Used 2004 Toyota Prius
Buying Guide for the Toyota Prius:
If you thought the Prius hybrid car was just a fad, you’d
better think again. Toyota’s revolutionary fuel-saver enters
2004 with nothing short of a full redesign. The new Prius
is not only bigger, it’s also more powerful and more fuel
efficient. That’s right: more powerful and more fuel efficient.
How did Toyota make the new Prius beefier but at the same
time more fuel efficient? The short answer is advanced engineering.
The technical answer is that the 2004 Prius uses electrical
components rather than gasoline ones to run some vehicle functions:
the power-steering pump and air-conditioning compressor are
driven by electric motors instead of belts.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
the amount of changes this year’s Prius receives. One of the
most immediately noticeable alterations is the sheer size
of the hybrid car. It's 6.9 inches longer in wheelbase, 6.3
inches longer overall, 1.2 inches taller, nearly 2 inches
wider and 125 lbs heavier.
Under the Hood
Though the Prius is stronger than ever, it didn’t go on steroids
in the off-season. It continues with a special 1.5-liter inline
4-cylinder engine coupled with an electric motor/battery pack.
The two supply power separately or together, with sensors
determining the most-efficient method in terms of fuel consumption
and power requirement.
Plug-in charging is not required with the Prius. For 2004,
the gas engine gains 6 horsepower, pushing the total to 133.
The engine has 76 horsepower at 4500 rpm and 82 lb-ft of torque
at 4200 rpm, while the electric motor gets 67 horsepower at
1200 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 0-1200 rpm.
The Prius uses a continuously variable automatic transmission
(CVT), with near-infinite gear ratios rather than traditional
gears. In addition, new "by-wire" electronics replace
the mechanical linkages for the accelerator and shifter.
Also newly standard with this year’s Prius is a hill acceleration
control. It is designed to maintain a steady speed up and
down steep slopes.
Standard Features, Options Packages and Style
In another of the countless 2004 upgrades, the optional navigation
system adds voice recognition and a larger dashboard touchscreen.
Brand-new options include an antiskid system, xenon headlamps
and a "smart" keyless entry/starting system with
carry-along transmitter.
The standard features list includes alloy wheels, air conditioning
with automatic climate control, a tilt steering wheel with
radio and climate controls and an AM/FM/CD player.
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