Toyota Prius GT?!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 08.20.05
It has been called "the answer to the question nobody asked": Introducing the 2005 Toyota Prius GT concept car, first seen at the 2004 Paris Auto Show. Not quite a speed demon, but certainly a more responsible way to move posthaste than most of the other cars with that much stickers. "The concept is to demonstrate the flexibility of the Prius platform." It features a 147 horsepower gas-electric drivetrain with plenty of torque coming from the electric motors, a stripped interior and roll cage making it 180 kg (400 lbs) lighter and a zero-to-a-hundred kilometers per hour (0-62 miles/hour) time of 8.7 seconds. Best of all, "fuel economy remains essentially unchanged... with normal driving!" Continue for pretty pictures!
::2005 Toyota Prius GT, ::Reviewing the Prius UK-Style (on the right)
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Is the Cash for Clunkers Program Right for You?
- 7 Ways the Troubled Automotive Industry Could Change Your Car and Your Commute
- Does Your Car Qualify for the Federal 'Cash for Clunker' Program?
- Preserving the Harvest: Strawberry Balsamic Jam
- What is the Cheapest and Greenest Way to Travel?
- What I Did On My Summer Vacation: Notes on the Green Aspects of My Trips to Paris and Dublin
This is an interesting take, actually, because I would like to have a car that's clean and fun to drive. But 99% of the fun to be had in fun-to-drive happens well below 60 mph.
It's just that to get a conventional car to have some get up and go down there means it has to be ultimately comfortably capable of 120 mph+; certainly not the case if you have a lighteight frame and some torquey electric motors down at the low end...I'd be interested to see where this ultimately goes. You could get quite a fun car that's still well above 50 mpg if you balance your compromises right...
"But 99% of the fun to be had in fun-to-drive happens well below 60 mph."
I guess you don't hang out much above 60 mph then...
The Prius GT was given bigger tires. Does this mean it was given bigger brakes as well? Although the Prius is a wonder car in most respects, it's braking distance rivals that of a truck. I'm hoping that Toyota corrected this oversight with the GT model.
Definitely an eye catcher! This car has definitely caught my attention. I am a Grade 12 student doing a research paper on hybrid vehicles, and this car is by far my favorite. Good Job Guys! sincerely a fan of the Toyota Prius,
Ricky N. Nova Scotia, Canada