Used Prius, winter driving
Chris Chase, Can Car and Driver -
CANADIANDRIVER - 28 Feb 10
Thinking now is the time for a used Prius? --Ed.
The Toyota Prius may not have been the first mass-market gas-electric hybrid car (that title goes to the original Honda Insight), but it has become something of an icon for the green movement since being introduced to North America in 2001.
That first-generation car only lasted three years here, as it had already been on sale in Japan since 1997. The second-gen car arrived for the 2004 model year and was a vast improvement over the original in many ways.
The second-generation Prius is powered by a 1.5-litre gas engine that works in concert with an electric motor; they put their power to the road through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The drivetrain is managed by Toyotas Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which, among other things, harnesses braking energy and uses it to recharge the cars high-capacity battery....
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