SINCE THERE WAS no space to do this earlier, I'll just spend the first couple hundred words gloating. If you haven't already read about it, the Toyota Prius finished up tops in our fuel stretch challenge, in part due to its own inherent frugality, but mostly because of some damned disciplined driving from yours truly.

To be fair, the others didn't really stand much of a chance. Because, in addition to having the most technologically advanced car of the bunch in terms of fuel efficiency, I also happen to be CarBuyer's lightest driver by a very significant margin. Weight is the enemy of economy, and if there was an equivalent FBI wanted list for enemies of economy, then most of the CarBuyer team would be on it.

The Prius is the hybrid car, and it's attained iconic status mostly because Toyota took such an unprecedented gamble in the early 90s. Back then, the company forked out billions for hybrid technology research and development, in full knowledge that it was unlikely to see any significant short or medium term returns on its investment. Today, Toyota practically owns the burgeoning hybrid market.

The Prius, now in its second generation, is ostensibly a small hatchback with an electric motor augmenting its petrol engine's performance. The idea is that the battery-powered electric motor starts the car off, and the petrol engine takes over once you get moving, maximising efficiency.

The car also packs a host of clever features. For example, the petrol engine shuts down completely at idle, only starting up if the batteries need to be charged, which helps reduce emissions. The Prius can also recover energy lost as it slows down, a process called regenerative braking. The electric motor also functions as a generator in this respect, recharging the battery.

It also looks quite unlike anything else on the road. There's a fair bit of MPV to the overall shape, but also hints of classic Citroens of all things. The streamlined shape is in service to function, slippery aerodynamics are best for fuel economy, but the car does end up looking sleek and pleasingly balanced.

DRIVING IT

To squeeze the most mileage out of the Prius necessitates a subtle shift in driving style. There's no hardship involved, you just have bear in mind that the electric motor works best at getting the car going, and that the petrol engine is at its most efficient keeping up the momentum.

If you give it too much gas off the line, both the electric motor and the petrol engine spring into action, which is a bit wasteful. Feathering the throttle to make the electric motor do most of the work in getting the car up to speed works wonders for overall fuel consumption.

There's no real need to keep to any sort of speed limit, either, in service to economy. The Prius will happily cruise at 90km/h or more, with the instantaneous fuel economy readout showing something on the order of 2.5 litres per 100km. You can thank the car's extremely slippery shape for this.

The petrol engine puts out 76bhp, and the electric motor develops 67bhp. More importantly, the latter develops 400Nm of torque from zero revs up to about 1,200rpm. If you call for full bore acceleration, both the electric and petrol motors conspire to serve up a 0 to 100km/h time of 10.9 seconds, pretty respectable for what is essentially a 1.5-litre car.

The transmission is of the continuously variable sort, and ratio selection is controlled by the electric motor itself, via some clever mechanical acrobatics. Selecting 'drive' is simply a matter of sliding the Prius' stubby little transmission lever into 'D'. There's also a 'B' gate, tapping the lever into this slot activates engine braking.

Show the car some corners and the Prius manages to come off as a very tidy handler. The steering is a little on the low geared side, so tight confines will necessitate a fair amount of arm twirling. That said, it's very easy to place the car, and the Prius exhibits excellent body control in the corners.

You can also force the car to run solely on the electric motor, which can be a little disconcerting because of the silence, but very novel nevertheless. Using this option quickly drains the battery, though, so it's best reserved for those times when you're coming home late at night and you don't want to disturb the neighbours.

Don't worry about wearing the batteries out. Apparently Toyota has made sure that they're never charged above 80 percent capacity. The car also doesn't allow the charge to fall below 50 percent, doing this markedly prolongs battery life. You shouldn't have to change them for as long as you keep the car.

INSIDE IT

The cabin is extremely minimalist, which fits the overall economy theme very well. Everything's been hidden behind flaps and covers, so a nice clean aesthetic dominates. Fit and finish are typically, superb.

