I have owned this vehicle for 2.5 Years and am overall satisfied. It does awesome on fuel mileage and is good quality with relatively few problems and low maintenance. I average about 44 mpg around town and on the highway. It does not need more power for when the battery is low and cannot provide additional boost from the electric motor but Toyota appears to have changed that with their newer models. I have trouble going up the large hills quickly near my house when the battery is low. The interior quality is good as well with no broken items after 11 years of use.

My family has been a Prius family. We bought our first in 2001, the first generation Prius, and it is still running today. The car that I currently drive was purchased in 2004, a second generation Prius, and I would not give it up for anything. The drive is smooth. It can handle speed bumps, train tracks, and gravel with ease. The pedals are responsive and differing pressure actually brake at differing speeds - which has not been the case with all of the cars I've driven. When you want to brake slowly, it lets you do that, but it also can stop in a moment's notice when a wayward cat runs out in front of you. The Second Generation Prius was one of the first push to start and keyless entry cars, at least one of the first I had ever seen. To this day, I still have people who are amazed when I just walk up to the car, touch the handle, and enter. "Did you really leave your car unlocked the whole time?" No, the car is smarter than a fifth grader, and can sense the key in my pocket. There's no fiddling around with keys in the dark parking lot after running out to buy ice cream from Walmart at 1am. If I throw my bag with the key in the back seat, it can still sense the key and turn on. Then when I get home I just grab the bag, close the door, and hit the black button on the driver's side or passenger's side doors or the trunk. The downside to this is when your friend is being kind and takes your purse in, walking away before you get to lock the car door, then you have to holler at them to come back. But what I love most about my Prius is the freedom I have to just drive. I have been able to get from DC to South Carolina on a single tank of gas. The perfect blend of a gas engine and a battery makes the Prius the best car for traveling far on little gas money. I have had truck owners pay me what they think is only just enough gas money, and have it be enough to fill my entire tank. The Prius gets places, and it does not empty out my wallet to do so. Overall, I don't think I'll ever buy a car that's not a Prius, so long as I can help it. They've proven to be dependable and efficient.