Very good vehicle, but not as great as some of the gushing reviews would have you believe.
First off, this is an excellent car with solid, innovative technology. I like it. I enjoy driving it. It excels around town and on road trips that follow paved roads in good weather. I do feel that buyers need to temper their expectations in the face of the unjustified reviews from certain consumer magazines that paint this as the greatest auto ever created by man. It is not. Toyota tries to make the instrument panel look like a space ship by moving it to the center of the dashboard. That only makes it difficult to find necessary information buried in all the fluff. Controls for the audio system are difficult to use while driving. Rear visibility is terrible. Dangerously so. Worst of all is the traction control system, which seems to operate under the principle of "Is a wheel spinning?", then "spin it faster!". This car will lose traction far too easily in gravel, snow or in heavy rain. Replacing the stock tires helps (they were obviously chosen to boost mileage scores at the expense of safety), but stick to level ground in any kind of bad weather. Road noise is also very bad, but that is a common issue for small cars, so I am willing to let that slide.
Don't get me wrong. I would consider buying this car again. Just know what you are getting.
Recommended
