self-parking feature, which combines a rear-mounted camera, power steering and special software that automatically guides the car backward into its curbside destination. With Intelligent Parking Assist, as Toyota calls the feature, the driver doesn't even have to touch...
...first thing you will notice is the roomy interior. The 2004 Prius is just 5 in. longer than the old model but has several inches more backseat legroom and a surprisingly large trunk beneath its hatchback. You'll also note the unusual controls: no key is necessary. Instead, you insert a small plastic unit about the size of a matchbook into a slot on the dash, then step on the brake and push the power button. Next you move a small joystick mounted on the dash to the "D" position to start moving. It seems odd at first...
...best improvements are in performance and fuel efficiency. The Prius goes from 0 to 60 in 10 sec., a significant boost over the sluggish 12.5 sec. of last year's model. More impressive is the 59 m.p.g. in the city and 51 m.p.g. on the highway...
Compared to the similar-size 2004 Toyota Corolla, which has a regular gas engine and gets 29 m.p.g. in the city and 38 m.p.g. on the highway, the Prius could save you nearly $300 a year in gas, assuming you drive 15,000 miles and pay $1.75 a gallon. And you won't spend much time at the pump, because you can go more than 600 miles between refills...