Hybrid hang-up

ELVIRA HATTINGH

I believe hybrid cars are destined to be our future, especially once they become more affordable. But this is only since I bought a Toyota Prius Gen 3 (or XW30) and went hybrid about three months ago.

To say that I am impressed with the Toyota Prius would be an understatement. I am sure I am never going back.

I cannot get past the fact that it gives me 20 km/litre, not to mention the futuristic digital dials, the beautiful interior, the comfort of having more than enough space, or the feeling of sheer luxury while driving it.

What is a hybrid car, you might be wondering. An online search says that the Toyota Prius is the world's most popular hybrid car and uses a combination of an internal combustion engine and a battery electric drive system to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.

More and more hybrids are seeing the light - these include models such as the Saturn Vue, Toyota Prius, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h and 450h, Hyundai Ioniq.

HOW IT STARTED

We all have felt the impact of the tough economic times Namibia is facing.

Earlier this year a colleague of my husband’s, who owns a Generation II Toyota Prius, told us that he drove about 300 km in Windhoek without seeing any difference on his petrol gauge. He drives a Prius NHW11, sometimes referred to as "Generation II", which was the first Prius sold by Toyota outside of Japan.

He told us that in town, his fuel consumption averages about 20 km per litre.

Although the design of the Gen II did not really excite me at the time, the excellent fuel consumption convinced me that this was the way to go.

At that time I was driving a Volkswagen Citi Golf, Storm edition. An excellent, economical car. I admit that sometimes I like to put pedal to the metal and my ‘Volla’ was more than willing to run fast and free.

Driving in town, it would average about 10 to 12 km per litre. Of course that went up to about 14 to 17 km per litre on the open road. Services and parts were really affordable.

FINDING A HYBRID LOCALLY

Looking at the local market, it was hard finding a Toyota Prius. Salespeople told us that it is not often bought locally and therefore, if I wanted a brand new one, they would have to place an order. And one has to pay a deposit before ordering a new Prius with a price tag of just a touch under half a million dollars.

I decided that paying that much for a car would defeat the purpose of saving money on petrol. We started looking for a second-hand Prius at local dealers – but without success.

Then we decided to do something unconventional – something I never thought I would do. We started looking at the import market.

CONSIDERING AN IMPORT

We realised that we would be able to buy a second-hand hybrid at a very affordable price, as import dealers are pricing the Toyota Prius Generation 3 (or XW30) at anything from N$80 000 to N$120 000 – and then you can even negotiate the price.

At that point I knew that by selling my 2009-model Citi Golf I could easily pay for a Prius. Furthermore, based on my monthly mileage, the Prius would pay for itself within 18 months thanks to the fuel savings.

We were a bit apprehensive about buying a second-hand import and carefully scrutinised the cars on the floor to choose one that was, as far as we could see, well taken care of and in excellent running condition.

I had sentimental issues letting go of my Volla, but making the switch from a mechanically simple car to one where everything is digital was mind-blowing. Also, I had to adapt to driving a car with an automatic gearbox, as that was the only available option.

FUTURISTIC FEATURES

The Gen 3’s model years range from 2010 to 2015, but even in 2018, the state-of-the-art technology used in the car is impressive.

I was apparently not used to much, as I was overwhelmed by features such as the beautiful digital heads-up display, a reverse camera, sensors that automatically switch on the lights or wipers, and radio and other controls on the steering wheel.

The Gen 3’s body is designed to be very aerodynamic, and an underbody rear fin helps stabilise the vehicle at higher speeds.

It starts with the push of a button, as long as you keep its “key” nearby. Similarly, it locks when you put your finger on three little stripes on the door handle and unlocks when it senses your hand reaching inside the handle.

When you park, small lights switch on at your feet, and the same happens when you open the boot. It even has a button for spraying water onto your headlights if they get dirty.

The Prius is a big car and is very spacious inside. But if you think it has ample leg room, you should see the boot. I was used to the reasonable amount of space in my Volla’s boot, but the Prius’s 446-litre boot space is lovely. The seats can be laid flat to create even more space. I tried filling it up with luggage when we went on a weekend trip and almost succeeded.

