2004 Toyota Prius

The world's first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, Toyota's Prius has made quite a stir since its introduction in Japan six years ago and here in the States several years later. It remained a star in a world where its only competitor was the two-seat Honda Insight hybrid, but began losing its luster when Honda's more mainstream-looking Civic Hybrid came to town.

The 2004 Prius, featuring what Toyota likes to call a "triangular monoform shape," sits on an entirely new platform.

Toyota's answer to the mainstream challenge is its all-new 2004 Prius, a four-door lift-back model coming this fall that's better than the original in every sense. In fact, this model gains enough interior volume to move it up from the compact to the midsize class, a significant improvement.


It's a tough call which improvement is most important, but let's start with this car's smoother and more shapely appearance, which is sure to gain the Prius fans it didn't have before. In the past, you pretty much had to lean toward hybrids to accept the Prius as a potential on your new car shopping wish list. Now, it's included just because it looks cool and offers the kind of features that tend to move buyers in its direction.


The 2004 Prius, featuring what Toyota likes to call a "triangular monoform shape," sits on an entirely new platform with a wheelbase some six inches longer than the original. Its well-designed interior includes seating for five and a handy lift-back and fold-down rear seat that provides a level of cargo carrying ability not found in the original Prius.

The '04 Prius features throttle- and shift-by-wire control, the latter incorporating a dash-mounted joystick with tap-of-the-finger shifting.

Drivers will certainly appreciate the higher performance brought to bear by this new Prius. The 2004 model marks the debut of Toyota's all-new Hybrid Synergy Drive, a full hybrid system that offers a marked improvement over the automaker's original Toyota Hybrid System.