The Toyota Prius v: Cruising Green and Comfortable

By Ruben Hernandez

Latinos in the United States are going “greener,” both in terms of environmental awareness and when it comes to getting the most for your financial investments, particularly when buying a car.

The Toyota automobile corporation is promoting the importance of living a green life through an initiative that features high fuel economy vehicles such as the Prius hybrid and giving advice on how Hispanics can adapt to this greener style in all areas of their lives.

According to Toyota’s press statements, “… commitment to the environment extends to all operations of the company and is best represented by the Toyota Prius family of vehicles. Increasingly, Hispanics across the country are aware of the environment, and in an effort to help the Hispanic community to embrace sustainability further, Toyota provides the necessary tools to continue to live an environmentally conscious life.”

“In the last 12 years, the Prius has done more to help the environment than any other car in the world to have saved enough fuel to travel around the world about 2,903,557 times, due in part to its estimated fuel use of 50 mpg,” the statement continues.

One of the programs Toyota has to educate Latinos about driving greener cars is loaning a new Prius to Latino community leaders and asking them to share their experiences through media and social media. The company has asked influential Latinos such as Jon Secada, Julian Gil, and Candela Ferro to help them get the word out about environmental awareness and the Prius.

Recently, I was asked to drive a 2013 Prius v model for a week and then describe my experience for AZLatinos.com readers. Here’s my report.

The 2013 Toyota Prius v is the big brother of the Prius hybrid. It’s called a hybrid because it’s powered by both a 1.8 liter, 4 cylinder engine and an electric motor. In fact, this Prius model can drive for short distances at slower speeds using only the electric battery.

Standard features include keyless start (you don’t even have to click the remote keyholder to unlock the doors, because the car’s sensor system unlocks them once you are near it), an easy dashboard gear shifts, Bluetooth, an iPod interface and, while optional features include heated seats and GPS navigation.

The fuel economy is one of the best things about this larger Prius. It gets an EPA-estimated 44/40 miles per gallon in the city or on the highway. I ended up driving the Prius on the city streets around the Valley and Tucson, on the relatively straight highway connecting Phoenix to Tucson, and even took her up and down the Mount Lemmon on the Tucson outskirts.

First of all, the Prius v has plenty of driver and passenger space. I’m 6 foot 4 inches tall and I fit my long, lanky legs comfortably in the driver’s seat. There’s also plenty of cargo spaces for toting stuff around. The Prius v’s larger size and length make the ride smoother than the regular Prius. I put the cruise control on for most of my drive on the highway and was able to enjoy the trip even more.

The downsides to the Prius v are relatively minor. It’s definitely a vehicle for someone who is not in a rush and doesn’t need high speeds to get to a destination. My old low-riding driving style of patient and slow came in handy because acceleration is slow, particularly when the Prius v is in its fuel-saving Eco mode. However, you can get the car up to the legal highway speed of 85 mph in about 11 seconds and keep it there if there’s not too much traffic.

The Prius v base price is $30, 295.00, and the specifications say you can save $1,250 in annual fuel costs.

All in all, I was so impressed with the Prius v I’ve decided to buy myself a regular Prius model. Can’t wait to find the best financial fit for me and drive happy knowing that I’m contributing in my own way to making our environment a little greener.