Some Gen 3 Prius cars are optionally fitted with a front radar and a solar-panel roof to help recharge the battery of the electric motor. It can also optionally be fitted with a DVD-based navigation system, a pre-collision warning system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane keep assist and intelligent parking assist.

What amazed me the most was the display showing how fuel-efficiently you are driving, whether you are using mostly the electric or the petrol engine.

THE BATTERY, GETTING PARTS

A question I am often asked is whether I have to plug the car into a socket to charge its battery. The answer is no.

The Prius uses clever technology to charge the battery of the electric motor. It also has a conventional battery just like ordinary cars. Yes, it has two batteries.

Whenever the petrol engine kicks in, it charges the battery of the electric motor. When you step on the brake pedal, the car slows down first using the electric motor, which once again charges the battery, before engaging the brake pads.

It is costly to replace the battery of the electric motor, but it seems that a more affordable option is to import individual cells of the battery and replace them as needed.

Even though the Prius I bought had about 240 000 km on the clock and I have already put another 8 000 km on it, so far I haven’t had any trouble whatsoever with this battery.

Another regular question is whether parts are readily available locally. The good news is that it mostly uses the same parts as the Toyota Auris. When we had our car serviced we had no trouble finding all the parts in Windhoek.

DRIVING WITHOUT A SOUND

It felt weird at the beginning when the electric motor engaged and there was no engine sound! Sometimes I come up behind pedestrians and realise that they are unaware of the car behind them as they cannot hear it.

But at the same time it does have a petrol engine that makes a very decent sound. That is for those petrolheads who need an engine roar or two to get by.

The Prius has three driving modes – EV (electric vehicle), economy mode and power mode. I would not recommend using EV too much as it quickly exhausts the battery of the electric motor, which means the petrol engine has to engage to recharge it.

FUEL EFFICIENCY

The Prius’s fuel efficiency has lived up to the promises. We watched online videos showing how to drive to make it even more fuel efficient. It boils down to stepping down to accelerate and once you are moving at the desired speed, lifting your foot from the pedal so that the car only uses the electric motor to maintain your speed.

The fact is that a Prius will ensure that you drive much more consciously.

I mostly drive in Windhoek – typical town driving that consists of sometimes moving at a snail’s pace, regularly stopping and accelerating again.

I mostly drive in the economy mode, as I find that it increases my hybrid’s fuel efficiency by another 0.5 to 1 km per litre. Just driving the car without putting it in any mode would give me about 19.5 km/l. In economy mode it averages 20 km/litre.

We also tested the Prius on the open road by driving to Grootfontein for a weekend. Fuel consumption averaged 21.4 km/litre. Driving 904 km cost us about N$600.

But is it fast enough, I’m often asked.

Well, yes. Put pedal to the metal when needed and you will be pleasantly surprised. Want more? Then push the power mode button.

The 1.8-litre engine generates 73 kW and with the added power of the electric motor, (which also kicks in when you push the power mode button), total horsepower is 100 kW. Obviously at this stage you say goodbye to fuel efficiency. You cannot have it all.

DRAWBACKS

Is there anything that has disillusioned me a bit? By now you would’ve realised that I am a very satisfied Prius driver, but I would’ve liked a manual car. It is a Namibian thing.

I must also mention that I had to replace the radio, as it was in Japanese and there was no way to change the language to English without a memory card. Ordering a memory card from overseas would have been as pricey as fitting it with a new radio.

Also, a new radio should preferably be equipped to accommodate your reverse camera and controls on the steering wheel. Thus, buying a suitable radio was not cheap.

Furthermore, some text on the heads-up display is also in Japanese and it’s not possible to switch to English. But I haven’t found it to be a major issue.

Also, the seats are an off-white colour and I am petrified that my toddler will get them dirty. The disadvantage is, as the seats are fitted with airbags, you cannot use seat covers. When we bought the car the driver’s seat had some dirty spots. We were able to fix this by buying a seat-cleaning product at a local shop, which worked quite well.

Also, the Prius’s headlights had fuzzy spots of discoloration, possibly caused by the sun. We were able to buy a local product to partly remedy this, but apparently you have to apply the product at least once every three months, as the spots keep returning.

Overall, I am really happy with the Prius and I am strongly considering buying the latest edition, the 2018 Prius, a few years from now.