In 2002 Toyota released the Prius Base to the car-buying market. The Prius came in one configurations: Base. The Base configuration is powered by the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 45 highway miles and 52 city. The Prius competes in the Sedan market segment, in direct competition with Hyundai.

Toyota Prius Engine Specs

The Prius Base is equipped with a Toyota 1.5 liter four-cylinder engine that utilizes 16 valves. The engine is mated to a Toyota 4-speed Transaxle. This is a long-standing favorite for buyers in the Sedan arena.

The Prius uses power-assisted brakes, with 4-Wheel ABS support. The front brakes are disc while the rear brakes are drum. Steering is handled through a power-steering rack-style configuration. The car uses coil and coil springs front and rear respectively.

The fuel system for the 2002 Prius is a SFI design, running on ELECTRIC/GAS fuel. The fuel flow is regulated by a electronic system and is a fuel-injected MFI design. The storage capacity of the fuel tank is 11.90 gallons.

Vehicle Statistics

The dimensions of the Prius Base are 66.70 inches wide by 169.60 inches long. It sits a comfortable 57.60 inches off the ground. It seats a standard five passengers, with 4 doors. The wheelbase of 100.40 allows for limited leg room for the backseat passengers.

There is a 36,000 mile, 36 month warranty with this vehicle, including a powertrain warranty of 100,000/96 miles/months. This is normal for this price range.

The original manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $19,995 when new, with a dealer invoice cost of $18,793. This price was in line with the industry average price for a 4-door Sedan.

Fuel Efficiency

The 2002 Prius gets 45 miles/gallon on the highway and only 52 in the city. This is exceptional for a sedan car.

In 2001 and 2002 the Prius Base was availble in the exterior colors of Aqua Ice Opalescent, Blue Moon Pearl, Brilliant Blue Pearl, Electric Green Mica, Silver Strata Metallic, and Super White.

We Think...

There are several reasons why the Toyota Prius Base sold well in 2002. Mainly the increase in availability and a marked improvement in quality meant the buying public was more apt to choose a Toyota, specifically a Prius.

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Tags: 4-Door, Base, Sedan, Toyota Prius, United States market

This entry was posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 12:42 am and is filed under 2002, Prius, Toyota. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.