Equipment levels are high, too. There are six airbags for example, and the only thing you do miss is leather upholstery. That said, there's nothing wrong in terms of comfort with cloth seats.

Up front, the Prius' Electro Multi Vision (EMV) display dominates. You control all the car's amenities from the EMV's touch-screen, including audio settings and climate control. And for good measure, Toyota has also included satellite climate and audio controls on the steering wheel.

The EMV display shows you where the energy that's going into moving the car comes from at any point in time. You can also select a view that shows you how many watt hours of energy you've reclaimed from the Prius' regenerative braking function over ten minute blocks of travel time. And it even compares these figures with your average fuel consumption over the same block of travel time. That's probably more information than the average driver would want to digest but the techies will go all googly-eyed over it.

On the whole, interior space is very generous, both fore and aft. The Prius' dramatically sloping roofline does rob some headroom from the back, but only extra tall passengers will find this to be a problem.

Storage spaces are in plentiful supply, and the boot is decent. The loading sill is quite high, however, but you do get an extra underfloor storage compartment.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Before factoring in the Green Vehicle Rebate, the Prius lists for $100,835 with COE. The rebate, plus an early bird discount, knocks the price down to $83,888 with COE.

If you're looking at the Prius as an alternative to a conventional sedan or MPV, things get a bit tricky. It's difficult to simply compare the car with something that's similarly priced, like a Toyota Camry for example.

Part of the reason why is the fact that the Prius is unlikely to appear on a Camry buyer's shopping list in the first place. To be precise, hybrids currently hold a very specific appeal; if you're not actually looking for a hybrid, then it's probably going to be hard to persuade you to get one.

In terms of dollars and cents, though, considering how much technology goes into the car, and how much Toyota has spent on the whole Prius project, $83,888 is really cheap.

For arguments' sake, say fuel savings constituted your overriding reason for buying the car. Here are some figures; the Prius' combined cycle consumption figure is 3.6 litres per 100km, my own car's is 6.7 litres per 100km, although I'd have to struggle mightily to achieve that.

If I were to cover 20,000km in year, and provided prices for 95 octane petrol remain constant at today's $1.651 per litre, I'd save just over $1,000 a year on gas by choosing the Prius. Not bad indeed.

CONCLUSION

The Prius is packed with tech, frugal with fuel and friendly to the environment. It also looks striking enough that those wanting something different above all else will be well served.

The last is probably missing the point, though, but that said, Harrison Ford has one, which alone is reason enough for the Star Wars fan in me to reach for the cheque book.

PLUSES

Striking looks, trick drivetrain, frugality

MINUSES

No leather upholstery, slightly slow steering

VERDICT

It's hard to think of a cleverer car, the Prius makes you wonder why other manufacturers don't build cars like this

NEED TO KNOW

Model Toyota Prius A)
Engine 1,497cc, 16v in-line 4
Max Power 76bhp at 7,600rpm
Max Torque 115Nm at 5,600rpm
Gearbox Continuously Variable Transmission
Top Speed 170km/h
0-100 km/h 10.9 seconds
Price $83,888 with COE
Warranty 3 years / 100,000km
Contact Borneo Motors
Telephone 6475-1288

SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN

Honda Civic Hybrid (A) $80,500 with COE
The Civic Hybrid does more or less what the Prius does, and in a much subtler fashion. Noted engine builder that it is, Honda has spared no expense on the Civic Hybrid's petrol engine. The 1.3-litre unit boasts masses of tech, and is arguably the company's most advanced powerplant.

Renault Megane 1.6 5dr (A) $72,000 with COE
Reanult's Megane hatch makes it here because similar to the Prius, it's unconventionality is a strength. Quirky looks set it apart from other cars, and great ride comfort and handling are just part of a dynamically very sound package. The Megane range's superb showing in Euro NCAP safety tests is another big plus.