The Famous Toyota Prius

“Where there is no standard there can be no Kaizen.” - Taiichi Ohno, Father of the Toyota Production System.

Toyota Prius

I got my first Toyota Prius eight years ago. Prior to the Prius I owned a 2004 Ford Falcon. I was introduced to the car by an old taxi friend. He let me drive his Toyota Prius for a couple of weeks. Driving it for those two weeks got me hooked. Instead of buying one Prius, I ended up buying two at the same time. One for myself and one for my partner. These were the early models, the 2007 and 2009 models. Both suited our needs as private vehicles, and when required, as minivans.

Some Benefits

The Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle, making it extremely fuel efficient. One of the biggest benefits I found was that every morning for eight years, I jumped into the car, pushed in the square key, pressed the power button, then lo and behold, without fail the Prius fired up immediately. It was so reliable; it's only looking back that I really appreciate the quality of the car. I just took it for granted. I really like the design of the car. I thought the style of the 2007 in 2009 models were timeless. Later versions, because of the tail-light design, I was not so keen on. I found the Prius very comfortable with lots of storage space. Both cars were imported from Japan so you would expect some of the symbols to be in Japanese, and they were, but they had sufficient English phrases in them, to not be a problem.

The Ideal Taxi

I never actually drove the Prius as a taxi. As a former taxi driver, I could see the real benefits of using the Toyota Prius as one. The two main factors stand out for this vehicle, is its fuel efficiency and extreme reliability. The Prius easily sits up to three people, at a stretch four with no luggage. Three or more customers with luggage a van was sent to cater for those clients. Otherwise, the Toyota Prius was suitable for at least 80% of the work. It is another reason you see so many Toyota Prius models as taxis, even the oldest models of them.

Servicing

I always followed a regular service schedule. At least once a year, I got the Toyota Prius fully serviced. It included oil change, air filter change and tyres when needed. This was sufficient to keep the Toyota Prius on the road for an entire year without trouble. My 2009 model I bought it with 110,000 kilometres, eight years later when I sold it, it had 250,000 kilometres on the clock. It was never used as a taxi in the time I owned it. The 2007 Prius had over 375,000km on the clock before we got it. It was used as a taxi and had a battery change, prior to us owning it.

Markets

Most weekends the 2007 model was loaded up with market goods. Trestles, clothing, camp chairs, gazebo, weights to hold the gazebo down, and tables. It was a tight fit, but it did the job and markets were mostly successful.

Why I Sold?

Circumstances change. As requirements for the markets increased, the 2007 Prius was replaced with a van. Later the 2009 model was sold off as well. I was very sad to see them go. For a time, we only had one vehicle. It was obvious we needed a second vehicle. We got the second vehicle; we bought another Toyota Prius.

Drawbacks

All cars have their limitations. The 2012 model has smaller storage pockets and not as many coffee cup holders. Another import, this car is not as easy to interpret the touch screen. Setting radio stations is not possible (for now) since everything is in Japanese or Japanese script. Even the Japanese salesperson had trouble with it. Bluetooth helps with music and phone calls, appearing on the touchscreen. For me they are hassles but are outweighed by the value of owning a Prius again. All hail to the Toyota Prius.