I'm sure there will be better cars produced in the future, but when it came out, and for years afterward, the Prius was the best and only choice available.

I'm not bragging, I'm just doing the best I can -- and I realize I'm going to be by-passed as more and better (and hopefully cheaper) cars and modes of transportation surpass my cars. I'm not wealthy and I'm not going to be able to turn around and buy every new product out there. But for now, my 2004 Prius and the 2007 Prius I bought for my wife last year will have to do.

Oh, and so there, too! Nyaa!

as I think a lot of people are fooled by the hybrid logo. I find the Fit to be pretty cute, but then I like the Fortwo as well.

Its gas mileage for around town is about 25-28. It's paid off, I'm retired, and I don't drive much. I'm hoping for at least another 50,000 miles from it, and since I'm driving less than 8,000 a year that means that my next car is down the road aways. The rust spots aren't fashionable, but then neither am I.

...they take public transportation, walk, and bike. They live close to their work and shopping so they can do these things easily. They can get by on much much less money than those driving any type of car, and pollute less and help congestion and sprawl infinitely more than any hybrid. They know their neighbors and neighborhood because they stay local and don't isolate themselves in a steel box.

Anyone who says otherwise is deluding you and themselves. How's that for smug, Rebecca Clarren?

Yes, these are good points, but there are a few things that should be kept in mind:

1) Plug-ins would be great, but NOT because of their "zero emission" aspects. Just because smoke isn't coming out of the tailpipe doesn't necessarily mean it isn't coming out somewhere else. Unless you have a perpetual motion car (VERY expensive, even on eBay) you have to make that electricity somehow.

What's good about plug-ins is that electricity is a very flexible source of power since it is a final common pathway. You can switch (or mix) from solar, nuclear, petroleum, wind, etc. as needed, without worrying about a huge investment in any fixed infrastructure (as would be a problem with hydrogen). The more renewable, non-polluting power that goes into the grid, the better.

Also, pure electric cars are still pretty limited by range, especially in temperate or cooler climates, where the battery capacity is even smaller. That is one of the reasons why GM's electric car was distributed in southern California. They are fine for people who only commute a short distance, but that's a fairly small market. Hopefully that will improve with better engineering.

2) While $22,000 is not cheap, the average price of a new car in 2007 is $27,000. My 2001 Prius has almost 90,000 miles on it, seats five adults (plus a big trunk and a three-bike roof rack). The tone of the article makes me feel like I'm driving a Lamborghini! Sure you can get a very small, non-hybrid for less money that may get as good or better gas mileage, but you shouldn't compare apples to oranges. For those who don't need too much space, the Smart Car will be available soon in the US for $11-16,000 depending on options...

3) The "hype" about the Prius has made more people aware of the geopolitical aspects of wasting gas, the importance of reducing ones carbon footprint, and the reduction in emissions that comes with any increase in efficiency. So you are sort of driving a bumper sticker.

BUT, I do agree that raising mileage standards is a good idea, as would be a big, fat gas tax to raise funds to, say, repair our bridges. Good luck getting that one passed through congress...

The Prius has never been the greenest option. Toyota's own Echo and Yaris, and the small Hondas and Nissans all come very close to the Prius in gas milage. That's before accounting for the extra energy and resources required to build the larger Prius.

Hybrid technology is 75 per cent about marketing, as is fuel cell technology, ethanol, etc.

But that's okay. The Prius is a very nice car, and if Toyota's marketing department has swayed buyers away from other, less environmentally friendly options, that's a good thing.

The only alternative that truly makes sense is the plug-in electric. Nothing else comes close.

Yet more Prius bashing from the media, great.

No reasonable person has claimed they're the solution to environmental and foreign-supplied energy problems.

And why make such a deal about the price? It's not like they're $50K.

is only smart until the first time three of you want to go somewhere and have to take a second vehicle.

Oh yes, the version sold in North america has a diesel engine.

Again, it's all about marketing.

Seems like random pros and cons of various vehicles all tossed together. Hard to tell what the real recommendations are here. What are the author's Top 10 or Top 5 recommended cars?

I drive a Prius. It's a reasonably priced car with some nice amenities and killer gas mileage. I don't feel that I'm saving the planet with my choice of car, but it totally suits my heavy-travel worklife and is also an attractive auto with high prestige for the price.

...less expensive, fuel-efficient options to the Prius. The Prius is pricey for me. If it isn't for you, well, you're swell, I guess, but don't plink Ms. Clarren for being glad that there are green cars for folks without stacks of greenbacks.

but don't assume you are wonderful. Do the math and don't feel superior. Everybody doing their part will get the job done. Bike, motorcycle, walk, or drive high mileage cars, they ALL help, just don't turn up your noses at the choices other people have to make. Just THINK about what you are doing and try to use less fuel.

If it weren't for hybrids we'd have plug-in electrics and higher CAFE standards?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.

I rather suspect that if it weren't for hybrids, we'd have EXACTLY the same situation, just without hybrids. Call me cynical.

BTW, try finding a place to fill up that natural gas-burning model if it's not part of a fleet. I researched doing a conversion job on a old Mercedes, and somehow the notion of driving half-an-hour to fill up my extremely efficient vehicle didn't sit well.