If you've been looking to keep ownership costs at the minimum, but you've found the idea of extinguishing the entire electric car, the Toyota Prius plug-in makes the perfect candidate.
In addition to the regular Prius Hybrid Engine and lower operating costs, for additional expenses, the plugin adds the ability to travel for short distances ranging from about 20-25 miles on silent electric power thanks to a much larger battery.
You won't notice any difference in a regular Prius behind the wheel - you get the same futuristic dashboard with a sat-nav touch screen in the middle. There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection yet, so you are stuck with the Toyota sat-nav navigation system which can sometimes give you misleading stock trends and auto-zoom features are often very slow to respond.
On the upside, the build quality is very good and you can choose a mostly white interior that lights up inside. Tech lovers will love the second screen above the infotainment system that shows you driving data and shows you how "driving" the environment is.
Despite this two-story arrangement to the dashboard, you can get a beautiful view and there are plenty of arms to adjust your driving position. As standard, you can change the seat height and you will also get adjustable lower back support making longer trips more comfortable.
It gets good space in front, but not too spacious for rear-seat passengers. There isn't much headspace for anyone over six feet in height, but the somewhat strange thing is arranging two seats in the back. This is not Rolls-Royce, while the extra glossy plastic and cup holders in the middle will not help you explain why your fourth friend couldn't join you on the ride, as it is in any other car of the same size.
Due to the Prius Plug-in's magnifying battery, the boot flange is at a great height making heavy bag loading a good workout - don't forget to lift your legs, not your back. On the upper side, the space is very good for a family car, as it easily takes three exemplary suitcases by plane.
It will not compete with anyone using the Prius Plug-in, but the larger battery is associated with a stronger boost than a stationary mount compared to the regular Prius. You can easily keep up with traffic on electric power alone, provided you maintain lower speeds of around 20-50 miles per hour.
At high speeds, the help of the 1.8-liter gasoline engine is needed, and when it's turned on, you definitely know it - it's very high. The Toyota Prius Plug-in equipped gearbox also makes the engine spin up when you go overrun making it louder.
Prius Plug-in has an object that glides easily through the air causing wind noise to drop quickly, but road noise easily makes its way to the cab often forcing you to lift the stereo to dump it.
Although noisy, the Toyota Prius plug-in is extremely comfortable to drive thanks to the somewhat soft suspension that takes care of most potholes so you only hear a faint sound. Of course, Prius Plug-in tilts a lot in the corners due to the smooth set up so it is far from the VW Golf GTE sports car when it comes to driver enjoyment.
Prius Plug-in wins a lot of points for its standard equipment, and in particular, the driving helps make it a very safe car. Features include automatic emergency braking, adaptive speed control, and lane conservation assistance, which, when combined, give the Prius Plug-in almost self-driving.
Oddly enough, if you go to the solar sunroof - which is supposed to add a few miles to your collection on a sunny day but also looks great - you'll lose the standard head-screen, blind-sight device, and the back cross-traffic alert.
So if you live 30 miles from work (and you can shop there too) and continue on the city's low-speed streets, the Toyota Prius plug-in makes for very cheap passengers to run. However, if you live anywhere near a big city and do not do much mileage, then the diesel car will be cheap in the long run.
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