First, Interior/Design: <br>2005 Toyota Prius
1. INTERIOR/DESIGN: PRIUSOverall, the Prius comes in first, based on its commodious cabin, rear hatch and fold-down rear seats. There are also numerous cargo areas throughout the cabin, and the quality of the interior is first-rate.Next time someone shouts bad things about a hatchback, kick 'em in the shins and point out a Prius. Here is a car –- a car –- that offers SUV-like space. You can cram so much stuff in the back of a Prius that dorm movers across the nation ought to go on strike. The combination of a pleasant ride and usable spaciousness, plus the expected Toyota dedication to quality materials and construction, puts the 2005 Toyota Prius on the top pedestal. This car, redesigned for the 2004 model year, is such a landmark winner that many elements of its construction are being carried over into Toyota’s new wave of vehicles. See the proof: check out the new Lexus GS models, the Scion tC and the new Toyota Avalon. That’s a smart move, because the design of the car makes living with the car a pleasure. There’s plenty of room –- usable room –- not the kind of cargo space that winds up over your head. Seats front and rear are comfortable with good-enough bolstering, and the materials used throughout is of a high, durable quality. It’s a don’t-need-leather cabin, to be sure, but one possible fear is that the composition of the material will result in a dingy appearance as years go by and people climb in and out.
Rumor has it that Toyota makes all engineers and factory workers change their names to FitnFinish. Meet Joe FitnFinish, he designed the Toyota Prius. And here’s Beth FitnFinish; they aren’t related but she works on the Prius assembly line. All the FitnFinishes are dedicated to the single goal of building some of the best-made cars in the world, and the Prius is one of them. Things fit together well inside and out; the only noticeable negative being intrusive road noise and some unwanted chatter from its high mileage tires. It’s pretty clear that sound dampening materials were one of the few things Toyota sacrificed in order to build a hybrid for a real-world price of $25,000. That’s a great deal, and worth a little noise inside the cabin. Fact is, what stands for a noisy Toyota cabin probably equals a quiet ride from another maker. In addition to interior quality, the design is smart and the result is an easy car to live with. It’s easy to get into and out of, start, drive, and use to go shopping. Thanks to the design of the hatchback, there are some extra blind spots, but remember what the PE instructor told you: look twice and don’t use just your mirrors. Overall, the Prius comes in first, based on its commodious cabin, rear hatch and fold-down rear seats. There are also numerous storage areas throughout the interior, and the quality of the interior is first-rate. The styling of the vehicle is effective because it’s polarizing, not boring, and because it facilitates one of the best interior designs on the road.